Free Speech In The Era Of Globalization

I make no shortage of enemies with my views on globalization: I support it. Mind you, when I say that, I don't mean willy-nilly factory-building for the exploitation of workers, but let's face it: an American living wage paid to Guatemalen workers would pretty quickly create inflation the likes of which the world has only seen in a couple of countries afew times in history. We need to be responsible.

Wired News, however, has an article about my favorite corporate whipping boy. It seems that Microsoft, in an attempt to solidify its position as a web services company in the lucrative Chinese market (I own Lenovo stock in my IRA, notbeing immune to the yen for the yuan), has agreed to work with the Chinese government by preventing bloggers from using certained banned words or phrases. These are scandalous words, as anyone who knows about China or Microsoft products will attest, things like "democracy" and "human rights."

I doubt that Microsoft is the only one doing this. Yahoo and Google may be just as complicit. Microsoft, however, has more power to affect change than most, if not all, of its counterparts, yet it has relinquished its power for good for the power of money. Maybe the Bible is right: the love of money really is the root of all evil.