VentureBeat

Twitter blocked in a measily little country? Who cares? I'd never want to follow anyone from that place anyway :-)

Well...people from elsewhere do go there, you know. And it's not right to ban people who live there from Twittering each other, yes?

So many sites are banned in China as well. This is bound to be there as the Internet spreads. I am sure other countries do similar things as well.
Apart from this the UAE is pretty progressive for the most part, especially when compared to other parts of the Middle East.

Yes, you’re right, a lot of sites are banned in China. That’s what happens when a society has to cope with change on a massive scale – massive in terms of the number of people involved, the scale of the changes and the resulting culture shock.

As for the UAE, again, it’s because some of the images or messages go against their culture. We’d be really pissed as Americans if anyone had the gall to post the Somali jerk dragging around a dead American soldier by the leg (remember that pix?), for example.

I don’t agree with censorship; free speech is essential to humans. But we, as civilized, educated humans, should try to understand why people do what they do and not just condemn them out of hand. Especially when we don’t agree with them.

Of course, that has its limits too. If someone blows up or murder innocent civilians or school children; if they espouse values that are morally repugnant to people as a whole; if they place a higher value on murder in the name of their particular belief set, then I have no time for them. Nothing justifies acts like these. Nothing.

It is so bad, but some journalists are banned from UAE, some newspapers too.
They need a revolution...

I don't disagree with your views in general. However, it might be a good idea for the West to stop telling other countries what to do and what is best for them. Hasn't this landed us into enough trouble already? :-)

Acidifie and Pran Kurup, this is for both of you.
Acidifie - it's not for us to tell another country's government how to conduct its affairs. And what makes you think there's no censorship and restrictions on the media here? We aren't allowed to show the body bags coming back from Iraq or report in-depth on what's going on; the administration tried the same lying tactics with drumming up support for a war on Iran that they did with Iraq and the media isn't jumping all over them. What's the big news here? Barry Bonds claims innocence and says he'll be vindicated. Gee! And I remember when we were invading Iraq TV had game shows and the Maxx Calendar Girls show...what, in the middle of a war? The administration bans scientists from discussing global warming...and keeps complaining that the media is "liberal". I have news for you: The majority of the media, both print and electronic (i.e. radio and TV) is right-wing. That's why it's so important not to have a ban on blogging.

Now Pran - I agree that the West shouldn't tell other countries what to do and what's best for them. Read "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" if you really want to know what's going on. On the other hand, there have over the years been countless attacks on U.S. citizens, facilities, installations and ships abroad. What, we should let this go on? And what would you say if you let me stay in your house and I then fomented trouble for you and put a hit out on you, while eating your food and enjoying your facilities? That's what that Egyptian sheikh, the blind one who was behind the first WTC bombing, was doing, in essence. If he'd tried that stuff back home he'd be lucky if they didn't just cut off his hands instead of decapitating him. So this live and let live attitude has to cut both ways, yes?

It is precisely the extension of this thinking that has landed us in the torture/tapes situation. Where do you draw the line? Bottom line, two wrongs does not a make right. I am not justifying the actions of crazy people out there. I am just saying that before we start lecturing the world about right and wrong, it would benefit us to get our act together on all fronts especially inconsistencies in our policies to the rest of the world. To simply make an assumption that everything we do is right and the rest of the world is always wrong is what is making us unpopular and disliked the world over.

Btw, we are digressing from the original post in a big way on to something that is an entirely different, deeper issue that probably doesn't belong here. So sorry to be diverting from the main topic.

Thanks for the referral to the book. I will certainly look it up.

You're right, we're going off topic. But I'd like to address your points briefly anyway. Two wrongs never made a right; but the demands of realpolitik necessitate our striking back, if only to show we're not a paper tiger. How far that should go then depends on our morals and ethics, but it's mighty hard to hold out the hand of peace when someone's stomping you in the head. But that's a question people far better qualified than I should address.

Just to prove a point about not being a paper tiger might at the surface seem justified, but the reality is that several tens of thousands lose their lives in the crossfire and are often forgotten as collateral damage.

As regards "how far one should go", once we go down that path there is no looking back, there are no lines, its a losing battle for all of humankind.

Interestingly, one of the Presidential hopefuls brilliantly captured it today -- "Part of our capacity to lead is linked to our capacity to show restraint"

Richard,

Kindly shutup. I don't come online to collect mindless cliches like "two wrongs don't make a right." Clam it with your inane offerings.