Possible little chill effect on student free speech after high school

[Boojatta]

I hear that Google cooperated, with respect to restricting the expression of thoughts related to politics, with the government of China.

There are various kinds of studies beyond the high school level. For example, there is pre-apprenticeship study for trades, education that occurs during apprenticeship, there are vocational studies, associate degree studies, and studies aimed at completing a University degree.

Typically there is some campus where such studies occur, and there may be international students from China on campus. It would be surprising if by chance not one such student had a parent who worked for the government of China.

An international student might wish to describe the atmosphere on campus to a parent by playing audio recordings that the student made, by mailing photocopies of pieces of paper that were distributed on campus, by emailing digital photos of posters seen on campus, by cutting and pasting from websites of some student-run on-campus organizations, etc.

If, among all the various words distributed to students by whatever means, there is anything deemed offensive, then a student could contact a parent, who could contact the parent's employer (the government of China). Then the government of China could contact the government of Iran, and the government of Iran could mail notices to various administrators on campus to let them know that:

1. The words are deemed to be offensive, and the administrators are to ensure that students cease and desist from communicating, by any means, any such words.

2. Two translators of The Satanic Verses died from foul play, and they didn't even write the material but merely translated it. Unfortunately, there seem to be a few hot heads within the government of Iran, and the Supreme Leader is unable to keep them fully under control.

3. It would be unfortunate if anything bad happened to anybody. Salman Rushdie was smart to go into hiding.

4. Students who are smart will exercise self-censorship so that at no time in the future will their excellent intellectual judgment tell them that the smart thing to do is to live the rest of their lives in hiding.

[msongs]

1. google is just another corporation that will do anything for money nt