China--they're not like us
This is the most awesome thing I've seen all week. The Agence France-Presse reports that China has released a state-produced online video game called Incorruptible Fighter, where players can torture and kill corrupt officials for their misdeeds. You know, kind of exactly like what China did when it executed its own former head of food and drug safety, Zheng Xiaoyu, in July.
Is this power to the people? I wouldn't think China would like that.
Here's a link to the article as it appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on Aug. 3: http://www.smh.com.au/news/games/gamers-get-to-execute-corrupt-officials/2007/08/03/1185648104916.html
I don't profess to know anything about how the Chinese psyche works, but is this a real ploy to keep Chinese factories from tainting exports and from using lead paint? Are they trying to prompt whistle-blowers, or encourage citizens to take matters into their own hands? I kind of always thought China ran on the premise of 'the nail that sticks up, gets hammered down' a la Tiananmen Square, 1989.
Or do even the Chinese people just find this amusing? The site has apparently crashed--since more than 100,000 players tried to play it in its first week.
