TIANANMEN NUMEROLOGY

from the New York Times.

[The Shanghai Stock exchange]... index fell 64.89 points on Monday, a figure that looks like June 4, 1989. In yet another unusual development, the index opened on Monday at 2346.98 — a figure that looks like the date of the crackdown written backward, followed by the 23rd anniversary.

Chinese censors, showing characteristic heavy-handedness, especially on anniversaries of Tiananmen Square, began blocking searches for “stock market,” “Shanghai stock” and “Shanghai stock market” and started deleting large numbers of microblog postings about the numerical fluke.

Those that read any real cosmic significance into the numbers probably misunderstand the nature of numbers. Given the limited number of likely possibilities for the Shanghai Stock Exchange numbers, the likelihood of something echoing Tiananmen occurring is probably much higher than most of us would guess.

Still, I can only imagine how exhausting it must be to be a PRC internet censor. Always on the watch for the latest subversive or dangerous idea no matter how outlandish it may be. Always being outpaced by at least a few tech-savvy netizens. Always hoping that the status quo can be maintained no matter the cost. I get tired just thinking about it.