First Chinese Man Ever Gets Nobel Peace Prize - Chinese Government Up In Arms!

Biggins

Jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize - sparking anger in Beijing. Leaders in China branded the selection an "obscenity" and warned ties with Oslo would suffer.

Political activist Liu, 54, was jailed in December for 11 years on subversion charges.
He had called for sweeping political reforms in China, including the freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and freedom of religion.

The Chinese had before the announcement earlier this morning, had made threats to Norway if he was chosen - but they didn't give in to the political bullying.

Meanwhile the wife of the winner is now under forced armed guard at her home and she is not being allowed to talk to anyone!

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Nobel-Peace-Prize-Chinese-Dissident-Liu-Xiaobo-Is-Awarded-Prize-Despite-Warnings-From-Beijing/Article/201010215754351?lpos=World_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15754351_Nobel_Peace_Prize%3A_Chinese_Dissident_Liu_Xiaobo_Is_Awarded_Prize_Despite_Warnings_From_Beijing

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/lius-wife-kept-from-doing-interviews-20101008-16c19.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Black Swan

No more Made in China for Norway

Dravokivich

Makes sense to me...

Sanjuro

Something we're all going to have to get used to once China becomes the dominant power in the world and overtakes us all.

And, I for one, welcome our Chinese overlords! Tell us your bidding, oh dominant ones, and it shall be done!










They might be watching...

senordingdong

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

No more Made in China for Norway

Better off tbh.

I try to avoid anything that has 'Made in China' written on it, unless it comes with fried rice.

I wouldn't be that afraid of China starting a war, I expect their war machine to be of very poor quality.

Mrmoe

I would say that Norway with thei wealth would be one of the few countries that can give the finger to China due to their wealth.

Biggins

The sad joke is on the Chinese government. A statement from them:

A foreign ministry spokesman said: 'The Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded to those who work to promote ethnic harmony (Liu Xiaobo wanted more freedom to travel for his fellow people), international friendship (Liu Xiaobo asked for more open borders!), disarmament (Liu Xiaobo wanted peace!) and who hold peace meetings (The Chinese Government won't allow such meetings!) .

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1008/nobel.html

Does the Chinese government think the world is stupid? ...And fair play to Norway for standing up to the Chinese government!

bleg

Isn't the Nobel Foundation an independent institution?

SeaFields

What baffles me is that Tony Blair was a nominee this year too?!! :eek:

senordingdong

The worst part is that Liu Xiaobo should think himself lucky that he just got a prison sentence. And that the event was publicised. (although I think the Chinese govt. were trying to make an example of him)

I'm sure that Chinese govt. would have no problem, or difficulty of making someone dissapear.

Biggins

SeaFields wrote: »

What baffles me is that Tony Blair was a nominee this year too?!! :eek:

Every pack of cards even has to have its joker.

Notorious97

Father Ted: But best of all the Chinese people themselves. Look at them there, aren't they great? The Chinese; a great bunch of lads.

Biggins

bleg wrote: »

Isn't the Nobel Foundation an independent institution?

Yes, but for some bizarre reason the Chinses government decided to take their anger out on the Norwegian government!
Maybe they thought Norways leaders alone could sway the vote.

Sanjuro

SeaFields wrote: »

What baffles me is that Tony Blair was a nominee this year too?!! :eek:

Yeah, but it's also the same organisation that gave Barak Obama a Nobel Peace Prize for winning an election, gave Peace Prizes to such people as Henry Kissinger, and Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat.

Donkey Oaty

Biggins wrote: »

Yes, but for some bizarre reason the Chinses government decided to take their anger out on the Norwegian government!
Maybe they thought Norways leaders alone could sway the vote.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which is elected by the Norwegian parliament - so there is a direct link, although I imagine once the committee is elected that's where the influence ends.

Wompa1

Sanjuro wrote: »

Yeah, but it's also the same organisation that gave Barak Obama a Nobel Peace Prize for winning an election, gave Peace Prizes to such people as Henry Kissinger, and Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat.

Don't forget Historys greatest monster!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6txna0SLpo

JJJJNR

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which is elected by the Norwegian parliament - so there is a direct link, although I imagine once the committee is elected that's where the influence ends.

Gotta show some love for Norway, polar opposite of Ireland. We are such a bunch of degenerate idiots compared.

Gunsfortoys

Wompa1 wrote: »

Don't forget Historys greatest monster!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6txna0SLpo

Him when he won it

Cosmic Penguin

He looks well for a man of his age (must be at least 4,000 years old)

Sanjuro

Wompa1 wrote: »

Don't forget Historys greatest monster!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6txna0SLpo

Hey, Scooby Doo can doo doo, but Jimmy Carter, is smarter.

johnnyskeleton

First ever Chinese man to get Nobel Peace prize

Not First Chinese man ever.

Cosmic Penguin

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

First ever Chinese man to get Nobel Peace prize

Not First Chinese man ever.

It's a much less interesting story in that context

Einhard

Biggins wrote: »

Yes, but for some bizarre reason the Chinses government decided to take their anger out on the Norwegian government!
Maybe they thought Norways leaders alone could sway the vote.

It's probably inconeivable to the Politburo that a government can't interfere with, bully, and set the agenda for private citizens and organisations.

Biggins

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

First ever Chinese man to get Nobel Peace prize

Not First Chinese man ever.

*cough*

The "first ever" Chinese man? He must be very damn old by now! :eek:

Raskolnikov

The only thing obscene here is the Chinese government; a fascist, totalitarian dictatorship which inflicts pain, misery and total control on its population.

Biggins

Raskolnikov wrote: »

The only thing obscene here is the Chinese government; a fascist, totalitarian dictatorship which inflicts pain, misery and total control on its population.

True but with every day (and no elections till the very,very end), that sounds like Ireland more so under the boot of FF and the Greens, lets be honest!

However at least we are able and WILL be rid of them eventually.

enda1

Raskolnikov wrote: »

The only thing obscene here is the Chinese government; a fascist, totalitarian dictatorship which inflicts pain, misery and total control on its population.

Let's not go mental now. They don't exhibit anything close to "total control" over their population.

Its a bit difficult to control over a Billion people in such a vast under-resourced country.

Manic Moran

Definitely an improvement in the selection process over last year.

NTM

Einhard

Raskolnikov wrote: »

The only thing obscene here is the Chinese government; a fascist, totalitarian dictatorship which inflicts pain, misery and total control on its population.

I have to disagree somewhat. Certainly the Communist party is auticratic, and no great believe rin human rights, and their actions to clamp down on dissent certainly to be condemned and criticised. However, I think one has to look at the history of China over the past 200 years to gain some understaning of why they act as they do, and why the Chinese people as a whole, are happy to be governed in such a way.

It all comes down to stability IMO. China was, on average, and for the best part of two millenia, the most stable, prosperous and advanced civilisation on the planet at any given moment. They were so powerful self assured that they actually turned inwards rather than have open relations with the foreign "barbarians". Ironically, this contempt eventually led to her humbling, as she was not open to new ideas, and especially advances in military technology.

Anyway, having been powerful and stable for almost two millenia, China basically went into meltdown on the past couple of centuries. She was humiliated by the British, invaded by Russia, Japan, the French and a number of others. Massive famines killed millions of her people, and uprisings shook the state to its foundation, whilst carrying off millions more. China went from the first world nation, to a third world one in a matter of decades. And all the while, the evidence of her former glory was all around.

This can only but have had a massive psycological impact on the average Chinese person, but especially so on Chinese nationalists, and it is this, more evn than personal power, that drives the Communist Party today. They, like the population they rule, are desperate for stability. They are paranoid that any cracks will fragment the state, and plunge them back into the chaos of the past two hundred years. And that, IMO, is why they crack down so hard on dissidents. They look ate the unprecedented prosperity, and indeed freedoms, that the average citizen has now, and the prestige of the state on the world stage, and they are damned if they are going to allow even the tiniest threat to that.

I think therefore that condemnation of the Party can sometimes be a bit too hyperbolic, especially if one doesn't take the reality in China into account. We can condemn and criticise the Politburo most vociferously for their various crackdowns against dissidents and activists, without us getting carried away and worked up.

Blueboyd

I like this prize. I bet it means a lot to his family and people who know him or are like him.

Unfortunately the story is that most people in China are not like him. We think of China and immediately get the image of opresssed people or some poor worker in a factory who works for 0,0009 € a month and sleeps in cardboard box, but the truth is there are 400 000 millionares in the country and the size of the middle class is getting as big as the whole population of the US. Okay they have loads of poor people too. But I guess my point is that most of the Chinese don't care that much for democracy. If people were asked today most of them would say it would put the country and especially the economic growth into jeopardy when all sorts of extremist would take ower and the country would split. And what concerns people the most is their own well-being. It is still a totalitarian communist state but with only the outer symptoms of it - the business is growing and people are getting richer. One westerner who works in China for global company joked that he quite likes Chinese communism - no labour unions, cheap work-force - a businessman's dream. The growth of the economy has made nationalism even stronger and people think China will be the number one nation in the world with or without democracy - it doesn't matter.

For us westereners peace prize feels good - especially after seeing that all our governments and big corporation have sold their souls to get to the giant Chinese market. Google Does No Evil. (but does the the fine print exclude China)

Einhard

Blueboyd wrote: »

I like this prize. I bet it means a lot to his family and people who know him or are like him.

Unfortunately the story is that most people in China are not like him. We think of China and immediately get the image of opresssed people or some poor worker in a factory who works for 0,0009 € a month and sleeps in cardboard box, but the truth is there are 400 000 millionares in the country and the size of the middle class is getting as big as the whole population of the US. Okay they have loads of poor people too. But I guess my point is that most of the Chinese don't care that much for democracy. If people were asked today most of them would say it would put the country and especially the economic growth into jeopardy when all sorts of extremist would take ower and the country would split. And what concerns people the most is their own well-being. It is still a totalitarian communist state but with only the outer symptoms of it - the business is growing and people are getting richer. One westerner who works in China for global company joked that he quite likes Chinese communism - no labour unions, cheap work-force - a businessman's dream. The growth of the economy has made nationalism even stronger and people think China will be the number one nation in the world with or without democracy - it doesn't matter.

For us westereners peace prize feels good - especially after seeing that all our governments and big corporation have sold their souls to get to the giant Chinese market. Google Does No Evil. (but does the the fine print exclude China)

I agree with most of your post, but I'd point out that, given the situation their parents and grandparents and so on were in over the past 200 years in particular, it's little wonder that the average person feels that way.

As regards the last few lines, I don't think it's reasonable to expect multinationals to assume the total burden of moral responsibility. Westerners are visiting China as tourists in every greater numbers, and most of us have no problem buying Chinese products, so I don't think we can lambast the corporations for doing business over there.

Nodin

Sanjuro wrote: »

Something we're all going to have to get used to once China becomes the dominant power in the world and overtakes us all.

And, I for one, welcome our Chinese overlords! Tell us your bidding, oh dominant ones, and it shall be done!

They might be watching...

There are no agents of the Glorious Chinese People monitoring this and people should express their opinions freely, openly, and with their name and address in the bottom of the post.

Einhard

Nodin wrote: »

There are no agents of the Glorious Chinese People monitoring this and people should express their opinions freely, openly, and with their name and address in the bottom of the post.

They built my computer. I think they already have my name and address!!

TPD

For some reason, with the title being 'First Chinese man...', and the author 'Biggins' displayed just underneath, I read this thread as 'Biggest Chinese Man Ever Gets Nobel Peace Prize'.

Let me just say, I'm disappointed.

banquo

Blueboyd wrote: »

I like this prize. I bet it means a lot to his family and people who know him or are like him.

Unfortunately the story is that most people in China are not like him. We think of China and immediately get the image of opresssed people or some poor worker in a factory who works for 0,0009 € a month and sleeps in cardboard box, but the truth is there are 400 000 millionares in the country and the size of the middle class is getting as big as the whole population of the US. Okay they have loads of poor people too. But I guess my point is that most of the Chinese don't care that much for democracy. If people were asked today most of them would say it would put the country and especially the economic growth into jeopardy when all sorts of extremist would take ower and the country would split. And what concerns people the most is their own well-being. It is still a totalitarian communist state but with only the outer symptoms of it - the business is growing and people are getting richer. One westerner who works in China for global company joked that he quite likes Chinese communism - no labour unions, cheap work-force - a businessman's dream. The growth of the economy has made nationalism even stronger and people think China will be the number one nation in the world with or without democracy - it doesn't matter.

For us westereners peace prize feels good - especially after seeing that all our governments and big corporation have sold their souls to get to the giant Chinese market. Google Does No Evil. (but does the the fine print exclude China)

No ****ing way are there 4 billion millionaires in China.

Blueboyd

banquo wrote: »

No ****ing way are there 4 billion millionaires in China.

I thought 400 000 meant four hundred thousand

Amhran Nua

Biggins wrote: »

Does the Chinese government think the world is stupid?

Yes.

starbelgrade

You gib pweace pwize to dat batswa?

Me no foking likey.

johnnyskeleton

Biggins wrote: »

*cough*

The "first ever" Chinese man? He must be very damn old by now! :eek:

The "to" is the important part.

The ever goes before Chinese man when written, although when spoken "the first Chinsese man ever to get Nobel Peace Price" is an acceptable, if somewhat Irish, way of saying it.

Biggins

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

The "to" is the important part.

The ever goes before Chinese man when written, although when spoken "the first Chinsese man ever to get Nobel Peace Price" is an acceptable, if somewhat Irish, way of saying it.

Yes Master. :pac: