I hope you enjoyed the documentary and it gave you an inside look at the different methods and tools of the Chinese government in exercising authority over their citizens.
2. For you, what was the most memorable, impactful or emotional protest/installation/art piece of Ai Wei Wei? Why did it have an impact on you as an individual?
3. What role can the internet (specifically Twitter) play in speaking out against authority? Are the Chinese governments restrictions on internet usage helping them to stay in power or only highlighting the abuses of their power? Explain your reasoning.
4. Why are judicial independence and free speech such important elements of a free society according to Ai Wei Wei?
1. I found the destruction of Ai Wei Wei's studio the most shocking method of repression by the Chinese government- it was a complete disregard of his private property and work- but then again, is there any regard by the Chinese government for individual rights? I was mostly surprised by how thorough both Ai's team and the government officials were in filming every event in detail, and how open they were in speaking to Ai.
ReplyDelete2. Ai's "celebration" of the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, in which he filmed multiple people saying "Fuck you, motherland" impacted me the most because of its blatant defiance of the Chinese government. It must have taken a lot of courage to post the video, as government officials had the capacity to hold him in custody, unexplained, for 80 days. The video also shed some light into Ai's feelings about his homeland- he despises the administration, but still has a love for his country. Unlike other critics of the Chinese government, Ai is trying to change his country rather than abandon it in disgust.
ReplyDelete3. The internet, and social media sites especially, play a huge role in speaking out against authority. Not only does it involve the young people of the country, but it places the situation on a global scale- Ai Wei Wei's use of Twitter caught the attention of many foreign countries. The Chinese government's restrictions on the internet, in my opinion, only highlight their abuse of their power by creating a shock value for other countries interested in the situation- we are typically appalled to hear that the internet has been banned from a population, since it is such a critical part of our own society.
ReplyDelete4. According to Ai Wei Wei, judicial independence and free speech are important because if you live your whole life without them, it was pointless. Without freedom, he claims that the modern world is in fact barbaric.
ReplyDelete1. The most alarming method of repression was the detainment of earthquake relief activists. The people who were trying to remember the lives of those killed are punished rather than the architects and engineers who did a piss-poor job of designing the schools. It just shows that the government is trying to maintain autonomy by suppressing any forms of criticism that would compromise the integrity of the state. It was surprising that they would go so far as to detain Ai Wei Wei in his hotel room so that he could not testify at the activist's trial. It just shows that they are given specific orders from the top to try to undermine their morale and position.
ReplyDelete2. The various pictures of his middle finger with some unimportant background was both powerful and humorous. It captured his personality and illustrated his rejection of political and societal institutions.
ReplyDelete3. Social media allows information to spread throughout the world. It is a great tool for people like Ai Wei Wei to show the world exactly what is going on. We have already seen the great impact of Twitter in the Arab Spring when the revolutionaries were working in tandem with NATO through Twitter to set up air strikes. It gives Ai Wei Wei another medium to express his thoughts in a way that can supplement his artwork. Chinese restrictions on the internet is only depicting the abuse of their power. Censorship is a trait shared in most totalitarian states and China's use of it undermines their global legitimacy. The restriction may be suppressing some people from speaking out; however, Ai Wei Wei shows us that it is not difficult to circumvent these walls. Knowledge will find a way to surface.
ReplyDelete4. For Ai Wei Wei free speech and judicial independence are necessary for a democratic society. It allows people like Ai Wei Wei to express his ideas without fear of disappearing. Ai Wei Wei expresses this by his futile attempts of confronting the police. He wants the Chinese people to live a life worth living.
ReplyDelete1. I most appalled by the Chinese government’s manipulation of the law to repress freedom of expression that was most blatantly evident in the imprisonment of the Nobel Laureate, Li Xiaobo. Simply for writing a charter demanding increased human rights and democratic processes, Xiaobo was charged with “inciting subversion of country and authority.” He is still currently in prison. Although I knew of the Chinese government’s attempts to inhibit expression of dissenting opinions by blocking the internet or sending threats, I am shocked at the extent to which they have gone in imprisoning an internationally recognized activist for 10 years. I am also surprised at the fact that the Chinese government does not always seem to react to similar issues with the same methods. For example, although the impact of Ai WeiWei is just as widespread if not even more poignant and confrontational, the government has not responded as strongly. It has continued to harass Ai WeiWei and did make him disappear for 81 days. However, this treatment is much less aggressive in comparison to the repeated prison terms imposed on Xiaobo.
ReplyDelete2. The most memorable and poignant art piece for me was Ai WeiWei’s list of the names of all the children who died from the Szechuan earthquake. Representing beautifully, the tragedy of the massive number of children who died, the piece has the ability to strike an emotional chord. In addition, because all of the names of the children were collected by individual volunteers who conducted the “government’s work,” the piece expresses not only the ineptness of the government, but also the unbelievable power of grassroots efforts to make a statement. Overall, I think the piece’s emotional poignancy comes from its simplicity. It is really a testament to the concept behind the art that only 10 pieces of paper with a list of names can convey such symbolic meaning.
ReplyDelete3. The Internet can play a major role in voicing dissent opinions and can potentially become a primary vehicle for gradually establishing a freedom of expression. This was evidenced throughout the documentary in which Ai WeiWei’s influence spread mainly because of his ability to quickly and provocatively expresses his views to millions of individuals. Without the Internet and more specifically, Twitter, Ai WeiWei would have had a much smaller following and thus, the impact of his artwork would have significantly diminished. The Chinese government’s restrictions on the Internet, in my opinion, only underscore their paranoia and insecurity that causes them to blatantly abuse their power. I think this is because the users of the social media are mainly Chinese youth who are undoubtedly being impacted by modern values that emphasize freedom of expression. These values that are being inculcated in them from exposure to global ideas through the Internet itself, will prompt and has prompted them to use it to voice their views. Thus, when increasing limitations are placed on this activity, I believe it will be in the self-interest of the youth to use it as fuel to demand more freedom of expression rather than submit to the manipulation of the authorities allowing them to stay in power.
ReplyDelete4. According to Ai WeiWei, judicial independence and freedom of speech are extremely important components of a free society because, “If there is no judicial independence, everyone is in jeopardy. If there is no free speech, every life is vain.” This is a very profound and true statement because I think the foundation of freedom is the ability to live free of fear. Judicial independence ensures this as individuals cannot be imprisoned or harassed at will, as is characteristic of a police state. Free speech is absolutely necessary for a life that is lived to its fullest potential since without it, our individuality can never be expressed.
ReplyDelete1. Personally, I am not that familiar with Chinese government and their policies as I am with their pop culture. So, I was actually really shocked to see the oppression the Chinese government inflicted in Ai WeiWei. I knew that governments could be abrasive and very strict with their citizens, but seeing it happen really opened my eyes to the struggles of those not living in democratic nations. The most alarming thing to me was when they tore down his studio. That building was not doing anything to harm the government's property and land space. I felt so hurt when that beautiful studio was demolished (even though Ai himself did not seem very bothered).
ReplyDelete2. For me, the most striking piece of by Ai WeiWei was the message he wrote on the side of the exhibition building in Germany with a message from an earthquake victim's mother. Seeing the number of backpacks it took to create that message made me want to cry. I could not help be think of the children that would never carry a backpack to school ever again because the government did not build better schools.The sheer number of backpacks used to make the message only represented around a fifth of the children killed during the earthquake. My heart goes out to all the grieving parents and family members. I can never imagine how they felt, but Ai was able to capture the love of one mother in his art and that is a noble and beautiful deed that he did for the children and family members that lost so much.
ReplyDelete1. I think for me, the most alarming aspect of repression was the removal of Ai Wei Wei's blog initially... To me, it was really shocking to see that the government was using such heavy firewalls to prevent outside influence on the Chinese people. I think the advent of Twitter really saved Ai Wei Wei's voice.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the most memorable art piece was the breaking of the traditional Chinese vase. I liked the audacity that Ai Wei Wei had, and thought that his record of breaking the vase was simplistic yet sophisticated and meaningful. He did not show aggression, just apathy, and this very apathy meant a great deal.
ReplyDeleteI think Twitter must play a great role in opposing Chinese power, since it is Ai Wei Wei's primary means of belittling the government. I think that Ai Wei Wei's methods - specifically the use of digital media that can easily be uploaded to social media (videos, recordings, photos) is also important in that they provide a tangible record of Ai Wei Wei's experiences and claims, which is important for audiences who aren't in the regime (like me!). I think the restrictions definitely limit the people, and show the government to be oppressive, because people in the country are not exposed to the plethora of ideas available.
ReplyDeleteI think these tenets are important because they show freedom, and autonomy of people and ideas from the ideals of the Chinese government. I think that people are more in touch with what they really want, and able to express their ideas more clearly without having to appease the government simultaneously. Courts allow people to be judged on their own claims, and free speech allows for divergent thinking. China's regime doesn't want any of these things (obviously...lol) but I think that these are the reasons Ai Wei Wei emphasizes them with such vigor. People need to express themselves.
ReplyDelete1. In my opinion, the most alarming repression was the destruction of the art buildings that Ai Wei Wei built because he had spent so much time and money building it. The building itself wasn't an act of rebellion, the art inside was, so to destroy the actual building and spend so much time and money demolishing it seemed very extreme to me. But of course, Ai Wei Wei used this to support his movement by filming it and making this nonsense public.
ReplyDelete2. I think an important element to rebel art, as is his, is adding a sense of humor to it. I think simultaneously making something humorous but also still making a statement is impressive. I really liked his pictures of his middle finger flicking off various scenery because it shows a distaste for traditional society in a blatantly disrespectful way.
ReplyDelete1) To me, the most surprising method of repression that the Chinese government used was when they destroyed Ai Wei Wei’s art studio. I feel that they had no legal ground to do that if he built it legally in the first place. I think this shows just how corrupt the system is. If the government is willing to demolish someone’s property, I am not surprised that they would use methods of coercion and surveillance. I think they would put up cameras around any house or building that they think houses someone who thinks differently than they do.
ReplyDelete2) Ai Wei Wei’s most memorable piece was the wall of lists of names of the earthquake victims, and his colorful backpack wall on the building in Germany. He used both of these to represent all of the children lost in the earthquake, the children that the Chinese government did not want to recognize. It impacted me because I think it is very sad that the students’ own government does not want its population to know why they had to die. It took an angry citizen to show the world who the children were and how they died because their government does not care enough to do it.
ReplyDelete3) I think Twitter can give people a large voice when it comes to speaking out against authority. If someone in the Chinese government wants to silence one of their citizens, they are unable to. They cannot control websites like Twitter, so the citizen can speak freely. I think the Chinese government restrictions on the internet only serve to show how they are trying to keep their citizens under control, and without a voice. Even if they are able to silence someone, everyone else will notice, and they will not think that the government had nothing to do with it. They will know immediately that the government shut them up because they were speaking out against them.
ReplyDelete3. Internet sources such as Twitter can be extremely powerful because they are an easy way to access a large number of common people. Since Twitter is something people use regularly anyways and does not have a distinctly political purpose, it can be extraordinarily powerful in bringing issues to the forefront for everyone to see. The fact that the government tries to limit this expression shows just how insecure and afraid of revolt they are.
ReplyDelete4) Independence and free speech are important for a democratic society. If people cannot speak or think freely, then they can do nothing other than live in fear for their whole life. Ai Wei Wei does not want the people of China to live in fear for the rest of their lives, so he tries to speak out for them, and show the rest of the world what the Chinese government is willing to do to keep them silent.
ReplyDelete4. Having judicial independence and free speech are fundamental rights to Ai Wei Wei because if you do not have them, your society becomes quite barbaric and people live in fear that their every move is watched and monitored and if they do something wrong or misspeak against the government, they will "disappear" like Ai Wei Wei did. This severely hinders any creative thought or expression which are fuels to advanced societies.
ReplyDelete1.) To me, the most offensive act of repression came from the direct assault of Ai Weiwei by the Chinese Police Force. Understanding that this is alleged, this act of aggression demonstrates that the Government is not willing for other voices to be heard, even in the case of testimonial such as the one Ai was prepared to give on behalf of Li Xiaobo. Such aggression is only thought of in political thrillers here, and yet it seems that China is a real-life example of "House of Cards".
ReplyDelete2.) To me, I felt that Ai's middle finger to many sites was the most memorable. It spoke to me because there were pictures of him flipping off sites around the world, as a demonstration that they may have overstepped on the will of the people. The fact that he made this universal is striking to me because it shows that his protests are not constrained to only China, but they stretch out to multiple countries all over the planet.
ReplyDelete3.) When unrestricted, the internet has become an integral tool in organizing dissent. However, behind China's "Great Firewall", so much of the website access is restricted that the internet loses much of its value in being able to reach the common people. While active dissidents act to get around the firewall to access Western sites, most casual users who might normally be instigated by these posts are unable to see these demonstrations against the government. Comparing this to Les Mis (Watch me do this), the ABC revolts failed because no ordinary people chose to show up. In this same regard, protests that go unseen by the Chinese people will not have an affect internally.
ReplyDeleteNow, Externally, we are well aware of these protests and the PRC's abuse of power. However, little action will be taken because China is such an important trading partner to the rest of the world. In order for protest to take affect, it must rise from within China.
4.) Judicial independence and free-speech are an important right to any state who wants to be viewed as entirely legitimate, and Ai Weiwei supports this idea. Without these two key factors, a state's people are unable to speak out against abuses of power, or decry government policies. These traits, both the right to a fair trial and the ability to protest, are key to Ai Weiwei because he does not feel a state has legitimacy without them, and certainly, the rational-legal system that is popular with much of the world tends to support this ideal.
ReplyDelete1) The most alarming form of oppression the Chinese government practices is the kidnapping and detaining people without any form of warning or transparency. However, this is not surprising, as the government's blunt ways of dealing with situations has been documented many times before.
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ReplyDelete4) According to Wei, just courts and free speech allow for a society to keep itself in check, to ensure that no gross abuses occur--and that, if they do, no matter by whom, corrective measures are implemented in a fair manner.
ReplyDelete1) Weiwei disappeared for 81 days, was tortured and interrogated, and afterwards was not able to say a single thing about it or risk being arrested again. Internet censorship, assault by police officer, surveillance, all terrible. But his was kidnapping, and the Chinese government has done it a number of times with those who threaten its security. The Chinese people literally must be careful for their lives. Nothing quite surprises me about this.
ReplyDelete1. I believe that the most alarming method of repression was when the Chinese government detained activists working towards finding the names of all of the victims of the earthquake in China. The poor conditions of the schools were mainly to blame for the deaths, but the government wants to avoid that criticism, and hide it from the public. There were many instances of the government trying to keep tabs on Ai Wei Wei by taping him AND taking his own tapes away.
ReplyDelete2. I love how Ai Wei Wei took pictures of his middle finger in front of many backgrounds, not limited to China. I thought it was very creative and daring.
ReplyDelete3. Social media prevails in getting news out to the world, especially because many people today don't watch the news. When the government tries to block criticism out of the news outlets, people can resort to social media to get the word out. Another way that social media is effective is that one can hear the voices of normal citizens. An example of how social media is spreading news is in Venezuela. One doesn't get much information when looking at the news, but I follow many blogs and people that take the event to heart and do their best to make sure the issues in Venezuela gain attention. As for the latter question, I believe it is both. The Chinese government wants to hide their mistakes and negativity, of course, but in doing so, they greatly restrict many basic rights.
ReplyDelete4. Ai Wei Wei believes that free speech and judicial independence is important because people should be allowed to express their own ideas without the fear of being punished for them.
ReplyDelete2) The second development of the list of names, where he had people read the names of the victims. He's ensuring that the names of the children are never forgotten, while simultaneously pointing out the fact that the government wishes for the public to do so.
ReplyDelete3) With how the Internet has developed over the past few years and the advent of social media and movements such as the Arab Spring, at this point a government cannot simply censor the entire Internet. All it will do is inevitably point out the abuses of the government. The Chinese government's attempts to censor Weiwei only succeeded in getting the public to pay his "tax bill".
ReplyDelete4) Without independence and free speech life is meaningless, and without them how could a free society exist? Free society is defined in terms of freedoms. If one is dependent on the state and is unable to express oneself freely, a free society could not exist by definition.
ReplyDelete1. I thought the part in the film where the police kept Ai Wei Wei from testifying was the most alarming. The methods of coercion and surveillance were not surprising though, considering that China is a non democratic government.
ReplyDelete2. The most impactful protest by Ai Wei Wei was where he got a bunch of people to denounce their motherland because it shows the extent to which the protesters hate their government.
ReplyDelete3. The internet helps to spread information quickly and therefore protects the person who is spreading the information too because people will sympathize with the informer and any action taken against him will cause protest. I think the restrictions highlight the Chinese government's abuse of power because the surveillance causes people to try to find new methods to bypass the government in order to share info. This restriction on their freedom of expression causes them to dislike the government.
ReplyDelete4. Ai Wei Wei thinks life is pointless without those two elements. This shows that he thinks these elements are necessary in order for a society to function.
ReplyDelete1.The most alarming thing to me was when they randomly detained Ai Wei Wei for around 80 days without there being any trace of where he went. The fact that they were able to get him to confess to charges that it is obvious he had no part of is something that is even crazier. However, the surveillance measures do not surprise me as a state that is as up tight and paranoid as china would be expected to do such things.
ReplyDelete2. The most impactful piece to me was the list of the children's names that died in the earthquake. I believe it is the job of the state to put together this list, and that by doing so himself, Ai Wei Wei has shown his importance to the fight for a reformed China with new liberties. Also the sheer amount of 5,000 names is quite overwhelming and seems like an impossible thing to do.
ReplyDelete1) I found it to be upsetting when Ai Wei Wei was at the hotel and the police just came in and even attacked him. They did whatever they wanted and exerted their power in order to prevent him from testifying (even though their actions were indefensible).
ReplyDelete3. The internet and Twitter are platforms for performing the basic and most fundamental right of humans which is free speech. By blocking Ai Wei Wei's website along with many others, the Chinese government isnt blocking free speech, as Ai Wei Wei can just go to Twitter, and show that the blocking of his website is further proof that the government is trying to hide the truths behind its flaws.
ReplyDelete2) All of the pictures with him giving the middle finger. The backgrounds are insignificant and his audacity is so blatant. I think it shocks the viewer immediately, which was his purpose.
ReplyDelete4. Judicial independence and free speech are so important because without them Ai Wei Wei would live in fear of dissappearing at any moment. Also through free speech he is allowed to speak out against the government and discuss and comment through art on its flaws, something that should be obvious for a state to make improvements and hear the voice of the people, rather than work on its own and ignore its peoples wants.
ReplyDelete3) Social media, such as Twitter, can have a huge impact especially in today's world where everything is so accessible. Posting anything on social media can give a person an audience, building them an "army" of supporters across the globe, helping to spread an idea or belief.
ReplyDelete4) These factors are essential to obtain because they are necessary to have in order to live a meaningful life. One is not doing justice to themselves if they are allowing themselves to be restricted by another's command.
ReplyDelete1. For me, the most shocking form of repression was the use of violence from the police force. While this did not come from the government directly, no justice was given to Ai Wei Wei despite his injury.
ReplyDelete2. The most memorable art piece of Ai Wei Wei's, for me,w as the backpack mural which commemorated the children who died during the earthquake. I thought the medium of creating it was genius, and also very touching, as the backpacks were heavily symbolic.
3. Twitter seems to have been a useful method for Ai Wei Wei thus far, but I feel his blogs were likely a better representation of his thoughts on the government. The limits on length for sites such as twitter are restrictive to explaining any full thought on a subject. I definitely think the government's censorship of the internet only highlights how truly insecure they are in their power. If something such as one blog can pose such an intense threat, the government is clearly fearful of something being revealed.
4. As an artist, Ai Wei Wei feels a strong commitment to freedom of expression. Free speech is just one way of legalizing this expression in his eyes. He claims that without them life is pointless, because there is no expression of the life you live without them.
1) The most alarming method of repression by the govt was the attainment of Ai Wei Wei in the hotel by the Chinese police. It was so informal and odd in that they didn't just arrest him and take him to the station and detain him there. Ai Wei Wei's "kidnapping" was also quite alarming. Although, I was not surprised at all by anything that they were doing.
ReplyDelete2) The most impactful piece were the book bags on the exterior walls of one of his galleries. It hit me the most because they represented all the children and students that were lost in the earthquake that the government had in a sense ignored. The piece forced people to acknowledge their deaths.
ReplyDelete3) Twitter allows people to see immediate responses to the injustices going on in china. It's not like the blogs that Ai Wei Wei did, that take time to go over and read thoroughly, tweets are quick and accessible on the go. The restrictions themselves, in my opinion, are not what allows the Chinese govt to stay in power; it's the restrictions amongst a multitude of other oppressive methods. However, the restrictions are a much more blatantly obvious abuse of their power, which leads to the people to fight harder against them. In the end, I believe that the people will overcome such adversities if they become more like Ai Wei Wei and protest against the govt and its flaws.
ReplyDelete4) I cant exactly remember but I think he would say that it always people to be able to express themselves freely, which in turn would promote progress.
ReplyDelete1. the most alarming was the fact that they took him into a hotel room during his friends trial so he could nto testify. this is an obvious violation of a persons right to trial and makes the seem like awfu people. I am not very surprised, except for the fact that they allowed him to have a video camera and keep evidence and not destroy it
ReplyDelete2. my favorite was the F*** you motherland video. I think that took a lot of guts and was amazing that he was not found later on in the river somewhere. a blatant insult during the aniverseary is amazxing and inspires everyeone to stand up for what they believe.
ReplyDelete3. internet is so powerful because millions can see it in a matter of seconds. information can be passed to anyone and highlithgts the positives and negetives of society. the goverenmtn can benefit from it only if they are successful in censoring and not letting any outsiders know that there is protest or they will look bad. that is when it is negetive
ReplyDelete4. because he is an artist he feels that people need to express himself and have the ability to do what they want to flourish. this is why he is so protestful and wanting to create a documentary. if wants to express himself to gain fame and fight for a casue, and what cause better suited for art then freedom of expression.
ReplyDelete1.I was most surprised of his getting turned away at the courthouse. He was trying to file a claim against government employees, and the regional court would not see him because of it. This is a blatant violation of how a legal system should work.
ReplyDelete2.The wall of names spoke most to me. It was something that the government would not report, and the fact that he put himself in harms way to get those names and protest the government as well really showed his dedication and overall goodness as a human being. It was inspiring.
ReplyDelete3.Twitter allows people to speak out. The fact the Chinese government can’t stop posts on there highlights the effectiveness of social media (especially twitter) to speak out against injustice and governments. China’s repression allows them to stay in power though, even though some speak out against Internet repression, the rest of the people go along with it and don’t complain. This censoring allows the government to stop the spread of revolutionary ideas, helping them stay in power.
ReplyDelete4.Without these ideas, modern life has no meaning. You need freedom and judicial independence to show how advanced a society you have, without it life is barbaric (also could be said, nasty, brutish, and short).
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