Mao launched his “free speech” campaign in 1957 called “Let 100 Flowers Bloom” to ask ppl, esp. intellectuals, to make constructive suggestions to the CCP. Not understanding the evil of Communism, many sincerely did so. One of their pleads was allowing free speech. The campaign quickly turned into an “Anti-Rightist” campaign. Half a million were condemned as rightists & became enemy of the state. They were denounced & exiled to labor camps. Many more were implicated & had to undergo “thought reform”.
“Anti-Rightist” campaign put an end to any free speech in China. It paved way to the disastrous Great Leap Forward campaign. By then no one dared to challenge any lies incl. the absurd claim that China could surpass UK & US in steel production by mobilizing all the peasants to make steel instead of food. The result was the Great Famine that claimed up to 50 mil lives.
Never in my wildest dream did I imagine that this could happened in America. Today free speech is being silenced & we are coerced to accept lies as truth incl. such absurdity that men can have babies! – Xi VanFleet