| Mail |
You might also like: WoW Insider, Joystiq, and more

Reader Comments (47)

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 11:56AM (Unverified) said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
I understand the sentiment and the desire to mourn. I have experienced more loss than I could ever wish on anyone else. However, you can't force, nor should you, people to mourn. Besides many people mourn in different ways. One example will be to toast someone's life at a local bar. Some might find that offensive but that is how they wish to honor that person. However, this is more about freedom, which I know does not exist in China. If there was someone who made the plea for everyone to take the day to mourn those lost and stay away from entertainment establishments, and if each individual bar closes voluntarily and each person made that decision for themselves, then that is healthy. I just want to point out that some may think that taking away all types of entertainment outlets for a day to mourn is a good thing, although it may make you feel good at the time, is a slippery slope and not the best thing for a free society like ours. I also know this article did not say it would be a good thing here, I just wanted to point out that people need to be weary of what they wish for.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 12:22PM dudes said

  • 2.5 hearts
  • Report
Thank you glorious leaders in your supreme wisdom that we can not be happy during this tragic time and make our own decisions for ourselves. The state is mother, the state is father, the state is our beloved third parent because we are not allowed to think for ourselves and our freedom of choice might cause great self harm. If we think for ourselves we might rise up and squash the current leadership like the nasty bunch of maggots that they pretend not to be. Long live the people and the party.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 12:29PM Sireangelus said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
Mourning is a good and necessary process.

Being told: "You will mourn on this day and in the manner we tell you." That's more than a little heavy handed. But this is China we're talking about after all.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 12:35PM Mirin said

  • 2.5 hearts
  • Report
China being China

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 12:56PM (Unverified) said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
Wow. You, Massively, approve of this measure? You, as a whole, would recommend that this is healthy and necessary? As a free market entity, I am shocked that your company would make such a statement.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 5:04PM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Agreed. I guess it would follow that Massively would approve of such measures in the US as well.

Oppression is never appropriate.
Reply

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 1:25PM Cinnamoon said

  • 2.5 hearts
  • Report
Massively declares day of oppression, closes all thinking venues

This isn't just a free market issue, this is a free speech issue, and an issue of simple civil liberties, regardless of the activity being banned. This is pure statism, pure authoritarianism, and sadly, pure China. Mourn or else -- close up shop or else -- go home or else -- or else what? Or else they'll ARREST you by FORCE. If our government did this, used force and dictated our day for some arbitrary reason to flaunt their control and power, we'd be outraged, and for good reason. Please, spare me the inane cultural relativist's argument. Facism is fascism is fascism, and the Chinese people deserve to be free of it without some spoiled, entitled Westerner casually suggesting that the loss of basic civil liberties isn't such a bad thing after all.

I'm _disgusted_ that some random author here would suggest the staff of Massively approves of this kind of oppression, would speak for the whole magazine, and say such a stupid and loathesome thing OUT LOUD. If that is true, it's time to find another magazine. If it's not true, Massively needs to find another writer.

Fortunately, unlike you, most of your readers saw this for what it really is.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 9:22PM whateveryousay said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
For someone that touts freedom of speech, you sure want to make someone pay for speaking their mind. Guess it only works one way, ey?
Reply

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 2:08PM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
>>Fortunately, unlike you, most of your readers saw this for what it really is.

So most of the readers must not approve of public moments of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance, or the fact that mass media was shut down for about a week following the September 11th attacks.

It's one day. One day where you (in theory) are supposed to reflect about the loss of human life and life in general. One day where you put others before yourself. Is it heavy-handed? Yeah, maybe, but it's 24 hours of forced-selflessness. Think about all the money businesses aren't going to make today.

I don't think this isn't a Communist thing, either. I wouldn't be surprised if Japan (another group-first society with a history intertwined with China) has or have had similar procedures for national tragedies.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 2:24PM (Unverified) said

  • 1 heart
  • Report
I agree.

You know, I seem to remember something similar to this happening after 9/11. Schools were shut down, people sent home. Hell, the FAA shut down the sky for weeks! No airplane could fly in American airspace without being "landed" by the Air Force! I think this is one of the most humanitarian things I have seen a country like China do in a long time. Gratz.
Reply

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 2:37PM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
>>So most of the readers must not approve of public moments of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance, or the fact that mass media was shut down for about a week following the September 11th attacks.

There's a huge difference of doing something voluntarily or being forced to by a government entity that has actual power. Neither of those are forced upon any of us by a government authority. As far as your September 11th comment... did the internet shut down for you? Did businesses close for you? I can say that some businesses closed for me for a few days following the attack, but that was because there was a smoldering crater outside my window in DC. However, my friends and family in other parts of the country were not forced to only watch state run news channels.

>>>It's one day. One day where you (in theory) are supposed to reflect about the loss of human life and life in general. One day where you put others before yourself. Is it heavy-handed? Yeah, maybe, but it's 24 hours of forced-selflessness. Think about all the money businesses aren't going to make today.

I just want to point out one thing in this statement... Selflessness can not be forced. It defeats the entire point of being selfless. Selflessness and charity are choices one has to make and sacrifice on their own. Otherwise they are refereed to as taxes, laws, and regulations.

>>>I don't think this isn't a Communist thing, either. I wouldn't be surprised if Japan (another group-first society with a history intertwined with China) has or have had similar procedures for national tragedies.

You're a little right here. No, it is not strictly a "communist thing". It is a totalitarian "thing". However, for communism to function you need to have totalitarianism. So yes, the communist economic system did not directly cause this totalitarian action, it was just the first domino that fell that led to this decision.
Reply

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 2:59PM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
Joe,

Ok, I didn't mean to say all that. I got too wordy and overly passionate there. I apologize. I do not mean to trample over what you believe. I only wanted to point out that you can not force someone to be selfless. It has to come from inside that person voluntarily.
Reply

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 6:39PM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
"mass media was shut down for about a week following the September 11th attacks"

Dude, what are you talking about? The coverage was non-stop on television, radio, newspapers, internet, pretty much every form of mass media there is.
Reply

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 3:02PM (Unverified) said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
@JoeMello04 - I think it's quite a stretch to compare VOLUNTARY actions of respect to GOVERNMENT MANDATED UNDER THREAT OF PUNISHMENT actions of respect.

@Jonisjalopy - the airways were shut down while we were trying to find ways to keep idiots from crashing airliners into things, a bit different me thinks. Travel via other modes of transportation were not affected. Schools and places of work in the areas affected by the terrorist attacks may have been shut down, but not everything, everywhere.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 3:28PM Harley Dude said

  • 2.5 hearts
  • Report
Massively approves of totalitarian government action? Good to know. Please delete my account. I'm done here.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 3:31PM (Unverified) said

  • 3 hearts
  • Report
Wow, Massively can't help but approve an oppressive, truth-burying government's black-out of all entertainment venues for a day of forced mourning. I just hope this article was written by some 13-year-old who just doesn't understand how the world works.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 3:41PM Seffrid said

  • 1 heart
  • Report
I rather respect the article here, it shows that even a gaming site like Massively can put gaming into a proper sense of perspective.

Besides, a government telling its own people what is good for them isn't really that different to a government telling another nation's people what is good for them, and we've seen rather a lot of that since 9/11.

Ultimately, of course, those who insist on the right of the Chinese people to express their own opinions on something like this will surely also respect the right of Massively to do the same.

Posted: Apr 21st 2010 7:53PM sandwiches said

  • 2 hearts
  • Report
We respect Massively's right to voice their opinion. However, we also reserve the right to tell Massively that their opinion is short-sighted and naive.
Reply

Posted: Apr 22nd 2010 2:12PM PantsBoom said

  • 1 heart
  • Report
It's idiotic to try to attach your own woefully uninformed, bandwagon political rhetoric to something you have no involvement in, nor cultural awareness of. You guys should leave the site, believe me, the comment sections will be better for it. - The fact you would do such while there are still human beings trapped and dying, is quite shameful.

However, the double standard of trying to vilifying China while at the same time pushing the ludicrous cries to 'fire' or besmudge the writer for saying something you wish to attach hidden meaning to, in order to push a faux outrage, is alarmingly stupid.

Featured Stories

WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney on the Settler path

Posted on May 22nd 2013 1:00AM

Engadget

Engadget

Joystiq

Joystiq

WoW Insider

WoW

TUAW

TUAW