Tianamen Propaganda Censorship

Everyone is familiar with China's strict internet censorship policies, and as last month marked the 21st anniversary of the Tian'an'men Square massacre, there was sure to be clashes between protesters and government. The Chinese government has been doing its best to obscure the massacre from the eyes of the Chinese public. For example, one of the newest pieces of protester propaganda to hit the web is that of a young boy drawing tanks and soldiers on a chalkboard. Published by the news article Nanfang Dushi Bao (Southern City Daily) in respect to Children's Day, the image was promptly deleted from the Chinese internet but was leaked to the rest of the world. This is just another instance of the effort to cover-up a blemish on Chinese history.

But is this the best way to confront the issue of Tiananmen that still lingers in people's minds today? Perhaps it would be better to face the problem head-on. When we look at atrocities and mistakes in American history, the difference between the Chinese and American cultures is apparent. The massacre of Mailai during the Vietnam war was certainly a stain on U.S. history, but no attempt was made to cover it up. We recognize our mistake and we've moved on. But China is still stuck in the past because it does not recognize the error of its ways. Maybe it was right to stop the protesters at Tiananmen, but not with violence. And with China's affinity for censorship and cover-ups, there's nothing stopping China from committing similar acts of violent riot control.