Dodson Ch.3 & 4 Responses

Dodson Chapter 3 Response

From the information conveyed by Dodson in chapter three, I would say that what is going on in the property transfers is corruption and concern only for profit over people. Land that people have sunk their whole livelihoods into are being ripped from their hands in deals they hear nothing of until one day they are suddenly torn from their homes and expected, it seems, to be okay with it! Deals are struck in their names for money they will never see or hear of for a government official to just line his pockets. Multitudes are turned out and have little to no chance of fixing their broken lives. This is something I found utterly appalling to think of, especially as it is something that is government sanctioned! To think that many people live in such a way, that their home can be taken from that at any moment just by the beck and call of a businessman waving around big bills- that anyone would consider upturning so many for their own selfish gain- is unfathomable in my mind and heart of hearts. It was especially shocking when Dodson talks about when HE was being sold land where houses sat and people watched him. The seller waved his arm and pointed to places where people were presently living and told Dodson that "All of this could be his!" is something that I find extremely unsettling...As I read further and further into China Inside Out, the more I find myself believing that China needs some sort of reform in its approach to modernization.

Dodson Chapter 4 Response

Chapter four only pushed further my thoughts on China needing a new, better reformed way of approaching the 21st century. What stuck out the most with me was honestly the instances and statistics given in chapter four- the staggering numbers of deaths all by different kinds of pollution in China, as well as the fact that China thinks it is a perfectly well and legitimate sacrifice to be made in the name of modernization and expansion! To think that someone would visit another in their hospital bed (as cited in the chapter) and tell them that their illness that is really and actually due to some form of pollution poisoning was simply from a 'mass hysteria' is something I cannot very well swallow. It is something that concretes in my heart the nasty thought that the Chinese government cares not for expansion and modernization for the sake of its people, but for the sake of expansion and modernization alone as to seem 'on par' with other parts of the world. Even further unsettling is the fact that the people of China seem to be scarily accepting of this fate and these outcomes. All I find by the end of this chapter, staring at the death tolls wrought on China by its own hand is: is all of this death and destruction really worth it in the end? Is having large factories and big cities really worth trading the wealth that is the happiness and health of both its people and its land itself?

Ch. 3 and Ch. 4. in Dodson

In your own words, what is going on with property transfer in China today, according to Bill Dodson in Chapter 3?  How do you respond to his description of this? 200 words

What is the most compelling piece of information related to pollution in Chapter 4?  Why do you single out this information as most compelling? 200 words

Dodson Ch.2 Response

I believe what Dodson is saying about anxiety in chapter 2 of China Inside Out, is that it is beginning to go too far. That is, the people of China are becoming overly anxious, and it isn't good. Dodson proposes no solutions himself, but makes observation on stressful situations and seems to almost press for change.

The first great anxiety Dodson discusses is the uneasiness with keeping their homes and middle class status. The riot witnessed by Dodson himself shows that the people of China are very on edge...to the point where one man hijacked heavy machinery and destroyed a wall in protest! I believe that this, indeed, needs to be dealt with. My reaction is simply that this needs to be taken under control, and that the market needs to become steady and secure as to prevent greater and more chaotic consequence. In this respect, I admit Chinese have more reason to be anxious than Americans, as their market is much less stable.

The second great anxiety is education. The entrance exams are more rigorous, certainly, than any test I have ever take! The demand is high, and the risks people are willing to take seem much greater. This is a system that should not continue...But then again, I may be partial as I am a fan of the Finnish system of education. Chinese persons have more cause for anxiety here as well, as everything seems to ride on one test...and that, I feel, is way too much pressure for just about anyone!

The third is health care. This is something I found to be absolutely ridiculous! It seems in China, one illness can- and has- send people into poverty in an instant! Though we in America complain about our health care systems (still a fan of the Canadian free health care system!) this is much more ridiculous, as insurance seems to cover little to nothing and leave many people in the dirt! To know one sickness could take you and your entire family down is enough to make one...well, sick!

Observing these anxieties illustrated by Dodson, I honestly believe many people in China SHOULD receive some form of therapy, and I am thoroughly surprised by the fact it is considered shameful to do so! Indeed, were I to live with these strenuous possibilities, I think I would be seeing a psychiatrist on the regular!

Ch. 2 of Dodson

Please respond to what Dodson is saying about anxiety in the Chinese people in this chapter. First summarize his main points and then react to them.  Do you think the Chinese have any reason to be more anxious than Americans? Why or why not? 

Chp 1

I always knew about China's intense censorship of the internet. However, one new thing that I learned was that China had virtually shut down an area of land they said to be about the size of Alaska. China shut down the people's 'private' cell phone providers to keep the information of riots and protest violence and killings private from the rest of the world. The weirdest part of this section to me was not even the fact that they shut down the communications of the people as a way of censoring the people, but how. I was really shocked that China was able to shut down companies that are considered private in America. To my knowledge, companies like AT&T, Comcast, etc., are not in anyway under government jurisdiction as far as service. (Of course the legal things are under government law - but not the fact that the service itself is active.) Since the people pay for these services and private companies provide them - I found myself more angry that the government shut down a service they did not own or operate. 

As far as pornography on the internet – I guess censoring it is better than promoting it, but at the end of the day, I think people who want to see it are going to find it one way or another.

Finally, I liked how the chapter was broken into easy to digest parts – it helped me categorize and process the information much better than just one long chapter that talked about everything all at once. I feel that pulling out topics helps me focus my reading and comprehension and I enjoy reading things more that way when I don’t have to search around for the point to a writing.

Dodson Ch.1 Response

To be honest, I have little awareness about China and it's many policies. I was aware of who ruled and some of the rulings, but not all of them. This first chapter enlightened me on how the Chinese people utilize their freedoms, and how much value is placed on the internet. They even use the web to do sort of vigilante justice! It helps a country of so many communicate and spread out towards, what they seem to refer as, modernization. I found it slightly shocking (especially with the Human Flesh Searches, something that I see as both awe inspiring and frightful) but was impressed by how such a multitude can unite.

My thoughts on the pornography censorship is that, as described, it seems to be nothing more than a scam. Something the government may have concocted under a more moral guise in order to try and control something that is very volatile. It believe it to be difficult to do, and just a little silly to try, especially with the sheer multitudes of people and ways around the censorship. Grass Mud Horse was one way in which we see  the creative reaction the internet can present in response to the false censorship. I believe this to be a situation to be swept under the rug, unless the government intends on actually doing what it says it is, and taking into account its people while doing so.

As per how Dodson put together the chapter, I found it very well done. It gave a sort of natural flow to the thought which I can admire. Dodson covers the topic thoroughly considering the amount of space he used, and he still made the information very natural and kept it from becoming overwhelming. I enjoy how is both informative yet not an overly complexional read/

ch 1 dodson

I honestly knew virtually nothing about the Chinese government before reading Dodson. I was shocked to find out how they use the Internet. It seems to me to be a really negative environment. Although they are using things like The Human Flesh Search Engine to find people who have committed crimes for the greater good of the people, it just kind of strikes me as inappropriate and invasive. Such things should be the responsibility of the government. Maybe they should be spending more time solving crimes that have been put in the public eye than they are deleting pieces of their past and pornography – people are going to find pornography in some way anyways and it doesn’t affect others. I think the situations that are being put into the public eye could very well be ones that families might want to keep to themselves. I guess having help to find betrayers could be a good thing, but it seems to me like people are constantly wound up about things that are happening over the country and I feel like it gives a very negative outlook to the Chinese.

I’m really torn about the idea of censorship at this point. Reading the first chapter gave me the impression that everything that the Chinese are reacting to and seeing on the internet is really negative and I’m not quite sure how I would feel about that.

I am confused at what the Chinese government is trying to get at by censoring certain negative and controversial events because they are a part of China – a part of their culture and history. I feel like the people should be able to be aware of such things.   

My reaction to this chapter was that Dodson really just blatantly threw the information out there and didn’t really hold back, which I appreciated. I think the governments of other countries are things that we should be aware of, and I’m upset that I wasn’t already aware of how other countries, like China, operated.