Chinese Internet Addicts Escape Boot Camp

[Mic_128]

A group of adolescents interred at an internet addiction boot camp rose up against their oppressors last week, restraining their supervisor and fleeing the facility to taste sweet, sweet freedom. At least until their parents sent them back.

China admits it has an internet addiction problem, which is the first step towards recovery. The popular second step right now is sending teens and adults addicted to the internet and online gaming to boot camps, where instructors use military techniques to try and instil a sense of discipline in folks who’d rather just play World of Warcraft.

“We need to teach them some discipline and help them to establish a regular lifestyle,” the paper quoted an employee at the camp as saying. “We have to use military-style methods such as total immersion and physical training on these young people.”

According to the Global Times, a group of 14 addicts aged 15 to 22 interred at the Huai’an Internet Addiction Treatment Centre in China’s Jiangsu province decided they’d had enough last week, tying their supervisor to his bed and fleeing the grounds.

Their freedom was short-lived, however. All 14 were caught by police after failing to pay the fare for a taxi they used in their daring escape. Thirteen of those have already been returned to the centre by their parents.

The China Youth Association for Network Development says that up to 24 million Chinese adolescents are addicted to the internet. Half of those are addicted to online gaming, which makes us wonder what the other half are doing.

Internet addiction treatment centres both official and unregistered are popping up all over China to help deal with the issue. Reports of abuse at unregistered facilities were rampant last year, with one 15-year-old addict beaten to death by instructors at a camp in the southern region of Guangxi.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100608/tc_afp/healthchinainternetaddictionoffbeat

It's just like something out of a movie, except in the movie when they get home they realise they have a problem and must go back and change and have a happy ending, not, well, having your parents make you go back.

 

[Эикельманн [РУС]]

I wouldn't mind a free ride in a boot camp. They're gaining a lot from that. Their country is doing a great deed for them, but they're ungrateful little brats.

I'd love to be involved with a boot camp.

 

[jugfingers]

I wouldn't mind a free ride in a boot camp. They're gaining a lot from that. Their country is doing a great deed for them, but they're ungrateful little brats.

I'd love to be involved with a boot camp.

Reports of abuse at unregistered facilities were rampant last year, with one 15-year-old addict beaten to death by instructors at a camp in the southern region of Guangxi.

..............

 

[El Nino]

A prison's a prison.

It isn't surprising that an overbearing authoritative government uses this kind of an approach to deal with a problem. Internet addiction is an issue, but there has to be a better way of dealing with it. With the lack of non-governmental oversight at these camps, it's just a recipe for abuse. "Re-education through labor" was the Chinese government's catchphrase during the Cultural Revolution, during which members of the middle class were shipped off and forced to work on farms and in factories. I'm told that those re-education camps still exist, though they're now only targeting political dissidents.

"Government-in-transition" my ***.

 

[Mota]

Hmmm should send my younger bro to this.

 

[DJRome]

whatever. most of these kids are shiftless suctions on their parents money anyways and contribute very little to the country. just one less mouth to feed.

 

[WB40]

All I can say is lol. What were the 14th parents thinking?

 

[Эикельманн [РУС]]

..............

If they're "rampant", why was only one report of it found?

The media is foolish. Don't believe it. China is doing good things for it's youth.

 

[StinkomanFan]

Another victory over communism by the internet. Now if only we could stop Soviet Russia.

 

[UberMario]

The parents sent them BACK? What the heck?

And this boot camp idea is basically a way of their government saying, "we don't want you on the internet too much because you'll end up finding out about the outside world" to everyone there.

 

[Эикельманн [РУС]]

this boot camp idea is basically a way of their government saying, "we don't want you on the internet too much because you'll end up finding out about the outside world" to everyone there.

This is very ignorant, and false.

If people wanted to get out and see the "outside world", they could leave. The internet is also hardly as filtered as it's made out to be in China. The media really does saturate everything.

The nation of China doesn't want it's youth wasting their life away on computers and the internet.

Another victory over communism by the internet. Now if only we could stop Soviet Russia.

What?

The soviets of Russia fell years ago. What are you talking about?

 

[.Marik]

If they're "rampant", why was only one report of it found?

The media is foolish. Don't believe it. China is doing good things for it's youth.

Since China is a communist state, anything resembling individuality is censored or negated.

Facebook is blocked, so are a lot of other social networking programs.

I would elaborate on how communism, while a decent concept on paper; is a mediocre one in practice.

But that'd just be opening a can of worms.

 

[DJRome]

lol right. because democratic states have been better about keeping down corruption

 

[.Marik]

lol right. because democratic states have been better about keeping down corruption

You're absolutely right, censorship is nowhere near as extreme or totalitarian.

 

[DJRome]

oh yeah, democratics states allow total freedom of speech. they don't control the media too

 

[Fuelbi]

What?

The soviets of Russia fell years ago. What are you talking about?

This is what they want you to think Secretly, the Soviets are coming up with a mega laser weapon that will kill all the non-communists by firing Soviet Russia jokes.

Remember kids, in Soviet Russia, laser kills you

 

[.Marik]

oh yeah, democratics states allow total freedom of speech. they don't control the media too

I never said they didn't control the media, government is government.

Democratic states just don't implement censorship to the same extent.

I'm essentially an anarchist, but reputations still stand.

 

[DJRome]

i think all of those wacky chinese people who can't get us visas escaping to canada are getting to your head. go live in china first

 

[.Marik]

i think all of those wacky chinese people who can't get us visas escaping to canada are getting to your head. go live in china first

What does immigration have to do with communist censorship?

I never projected the idea that China was a dictatorship.

On the account of Facebook being blocked, a Chinese acquaintance I know actually revealed that.

It was nice talking to you, but I have better ways to spend my time.

 

[El Nino]

If people wanted to get out and see the "outside world", they could leave.

The government has passport regulations and likes to control its borders, like just about every other government in the world. You can travel, but not without proper papers, which can only be attained by applying through the government office.

China has been more open in recent years than it has been in the past, but it doesn't let just anyone in and out of its borders.

The internet is also hardly as filtered as it's made out to be in China. The media really does saturate everything.

The Chinese government filters anything that is critical of itself. It filters modern history information pertaining to the rise of the PRC, the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong, Tiananmen Square, Tibet, Taiwan, etc.

Airport security performs searches of travelers and one of the things they do look for is material that is critical of the Chinese government.

The nation of China doesn't want it's youth wasting their life away on computers and the internet.

The government of China is an authoritative regime. That it would go to such lengths to dictate the personal lives of its people is a clear indication that it recognizes no boundary between the private and the public, between personal property and government property. That line of thinking is a relic from the Cultural Revolution, a line that is upheld in part due to the limitations that the Chinese government places upon its own citizens.

whatever. most of these kids are shiftless suctions on their parents money anyways and contribute very little to the country. just one less mouth to feed.

Considering that China still adheres to the One Child Policy (with some stipulations set aside for those who qualify), I doubt that any parent in China would view the death of their only child that way.

The parents sent them BACK? What the heck?

That's probably because this would be the equivalent to an American kid escaping rehab or juvvie. And, yes, there are many cases of abuse in American correctional facilities, and both minors and adults have died under police custody. But even knowing this, most parents in the U.S. would still send their kids back into the system if they pulled a break-out like this. Even if they didn't want to, they wouldn't have much of a choice, and the instances of deaths are not high enough for them to worry that their kid might be killed. Statistically, the incidents in China might not be much higher than they are in the U.S. system, the major issue here is the lack of oversight of these camps by any non-governmental organization that has any power to regulate or investigate any possible wrongdoings.

Also, considering the One Child Policy and that the Chinese government is not a reliable provider of social services, parents need their child to do well financially because that is what will help them get through retirement. Not to mention that there won't be many (if any) services like welfare or unemployment for their kid if he or she can't stay employed. So, it's due to the structure of Chinese society that forces parents to look out for the welfare of their kids and of themselves by being hard on them.

It's a catch-22. The Chinese government applies a handicap onto the population; the population staggers with the handicap; the government views this stagger as a sign that the population "needs" more government control because they obviously can't take care of themselves.

Edit:

oh yeah, democratics states allow total freedom of speech. they don't control the media too

They do control certain aspects of individual lives and what the media can report. They're just more sneaky about it. No state tolerates legitimate dissent or any threats to its power base. The only reason why democratic states allow freedom of speech is because they are powerful enough that freedom of speech won't undermine their authority.

 

[DJRome]

oh please. i for one cannot seem to care about how these parents that send their children off to these camps retire. but fwiw, most of these retirees in china get huge funds after retirement. like 80%+ of their working income. so no, that's not really a problem. those poor poor people aren't going to have this internet problem, or if they do, consider it unlucky. but it still doesn't matter since that kid is useless anyways. don't try applying western logic of importance on a country where people are paid a year's wages for a death if even that. the lives simply aren't worth that much. you can consider all of the humanity in the world, but when the real world is taking over in action, it ain't much and it won't be much to anyone but those parents. and that real world will hardly care

 

[El Nino]

No one cares if you care, DJRome. You were taking part in a discussion; I was just responding. I'm not trying to change your mind. This is just water cooler talk.

Retirement funds are provided through taxes, which are taken from people who are currently working. Less kids who grow up to be successful means less people working to support the retirees.

 

[DJRome]

those funds come from the employers actually. yep no one cares if i care. and yes, no one else will care either. cause we don't live in caring fun land. we live on earth

 

[El Nino]

And those employers aren't supported by their workers? I mean, in a business operation, a company needs a workforce.

No we don't live in a caring fun land, I agree.

Edit: Now I'm getting myself confused. China is a mixed economy, so I can't figure out how much of the private sector is actually private and how much is government-subsidized. If those companies are more private, then benefits are paid out by the private owners of the company. If subsidized, then those benefits are paid out in part with support from the state.

 

[DJRome]

there aren't droves of kids dying in this way or in any way in fact that could possibly detract from the work force. as flooded as the labor force is in china, even huge catastrophes wouldn't make much of a dent in the workforce. so sorry if i can't sympathize here

 

[Эикельманн [РУС]]

El Nino, have you lived in China before? Where in, and for how long?

 

[El Nino]

there aren't droves of kids dying in this way or in any way in fact that could possibly detract from the work force. as flooded as the labor force is in china, even huge catastrophes wouldn't make much of a dent in the workforce. so sorry if i can't sympathize here

You don't have to sympathize. I was just trying to come up with explanations for anyone who might want to contemplate the roots of the issue. That's what these discussions are for. Anyway, it isn't your problem, or mine, really. I wouldn't expect you to take a personal interest.

El Nino, have you lived in China before? Where in, and for how long?

I know my name is misleading. My parents were political refugees. We still have family there. The country has shown tremendous progress, but that doesn't detract from its crimes. Even in America, with its standard of living, I still can't ignore abuses of power. Let's leave it at that.

 

[DJRome]

grace wang, a political refugee, goes to my school. let's just say i think the chinese government was justified in shooing her out. cuckoo. . .

 

[El Nino]

Well, some people just have problems.

Edit: Oh, jajaja. It just hit me now. The stuff I rambled on about with the One Child Policy and retirement was an argument in favor of the boot camp idea, in concept rather than execution, not an argument against it. That stuff shapes Chinese society, and that is why parents in China send their kids to boot camp for Net addiction. It's as if Net addiction is just as capable of ruining a kid's life as taking up drugs and joining a gang in the U.S. because Chinese society is structured differently (the parents seem to think so anyway). My issue is with how the camps are run--not that they exist--the forced disciplinary measures used on people without addressing the psychological issue of the addiction, and the apparent lack of oversight. Without checks and balances, abuse of power comes too easy.

 

[The Drifter]

I also fail to understand what discipline has to do with internet usage. I would say using military tactics to cure an addiction wouldn't work, because the person would probably suffer a mental breakdown being taken away from their "vice" just like a smoker would if taken away from their cigs, asking them to do military style training is to much.



On a less serious note, lol at "They failed to pay their taxi fare" Internet junkies don't know how to do math.

 

[DJRome]

well it's about efficiency for the country. if a camp can convert 50% of addicts to regular productive citizens and a few die along the way, it's well worth it

 

[Mic_128]

fwiw, most of these retirees in china get huge funds after retirement. like 80%+ of their working income. so no, that's not really a problem.

80% of a pittance is still a pittance.

those poor poor people aren't going to have this internet problem, or if they do, consider it unlucky. but it still doesn't matter since that kid is useless anyways. don't try applying western logic of importance on a country where people are paid a year's wages for a death if even that. the lives simply aren't worth that much. you can consider all of the humanity in the world, but when the real world is taking over in action, it ain't much and it won't be much to anyone but those parents. and that real world will hardly care

Speaking from personal experience?

I also fail to understand what discipline has to do with internet usage.

I assume they're trying to instill some sort of self-discipline, aka the ability to go "Well I said I'd be on for an hour, and an hour has passed, time to stop" as opposed to "Just one more hour" Not sure if that's the best way to do it, but I'm no expert.

On a less serious note, lol at "They failed to pay their taxi fare" Internet junkies don't know how to do math.

They kept trying to open calculator.exe

well it's about efficiency for the country. if a camp can convert 50% of addicts to regular productive citizens and a few die along the way, it's well worth it

Wow. Seriously? I hope to god you'll never get in power. You'll probably kill half the population so you can say "I've successfully halved expenditure! Might have had a few people die, but who cares."

 

[Эикельманн [РУС]]

Whoa, mic multi-quoting!?!

 

[DJRome]

80% of a pittance is still a pittance.



Speaking from personal experience?



I assume they're trying to instill some sort of self-discipline, aka the ability to go "Well I said I'd be on for an hour, and an hour has passed, time to stop" as opposed to "Just one more hour" Not sure if that's the best way to do it, but I'm no expert.



They kept trying to open calculator.exe



Wow. Seriously? I hope to god you'll never get in power. You'll probably kill half the population so you can say "I've successfully halved expenditure! Might have had a few people die, but who cares."

lol right. because people haven't been sent to war for advancement yeah.

 

[Mic_128]

lol right. because people haven't been sent to war for advancement yeah.

Where'd you get war from?

 

[DJRome]

where'd you get that i would kill half the population?

sometimes, sacrifices are necessary for advancement. your naive belief in the "correct" way isn't very realistic

 

[Mic_128]

There's a difference between 'necessary for advancement' and 'sloppy operating procedures'

 

[DJRome]

right. and the military always takes responsibility

 

[Mic_128]

The camps aren't run by the military, just in the style of one. The army has better things to do than to get a bunch of addicts away from their computers.

 

[Scabe]

My name's Scabe and I'm an internet addict.

I don't think I could survive in those boot camps, but I really need to go to one.