每遇重大事件与事故,官员与媒体总是小心翼翼,口风很紧,没把握的话不说,非权威信息不登,一副谨言慎行四平八稳的模样,企求大事化小,小事化了,制造一个社会安定,民众安乐,领导满意的大好局面。而事件责任方心里直乐,这下好了,事情的冲击波过后,一切如常,官照做,歌照唱,生意越做越大,捞钱越来越多,即便丧心病狂也不以为过。而事件的受害者,内心憋屈,备受煎熬,亲人下落不明,一生积蓄泡汤,当下生活怎么安排?未来日子又怎么过?期盼从官员或权威发布得到一些答案或安慰,可是,他们失望了。 天津塘沽爆炸的信息处理不当,已有共识,连李克强总理也直言批评, “ 权威发布跟不上,谣言就会满天飞 ” 。当局追查谣言的动作果断而坚决,有助于安定人心,无可厚非。但是,如果连同对事件的反思和追责的呼声,也一致屏蔽,予以惩罚,窃以为不可取。道理很简单,我们不能因为泼脏水,把婴儿也一同倒掉。对政府的批评,是爱护政府,希望执政团队做的更好,这就是信息透明,舆论监督的正面作用。我们做学术研究,经常要面对同行的质疑和批评,做学术讲演时,要回应听众的问题,进行坦诚交流。写文章投稿,也要对审稿人的意见作出全面而详细( point by point )的回应。我相信,即便是爱因斯坦这样的学界大老,也不会对他人的质疑视而不见。面对挑战,能否做出积极回应,实际上反映了我们是否足够自信,足够成熟,是否具备自我学习和自我更新的能力。将头埋入沙里,甚至堵塞言路,只会使自己变的更弱智,更无能。信息发布会上一众官员的表现可为佐证。
西方的言论自由事实上是受明显限制的,但是由于其话语上的强势,让很多不明真相的人把话语当作现实。我是坚定地认为言论就该有限制,对于言论自由的讨论关注焦点应该是什么样的言论应该得到保护,什么样的应该严格限制,而不应该不加思考和研判肤浅地讨论要不要自由。对于这个观点,我另文有更详细地叙述,感兴趣的请点击博文: 我不会什么言论自由的权利都支持 。 今天看新闻又注意到一个来自USA的案例,说的是伊利诺伊斯州一位高中教师 Jordan Parmenter 在课堂上为学生们演示USA的言论自由以彰显国家之伟大而脚踩国旗,却没想到这样一个事情被学生告发之后遭到校方直接开除。这中学老师其实蛮悲催,我相信他本人说的” What I did was never intended as a show of disrespect to our country, to our veterans, or to anyone, nor would I ever do or say anything with that intention. 'I love my country and have nothing but the utmost respect for those who serve it. “是真心话,他只是太天真,亲信了本国的政治文宣,把有明显政治目的的话语当现实,这才让自己丢掉了工作。 相关新闻英语报道: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3145935/High-school-teacher-fired-stomping-American-flag-students-demonstrate-free-speech.html 国内一个小众媒体对此的报道: www.guancha.cn/america/2015_07_02_325416.shtml 另外,附赠一个关于USA政治文宣的科普知识(摘自维基百科词条 Psychological Operations (United States) ) Psychological operations ( PSYOP ) are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of United States psychological operations is to induce or reinforce behavior favorable to U.S. objectives. They are an important part of the range of diplomatic, informational, military, and economic activities available to the U.S. They can be utilized during both peacetime and conflict. There are three main types: strategic, operational, and tactical. Strategic PSYOP include informational activities conducted by the U.S. government agencies outside of the military arena, though many utilize Department of Defense (DOD) assets. Operational PSYOP are conducted across the range of military operations, including during peacetime, in a defined operational area to promote the effectiveness of the joint force commander's (JFC) campaigns and strategies. Tactical PSYOP are conducted in the area assigned to a tactical commander across the range of military operations to support the tactical mission against opposing forces. PSYOP can encourage popular discontent with the opposition's leadership and by combining persuasion with a credible threat, degrade an adversary's ability to conduct or sustain military operations. They can also disrupt, confuse, and protract the adversary's decision-making process, undermining command and control. When properly employed, PSYOP have the potential to save the lives of friendly or enemy forces by reducing the adversary's will to fight. By lowering the adversary's morale and then its efficiency, PSYOP can also discourage aggressive actions by creating disaffection within their ranks, ultimately leading to surrender. In order for PSYOP to be successful they must be based in reality. All messages must be consistent and must not contradict each other. Any gap between the product and reality will be quickly noticed. A credible truth must be presented which is consistent to all audiences. Primarily it is a component of offensive counterinformation but can be used defensively as well. 上一段黑字充分显示 USA 政府精通做政治文宣的精髓,要是容易让受众看出来是故意做的政治文宣还怎么给民众洗脑啊,所以一定要力求“真实”,可信度高,逻辑要严密,绝不可自相矛盾。 White PSYOP can come from the Voice of America or regional radio/TV . Central Intelligence Agency units are apt to have responsibility, on a strategic level, for black and some gray propaganda. White propaganda, especially at the strategic level, comes from the Voice of America or United States Information Agency . 事实上不仅仅是“美国之音”以及 USA 的地方电视台和广播台(地方性的媒体其实能起到无孔不入的作用,绝对不能小觑)参与 USA 政府的政治文宣工作,大名顶顶的 CNN 甚至直接给USA军方搞政治文宣的士兵进行培训,这是显示 USA 商业媒体和政府通力合作的一个窗口,正如原文中写到的“ In the 1990s it came to light that soldiers from the 4th Psychological Operations Group had been interning at the American news networks Cable News Network (CNN) and National Public Radio (NPR) . The program was an attempt to provide its PSYOP personnel with the expertise developed by the private sector under its Training with Industry program. ” 其实中国古人是很懂攻心战术的,深谙“欲擒故纵”,“欲扬先抑”等手法,中国现在的商业炒作团队也懂得“小骂大帮忙”,不过政府层面的文宣工作, CCP面对 USA 的政治精英输的很惨啊。
2014年9月5日,马里兰州的格兰尼高中( Glenelg High )的一个学生在学校足球比赛结束后登上看台高处展示一面邦联国旗( ConfederateFlag ),被在场的学校官员责令立即取下。几天后(9月10日),同校的另外两个学生披着同样的国旗到学校上课,也被学校当局阻止。这些学生都受到了处分。这个事件在当地和全国媒体上都被报道。 美利坚联盟( Confederate of America )是美国内战时期的南部一方,简称南部联盟或邦联。内战结束后,邦联不复存在,但它的国旗(或战旗)并没有销声匿迹。大多数美国人将邦联旗看作是黑奴制度和种族仇恨的象征。但也有很多人认为它象征着南方传统和英勇的南方将士。南卡州( SouthCarolina )州政府大楼直到2009年还悬挂着邦联旗。尽管有着巨大争议,这面旗现在还留在州政府领地上。邦联旗的部分图案也被包括在好几个州的州旗或车牌图案中。 尽管大多数美国人对邦联旗持有厌恶甚至被冒犯的感受,悬挂邦联旗在美国却受到言论自由的保护。去年,在毗邻首都华盛顿的佛吉尼亚州,有个组织在州府附近的高速公路边升起了邦联旗。虽然有两万多人联署抗议,却无法阻止他们。今年,他们在同一条公路边上又升起了第二面邦联旗。邦联旗也在其他许多地方和场合出现。 虽然宪法的言论自由条款保护私人展示邦联旗的权利,但在学校却完全是另一回事。几十年来,各地发生过很多起学校禁止邦联旗以及带有邦联旗图案的服装的事件,其中不少闹到了法庭上。但大多数判决的结果是学校胜诉。这又是为什么呢? 三十多年前,美国最高法院曾经审理过一个关于校园着装的案件【注一】。法庭意见指出:学校有权限制学生的言论自由,但学校方面需要证明,基于他们掌握的事实和经验,学生的有关行为会严重干扰学校的纪律和运行。学校的这种观点可以是基于他们的预见,而不需要这种干扰已经发生。法庭意见还特别指出,光是这些言论会“惹恼”一些人是不够的,因为所有另类言论都会惹恼某些人。 这些法庭意见成为了审判这类案子的法律基础。由于最高法院尚未接受审理过校园邦联旗的案子,次一级法院--联邦上诉法院的判词就是最权威的判例了。最近的一起案子,是美国第四巡回上诉法院2013年3月的决定,支持南卡州一所学校禁止学生穿带有邦联国旗案的服装上学的决定【注二】。在这个法庭决定中,法院对学校提供“若不如此会造成严重干扰”的证据要求是相当宽松的。学校方面的举证是当地过去三十多年中的几起种族冲突事件,有的还是在校外发生的。其中有些是有关邦联旗的,也有些是无关的。法庭意见还表示,由于法官们不可能了解学校的具体情况,他们的缺省立场是相信学校官员的判断。由此可见,在目前的法律和判例情况下,要想挑战学校的限制措施是非常困难的。 格兰尼高中事件发生后,当地的县政府,学区与学校官员迅速表态谴责,除了“按照学生守则”处分学生外,还要求学生接受“文化敏感”的训练。学区主管还表示:要就这件事从事“机会教育”。但一个星期过去了,当地学校除了发个简短通知外并无其它“教育”行动。倒是该校学生在脸书上有不少热烈的讨论。在一个“梯子”上,有一个学生为那几个“犯事者”辩护,而其它几个学生则反驳他。双方基本上都保持了理性和礼貌,讨论也颇有深度。例如他们指出了学校与社会的“言论自由”尺度不同,也指出行政限制与道德谴责的不同。后来讨论还延伸到种族关系的一般话题。虽然各人观点不同,但讨论还挺深入。所以这件事也反映了现在高中生素质的一个侧面。 在美国,言论自由的权利来自于宪法第一修正案:“国会不得立法…限制言论自由。”这是一个绝对的,没有任何限制的权利。但现实中,绝对的言论自由显然是行不通的。虽然国会不能立法限制,但社会共识甚至法院判例一直在探索合理的言论自由界限。关于在学校里的言论自由,除了本文开头提到的判例外,其它最高法院判例也认为,公立学校的学生在学校享受的言论自由与成人在其它场合的不同。为了贯彻教育目的,维护学校形象或保障学校安全,学校可以限制学生的言论自由。这其实也反映了美国法院的一贯立场:政府和有关权力机构为了他们(作为公众代表)的重要利益,可以限制公民的某些宪法权利。当然怎样界定“重要利益”,必须通过怎样的程序和承担怎样的举证责任,那就是多年来判例的沉淀了。法院判例为“死”的宪法提供了一个演变的途径。 在今天的美国社会中,“邦联旗”不算是大事。但管中窥豹,从这些事件中我们可以看到美国的言论自由在社会中的真实运作。同时这也提醒我们,学校对于塑造孩子的思想掌有着很大的权力,为了“教育需要”甚至可以限制学生的宪法权利。所以如果要抗拒学校灌输的价值观的话,那绝对是逆水行舟的事情。所以不要看不起学区委员的角色。华人家长有能力,有时间的话,还是应该积极参与的! 【注一】Tinker v. Des Moines,Supreme Court, 1969 【注二】Hardwick v. Heyward, Courtof Appeals for the Forth Circuit, 2013 邦联战旗(复制自 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_flag_of_the_US_Confederacy.svg )
因为政治不正确,在推特上批评了以色列在加沙的军事行动,伊利诺伊斯大学取消合同不再聘用从弗吉尼亚理工学院挖角来的副教授 Steven Salaita 。他自由了表达了他对以色列的不满,并且大学有自由根据政治观点来选择大学教授,所以这符合 USA 宣称的言论自由吗?如果是这么一个逻辑,谁可以批评中国言论不自由呢? ------- 新闻链接: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/07/steven-salaita-university-of-illinois-fired_n_5658806.html 全文: An outspoken critic of Israel's role in the latest conflict in Gaza appears to have had his job offer at a major university retracted due to his tweets and public comments on the matter. Steven Salaita, previously an associate professor in the English Department at Virginia Tech, was initially offered a position with the American Indian Studies program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but Chancellor Phyllis Wise has since blocked his appointment , Inside Higher Ed reported Wednesday. The university declined to comment to Inside Higher Ed on why Salaita's appointment was blocked when typically a post like his, having already been made public , would only require the formality of the school's board of trustees' approval before being confirmed. The university has also not responded to a HuffPost request for comment as of publication date. Reports by Inside Higher Ed and the Daily-Gazette indicate that Salaita's anti-Israel tweets on the conflict in Gaza, which had recently received some media attention , was the reason why the author's offer of employment was rescinded. The American Association of University Professors' Illinois committee on Wednesday issued a statement describing the professor's words as strident and vulgar but also an impassioned plea to end the violence currently taking place in the Middle East. Speech that is deemed controversial should be challenged with further speech that may abhor and challenge a statement, the AAUP statement continues. Yet the University of Illinois cannot cancel an appointment based upon Twitter statements that are protected speech in the United States of America. However, Cary Nelson, an English professor at the University of Illinois and the former president of the AAUP, appeared on HuffPost Live Thursday (embedded above) to address the controversy, saying his would-be colleague had stepped over a line with not only the tone but also the content of his comments on the Gaza conflict. Nelson said that he supported the university's decision. A university spokeswoman had previously defended Salaita's hiring to the News-Gazette, telling the newspaper late last month, Faculty have a wide range of scholarly and political views, and we recognize the freedom-of-speech rights of all of our employees. Meanwhile, a Change.org petition calling for Salaita to be rehired by the university has been signed over 7,400 times as of Thursday afternoon. Below are some of Salaita's tweets on Gaza: Steven Salaita@stevesalaita Note how many times Zionists use words like savages and animals. The bombing of Gaza isn't strategic. It is racist and punitive. 4:05 PM - 1 Aug 2014 Steven Salaita@stevesalaita It's simple: either condemn Israel's actions or embrace your identity as someone who's okay with the wholesale slaughter of children. 5:39 PM - 29 Jul 2014 Steven Salaita@stevesalaita Only Israel can murder around 300 children in the span of a few weeks and insist that it is the victim. 5:11 AM - 1 Aug 2014
[立委按] 女儿历史课要求写一篇 research paper ,选取一个对社会发展有影响的当代人物或机构,论述其成就和意义。社会发展的领域包括政治、经济、教育、卫生、慈善和人权。虽然技术领域不在列表上,女儿还是选了她心目中的 传奇偶像人物 Steve Jobs ,因为他 made a ding in the universe, 可以从教育或其他领域谈他的技术革命带来的影响。可是选题提交上去,没被老师批准,说 Steve 前不久刚去世,铺天盖地都是关于他生平事迹的资料,使这个选题具有不对称的优势。于是女儿转选即将上市的社会媒体巨头 Facebook 的创始人 Mark Zuckerberg ,还是技术改变世界的传奇人物,结果以同样理由不得通过。 女儿有点扫兴,这两位是她读得最多,最有兴趣研究的人物,其余的人物和机构大多提不起兴趣来,少数有意思的名人如诺贝尔奖获得者南非的曼德拉和美国前副总统戈尔都已经被其他同学抢占了。想了半天说,那我就写盘尼西林的发明者弗莱明吧,说明医药的革命性突破在偶然里面包含了必然,伟大发现是预备给有准备的心灵的( prepared mind )。可是弗莱明不算当代人物,也不行。 最后老师把一个古巴人权斗士 assigned 给她了,算是命题作文。于是上网查资料,做笔记,折腾半个多月,终于写出了这篇研究文字,其主旨就是“社会媒体是言论自由的天然突破口”。特转载于后,与各位分享。虽然只是一个美国中学生的粗浅笔记,可能对转型期的当代中国也许也有些意义。 论述这篇的主题并不难,高技术支撑的社会媒体成为言论自由的平台和突破口是自然而然的事儿。除非当政者退回到前数字时代,废除互联网,任何长城都不可能完全阻挡信息的自由流通。古巴的人权 英雄 Yoani Sánchez 女士抓住了时代的机遇,以其勇敢智慧和不屈不挠成为世界人权史上第一批利用技术对抗独裁的先驱之一,因此成就一世英名(以她的国际名声和影响,有望获得明后年的诺贝尔和平奖)。美国这边的论文训练,除了 thesis (中心思想)要鲜明突出外,还要求承转起合(transition)到位,段落要有 topical sentence,人物和事件要有背景介绍,材料来源必须详细标注来源,最后的总结概括阐述其意义和价值后,还需要几句话谈 so what,即从长远的角度预示其历史意义。女儿问:她很了不起,已经为人权做出了很大贡献,so what? 我给她提示了两点:一是星星之火,榜样的力量是无穷的,等群众都觉悟了,追随她的结果就会演变成改变世界的力量。第二点就是和平演变,追求自由是人类的天然权利和本性,钳制言论自由和基本人权的反动力量和独裁政权,终将为保护自由的民主社会所替代。但这个过程不一定要伴随流血和革命,和平演变对国家和人民最为有利。女儿有些懵懂,但还是把这两点融合进去了。 不知她的老师买不买账? 11 May 2012 Blogging Through Silence Living with a fear of speaking is not easy, while the free world takes for granted the freedom of speech, the citizens of Cuba are still deprived of this basic human right. Yoani Sánchez, who uses the power of Wordpress blogging to air her views freely, is one of Cuba's best-known human rights activists to fight for free expression. Sánchez manages to use her blog as a forum to exercise free speech in the totalitarian reign of Castro in Cuba. Her use of Internet and technology to blog through silence pioneers a new direction for the movement of human rights in the world. The end of The Cold War twenty years ago did not end entirely the communist dictatorships. Today, there are still a few extremist regimes such as Cuba and North Korea. The communist Cuba, founded by Fidel Castro half a century ago, still continues the system of Stalin in which free speech is a political taboo: "Stalinism with conga drums," says Ms. Sánchez as she compares it to the former totalitarian Soviet Union (“Cuban Revolution”). The press in Cuba is under strict government censorship. The traditional media such as newspapers and television act as a propaganda device for the government to control the people who also cannot elect their own leaders. The current leader, Raúl Castro, was not elected but was appointed by the former leader, his brother, Fidel Castro. Born in 1975, Yoani Sánchez spent her childhood worry-free at a time when Cuba was fully supported by the former Soviet Union. However, her generation had to go through the time of hardships when the Soviet Union collapsed and the soviet aid was discontinued. Soon there was severe food shortage along with difficulty for all necessities. Disappointed and disillusioned with her home country, she moved to Switzerland in 2002 where she got used to the life of style in the free world. Her husband ended up not being able to find a professional job in Switzerland and the couple decided to return to Cuba in 2004. After studying computer science, Ms. Sánchez later started her career as a freelance writer and was determined to be a free person. Starting from 2008, she began signing her blog with her real name, a brave move in Cuba. (“Generation Y: My Profile”) Yoani Sánchez’s blogging enters a taboo area in Cuba. Time magazine comments about Sánchez saying, "under the nose of a regime that has never tolerated dissent, Sánchez has practiced what paper-bound journalists in her country cannot: freedom of speech" (“The 2008 Time 100: Yoani Sanchez”). Traditionally, journalists who dare to break the silence are punished -- even sent to jails! This has happened to a number of dissidents and journalists, including Yoani’s husband who used to be a journalist and was sent to prison (“Desde Aqui: The Year of Yoani”). The regime controls the people through fear and terror and using the police to enact these efforts to brainwash the citizens. Saying what you think in Cuba can be dangerous. In 2002, Cuba imprisoned dozens of journalists, who declared themselves dissidents and published criticisms of the regime. Many are still in prison (“Desde Aqui: The Year of Yoani”). Most Cubans are so afraid of being labeled a critic that they are reluctant to utter the words "Fidel Castro" in public. Sánchez believes that the fear of Cuba's own secret police is the main reason why the vast majority of people choose to keep silent. “Fear leads Cubans to restrict what they say and do,” Sanchez states (Sánchez xii). Worse still, people who live in a totalitarian country for too long tend to generate an "internal policeman," for subconscious self-censorship (“Cuban Revolution”). To break the silence as well as the internal fear, Sánchez started exercising free speech by blogging in the cyberspace. The use of blogs and twitter allow her to publish her opinions and report events in Cuba any time she gets access to the Internet. The digital revolution, also referred to as the information age, helped to provide a platform for Yoani to change the society, in her own way, as part of the worldwide human rights movement. In April 2007, Sánchez launched her blog, Generación Y (Generation Y: My Profile). Within a short time, "her name passed from anonymity to popularity" in 2008 (“Desde Aqui: The Year of Yoani”). Thanks to her honesty in describing the true life of Cubans under the communist regime, and her excellent writing ability, her blog was an instant hit and has become internationally influential. Generación Y has about 14 million hits a month and is now translated into seventeen languages by volunteers (“In Cuba, the Voice of a Blog Generation”). In fact, her blog becomes a must-read for any serious researcher who needs to study contemporary Cuban society (“Cuban Revolution”). Her numerous awards, recognizing her pioneering work, include Time magazine's “One of the 100 Most Influential People in the World” in the "Heroes and Pioneers" category, “Spain's Ortega y Gasset Prize” for “Digital Journalism”, and the prize for “Best Weblog” in “The BOBs” contest (“The 2008 Time 100: Yoani Sanchez”). Sánchez’s work shows that freedom can only be earned by people who strive for it. Freedom is not a gift one can expect or beg for from a dictator. The Internet provides a new platform for all people to take freedom into their own hands. With her knowledge of computers and the web, Sánchez is grasping this historical opportunity. Her voice is instantly carried over the country and around the world. The Internet is a new space, a gray area where the Cuban regime does not yet have explicit regulations, nor can it enforce practical means to stop people from expressing and publishing. While many people still choose to blog only anonymously, Yoani broke the silence in signing her blog and commenting on any subjects to which she turns her attention, including taboo subjects like corruption, political systems, and democracy. Her description of Cubans' daily lives provides a true picture of their society, which is not depicted in the official journals of the country. "You have to believe that you are free and try to act like it," she says. "Little by little, acting as though you are free can be contagious" (“Cuban Revolution”). Yoani Sánchez is wise to move one step at a time, trying not to break explicit laws, only pushing the limits in the gray area. She chooses not to associate herself with existing dissident groups. Under the pressure from the international community, Cuba has to be cautious in handling her. It has blocked her blog within Cuba, trying to stop her words from spreading and impacting the Cuban people; but it cannot block many of her mirror sites hosted outside the country. From time to time, her blogs are also made into CDs and smuggled back to Cuba (“Cuban Revolution”). This is the power of The Internet: unless the government abandons The Internet and goes back to the pre-digital age, the government cannot block the free information flow. When Sánchez cannot directly reach her blog site, she asks her foreign friends to help publish the posts she has emailed them. (“Desde Aqui: The Year of Yoani”) Over time, other Cuban writers have begun to follow her example and the Desde Cuba website, famous for hosting her blog, has since seen an increase of Cuban bloggers, including her husband Reinaldo's and several other popular writers’ blogs. In 2009, President Obama wrote a letter to compliment her great efforts in using technology for free speech. "Your blog provides the world a unique window into the realities of daily life in Cuba. It is telling that the Internet has provided you and other courageous Cuban bloggers with an outlet to express yourself so freely, and I applaud your collective efforts to empower fellow Cubans to express themselves through the use of technology" (“Generation Y: My Profile”). With her pioneering work, Sánchez’s free speech is now a fact of life in Cuba albeit only in a limited space. Sánchez’s effort has made a lasting difference in the human rights campaign. Her persistence and sense of responsibility have earned her a great reputation in the world. She is a symbol in the digital age for fighting for freedom of speech under a dictatorship. Gradually, governments in totalitarian countries may have to face the fact of free expression as more and more people follow her example in publishing in social media and exercising their freedom of speech. When a variety of voices are heard in cyberspace, the same process will eventually occur in the traditional media, sooner or later. As freedom of speech is exercised long enough, it will become a natural style of living, and there will be no way back. It is imaginable that a democracy, which protects people's human rights, will eventually replace the existing totalitarian governments. As an old saying goes, a single spark can start a prairie fire. Sánchez is just that spark. Everything she has done is only a beginning in Cuba, but a remarkable breakthrough in human history. Works Cited "Cuban Revolution." Wall Street Journal . Wall Street Journal. Web. 11 May 2012. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119829464027946687-2qWBoM9EpwF1S0_7hn6prJNeJqo_20080121.html?mod=tff_main_tff_topapl=yr=139874. Escobar, Reinaldo. "The Year of Yoani." Desde Aqui / From Here . Wordpress, 31 Dec. 2008. Web. 11 May 2012. http://desdeaquifromhere.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/the-year-of-yoani/. Hijuelos, Oscar. ""The 2008 Time 100: Yoani Sánchez"" Time Specials . Time Inc., 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 11 May 2012. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733756_1735878,00.html. Rohter, Larry. "In Cuba, The Voice Of a Blog Generation." The New York Times . The New York Times, 06 July 2011. Web. 11 May 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/06/books/yoani-sanchez-cubas-voice-of-a-blogging-generation.html?_r=1. Sánchez, Yoani. "Generation Y » My Profile." Generation Y: My Profile . Wordpress. Web. 11 May 2012. http://www.desdecuba.com/generationy/?page_id=108. Sánchez, Yoani. Havana Real: One Woman Fights to Tell the Truth about Cuba Today . Brooklyn: Melville House, 2011. Amazon.com: Havana Real: One Woman Fights to Tell the Truth about Cuba Today (9781935554257): Yoani Sanchez, M. J. Porter: Books . Amazon.com, Mar. 2011. Web. 11 May 2012. http://www.amazon.com/Havana-Real-Woman-Fights-Truth/dp/1935554255.
龙,是中国的图腾。 龙年就寄托了很多人对祖国的希望。 龙年我对祖国的期望是:能够拥有更多优秀的人才,能让更多的中国人通过自己的培养成长为国家栋梁。 为什么是人才,而不是发财? 我想很多人都懂得人才的重要,因为无论任何大小的事情最终都是由人去完成的,人才才是一个国家发展的核心问题。然而要解决人才问题教育就非常重要。那些不远千里万里、背井离乡去欧洲、日本、美国求学的中国同胞们,我想都不是因为向往小资情调的生活方式(其实资本主义情调的生活非常地无聊),而是奔着这些国家所拥有的世界顶尖级的科学家而去的,其实这些人才才是这些国家吸引力的全部内容,是这些国家的真正财富。如果我的祖国也能拥有这样的一批人,我想我在美国大使馆所看到的人山人海的火爆场面就会发生在中国大使馆。 当然到世界各地旅游而不是求学那是另外一回事情。 那怎样才能拥有人才? 一个国家的人才,最终当然不能依靠引进人家培养或再加工的,而是要靠自己的教育去培养,只有接连不断地能培养出一批批人才,中国的科学和社会才能够真正获得进步。一两个诺贝尔奖其实解决不了任何问题! 那如何培养出人才? 拿出魄力,加大教育投入,努力创造自由的教育环境。去除教育体系中任何束缚精神的东西,让每个人的智力都能得到自由充分地发展。 那什么是笼罩在中国教育背景下的束缚? 教师在上课时居高临下的讲授而学生只能听就是束缚,学校严格的监管甚至干涉学生的课外生活就是束缚,学校的行政领导随便找学生谈话就是束缚,学校用成绩去评价学生好坏就是束缚,学校为了考试去教育学生就是束缚,学校的政治课统一思想就是束缚,学校为了考试过多的作业就是束缚,学校追求行政业绩大于教学本身就是束缚,学校抓了科研贬了教育就是束缚....... 然而学校束缚的小环境,其实是大环境的束缚的局域反映,大环境的束缚其实非常简单就是:政府总喜欢用一根红线的标准随便去删人民的帖子,用标准的语言就是:大环境没有真正的言论自由,用更直白的话说就是:要么不能说,要么说了也白说! 相信大家都看了美国总统奥巴马的2012演讲,一个教育这么成功的国家,总统依然在强调教育的作用,强调教师的经济意义,这样的国家你说不强大天理何在啊?没看过的下面就是链接: 2012 State Of The Union Address
近日,蒋劲松老师发了一篇文章,质疑为何科学网比其它网站管制严厉。他的文章在科学网受到很多人的推荐,也立刻在科学网博客得到了很高的引用率。没有办法,这里也需要再引用一次:-) http://www.sciencenet.cn/m/user_content.aspx?id=335223 不过,我和蒋老师以及不少网友的看法有些不同。我简单地阅读了一下他提及的那篇所谓的“著名的帖子”,虽然没有完全读完,但是觉得那篇文章太无聊了。它的重点不是考证一些网上的八卦,而是排泄个人的愤恨,露骨地对他人进行人身攻击。那种垃圾文字在某些网站上大概是家常便饭,但是这里是科学网。科学网的主旨应该是宣扬科学精神,普及科学知识,促进科技人员的交流,而不是任何人以任何借口搞人身攻击的场所。 几年前我曾经给自然杂志发过一封通信。因为内容相关,这里张贴一下: Misconduct: forum should not be used to settle scores Nature 442 , 132 (13 July 2006) SIR — Although China is developing its science and technology at an unprecedented speed, scientific misconduct is a serious issue, as you have highlighted in your Special Report “Named and shamed” ( Nature 441, 393–393; 2006). Shi-Min Fang, one of your correspondents on this topic ( Nature 441, 932; 2006) and the webmaster of New Threads (www.xys.org), wrote to defend this website’s role in disclosing scientific misconduct on occasions when the authorities had ignored whistleblowers. Like many other Chinese scientists working overseas, I care very much about scientific misconduct in China. However, I have also been concerned for a long time about the quality of articles published on New Threads. Often, I find that there are few facts and little investigation behind the accusations, and that many articles are mixed with assumptions and personal attacks on named scientific researchers. One such example is that of Hualiang Jiang, a principal investigator working at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica. Because I work in a similar field, I am familiar with Jiang’s work and publications, although I have never met him. New Threads contains several articles (urls provided) attacking Jiang personally, using many insulting words such as “idiot”. It seems that some of the articles were written by someone who may have been an unsuccessful job candidate at Jiang’s institute. Disclosing scientific misconduct is not simply about free speech, as claimed by the webmaster of New Threads. It is also about being professional, objective and serious. Only verified facts should be published on the website if it is claiming to monitor incidents of scientific misconduct. It should not be used for unsubstantiated attacks in the name of free speech, not only because of the personal and professional effects on the scientists concerned, but also because readers, especially young students, could be misled.
在国外经常听到国内网络监控与封锁的报道。这回谷歌事件也与此有关。 虽然我赞成外国公司在国内开展业务需要遵守国内的法律,但是有些法律是否需要考虑修正? 一个对自己和自己的民众充满自信的政府,是不需要那些破旧的法律。 从本质上讲,美国的爱国者法也是相似的功能,它的通过就从法律上保证了政府可能以反恐怖为由检查个人的通信,电话,财政记录等私人信息。 如果我没有搞糊涂的话,可能是实际操作有所不同。 当然,美国的爱国者法一样受到广泛的批评。 SO WHAT? 有自信的政府应该是欢迎批评意见的。 参考: 1. 美国爱国者法全文: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_cong_public_lawsdocid=f:publ056.107.pdf 2. WIKI 对美国爱国者法的简介 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act The USA PATRIOT Act , commonly known as the Patriot Act, is a statute enacted by the United States Government that President George W. Bush signed into law on October 26, 2001. The contrived acronym stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 ( Public Law Pub.L. 107-56 ). The Act increases the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records; eases restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering within the United States; expands the Secretary of the Treasurys authority to regulate financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities; and the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts. The act also expands the definition of terrorism to include domestic terrorism , thus enlarging the number of activities to which the USA PATRIOT Acts expanded law enforcement powers can be applied. The Act was passed by wide margins in both houses of Congress and was supported by members of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Opponents of the law have criticized its authorization of indefinite detentions of immigrants; searches through which law enforcement officers search a home or business without the owners or the occupants permission or knowledge; the expanded use of National Security Letters , which allows the FBI to search telephone, e-mail, and financial records without a court order; and the expanded access of law enforcement agencies to business records, including library and financial records. Since its passage, several legal challenges have been brought against the act, and Federal courts have ruled that a number of provisions are unconstitutional. Many of the act's provisions were to sunset beginning December 31, 2005, approximately 4 years after its passage. In the months preceding the sunset date, supporters of the act pushed to make its sunsetting provisions permanent, while critics sought to revise various sections to enhance civil liberty protections. In July 2005, the U.S. Senate passed a reauthorization bill with substantial changes to several sections of the act, while the House reauthorization bill kept most of the act's original language. The two bills were then reconciled in a conference committee that was criticized by Senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties for ignoring civil liberty concerns. The bill, which removed most of the changes from the Senate version, passed Congress on March 2, 2006, and was signed into law by President George W. Bush on March 9 and 10, 2006.
不少人爱引用这句话用来说明民主社会言论自由的价值: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. (我不同意你的观点,但我誓死捍卫你说话的权利!) 有博主在科学网爆粗口骂人,而且言语之间让某博主感到自身的安全受到了了威胁。不少博主出来说话,主张科学网处理这位爆粗口的博主,关掉其在科学网的博客。也有不少博主反对关闭这位爆粗口的博主的博客,他们的理由正是本文开始引用的这句话。 人类文明已经进化到一个相当发达的程度,以至于一提到言论自由,便自动站到了道德制高点上,仿佛一切不让封口的举动,都是跟言论自由这一现代社会的普适价值相违背了。因此,封口,或者关闭博主的博客,就是践踏了言论自由。 根据始作俑者的表现,再加上某些博主高喊言论自由,反对封杀博客的一阵阵声浪,我们仿佛听到了某些一声高过一声的呼喊: 我不同意你的观点,但我誓死捍卫你说话的权利! 我不同意你爆粗口骂人的做法,但我誓死捍卫你爆粗口骂人的权利! 我不同意你威胁他人人身安全的做法,但我誓死捍卫你威胁他人人身安全的权利! 后两句听着别扭,自然是不对的了。 文明的民主社会,保障每个人都有言论自由的权利,没有错。但是,这需要有个前提,这个前提是不能因为保障少数人言论自由的权利,而使更多的人丧失了言论自由的权利。 同样地,文明的民主社会,保障每个人都有人身自由的权利,没有错。但是,这需要有个前提,这个前提是不能因为保障少数人人身自由的权利,而使更多的人丧失了人身自由的权利。 因此,这个社会对人的言行,需要道德约束;在道德约束无效的时候,需要法律约束。因此,这个社会才建立了批评教育、关禁闭、拘留、监禁、以及死刑等一系列限制乃至终结人身自由与言论自由的功能。 当一个人的言行妨碍了多数人的言论自由和人身自由的时候,他就透支了自己应该享受的那一份自由,就要为此付出代价。一个团体,一个社会,对妨碍多数人言论自由和人身自由的人的言行加以限制乃至取缔,正是这个团体和社会尊重民主价值尊重言论自由的体现。 具体到最近科学网热议的这件事,如果始作俑者在最初受到批评后有所收敛,或者在众人的谴责声中能够主动承认错误,那么,以科学网博主们的大爱精神,或许这个风波就算过去了。遗憾的是,这个情景没有发生。 再退一万步讲,或许就算始作俑者不认错,而选择了沉默,使得众人到底意难平,其所犯错误仍然不足以到被封杀的程度,究竟该他什么样的惩罚才是最合适的,仍然需要探讨。然而,就算这一点成立,拿所谓言论自由做大旗,用所谓 我不同意你XXX,但我誓死捍卫你XXX的权利 的句式和思路为其进行辩护,恐怕仍然是说不通的。