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Three Arrests In China Over Baidu Post-Deleting Services
twoheadedboy writes "Three employees of Baidu, China's most popular search engine, have been arrested under suspicion of taking bribes. It is alleged that the employees accepted money in exchange for removing negative feedback left on Baidu's forum service. The company had already fired four people for misconduct before three of them were arrested. This so-called 'post-deleting' business is believed to be big in China, even though it is illegal."
In Chinese culture, there is you (and by extension, your family, your classmates [you have the same school class from kindergarten until graduation], and to a lesser extent your friends), and then there is The Other. You see, when Confucius defined the five major relationships, he forgot to include people you don't know. There is no equivalent to Christianity's "do unto others as you would have them do unto yourself" in China. So, why the hell care what your employer is paying you to do? Even if you get fired, you've still made enough money from bribes to fund your whole family for a generation. What, like Baidu's measly salary demands some sort of loyalty or something? Chinese employees feel about as much loyalty to their employers as welfare recipients feel loyalty to the US government. Sure, you get a tiny amount of cash but you KNOW you're worth much more than that. So, why not play the system for all it's worth? I've been there, done that, got the merit badge.
This problem is especially prevalent with men in China. Women are much less likely to cheat you. Men have to buy an apartment before they can get married, and what, your company's ethical statement that he signed is going to stop him from taking every step he can to achieve that goal? Nah, better to stay single all his life and never marry. Let's see...choice between "keep my word to some fuckwit corporate master" or "buy an apartment and be thought of as a worthy man in the minds of my girlfriend's parents." Hmmm...if you were a Chinese man making $500/month working for Baidu, which one would you choose?
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!