Hong Kong police have recently arrested book sellers for having copies of Emily Feng’s, Let Only Red Flowers Bloom. Freelance journalists and three others have been arrested related to the book and for the act of selling, “seditious material.” Emily Feng has been banned from entering China since 2022 due to her previous reporting and now the banned book.
“Seditious Material,” is the title that sounds less than harmful for many Westerners who may view China as a land known of having less freedoms, where independent thinking and writing, are prohibited or heavily guided. The reporter and journalist must obey a strict regime of controls, obeying the States mandates and suggestions. It is after all a one party state. Not a liberal democracy. And, time and time again we are told that Western values celebrates individual rights. Self ownership, which includes free speech.
Transfer those two words, Seditious and Material and press it into those which may suddenly draw an ire of concern for a newly conditioned Western reader, one who may feel freedom of speech has conditions. For example, if a book was accused, “Hate speech”, then some may argue bigotry and intolerance may lead to violence and destroy the homogenised, allowed view of a multi-cultural society, by denying the aspirations and views of some cultures, while elevating the aspirations and views of a limited approved culture, so long as they obey a particular ideological and streamlined, though often changing, regard to a politically correct cultural standards which are determined by elites, politicians and the intelligentsia. Therefore the only culture allowed depends on, and celebrates the State and anything contrary to that is intolerant. Or, in extreme cases those views which seek a particular xenophobia and supremacist view point are not allowed, even if particular regimes which such traits are allowed.
Hate Speech, as ill defined as it is. Is, understood to be dangerous. You have been told by the authorities that it is the domain of angry, violent and dangerous people. Nay, dumb and ill informed people. Racist, misogynistic and intolerant of trans communities are usually the accused culprits. Maybe people who support a banned party or a pariah party, or those who are intolerant and therefore any book which expresses or aligns with that kind of thinking should be banned, burned even and pushed underground. A long with their seditious lines of thinking. That material, is after all seditious material and goes against the grain of the government defined standards of culture.
The same can be said for “Terrorist material”, it must be something akin to the Anarchist cookbook, how to make a neutron bomb out of plastic dishware or, maybe how to make firearms or even words written by mad Mullah’s or antisemitism, or racists, or in the past Marxists. Which is now not viewed in such a counter-culture narrative. Fascism on the other hand is, or even free speech, which would not be pro-fascist by the very nature of fascist inclinations to control such individual rights. Criticism of state policy, or hate infused anger or rage over atrocities. Maybe, it’s Irish Catholic propaganda which only promotes the Fenian cause and is a danger to the stability of the Union. At least it was, and may some day again be. Religious zealot republicans, a danger to law and order.
Nay, the terrorists are those lefties, or draft dodgers, bra burning women’s liberation types, then again it’s the 21st century. The only terrorists are now ‘Mohammedans’ , Islamic extremists. The kind who now rule Syria, though, that’s now an ally. Or, those inspired by the Saudi regimes Wahhabi beliefs, also an ally. Perhaps it’s the Shi’ite radicals of Iranian Khomeinism, dangerous. Or Palestinians who sing songs. Then again, it could just be the above mentioned race supremacists, not Black Panthers, only the white kind. Those who don’t like approved movies. The outlawed material may be footage of soldiers being killed in combat zones, with music playing over it, or the celebration of martyrs. It is determined by whom the dead are, and those doing the killing that validates the distinction of ‘terrorist’ material.
And I say this as Che Guvera’s and Mao Zedong’s books on revolution and guerilla warfare linger nearby. Once banished, and dangerous. Maybe again in time. But, for now, it’s cool corporate and government capitalism to be about the communist killer revolutionaries, they are no longer dangerous or a threat, simply a lifestyle choice, for those in Western opulence.
What about “obscene”, this may invoke thoughts of graphic sexuality, perhaps things which are taboo from incest, bestiality, necrophilia and so on. Words which depict such acts, maybe even drawings. Criminal sexual flights of fancy which are only consumed and produced by dangerous minds, no normal person would indulge or even be curious about such things. Despite the existence of the romantasy genre and countless videos and books, and fairy tales which are wrapped in such obscene deeds, whether to challenge or push boundaries or entertain. No normal person would dare indulge in those kinds of things, they should watch war and read about the glorious killing in battle, the mass slaughter of generations and the bombing of cities, courageous deeds endorsed by the state. Far less destructive and immoral or beastial than fictional depictions of perverse sexual deeds.
Then the ultimate crux, no one dare comes back from the claim of “Child Abuse Material”, this does not include the genocide or mass starvation of children. That’s allowed. Endorsed and in some cases celebrated. This is the words about, or drawings of CA acts, after all who would read or look at such pictures other than the most degenerate and dangerous kinds of people. The possession of such art or form is a clear smoking gun, just as images of dead people in books is evidence that one is a murderer, so too is this evidence that one must in fact rape children. One can not read Lolita without revealing an inner guilt, or lust.
Check his hard drive! Look at his browser history scream those who adore authority and hate freedom. Nuance need not exist. In the clamouring for censorship and prohibitions of fictional depictions one conflates the heinous acts of real rape and abuse with the consumption of drawings and words. A degradation of the destruction such deeds have on the innocent. Words lose meaning and become handles by which to validate censorship and prohibition, and remove liberty. They do not protect children, instead resources are often drained at the expense of finding and protecting real victims. Though, the books are a victory and a validation of authorities moral virtue. When real children are raped, suddenly it’s a complex process, especially if the rapist is, important. And, the mental health of those who would rape a kid, is suddenly a consideration. Nuance matters, except for the violated victims. The professionals who deal with such misery on the other hand are allowed such layers.
The possession of seditious material comes in many forms and guises, it is meant to be repulsive and vulgar to some. Why would anyone want obscene materials and read it? Yet, what is mainstream and accepted may also offer very real offence and pain to those who have no reason, only an opinion or those who have very a real reason. Those who have lost a close member to a serial killer may suffer great indignities while it remains ever fashionable to venerate such murderers and make them celebrities. The consumption of both fiction and non-fiction material on murder often relegate the victims as props to an anti-heroes journey of mayhem. Those who enjoy and are fascinated by murder material never need to rationalise why the morose and morbid excites or interests them.
Yet, such material is normal. Popular. To brutally torture, murder, rape before and after is not seen as obscene when it’s contextualised in fiction and non-fiction. We can even see the photos and footage of the innocent victims with ease, a necrotic tribute to the killers in some pained disdain for innocence. One can open the pages of books of history where women lay wide open, bayonets deep inside of their genitalia, the killers men in uniform. Not just enemy nations, those familiar and allied. Burned babies, mothers whose breasts are hanging from them as a child lays bloated and dead in her arms. Clothing, skin and dignity burned away, whether napalm or phosphorus or infernos of flames.
Because the killers in many cases are the historical “good guys”, it’s accepted. A price the victim pays for a political victory. How one feels when they view such material is not governed or decided, is delight and pride allowed? Arousal even? Would it be seditious to look at the victims of your governments policies and feel disgust? Is that allowed? Is it seditious to say, “killing children is wrong?” Perhaps that’s hate speech, or terrorism? It depends on who is killing the child apparently.
As a genocide is occurring, those who dare witness can see the brutal images of dead children. Dead by many means. Accounts of rape and sexual molestation, including that of children. Sich footage and accounts is not considered “Child Abuse Material” even if some, including the killers and abusers find delight in the content and suffering innocent. It remains as public record and regretfully it’s non-fiction. Real.
Hate, Obscene and Terrorist are words to be branded about by the authorities and their enablers against those who would criticise the murder and abuse of children. The context allows for it to go on, who does the killing matters more than who the victims are in the parlance of political thinking. And, the multi-cultural dimension sheds away into one gentrification of facts, the only cultural that matters is The States.
Emily Feng is just a writer. Her words are criminal. This should be seen as obscene, that a persons thoughts and words are outlawed. The violence of the police and the government masters who would kidnap and destroy people and their property is terrorist in action. If they do not comply, they will be beaten, killed. Those who seek to banish words and books hate freedom. They hate the fact that others have different perspectives and views, multi-opinions, a culture of diverse thoughts and views. And such is an abuse to not just children but any who seek independence and agency. We live in a world where mass murder and the violent coercion to ban things and deny liberty is normal, accepted. The cultural norm. But words, and what was once viewed as pillars for liberal democracy, this foundation by which a prison now is being built on, embraces the deeds and insecurities of a one party state.
Words are not violence, suppressing them is. Remember when you were all Charlie Hebdo and put up the French flag as a celebration of free speech? What changed?
