Chinese Internet Addiction Boot Camp Prison Break

UgLyPuNk writes "A group of inmates at the Huai'an Internet Addiction Treatment Centre decided they'd had enough of the 'monotonous work and intensive training.' Working together, they tied their duty supervisor to his bed and made a run for it. The 14 patients, aged from 15 to 22, hailed a taxi to take them to a nearby town — but were uncovered when the driver took them to the police station instead, suspicious of the identically dressed young men who were unable to pay the fare."

Comments

First post!

[somersault]

First I escaped Slashdot Addiction Camp, and now this! What a perfect day.

'monotonous work and intensive training'

[Anonymous Coward]

Instead of playing WoW, are they just living it now?

Re:'monotonous work and intensive training'

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

You know what would be the perfect "abuse of authority/prison-industrial complex" scandal story?

Using inmates at an internet-addiction boot camp as slave labor for your WoW gold-farming business...

Re:'monotonous work and intensive training'

[Austerity Empowers]

24800 experience for escaping from the prison warden, they get to keep their clothes and choose between steel handcuffs or plastic ties!

I know China is crowded

[Skarecrow77]

but shouldn't 14 people in a single cab still be considered somewhat suspicious on it's own?

Re:I know China is crowded

[Improv]

Not really. People training for the clown car trick typically practice in China.

Reeeeroy Jenkiiiiiins

[Anonymous Coward]

Who's the tank and who's the buffer?

Hurra!

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Achievement Unlocked: "Prison Break"!

McGuyverism Triumphs Again

[Drakkenmensch]

Expect the chinese government to spin this into a positive light for their work camp by "teaching teamwork and on-the-fly improvisational skills".

Re:McGuyverism Triumphs Again

[Shrike82]

Expect the chinese government to spin this into a positive light for their work camp by "teaching teamwork and on-the-fly improvisational skills".

Also, since they didn't beat up the cab driver, steal his cab, take it for a joy ride and kill a hooker with a baseball bat it's clearly proof that these camps are combatting video game addiction too...

mod points

[poptones]

I wanted to mod you up, but there's no option for "drug induced rambling."

Re:Age 15-22?

[cosm]

What's the age of [whateveritscalled] in China? i.e. Why do over 16/18 (?) year olds need to "escape"? Pressure from the government, or parents, or honour, or something else?

I think the word your looking for is "oppression", and the answer is "any".

video games are an escape from reality

[circletimessquare]

and considering the reality of china, where the state treats everyone like a slave, i can understand why so many in china would be addicted to video games. i would be too if i lived in china

there exists in china the lives of the rich in the coastal cities, who are able to afford some degree of freedom

but for the rest of the country, the majority, you have some sort of nightmare where the worst excesses of communist authoritarianism combine with completely unbridled capitalist rapaciousness, to produce a distinctly modern chinese breed of hell on earth for the poor in china. the state has no problem abusing you and propagandizing you, and the corporations have no problem working you like a mule, and will bribe the corrupt state authorities to get away with it

it really is not surprising that some workers are committing suicide in flocks:

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-08/foxconn-says-personal-issues-not-wages-led-workers-to-suicide.html

modern china is a brutal corporatist authoritarian nightmare, the worst of communism and capitalism, mushed together as a hybrid schizophrenic hell