Mobilizing China's Communist Party

Though certainly not the first to use mobile messaging to
spread political ideas (or foment political movements), the Communist Party in China is using MMS to tout its 85th b’day celebration.

Textually.org writes of how the party has sent out mobile propaganda evidently including songs, lyrics, and a cute li’l anime of a wee gal in pigtails. Some lyrics: “Singing The East is Red, we get ourselves together and stand up, It’s spring time, we’re reforming and opening up, And we’re gonna get rich!”

I especially like the ironic bit about “reforming and opening up.” Consider the draft law being considered by the Chinese legislature that would fine news media up to $12,500 for publishing unauthorized reports on disease outbreaks, natural disasters, social uprisings, and other stuff that might make the government look bad. According to an International Herald Tribune report, China’s State Council vice minister of the legislative affairs “said at a news conference that the law should apply to all news organizations, including foreign newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets that usually operate under different rules than local Chinese media.”

Then again, maybe it’s not as bad as it looks. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff contends in a Toronto Star story that evading the Chinese censors isn’t that tough after all.