The great(?) Boycott Xbox360 debate(?)

Gamepolitics.com have called for a boycott of the Xbox360 given light of Microsoft's banning of words like democracy in their Chinese MSN Spaces.

Of course, stupid americans everywhere are on their high horses calling for boycotts and whatnot in typical uneducated fashion.

They're wearing their Nikes and Carthart jumpers, drinking Coke and typing away on their Dell computers whilst watching their Walmart purchased TVs.

By supporting ANY company that does business in China, they are supporting the Chinese Government and it's repression of it's people. Yet so many of them simply fail to realise this.

So I say fuck the boycott. If you're going to argue that MS should be boycotted, then ALL companies that deal with China should be boycotted, which of course is simply untenable.

I say boycott MSN Spaces - it's shit anyway.

But the most reasoned and intelligent response (apart form my own of course ;) is from Reason.

They quite rightly point out that in China:
- political dissent isn't going to fall because MSN Spaces blocks words like democracy
- it's really easy to punch a hole through the great 'firewall' of China
- and no one there really gives a fuck

Like most people, the average Chinese citizen will not even bother caring until it impacts directly on them.

In Australia, we have no right to free speech and free press, but most of us don't care, because we say what the fuck we like, and it's only when it become legal and will impact on our hip pockets that we do care.

If this wasn't the case, how come we sit back and let so much bullshit hit us in the face? A few of us try to take a stand, but in general the average citizen just doesn't care.