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No Joke. April Fools' Day Has Been Banned In China (washingtonpost.com)
Reader schwit1 quotes an article by Simon Denyer, who heads The Washington Post's China bureau: The ancient tradition of hoaxing and playing practical jokes on the first day of April has fallen victim to China's crackdown. Like democracy and free speech, it is a Western concept that simply isn't welcome here."'April Fools' Day' is not consistent with our cultural tradition, or socialist core values," state news agency Xinhua announced on social media Friday. "Hope nobody believes in rumors, makes rumors or spreads rumors." As part of a long-running effort to win control of the narrative on social media and deter dissent, China's Communist Party launched a campaign three years ago to criminalize the spreading of rumors. Xinhua's post suggests an April Fools' Day prank that mocked or undermined the Party could have potentially serious consequences.
/. treating it like "June Fourth Incident", must not acknowledge it happened
They get how fucking stupid April 1 jokes are.
How do we know this isn't The Washington Post's 1st April article? Every newspaper I know of runs at least one.
Thank goodness there are no stupid painfully obvious April Fool's stories on Slashdot today (yet). Some web sites make good April Fool's stories. Slashdot's always made me cringe.
... April fools.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
No Joke. April Fools' Day Has Been Banned In China
Finally the Chinese government does something I can get behind. Kudos China, for getting rid of the single stupidest, most annoying, and non-productive non-holiday of the year. May others follow.
His opposition to April Fool's Day is admirable. He has our gratitude.
Let's all give Dr. Klahn a big hand!
SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
From the article it appears they just want to suppress any form of social activism. April Fools' day is the last thing on their mind. Now if they have such a tradition then it could become an accidental collateral victim if it's done through a website, but who says such a tradition exists?
I have never thought of it that way. The government almost always seems to think what they're doing is moral and just. But, the word crackdown means tyranny or oppression to me. For better or worse, every law is reducing someone's liberties - such as the liberty to own slaves. (It's probably a good idea to have that law. Don't get me wrong.)
Anyhow, whenever I hear a government crackdown is going on - it usually means they're going trampling on someone's liberties or, worse, freedoms.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
I'm tired of a whole day wasted trying to figure out the better jokes as to avoid unnecessary work after the stupid 1st of April jokes. It's old, and it's not fun, it's childish this is what children do and it's fun. How the fuck did media and adults start doing these childish things? Her on after I will call all people I know who do 1st of april jokes for old-children as calling them retards would be degrading to retards.
Donald Trump has already signaled his intentions to execute those who disagree with him
Calm yourself, CNN just reported that Donald Trump and his entire presidential campaign is the climax of a meticulously crafted and brilliantly planned April fools joke that has been 69 year in the making.
All of the fun of April fools' jokes is in getting one over on someone that you personally know. Duping people on the internet is like shooting fish in a barrel, and has no enjoyment factor, either for the joker or the person being deceived.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Xinhua announced on social media Friday
So they ban April Fools' Day but still celebrate Social Media Friday? What a country.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Government, at it's best, is an intermediary to determine where one person's liberties end and another's begins. For example, I might insist that I have the liberty to take your property, but this infringes on your liberty to keep your own property. The government steps in and sets rules. It might limit some liberties but it's needed to ensure that society doesn't descend into anarchy.
When government goes too far, though, it begins restricting liberties in the name of preserving government power or to protect some "ruling class" from "the rabble." This could come in the form of "protecting against terrorism" by limiting free speech and increasing government surveillance or it could come in overly restrictive voter registration laws that are actually intended to keep poor people from voting. In China's case, it's the politicians flexing their muscles and saying "We've decided we don't like X so now nobody can have X!"
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
China has the right idea.
"April Fool's Day" is an obnoxious tradition that I would not miss at all.
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
Yeah, governments bully people. That's why people like me advocate government bullying should only be used when absolutely necessary - a lot less than it is now.
Congrats Xinhua! Almost had us all believing that one! :-)
www.sjbaker.org
link please
If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
Spotted the millenial. Your understanding of the term "crackdown" comes from recent pop-culture usage, although I can't blame you. The media has been using it that way (wrongly) for the past 5 or more years. But realize that the term "crackdown" means something very different to previous generations. It doesn't imply oppression at all -- rather just the opposite. It implies that the people being "cracked down upon" are truly guilty and deserving of the consequences. For example, "Jimmy's Mom finally cracked down on his staying out late". Clearly, Jimmy is guilty, and Mom is just now getting around to putting him in his place, and rightfully so. Furthermore, Mom only has Jimmy's best interest in mind, even though she's been pushed to the point of being stern.
That's MY understanding of the term, and you can see now that it doesn't apply in any way to actual oppression, and that using the term to describe actual oppression is an insult to the victims.
such as the liberty to own slaves. (It's probably a good idea to have that law. Don't get me wrong
- except that ability to own slaves was the law in itself, the law started slavery.
You can't handle the truth.
Government, at it's best, is an intermediary to determine where one person's liberties end and another's begins
It's about time someone said it.
People tend to forget that we are all government and that the crazies in power come and go. We as voter hardly practice our rights to fight decisions made at our government that we in majority disagree with. There is no doubt our officials are trying to pull the rug from under us on some issues but until it's significant enough that the majority feels oppressed, the majority will remain inactive on the issues.
Is there even a Chinese word for the concept of 'fun'? Or has the Communist government there outlawed the word, too? I can just imagine hearing whatever Chinese State official it was reading this edict; it would probably sound like Charlie Browns' teacher, except in Mandarin.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Umm... You know that there's more to history than America, right? It certainly predates the 1600s. I'm pretty sure we've been enslaving people for a lot longer than that. I'm gonna guess that we've been enslaving people since long before there was a concept of a central authority on a scale large enough to warrant calling it a lawful entity.
You're usually a bit sharper than this.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
LMFAO
Umm... I'm 58. I think you can safely be ignored now. I should know better than to interact with ACs. Per capita, they're generally more stupid than the regular users. As such, you're dismissed. Have a nice day.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
I am precisely on point. You have had laws that were pro slavery. You had 'slave codes' no less. Without these laws in the American Republic you couldn't justify slavery. Slavery in the USA was 'justified' by using the Bible no less, a Christian could not enslave a Christian, so all that had to be worked around.
Blacks in the America also owned property prior to 1600s, they also owned slaves, do you realise that? My point stands, you were saying that you needed laws to abolish slavery, I pointed out that you had laws that made slavery legal in the first place.
Sure sure, slavery existed before laws existed on this planet and it wasn't America that started slavery obviously, slavery existed since we invented the first weapons I bet. However for whatever reason there was always a government involved in promoting and making slavery legal ever since governments existed on this planet as well.
Making laws about abolishing slavery by governments that were the principle drivers of slavery since governments existed is a very dubious argument. I argue that governments have to treat people as equal under law and the criminal code, and criminal code can simply deal with slavery as with any other case of kidnapping and torture.
You can't handle the truth.
I concur which, oddly enough, gets me labeled as a ultra-conservative. I've yet to really figure that one out. I'm not even an anarchist, or even a minarchist. I'm actually pretty damned left on the spectrum and don't even mind reasonable taxation in return for reasonable services.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
I think the title was Slashdot Banned on Aprils Fools Day in China.
No, I'm pretty sure we've had slavery since Ogg was able to beat Ook into submission and then Ook gave half of his kill to Ogg to make sure Ogg didn't beat him any more. Of course, sometimes Ogg would still beat him, but that was just to prove a point and make sure Ook didn't forget who the boss was.
The laws that exist, those that prohibit slavery, take away Ogg's liberty to take the output of Ook's labor. They're an example of a good law but also a good example of how almost every law (I am unable to think of exceptions) take away someone's liberties. This may, or may not, be a good thing but that doesn't change what laws do.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
So what they're saying is that satire is dangerous in China -- it might disrupt government-imposed harmony.
The whole April Fools Day thing is a government conspiracy!
They used propaganda, to convince people, to persecute the people who celebrated new years day on the old calender, where it was on April First.
Discrimination against minoritys pushed by the government it's self! They could have caused a genocide!
Of course, it was the government of King Gregor. About the 11th century CE. (I think...) 8-)
But still...
You are all pauns of the King. Look up, thou sheep!
(look it up)
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