Automated Anti-Government Phone Calls, Literature.

[roddy]

This is an odd one, never heard of it before.

Just got a call on my landline here in Beijing. I very rarely get landline calls, as I never give out the number, so it's always either the telephone company telling me to pay my bill or the landlord.

This time though, it was an automated recording telling me about all the evils of the Chinese government. It focused mainly on a certain cult, but also mentioned events of 1989 and the Cultural Revolution.

Is this common? First time I've ever had one.

Roddy

[zhwj]

My flat has gotten one. I didn't answer it myself, but my housemate reported topics similar to those you mentioned. Gotta have some stones to call an apartment complex inhabited by current and retire policemen.

More common are those folks on QQ, who all seem to use a whale as an avatar for some reason.

I wonder if there's some big push going on right now - I've gotten several spam messages over the last week or two enclosing as an attachment a proxy client for getting around the nanny...

[roddy]

Never had anything on instant messenger. I've probably had some in spam email, but that gets deleted without even being glanced at (and you've gotta have some stones yourself to check what's in a spam email attachment). I suspect I may have had one or two by SMS, but can't remember.

If they were really clever, they'd set up an English language consultancy for real estate developers. They could have signs up all over the city advertising 'Fight the Oppressor Villas' and 'Honest, It's Just Breathing Exercises International Gardens' within the week.

Roddy

[chenpv]

I got similar calls to my dorm phone about 2 years ago. One was telling some ridiculous rumors about the government and leaders. The other was more covert, since the call first told me to do some commercial qestionnaire, but after I pressed a button, the river-running 'preachings' from Falungong went on. So f**king annoying! I asked my friends, some of them got some similar phones as well.

Anyway, haven't got anything reactionary on mobile or QQ.

[aeon]

We got one on just before the anniversary of the crackdown on students in Tiananmen Square. I think it was urging us to stage a re-enactment, but I don't like being shot at so we stayed at home...

[roddy]

I'll tag this on to the existing post, it's similar content.

Haven't had any more phone calls since the one mentioned above, but I came home just now to discover a little plastic bag of booklets, three in all, giving news about the FLG, it's international support, and its tribulations in China. It's even got instructions on how to unjoin the party - 用笔名，化名现将声明张贴在公共场所, or by emailing an epochtimes email address. One of the booklets is Dalian specific, and names and shames particularly troublesome policemen.

Does anyone else get this kind of stuff? Very exciting, I wonder if I'll get asked to join.

[zhwj]

I used to see that stuff periodically in stairwells in walkups in the northeast. I've gotten it in Beijing twice, actually - color inkjet printouts folded into little booklets stuffed in plastic sleeves.

[roddy]

Rats, mine's only black and white.

names and shames particularly troublesome policemen.

Having actually read the whole article now - it actually celebrates his death in a car accident. 恶报, apparently.

These people love their 恶s ： 恶警们见恶行被揭露，穷凶极恶。。。

[zhwj]

I remember mine had a strange article about some weird rock formation in Guizhou that foretold the downfall of the party. There might have been something about characters on a meteor, too; I got rid of the stuff since I figured that it would be available online if I really needed it.

[roddy]

Odd stuff in mine (which seem to all have more or less the same content, they really could cut down on printing costs).

This blooming once every 3000 years flower indicates that good things are going to happen to FLG members.

And a disease is killing off pigs in Dandong - unless they happen to be owned by . . . . can you guess?

[shibole]

I remember mine had a strange article about some weird rock formation in Guizhou that foretold the downfall of the party. There might have been something about characters on a meteor, too;

Wow, the level of rational thought and scientific method is amazing here. Ok, I'm sold. Where do I sign up?

(I'm betting that meteor could sell for a nice price on eBay.)

[flameproof]

And a disease is killing off pigs in Dandong - unless they happen to be owned by . . . . can you guess?

Vegetarians?

In Hong Kong there is often FLG exhibitions in Mongkok, or near Star Ferry and other populated places. I usually don't look at them because of their gruesome pictures. They way FLG does their marketing I doubt very strongly they get many new mainstream followers. Their campaign is for my taste far too negative.

If they get to govern China we will probably see torture and killings of ex CCP members. Just the same as now, just the other way round.

[lilongyue]

Wow, open political dissent in China? Amazing.

[roddy]

It's not what I'd call open - this is an anonymous booklet shoved through a letterbox. There's no info on how to contact people, etc. Interesting to see I guess, I just wish it was a bit more credible.

[shibole]

I hate to split hairs but are the phone calls actually anti-Chinese or anti-government? Anti-Chinese makes it sound like they're racist phone calls denouncing Chinese people

[roddy]

You're right, my original title wasn't well chosen. Will fix it.

[Quest]

I downloaded a show off BT and a flg propaganda clip was appended in the back. So much [political activity] for freedom of religion. It seems they devote much more time denouncing the CCP than promoting Mr. Li's gospel. I guess they get paid really well by governments across the world...

[adrianlondon]

A lone, cold, miserable-looking flg protestor usually sits on the pavement in central London opposite the Chinese embassy. The huge queue of people queueing up for visas don't pay any attention.

I remember once, when I was watching BBC24 news in Beijing, that as soon as the camera panned past one of these protestors the screen went blank. I thought it rather pathetic that one person could scare the government censors so much. Just showing the contrast between that one person and the opposite visa queue would have made a much more govt-friendly image I would have thought.

It reinforces my impression that censorship is just there to give people (many, many people no doubt) jobs. Anyone who cares enough can get the info. Anyone with money (to get foreign satellite TV or to travel) can get the info. The rest probably don't care either way.

[gougou]

Anyone who cares enough can get the info.

I think the point of censorship is not to have people that originally didn't know about those issues start caring enough.

I have never received either phone calls or literature, which I find quite surprising. Are there any estimates how many supporters they still have in China?

[roddy]

I guess they get paid really well by governments across the world...

I bet they don't, but I'm willing to be proved wrong. The UK government will be getting an angry letter if so . . .

Thing is, the FLG are really a bunch of jokers, and I've got no time for them. But even the idea of dissent - 'hey, those guys are getting away with it, why don't we . . . ' is too much of a risk.

Edit: Does anyone want to play FLG Tag? We can use these booklets I've got, aim of the game is to pass them on to other players via mail, express delivery, pushing them under their door, slipping them into their pocket, etc. While you are in possession of the booklets you are 'it' and if you get arrested by the security forces you are 'out'.