@bobdobbs: Huh? You lost me there? I don't think Confucius was against consumerism.

Noobs-R-Us

@Noobs-R-Us: Yeah, I'm not sure just how Confucian the Prada and Armani stores (and their customers) in Shanghai are.

bobdobbs

Seriously, who is running China, Hans Georg Schultz? They give a minimum amount of effort for the Olympics, and with the attention they gained from the games, all the bad starts to pile up, and they keep trying to sweep things under rugs. Don't bother, China. We know. We know the bad stuff about everyone everywhere. Only everywhere else hasn't currently put a spotlight on itself with a major worldwide sporting event and pretended that there are no blemishes.

justhesh

Looks like the chinese are going to have to buy Zunes.... lol I wish.

Sam_Zebian

I honestly cannot thing of one reason why I would want to live in China.

citylights5

Ok to you ignorant folk badmouthing China. Something something positive about China, and something something negative about yours. There, that oughtta hold ya, ya jerks.

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

@bobdobbs: Ever heard of Confucianism? It works for them. Perhaps even better than ours.

Noobs-R-Us

Can we get some more detail on this, I don't get it. iTunes doesn't have a China store, right? So maybe Apple is happy to have Chinese people accessing other localized (or not) version of the store, but is there really a complaint here? China is blocking something that Apple doesn't provide in the first place? Or am I missing something else completely?

Tim Faulkner

Hey China, you might be a corrupt government when.....you block a mass music library because of one album.

Overkill much?

SgtToastie

I h8 China!

helldiver

Treating 1.3 billion people like children. Good luck with that, Chinese government.

bobdobbs

Ah, communism.

greycobalt

The pro-Tibet movement should just give it a rest. They're causing people to suffer needlessly. It's not like the Tibetans are worst off then when their Tibetan brethren were in charge.

It's ironic that on the one hand people support Tibetans to break away from China but at the same time, many of those same people would not support the breaking away of South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia.

I'm very confused about that. Perhaps someone can explain that to me...

Noobs-R-Us

it's one way

maxpnc

I can't access some of the Beijing photo galleries in their Olympics page either. The Great Firewall hath spoken.

Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish

@Noobs-R-Us:

You are one of the few people I have seen besides myself who has ever made this point. Very often I seem to come across people who support a "Free Tibet" but have no reasons why other than a public support for a free Tibet by many celebrities.

For anyone who supports a "free Tibet" why? where did you get your information to for your opinion Tibet should be "free"?

Catharsis

@Noobs-R-Us: You got me. I'm just saying as people gain wealth, they tend to put up with less bullshit, particularly from pols.

bobdobbs

Yeah you stupid Free Tibet guys! It's either you support independence or you don't. Me? I don't. That's why I think the U.S. should never have gotten their independence from the British Empire ;-p

Dearhaw

China did free tibet. Silly llama and his wanting slaves.

Conrad

@Noobs-R-Us: because they are different situations, different countries, etc. and just because someone supports independence in one situation, doesn't mean they would in another situation.

For the record, though I say 'free Tibet' -- I was against that whole confederate secession, and think Lincoln was right.

@Catharsis: personally, I get my information from my work (international affairs, united nations, global policy work ) and education about history. Tibet was an independent kingdom that has been subdued.

Just because some folks are fairly ignorant, that doesn't mean that all of us who actually have an opinion on such matter, are ignorant.

noasalira

But I mean seriously, who's downloading itunes in china.. piracy seems like a legal stuff there.

Playstation

Hello, China?

I've got something you might want...

That's right...

All the tea...

Griffehpoo

I'm one of the free Tibet types (as in I protest at the Chinese consulate on weekends) and thought the album was kind of bleh. The Chinese aren't missing much.
I'll be honest and say I support a free Tibet because it means they wouldn't have to put up with the oppression by the Chinese government. Chinese citizens in general suffer from it as well, which is bad enough but these people don't want to be a part of that nation's government and there really aren't any cultural ties between Tibetans and Han Chinese, so I think they have a pretty good argument for wanting either their own country or more autonomy. Also with the growth of China's economy and development (extreme gentrification I guess) into Tibetan areas Tibetans run the risk of losing a sense of their cultural identity. Granted that sort of thing happens throughout China and I would gladly relinquish my support for a free Tibet if the Chinese government took their citizens troubles and human rights in general into account across the board. If the Chinese didn't crack down on every little thing whether it is protests over not being compensated for land/property acquired for development, or interfering in people's religious beliefs, this would not be as big of an issue.
And I apologize for getting all political just now.

MrHaroHaro

Solution for all: Get the frack out of China.
No citizens = no control over anything but themselves.
Get a Visa for some other country, or enter illegally (I hear the US is pretty easy for this one) if you cannot afford it.

What are they going to do? Hide the whips while they beg you back?

And people actually have the nerve to ask me why I don't watch the Olympics.

ViperBorg

China sucks balls.

DaSmith

The Chinese are a great nation with a rich history. Give them some time. @ DASimth I think you mean the chinese politicos suck balls. Well, I hate to break it to you. So do ours!

willyboy

Why is it a nasty stereotype to jump on China for censoring the internet? It's a fact, not a stereotype.

SlinkyDink

@ViperBorg:
Wow. China is run by Chinese?

gothamdarkknight

@ViperBorg: That's just dumb.

Noobs-R-Us

@noasalira: Please enlighten me as to how the situation now in Georgia is "different?" It's different just because you say it's different? Are you just making things up to make it sound different?

As far as I can see, it's exactly the same. Those two areas still want to be in the Russian "culture." Georgia is saying that they can't. That they have to remain within Georgia. So what's different? To me, it's either or. You can't flip flop and pretend that you've not.

Noobs-R-Us

@SlinkyDink:

Stereotypes are often based on facts.

Dearhaw

@helldiver: lol they probably hate you too :)

Playstation

nice going you god damn hippies with your silly songs, now i cant access itunes in china :(

Most people just don't like the chinese government and/or communist, thats why they give them so much crap about human rights,democracy,free tibet,etc. The chinese people is not yet ready for that much freedom, and you would not want to see China with democracy anytime soon, cuz the world will be in chaos and disarry when that happens, maybe even trigger another world war.

diehippiedie

Fuck Tibet!

thexile

@Dearhaw:

Are you saying all Americans are stupid?

maxsquared

@maxsquared:

No, just that enough of them are so that such a stereotype can form and be propagated. Similar to how there's a stereotype about Japanese and eye-glasses. Do all Japanese wear eye-glasses? No. But enough of them do, and hence the stereotype.

Dearhaw

Yeah, I have worked in China for the last 5 years spending upwards of 40 weeks a year here. I have had little problem with internet access here in the past and the iTunes blockage is the first to really piss me off. I just want to add apps from the AppStore. I am hoping that once the Olympics are over, China will relax a little and open access back up.

NeroliHybris