It was more than two years ago when I first blogged about China's use of shock therapy to "cure" individuals of their internet addictions, and today it seems as if the Chinese have decided to abandon such cruel techniques.
Of course, the treatments are only stopping because research conducted at the institution administering the treatments showed it had no measurable effect on the usage of video games by the 3000 young Chinese who were chosen to participate in the program. I am not sure if this speaks more to the Chinese diligence for measuring and quantifying anything/everything, or to their cruel pragmatism when asserting their authority over its citizens. Either way, we should all take note of the casual acceptance of such draconian practices by the one government we are counting on to keep our country out of bankruptcy and our economy from going even deeper into the crapper. It is a scary future for America, a scary future indeed.
Of course, the treatments are only stopping because research conducted at the institution administering the treatments showed it had no measurable effect on the usage of video games by the 3000 young Chinese who were chosen to participate in the program. I am not sure if this speaks more to the Chinese diligence for measuring and quantifying anything/everything, or to their cruel pragmatism when asserting their authority over its citizens. Either way, we should all take note of the casual acceptance of such draconian practices by the one government we are counting on to keep our country out of bankruptcy and our economy from going even deeper into the crapper. It is a scary future for America, a scary future indeed.
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