On the self-censorship issue: The baby-boomer generation in the west may well be the most free generation ever. Naturally, we are highly defensive about all the freedoms we grew up with. Having said that, I am not sure, if censorship or self-censorship ever prevented political changes. One could argue, that the prevalence of propaganda and censorship may actually have a destabilizing impact, as at one point of time noone within the system will be able to tell fact from fiction anymore. Furthermore, government control of the media, propganda and censorship do not go unnoticed and people intuitively seek alternative sources of information, including much feared rumour-mills. Beijing tries a balancing act, letting its press report somewhat freely on foreign countries but heavily restricting domestic media, making a difference between 'official' scandals and those that are not to be talked about, and so on. Beijing allows foreign media representatives to roam about, less out of reciprocity, and more of the need of some form of check and balance, in order not to fall victim (again) to its self-created virtual reality.
Heh, the DPP 's instinct on reacting to the PRC move is sadly predictable, there's no way in hell that revoking ROC residency or citizenship rights would be constitutional though that's hardly stopped them before, this seems to be heading exactly where Beijing wants, that Taiwan's reaction undermine its own highground and integrity even more than Beijing's original move.
On the self-censorship issue: The baby-boomer generation in the west may well be the most free generation ever. Naturally, we are highly defensive about all the freedoms we grew up with. Having said that, I am not sure, if censorship or self-censorship ever prevented political changes. One could argue, that the prevalence of propaganda and censorship may actually have a destabilizing impact, as at one point of time noone within the system will be able to tell fact from fiction anymore. Furthermore, government control of the media, propganda and censorship do not go unnoticed and people intuitively seek alternative sources of information, including much feared rumour-mills. Beijing tries a balancing act, letting its press report somewhat freely on foreign countries but heavily restricting domestic media, making a difference between 'official' scandals and those that are not to be talked about, and so on. Beijing allows foreign media representatives to roam about, less out of reciprocity, and more of the need of some form of check and balance, in order not to fall victim (again) to its self-created virtual reality.
Heh, the DPP 's instinct on reacting to the PRC move is sadly predictable, there's no way in hell that revoking ROC residency or citizenship rights would be constitutional though that's hardly stopped them before, this seems to be heading exactly where Beijing wants, that Taiwan's reaction undermine its own highground and integrity even more than Beijing's original move.