The sacred rituals of Western civilization-- the election and the press-- were long ago subsumed by capital. You don’t need to formally censor when the oligarchs own the media and will skew the messaging to serve their interest. You don’t need to have a single party state when the Overton window has been dragged so far right that no electoral outcome can actually oust billionaire rule.
At least, in that context, we can ask who censorship serves? Is it about social cohesion and stability, or preserving the privilege of a handful of people?
In regard to China, it serves a handful of people. Specifically those Party members which less than 3% of the population and have enriched themselves and their families to create a perpetual ruler class at the expense of the other 1 billion.
The sacred rituals of Western civilization-- the election and the press-- were long ago subsumed by capital. You don’t need to formally censor when the oligarchs own the media and will skew the messaging to serve their interest. You don’t need to have a single party state when the Overton window has been dragged so far right that no electoral outcome can actually oust billionaire rule.
At least, in that context, we can ask who censorship serves? Is it about social cohesion and stability, or preserving the privilege of a handful of people?
In regard to China, it serves a handful of people. Specifically those Party members which less than 3% of the population and have enriched themselves and their families to create a perpetual ruler class at the expense of the other 1 billion.