Uproar in China over sex blog

[羽之助]

http://www.shanghaiist.com/archives/2006/08/31/we_gonna_go_to.php

Although I've been reading the Sex in Shanghai blog off and on for a while, recent turns of events have prompted me to create a thread about it (that being my girlfriend emailing me saying that it was in the newspapers in Hong Kong).

Basically, a white guy wrote about his sexual relations with Chinese women, some of whom appear to have been his students. Then a Chinese prof found the page after Blogger's ban was lifted from the Great Firewall, and called for Chinese netizens to stalk the guy, deport him, and prevent evil foreigners from sleeping with Chinese women. The blog's shut down at the moment, but the storm it generated is providing quite a few interesting views into modern China.

[Jetsetlemming]

How'd it get shut down? The guy quit, or the blog service drop him from pressure?

[羽之助]

He just changed it to read by invite only. It was at: http://chinabounder.blogspot.com

[Jetsetlemming]

Ah, I see that now. XD I posted that before reading the link (it was loading very slow :P)

[mawande]

Considering they caught that one guy who turns out NOT to be the person who raped and murdered that little girl because he was posting sexual fantasies about his students (though his were much younger, I suspect)... it's hard for me not to feel some empathy.

[Fumi]

I don't recall seeing it in our local newspapers. I picked it up from the Inquirer instead, which claimed it was "written by a British man, an Australian woman, two Chinese men and a Japanese woman who for some reason have never walked into a pub".

http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=34079

Well taunting the locals is never a good idea, especially when they have a particularly large chip on their shoulders.

[羽之助]

I'm waiting for the October 1st deadline given by that nutzo professor to try and deport him. I don't believe it to be a hoax, given that Blogger was unavailable in mainland China until just very recently. You can't study the effects of internet vigilantism when your main medium is blocked and the message doesn't get through.

[Ironfrost]

If the author was only trying to get a reaction, he went the wrong way about it. If the main character had been Japanese instead of English, the reaction would have been ten times larger. Also, the Blogspot thing that 羽之助 mentioned. The blogger's actions are definitely believable; private language skills in China do tend to attract that kind of person - possibly something to do with them not requiring any sort of language or teaching skills or qualifications from their employees.

Having said that, though, the guy didn't do anything wrong. There's no suggestion that he took advantage of anyone that didn't want to be taken advantage of, and there are plenty of high-profile Chinese bloggers who have done far worse. It's hard to imagine English guys getting this stirred up if a Chinese guy bragged about having a lot of sex in England; the whole thing stinks of nationalism and insecurity.

The person who comes off worst in my mind is the professor at the centre of the controversy. Someone in that position should know better than to make the racist remarks that he made, and being a professor of psychology he must have known the sort of ugly nationalism he would stir up.

[Fumi]

If he has lived in China for any period of time he really should've known better. He was lucky to be discovered by nutzo professor instead of nutzo violent youth who frequent patriotic forums and BBS. A few postings in there can mobilize a lynch mob fairly quickly.

Internet forum, along with SMS, is a very powerful tool in organizing people in China. An extreme example is the anti-Japanese movement that swept through several provinces last year; it all started from several posts about the goverment's inaction over Koizumi's shrine visit, and before you know it you have hundreds of thousands of people marching in the street in different cities.

Also keep in mind that many Chinese are instilled with a very xenophobic view since they were kids, to the point that anything foreign must be wrong and anything Chinese must be right. They were constantly reminded of the history of imperialist invasions and colonization of China. They have spent their whole life in China and have never got to know any foreigners. Just because they are "educated" doesn't mean they can shred that mindset.

That said, I think you have given too much credit to their attention span. By Oct 1 nutzo professor would've been restrained by the authorities and the rest of the people will have moved on to something else to hate about.

[Fumi]

If the main character had been Japanese instead of English, the reaction would have been ten times larger.
A couple years ago a Japanese company organized a sex tour to China as a reward to their outstanding employees. They booked a whole floor of a hotel and around 100 girls for 3 days.

It made the news, people were infuriated, and forum posters equalized it to "modern day IJA invasion". An uproar broke out. In the end the hotel manager and the Chinese organizer of that trip got a 5-year jail sentence.

The manager of that Japanese company said in the future they will go to Thailand instead.

[羽之助]

Also keep in mind that many Chinese are instilled with a very xenophobic view since they were kids, to the point that anything foreign must be wrong and anything Chinese must be right.

How dare you criticise patriotic education! To the gallows with you!

Heh. It all just goes to confirm that China and Japan are more similar than they'd ever admit.

I remember the sex tour news as well. Seems rather dumb, in retrospect. I mean, what other country would leap on the chance to express outrage or depraved Japanese sex tourists? They might as well have gone to South Korea for it. Thailand is the first and most obvious choice.

[Murakumo]

If a Chinese teacher at a college in America tried the same thing, I would...


.... I would just..



... I think I`d have to...


... I`d shake his hand and tell him good luck! =P

This internet hunting really reminds me of Salem witch trials, old European witch hunts, etc. ... oh, and the crusades. Gotta love when people have to force their morality and/or persecute others with little evidence, no evidence, or evidence only contrasting with their personal beliefs.

..... reminds me, how many Falun Gong (SP?) members have been beaten and killed so far for not following an accepted standard religion?