"Life in China is saturated with pretense. People feign ignorance and speak in ambiguities."

"Everyone in China knows that a censorship system exists, but there is very little discussion of why it exists.... The most elegant way to adjust to censorship is to engage in self-censorship. It is the perfect method for allying with power and setting the stage for the mutual exchange of benefit. The act of kowtowing to power in order to receive small pleasures may seem minor; but without it, the brutal assault of the censorship system would not be possible. For people who accept this passive position toward authority, 'getting by' becomes the supreme value. They smile, bow and nod their heads, and such behavior usually leads to lifestyles that are comfortable, trouble free and even cushy.... That’s what we have here in China: The self-silenced majority, sycophants of a powerful regime, resentful of people like me who speak out, are doubly bitter because they know that their debasement comes by their own hand. Thus self-defense also becomes self-comfort...."

From "How Censorship Works," by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei (in the NYT). Read the whole thing. It's great, and it's not just about China. The topic is self-censorship, done for comfort and self-interest, and I don't see how we in the United States can read this without thinking of ourselves and how pathetic our self-censorship is, since we have so much less reason to need to self-comfort.