"The CDC actually put together a document to discuss putting high risk people into camps to “shield” low risk people from them.
No— this is not a joke, and yes, every single person who has made a reference to 1930’s Germany is vindicated."
After Gerber has read the e-mail in which his professor writes that there is no longer a care relationship, he desperately turns to his father. He contacts a lawyer. On the advice of his girlfriend, Oliver Gerber compiles a dossier with e-mails between him and his most important contact persons at the HSG the same evening. His lawyer will write several letters to the university management in the coming weeks.
After the first e-mail from his professor, Gerber still believed in a misunderstanding. The second e-mail leaves him desperately behind. After the first e-mail from his professor, Gerber still believed in a misunderstanding. The second e-mail leaves him desperately behind. Gerber's goal is that he can continue his studies at the HSG. But the university argues that the professor did not throw him out, but that he had long since been exmatriculated at his own request. In fact, from the autumn semester 2019, Gerber will only be enrolled at the Chinese university, not at the HSG. The manager of the doctoral programs at the HSG had advised him to do this. He wrote by e-mail that the maximum duration for the conclusion could not expire while Gerber is in China. Exmatriculation also leaves you every choice. Reimmatriculation is like a new application, but with the support of his professor this is not a problem.
Gerber follows this advice and temporarily exmatriculates in St. Gallen. The program manager writes: "A wise decision." Gerber will continue to be listed as a doctoral student on the university's website for the time being. The professor looks after him as before - until the complaint about his tweet. For example, she asks him to send an outline after a Skype meeting. On the 21. February 2020, a few weeks before she declares the care relationship to be non-existent, she writes: "It is great how well you have already made progress in China!"
Although Gerber can document all this, the university maintains its position in spring 2020 that he was no longer an HSG doctoral student than it broke because of his tweets. The ombudsman of the university does not want to deal with the case for this reason either. The HSG informs Gerber that he must apply completely new if he wants to continue his studies. And that he had to look for a new professor who would look after him.
The professor will only inform you which tweet the "excited mails from China" refer to and from whom they come at the request of the NZZ. She received a message from a Chinese doctoral student who is researching at a Canadian university. The e-mail is available to the NZZ, but the name of the sender has been blackened - according to the professor at the request of the author.
The author accuses Gerber of a racist attack on the Chinese people. It refers to a specific tweet: a cartoon that Gerber had posted in response to another user's tweet. It shows a comic character that has been modified and has stereotypical Chinese characteristics: yellow skin tone, slit eyes. In the spring of 2020, this drawing circulated on social media and was classified as racist by some users. Gerber says he shared the cartoon only because of its political statement. China's attitude to Taiwan and Hong Kong is addressed. In retrospect, I realize that I have questioned too little about the portrayal of the Chinese person.
The professor says she pointed out to Gerber that he can no longer pretend to be an HSG doctoral student on Twitter because he exmatriculated last year. This has absolutely nothing to do with the topics of China or censorship. It was an oversight that she wrote in the plural of "excited mails from China", even though she only received one e-mail - namely from Canada. She wanted to make it clear that further reactions could be expected. The phrase "then I would have to end the supervision relationship" referred to the informal consultation she provided "at the request of the doctoral student". The fact that Gerber was listed as such on the HSG website by the end of March is simply due to a failure.
The professor further explains that the relationship of trust was burdened because Gerber had "out of print" in a conversation a year earlier and explained to her that he no longer wanted to continue his doctorate at the HSG in any form and no longer needs her as a doctoral mother. Gerber denies this. He only considered striving once for a double degree from both universities. There is no indication of tensions in the e-mails between the two from 2019, which are available to the NZZ.
The professor writes about "excited mails from China". Later she says that only one person contacted her: a Chinese doctoral student from Canada. The professor writes about "excited mails from China". Later she says that only one person contacted her: a Chinese doctoral student from Canada. Whether the professor has received "excited mails from China", as she herself wrote, cannot be finally judged. However, China can also exert pressure with the policy of issuing visas. The professor's first mail clearly shows that she was afraid that she would no longer get a visa for China because of Gerber's tweets. This also explains how quickly she broke off the contact - despite the fact that Gerber immediately deactivated his Twitter profile. Were there additional economic interests involved? The HSG says that the professor's department has never received funds or other support from Chinese companies or other Chinese actors.
The afterplay
How does the HSG assess the case today? Vice President Ulrich Schmid says: "The HSG is unreservedly committed to freedom of teaching and research. However, freedom of research is in no way affected here, since these are private statements of the former doctoral student, which he has published via a social network." You can't comment on the tweets. But the fact that they obviously caused a lot of discussion and were perceived as racist justifies the professor's desire to distance herself clearly from it.
Schmid emphasizes that Gerber's care after exmatriculation was "purely voluntary" and had an "informal character". It is "good right" of the professor to terminate it at any time if the relationship of trust is disturbed. Furthermore, Gerber did not make a complete application for re-enrollment, but tried to force his rhyme enrollment.
In the early summer of 2020, Gerber decided to give up legal efforts. He says he did not complete the application for enrollment because he did not find a new supervisor: "There was no other professor in the same field where I could have finished writing my work. Changing the subject would have meant starting from scratch after three and a half years. That was out of the question for me."
Gerber has long considered whether he should make the case public. He hopes for a debate about how China influences Swiss universities.
Today Gerber says that having started tweeting was a mistake. The fact that he was able to lose three years of research as a result still leaves him stunned. Yes, he took a China-critical path and once shared a cartoon that he would no longer share today. But I didn't do anything wrong.
Gerber has given up his doctorate. He says: "I don't want to have to censor myself - certainly not in Switzerland". Meanwhile, he has found a job that has nothing to do with China.
Oliver Gerber has a scientific background, and this can be seen in the way he tells his story: structured, meticulously documented and with distance. As if all this had happened to someone else.
The fact that events still occupy him strongly is shown by how often he repeats: "I can't believe that such a thing happened in Switzerland." His three years of research: destroyed because of a tweet.
Gerber begins his doctoral studies at the HSG in spring 2017. He conducts research in the field of pollution. His topic is sensitive for China, but it is clear to Gerber early on: He wants to understand the country, wants to conduct research on the ground and not from his desk in St. Gallen. He applies for scholarships and is supported by the supervisor. In the letter of recommendation, she writes: "He is able to pursue a high-quality research career."
Gerber receives a scholarship from the Chinese government at a university in Wuhan - for three years, instead of only for one as originally planned. In September 2018, he flies to Wuhan, quickly makes friends and falls in love.
A Chinese professor finds his doctoral topic "boring" - a euphemism for too critical of the government. He must also attend courses for his scholarship and cannot believe how much censorship shapes everyday university life. When he submits an essay on re-education camps, he receives the worst grade. In an e-mail to his professor in St. Gallen he writes: "Maybe I was just unlucky."
During his research stay in China, Oliver Gerber meets his girlfriend. She will warn him later about tweets that are too critical. During his research stay in China, Oliver Gerber meets his girlfriend. She will warn him later about tweets that are too critical. How China influences through education
China has become a popular destination for students from all over the world before the pandemic. In 2018, their number was almost half a million. Almost 13 percent received a scholarship from the Chinese government. To this end, China specifically selects students from countries in which it pursues political interests.
China's economy is growing rapidly. From a foreign policy point of view, the country is becoming increasingly aggressive. Western media constantly report on human rights violations such as the penal camps in Xinjiang. All of this arouses fears about China. The government is aware of this.
But she also knows that China's history fascinates many. That's why China has created the Confucius Institutes. There are more than 500 of them worldwide, in over 150 countries. Located on the campus of foreign universities, the institutes are to teach Chinese language and culture. They report to the Chinese Ministry of Education, which provides personnel and funds. In Switzerland, there is only one such institute left, at the University of Geneva. The second was located at the University of Basel and was closed last autumn.
In the USA, too, one in four Confucius Institute has been closed in recent years. The universities did not want to give any institution more legitimacy that defends fundamentally different values. While freedom of research and expression are important basic principles in the West, education in China is strongly politicized under the rule of head of state and party Xi Jinping. For example, the prestigious Fudan University in Shanghai has replaced the term freedom of expression in its statutes with "Xi Jinping's socialist ideology".
The momentous decision
Oliver Gerber flies back to Switzerland shortly before Christmas 2019, originally he is only planning a short family visit. But then the coronavirus pandemic breaks out. On the 23rd January, a strict lockdown is imposed on Wuhan. Gerber stays in Switzerland. He starts to think about what should happen after his doctorate. His girlfriend advises him to network on social media.
Before Gerber opens a Twitter account, he seeks advice from his professor because he knows that she is active on the social network. He asks by e-mail: "Do you do a certain degree of self-censorship? Do you think it would be too dangerous for me to open a Twitter account?"
Although he does not receive an answer, he begins tweeting in mid-March. At this time, China is in the focus as a place of the outbreak of the corona pandemic. Gerber sees his chance to position himself as a China expert. At the same time, it also emotionally takes him with it what happens in Wuhan - in the city to which he wants to return, where he has friends and a partner. His Twitter channel becomes a valve: He criticizes the initial concealment of the corona epidemic by the Chinese government, the repression in Xinjiang and Xi Jinping.
When his girlfriend sees some of the tweets, she is shocked. She asks him on the phone to stop. Not because she disagrees on everything. But because she is afraid of repression by the Chinese government. "I'm in Switzerland, not in China," he replies. Here I can say what I want.
Swiss universities and their China connection
Cooperation between Chinese and Swiss universities has been expanded in recent years. The HSG has fifteen agreements and thus almost twice as many as ETH. In addition, there has been a China Competence Center at HSG for eight years, the aim of which is to strengthen and deepen productive relations with China. On request, it is in St. Gallen, problems have never been found in cooperation with Chinese universities.
Last year, the Swiss intelligence service warned in a management report about Chinese spies disguised themselves as students or researchers. Recently, the connections of Swiss universities to China were also an issue in parliament. Two parliamentarians asked in advance about the principles and guidelines of cooperation. The Federal Council replied that the universities themselves had to weigh up what cooperations they entered into. There is no concrete feedback from influence in the sense of curtailing academic freedoms.
Ralph Weber, China expert and professor at the University of Basel, criticizes that the Swiss universities often examined their foreign partners too little - especially the Chinese ones. In some sectors of the economy, it is normal for important transactions to examine the constraints under which a partner functions. I miss such an approach at many universities.
From Weber's point of view, clear rules and above all red lines are needed. Otherwise, there is a great danger that Swiss universities will say to themselves: "This is China, there is no other way." And would therefore compromise on one's own values. The Swiss universities seem to have recognized the problem: they want to develop joint guidelines for cooperation with China for the first time within the framework of the umbrella organization of Swiss universities.
Translation:
No doctorate because of a tweet: China's influence on Swiss universities reaches that far
A Swiss doctoral student tweets critically about China. After that, his professor at the University of St. Gallen no longer have anything to do with him - she fears that she will no longer get a visa.
An HSG doctoral student tweets about China for ten days. This costs him three years of research. An HSG doctoral student tweets about China for ten days. This costs him three years of research. When Oliver Gerber* hears for the first time that his tweets could cost him his future doctorate, he sits in his old children's room. It is the 28. March 2020, 9 p.m. 50. In Gerber's mailbox, an e-mail from his supervisor from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). Subject: "Very urgent: Complaint from China about your Twitter".
Gerber clicks on the email on his smartphone. The professor writes that she has received "excited mails from China": Gerber distributes "Neonazi-like content" on Twitter. This is dangerous, also for them: "In the end, even I may not be able to get a visa for China because of you. This goes decisively too far and I would have to end our care relationship." He should immediately moderate his political expression in public. She doesn't feel like receiving such emails because of one of my doctoral students.
Oliver Gerber has to read the message twice. He has been tweeting for ten days, fewer than ten people follow him. Sure, he has sharply criticized the Chinese government. For example, he posted on the 21. March in English: "The Chinese Communist Party made the fight against Covid-19 Plan B. This would only come into effect if Plan A - cover-up - failed. This is how paranoid cowards act. You deserve neither my respect nor my gratitude. #ChinaLiedPeopleDied».
This is supposed to be "Neonazi-like" content? Gerber believes in a misunderstanding. He answers at 11 p.m. 11, wants to know from whom the "excited mails from China" come. He asks if his professor has read the tweets at all. And he accuses her of having gone on the hook of increasingly aggressive Chinese censorship. Nevertheless, he deactivates his Twitter account.
Oliver Gerber hears nothing more for almost 48 hours. Then the professor will get back to you. Her tone is distant, she does not respond to Gerber's questions. She copies the second supervisor of the work and writes that she wishes him good luck with his "Chinese studies". And further: There is "no care relationship between you and us."
It is the last email Gerber will receive on his HSG account. The next day he will no longer have access to the messages. An IT technician tells him on the phone that his account does not exist at all. Gerber says: "It felt like I had been eliminated overnight."
Education is central to China's global power strategy. The Chinese government wants to control the image that the world has of the country. To this end, it exerts influence abroad - and does not shy away from repression. At the beginning of the year, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs banned all researchers from the largest research institute specializing in China in Europe from entering the country. Such power demonstrations intimidate researchers worldwide - especially if they need to travel to China professionally. This can lead to them avoiding preventive critical topics.
Cooperation between Swiss and Chinese universities is close, there are now more than fifty cooperation agreements. Swiss people benefit from stays abroad and can access large amounts of data in research, for example to develop cancer therapies. But what is the price of this cooperation?
There are only a few people in Switzerland who disclose and criticize attempts at Chinese influence at universities. Oliver Gerber's case shows, however, that China's aggressive foreign policy can influence how scientists in Switzerland express themselves publicly and how they deal with critical votes of their students. It shows that some scientists are willing to restrict themselves and others so as not to annoy China.
Oliver Gerber is actually called different. Because his partner's family lives in China and expects repression if his name is in the newspaper, he wants to remain anonymous. For this reason, the professor is not named either. The NZZ has spoken to both sides.
Gerber accuses the HSG of throwing him out because of his critical tweets. The NZZ has copies of these tweets as well as Gerber's correspondence with the professor and other HSG representatives. They largely support the position of the former doctoral student. The University of St. Gallen, however, insists on a different version: Gerber himself decided not to study at the HSG anymore.
How does the HSG justify this? From whom did the professor receive the "excited mails from China"? And what does this mean for freedom of expression and research in Switzerland?
The shifting point came a week or so after the incident and they had YoungRippa59 on, who tore into both Snyder and Geeks and Gamers' weak response to what Snyder did.
Yep, they basically spent the entire show shouting Rippa down and telling him why they were right and he was wrong. It was that exact show that caused me to drop out.
I used to follow them until the blowup with Zack Snyder happened.
Snyder came on with Geeks and Gamers and shit all over them and the audience.
The hosts did nothing to defend the audience/ Jeremy defended Zack and shit on the audience for being mad. FNT defended Jeremy and shit on the audience for being mad.
Just another bunch of fucking grifters in it for the fame.
I'm worried becuase this is starring kids. The original worked because it was four schlubby blue collar guys in the hero roles.
But it's the original director's son making it, so that gives me some hope.
I'll wait and see for now. There does at least seem to be some reverence for the original property, which is more than we normally get nowadays.
Blake's 7 - Blake would be cucked by Jenna and Servalan would be justified in what she does. Avon wou;d probably be a black tranny.
Farscape - Same as Blake, Crichton would would be cucked by Aeryn and Zan
Red Dwarf - Lister would be made female and Rimmer would be the same to show how terrible straight white males are. Also, Holly switching from male to female would become a trans story. Cat would be gay.
Dukes of Hazzard - Replaced with females and the show would be about how terrible the south is, with a message every show about the evils of the confederate flag.
Any old cop/PI show with a male lead (Columbo/Rockford etc) - replaced with a female.
Suikoden - Each game is essentially about a young boy who faces the trials of growing into manhood. Would be replaced by a female, every problem would be solved by sharing feelings instead of combat. Also, Jeane would be covered head to toe.
Might as well make KIA3 because with Antonio in charge, it's going to end up like the Canada .win subs - leftist faggots in charge reeeing about anything they disagree with and banning like resetera.