Thinkweird Blog » civil rights

Interpreting the Grass-mud Horse

tw — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:50:24 +0000

The sudden popularity of the phrase Cao Ni Ma (草泥马) or Grass-mud Horse in the Chinese cyberspace perplexed many non-Chinese speakers. If you can understand it, you will gain such penetrating insights into the cyber culture in China. » » »

What is a civil society

tw — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:31:45 +0000

The civil society, from my understanding, is a society in which citizens have the necessary resources and effective constitutional protection to fully exert their civil rights and fulfill their civil duties. This includes, but not limited to, the formation of ‘sectors’ or organizations for the citizenship related functions. » » »

Officials Admit Existence of Grievances Before Violent Protest

tw — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:37:31 +0000

Here is the official explanation to the protest happened last week, which was sparked by the controversial death of a young female student: » » »

Chinese Netizens Breathe New Life into Common Phrases

tw — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:52:31 +0000

“Who cares, I am just buying some soy sauce” said a pedestrian, when he was asked of his opinion about the leaked porn photos of Hong Kong celebrities. Perhaps because of the public attention on the widespread porn photos, the man’s response sounded very funny for netizens. Now the saying “I’m just buying some soy sauce” is attached with new meaning, suggesting a cynical attitude toward the major events happened in China. It also carries a sense of the silent protest on the part of observers – by claiming to distant oneself from the event while silently paying attention to it. » » »

Rape or Push-up Exercises?

tw — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:19:09 +0000

I am very surprised to read about the large-scale riot happened in Wengan County, Guizhou Province on June 28th. Not believing an incident like this happened again in this already troubled year of 2008, I did some googling about the news. As expected, I received the “Connection Interrupted” error prompt in my browser, reminding me of the powerful presence of the Great Fire Wall. So I fired up a VPN connection and continued my search. » » »

Dr. Lin Yutang on Fenqing and their Patriotism

tw — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:10:54 +0000

I wrote my own definition and analysis of Fenqing in this post — What is a Fenqing. » » »

The Rise of the Civil Society in the Wake of the Sichuan Earthquake

tw — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:25:22 +0000

It has been more than a week since the deadly earthquake struck Sichuan Province. Among the debris, the enormous suffering and the heavy loss of lives, there rises the hope of an emerging civil society. » » »

Successful Earthquake Predictions in China

tw — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:15:35 +0000

CAN AN EARTHQUAKE BE PREDICTED?

Can. Period. » » »

Sichuan Government Dispelled the Earthquake Rumor Earlier

tw — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:40:36 +0000

Here is a screenshot of a page in the Sichuan Government Website. It claims to have restored order and peace after successfully dispelled the rumor of an incoming earthquake. » » »

An Anti-CNN website?

tw — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:31:51 +0000

Some Chinese netizens have launched a site called “anti-cnn.com” to vent their anger toward CNN. » » »