Absurdity, Allegory and China

When I did a search on Chai Ling – the wannabe Empress of Tian’anmen – she was one of the leaders in the 1989 student protests which resulted in China’s great shame – I received the following 403 Forbidden message:

We’re Sorry
… but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. To protect our users, we can’t process your request right now.

So, is this some form of digitally divine justice? Just wondering out-loud.

For more on Chai Ling, the self-described “Chief Commander” on the Square in 1989,  and her continuing mad claw for more publicity see The China Beat interview with Geremie Barme who explains the recent lawsuit being filed by Ms. Ling and her husband, Robert Maginn, Jr. Among other things, she claimed defamation for her portrayal in Carma Hinton’s indispensable documentary film on the events of the Beijing spring of 1989, entitled The Gate of  Heavenly Peace. The defamation charge was tossed, but an Internet trademark issue continues. It is not the least stretch to say that Ms Ling is a very odd publicity seeker who is not looking to expand her friend base by pulling a hare-brained move like this.

My family attended a talk given by Carma Hinton in February, 1998, seven months before we moved to China. I cannot say that we were inspired to leave the U.S. and come to China by Ms. Hinton, but I can say that we were deeply moved by her that evening. We made the decision to pack up shop a few months later.

The lawsuit is timed to put Ms Ling back in the spots as the twentieth anniversary of the massacre approaches. This may not be the best way for her to do it, since it is getting her nothing but bad press, though that doesn’t seem to bother her. As Mr. Barme explains:

We believe this lawsuit was and is intended to intimidate and silence us. Costly legal defense jeopardizes Long Bow’s very existence. A small non-profit corporation cannot afford hundreds of thousand of dollars in legal fees. We believe that their legal case cannot stand up in court, but given the costly procedures Long Bow may not survive long enough to have our day in court.

If Ms. Ling’s reputation wasn’t damaged enough by her own previous actions – which have only only confirmed Ms. Hinton’s film – it surely is now.

For more information about the Long Bow Group and this lawsuit go here.