How would the communism have been in Romania if we had had access to Internet? If we had been connected to the whole world like we are now? Would the Internet had been prohibited? Could the State have prohibited us to have yahoo email addresses? Or to chat? Or to search on google? Or to watch whatever we want on youtube? Or to write on blogs? What would have been allowed? Would the Internet have been used as a manipulation tool? Would we have bribed in order to get Internet access, like we did before for better salami or for a home phone?
I have read today in FP (Foreign Policy) Romania, my new hobby on the bus, an article about the pop culture which conquered the Islam world and built a world of contrasts. The pictures and the text say a lot, but not enough. The article speaks quite well about what the Islamic youths "borrow" and "learn" from the Western pop culture, but it doesn't speak enough about how all these are possible and about how the Internet succeeded to escape from the dictatorship's control. Even if it's a dictatorship, talking from a political and a religious point of view, Iran has one of the largest communities of bloggers in the world!
But maybe the Internet is just a tool used to keep this huge mass of young people under control. Imagine what these "kids" might do if they did not have something to do after work or school, if they could not download the Western music and movies, if they could not curse the dictators on YM, or if the girls could not show their faces on webcams? They might have some time for a revolution. If they did not have where to express their frustrations or where to get some freedom, they might start a revolution! I know that it is not so easy to start one, especially when the religion stays behind the politics, and I also know that the Internet cannot carry all the responsibility for the lack of a real revolt.
What do you think? Would we have had an anti-communist revolution if we had had access to Internet? Could we have been cheated with some virtual freedom?
3 comments:
I think the Romania could not deal with changes (such as the internet), that's why it fall apart. The way the Romanian communism would be if it existed today wouldn't be that different from the Chinese communism. Take the example of the Chinese communism, it has updated itself, open up to new types of economy systems and technological changes.
It is just a Darwinism. You adapt or you die. The Romanian communism did not adapt, it died. The Chinese Communism did adapt, and it still existing...but for how long...that's the question
In the first sentence, I meant "the Romanian communism..."
I read an interesting article today about US foreign policy during G. W. Bush administration... it seems like China's economy is going down. Probably the economic problems will "kill" the Chinese communism. Actually, some theories say that in Romania the anti-communist Revolution started because "the people" was "hungry" (economic problems).
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