A case study on the effects of a free press and social activism

Those of you who hail from countries other than Canada may not be aware of the latest controversy hitting our shores (and no, it's not the Brian Mulroney 'envelope stuffed with cash' story).

The brief synopsis is this: On October 14, a 40-year old construction worker arrived to start a new life in Canada. Robert Dziekanski was making his first trip outside of his native Poland, and was coming to join his mother. Mr. Dziekanski arrived at Vancouver Airport and began going through the immigration procedures. He was held up for more than 10 hours when he began to get angry. Unable to communicate in English, and very "confused", as some have described him, he began to become unruly. He pushed a computer off a desk and was shouting for help.

That's when the Vancouver Police arrived and used a taser to subdue the man. Four officers descended on him as he was screaming in pain on the ground, and tasered him at least one more time. He died shortly thereafter.

For a good overview of the story, check out the video below, which comes from CTV in Vancouver.

The tasering of Mr. Dziekanski has become a national outrage. His mother demanded the police release a video of the shooting, which had been shot using a cell phone camera by witnesses. That was made available a few days ago, and is below. Viewer discretion advised.

The story, as we say in the news business, "has legs". In fact, the New York Times has picked it up, and a new group has sprung up on Facebook called "Stop the Abusive Use of TASER".

Police brutality stories have a way of galvanizing the populace, especially when one has video evidence. Who can not have sympathy for Mr. Dziekanski, a man who was confused and disoriented, pleading with somebody to be brought forward who can speak Polish and give him some help? Many readers of this blog have traveled extensively and are familiar with arriving in a new place -- and even for them, it can be challenging. But for a middle-aged man who had no previous travel experience, and who was stalled at immigration for 10 hours, one can understand has level of frustration, and even fear.

But on to my point...

I showed this video this morning to a Chinese person, and asked if China would ever air something on national television that showed the PLA, or Public Security Bureau, in such a bad light. Would Chinese television, radio, or newspapers ever discuss this openly? Would a video like this ever even see the light of day, even on private websites?

I know the answer to these questions, of course. Canadians and people in other countries boasting a free press have learned to be fearless when criticizing their own military, government, police, doctors, nurses, teachers, or whomever else makes a public mistake. That's because by making these events public, we can bring about change, and ensure a similar circumstance doesn't happen again in the future.

I often find that many of my Chinese colleagues and friends respond badly to criticism of their government, believing that westerners are criticizing China. But here is something to keep in mind: westerners are often critical of their own governments as well. There is a big distinction here (and I am going to make a generalization, my apologies in advance): Chinese people often view the Chinese government as China, whereas people in democratic countries view governments as temporary representatives of the state.

Of course, in PR, the goal of any political party is to become as closely associated with national pride as possible. In Canada, the Liberal Party won three consecutive elections after claiming to stand for "Canadian values". The implication being the other guys weren't Canadian.

In China, though, this is dangerous. Criticism of the government, the police force, the military, or other public office can often bring about change. When one criticizes the Chinese government, this should not be taken as a criticism of China -- they are two entirely different entities. Just like Americans would be loathe to consider Republicans and the United States as one and the same. (This is a discussion for another day).

I am a Canadian. I am proud to be Canadian, and I will stand up for my country if its values, traditions, and character are attacked. But that doesn't mean my government gets a free pass, and it doesn't mean it's perfect. In fact, it has many flaws, and so does the RCMP. It would be nice if this nuance was more pronounced in China, as well.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day has announced the government will now look into the incident, and the future use of tasers in Canada:

"I have ... asked for a review in terms of the use of Tasers," Mr. Day told the House of Commons. "We want to make sure that ... public safety is maintained and the answers are found on this particular issue.

"This is a tragic and grievous incident. We want to find out answers that can prevent these things from happening in the future."

It may seem obvious, but government intervention in this case is a direct result of the media's attention on this case. It's how countries move forward, develop, and progress positively.

The longer China holds out, the slower its own progression will be.