Thread by @JanJekielek

"Censorship & self-censorship act together in this society to ensure that independent thinking & creativity cannot exist without bowing to authority." 👀

🧵Back in 2014, Chinese dissident @aiww wrote a powerful essay, "On Self-#Censorship" exploring life under the #CCP. (1/22)

"Killing the chicken to scare the monkey."

Not 100% clear yet what this means? I wasn't either. I had forgotten this saying & essay until recently when I landed in a space with @ooana & @shelley_curious, where I was issued a challenge: "explain this Chinese saying." (2/22)

In the essay, Ai Weiwei *beautifully* explains how #censorship & self-censorship work together to enforce conformity & the will of the state. Here he was talking about #communist #China, but I'm sure you'll find the explanation familiar, especially post-#TwitterFiles👇 (3/22)

"#Censorship in China is enforced 24 hours a day, & operates in every channel of communication. Its impact resounds in all forms of individual expression related to the public, be it a publication, an art show, or a website."

(I'll do a little commentary throughout) (4/22)

"For over 60 years, policies of censorship have been a pervasive part of society throughout the nation.

Within a month, my name has been omitted from two exhibitions in #China."

(ICYMI, Ai Weiwei is an elite Chinese contemporary artist, always pushing the envelope…) (5/22)

"Most recently the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in #Beijing was showing three of my pieces in an exhibition commemorating an old friend & colleague, but were afraid to mention my name & my relationship with the institution that my friend & I built together…" (6/22)

"— the first Chinese contemporary art institution ever created."

(Some important context: Remember the Bird's Nest stadium for the 2008 #Beijing Olympics? Ai designed that. That was his stature & acceptance by the regime. But increasingly he spoke out against the #CCP.) (7/22)

"This strict #censorship of information & expression affects not only myself, but the artist community & the whole of society. For mixed reasons, institutions are self-censoring in order to survive, some even to reap benefits."

(The hard reality in any communist state.) (8/22)

"In a conversation with Philip Tinari, director of the UCCA, he mentioned ≪“threats” from above≫ (my, JJ's emphasis) that led to the omission of my name in the exhibition. In China, party policies may not affect you as an individual, but work through your organization…" (9/22)

"…your landlord, your relatives and your associates. Even if you act independently, the power influences those around you.

*Intimidation* is the most efficient tool for those in power to scare away people’s sense of independence."

(Beginning to sound familiar?) (10/22)

"Not only can they successfully expunge ideas from the public sphere & purge those who dare to express these ideas and attitudes, they can also brainwash anyone who simply wants to function as a part of society."

(Wise, wise words.) (11/22)

"In order to gain financial & personal security, people need to conform to behavioral standards without asking any questions or attempting to tell right from wrong."

(Now this is sounding *really* familiar…) (12/22)
theepochtimes.com/what-its-like-…

"Censorship is a system that creates absolute power and paralyses society, removing the people’s courage to make judgments or bear social responsibility."

(This is the critical part IMO. The removal of courage, encouragement of self-censorship. Ai explains👇) (13/22)

"Censorship & self-censorship act together in this society to ensure that independent thinking & creativity cannot exist without bowing to authority."

(And here's the kicker👇) (14/22)

"More often than not, self-censoring & the so-called threats related to it, are based on a memory or a vague sense of danger, & not necessarily a direct instruction from high officials."

(Ask yourself, how often have you done this of late?) (15/22)

"The Chinese saying sha ji jing hou puts it succinctly: ≪killing the chicken to scare the monkey≫. Punishing an individual as an example to others again incites this policy of intimidation that can resound for lifetimes & even generations."

(#Cancelculture, anyone?) (16/22)

"Unlike most parts of the world, China’s internet is based on local area networks (LAN) (JJ note: Remember this is 2014 & the level of #CCP censorship far from today's levels), but even this limited information flow is already making the authorities extremely nervous."
- (17/22)

"Not only does online censorship go against the essential character of the Internet, it has already led to many arrests & sentences in persecution of freedom of expression. As a result, self-censorship is on the rise…"

(Are actual arrests really needed, though?) (18/22)

"…while the demand for freedom grows at an equally rapid pace. These are parallel challenges facing us in the materialistic world in which we live."

So that's the whole essay, "On Self-Censorship" by Ai Weiwei. You might be surprised to learn where it was published!👇 (19/22)

In the Huffington Post 👀. It was a different time. Reading it again, I was struck by how much of it can be applied to the #censorship, self-censorship & shaping of perception exposed in the #TwitterFiles. And Ai Weiwei is a complex individual… (20/22)
huffpost.com/entry/ai-weiwe…

He's a passionate advocate from freedom & #freespeech, and also, as far as I can tell, for freedom of migration. One theory I'm aware of is the #CCP tolerated his art & prominence to continue ingratiating itself with Western elites. I for one am very grateful for his… (21/22)

I for one am very grateful for his voice, telling the truth of the realities of #China under the #CCP early (at significant personal cost—arrest, torture & ultimately exile), and, in effect, warning us of what will happen in the West if we don't change course. (22/22) FIN