Does that mean we have to dance and sing that “We want the funk” song?
Really, sure they could, on their main page where they have had pictures and stuff before like on holidays. They could make fun of each leader on his birthday and so on. Use that main page as more of a social statement, like a wall can be.
Celebrate each anniversary of protests in China, things like that, with pictures of the leader looking stupid. Create dis-respect.
What, exactly, do you believe would be achieved by drawing horns and tails on Chinese government officials?
More, perhaps, in China than elsewhere. Historically, Chinese governments purport to base their legitimacy on their morality and the public’s esteem thereof, and in any rebellion, propaganda is half the battle.
Would you change your opinion on any subject because of a cartoon on the Google homepage?
Or also as a last-ditch measure to win against Baidu. Maybe they figure that perhaps being uncensored they’ll be able to win back the larger share of users.
Really, Because in that culture respect is much more important than it is here, and so use that as a weapon against them. An easy weapon too, and it can even be fun, hold contests for the best depiction of China leaders stopping dissent, then publish them all over time even. Now Google need not even do any work to do it.
No, but if I was a Chinese person able to access uncensored reports of what happened in Tianamen Square for the first time, I might very well change my opinion about my government. For that matter, if I saw, for the first time, that image of the one guy staring down the column of tanks, I might have some questions about what really happened there.
What has that got to do with drawing funny pictures of Chinese leaders?
Sounds like a great way to get the common chinese man to think that Google is a source of disrespectful lies, and thus to dismiss it entirely.
The rational ‘no respect’ route is to stick to plain unvarnished facts and unfiltered information. The lack of filtering is sufficiently disrespectful of the government’s will without turning Google into a joke.
Even mere cartoons could lead to people wanting to know why the leaders were drawn in a particular way. It would probably be most effective if the cartoons were drawn by someone knowledgeable about Chinese culture and mythology. Say a current leader depicted as some easily recognized figure widely known to have been an asshole.
Do actions like what you propose influence the way you think about politics and culture?
On second thought, I’m not sure I want you to answer that.
Disappointing. I come to this forum for intelligent posts, but people are seriously arguing Google should draw mean pictures of Chinese leaders on their home page.
Next thing you know, people will be crudely photoshopping giant cats in Tiananmen Square.
I can haz self-determination?
Tanks haz a flavor.
I’m in ur tanks, oppressing ur peaceful protestors.
ALTERNATIVELY:
Teh tears of democratic activists - they haz a flavor.
Nah, most people there know that something nasty happened at Tienanmen. What they disagree with you on is “was it justified to keep the peace,” and “so what do we do about it.” To which the answer is “Maybe, maybe not” and “Keep calm and carry on.”
Interpretation and context matters. I mean, what did you think when you found out about the atrocities committed by the Patriots against Loyalists, something US history textbooks skim over? “Damn, they’ve been lying to us all along,” or “Meh, a long time ago and maybe they had it coming?”
Frankly, I was more concerned about the atrocities the Patriots committed against the Jets in Spygate. But point taken.
That’s what shows up when you use “Tianamen square”. But when you use “Tiananmen square”, not so much… (?)