Unwilling Chinese Astronauts in Space?!?!?
On Tuesday, Mr. Chung showed a 2 minute video on the Chinese space program. In the video, a Chinese government official proudly mentioned that China sent a man into space, fully conscious and without shackles. The news clip goes on to discuss how China was using political prisoners for their space program. One reporter said, “China’s first manned mission occurred when political prisoner Yang Li-Wei was knocked unconscious in his cell and awoke to find himself in orbit.”
After a heated class discussion on the pros and cons of this space policy and whether the United States should themselves adopt this strategy, Mr. Chung dropped a bombshell. He mentioned that the news report was a parody and it was not true.
What were you thinking when Mr. Chung was showing the video and giving the lesson? Did you think it was a good thing that the Chinese government was doing with their prisoners?
How did you feel when you found out the news story was fake?
Why do you think Mr. Chung gave this fake lesson? What did you learn from this?
November 4th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
When I was watching this video I was thinking to myself, “Wouldn’t they have put this in the newspaper if it was this important to history, they should let world know about it.” China is a big country and people should be aware of what it going on there.
I don’t agree with knocking out someone who hasn’t been trained to go up into space. If something wrong happens, what can the Chinese say to the prisoner if they have no idea why they are in space and don’t know what every control does and is called.
I didn’t feel really feel bad but I felt that I should have thought about it more. When Mr. Chung pointed out that the top of the screen said ONION NEWS NETWORK, everyone’s jaws dropped.
I think Mr. Chung gave us this lesson to teach us that we should always ask questions and check our responses. I learned that we shouldn’t believe everything that we hear and that kids are really gullible.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I thought that the video and the lesson was real because it was on the internet. I never would have thought that the video was fake. I believed that that the idea of sending prisoners into space was horrible because normal astronauts are trained to to into space. What would happen if something goes wrong?
I thought that the whole China sending prisoners into space was all real and true! I felt so relived that China wasn’t sending prisoners to the moon and space because it wouldn’t be fair to the prisoners and they might not come back to their families. Even prisoners are human and should be given a second chance like the rest of us.
I think that Mr. Chung gave this very fake lesson so we will know how vulnerable us kids are when it comes to learning new things, and to show us that we should always check and question the source of our infromation.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I thought this whole China sending prisoners in space thing was real because Mr.Chung was telling us all about China going to space and doing things like having rockets shoot up to the moon every so often.
I think it was a tie for having China’s prisoners go up to space because the good thing is that you can make them have exercise and actually make them worth something instead of having them do nothing in jail. But, if some of the prisoners did a really bad crime, then they should not go up to space. The bad thing about prisoners going up into space is that they don’t know what they are looking for in space and they are not experienced on what they have to do.
When I heard that the movie was fake, I was so mad at myself because Mr.Chung kept asking us what is the main question in this video of why he showed it to us. Everyone kept answering questions that involved space. An example is why does China need prisoners in space? I can’t believe it that no one out of 48 students asked the question, what is the source?
I think Mr.Chung gave this lesson because he wanted to teach us kids that it is very easy to brainwash kids and it could happen just like that! I learned that you can’t always believe what you hear. An example is teachers you don’t know when not be telling the truth so you have to always research for yourself.
November 5th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
What I was thinking about when we were watching the movie was that people in China were really sending prisoners up to space and the first ever Chinese person that actually wanted to go to space was going into orbit. I thought it was a good thing that the Chinese prisoners were going up to space because if they are down on Earth, they are more likely to do nothing; but if they are in space, they can learn things.
When I found out that the movie wasn’t real, I felt stupid because we were acting really serious having discussions with our classmates and thinking this was actually happening. When Mr.Chung was showing us the movie, I was a little suspicious because in there was this part where the girl was smiling and saying they had to take her dad or else the government would burn down her house.
Mr. Chung showed us this movie to show us that we can be easily fooled. For example, if there is something on the television, you shouldn’t always trust what they say because they could be twisting the truth and getting you to think something bad is happening when it might be actually good. When you question things, you should look for the source that so you could get the truth.
November 5th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
When I was watching the video, I really thought the video was real. Some things that were running through my mind when we were watching the video was why is China sending prisoners up in to space. I thought it is bad because the prisoners were not trained to go into space. What if they messed up China’s plan to take over space?
Before I found our this whole thing was fake, I thought it was a bad thing to send prisoners into space. They might mess up China’s chance of taking over space. This idea might be bad for both of our space programs because the prisoners might mess up both of our technological machinery up in space and ruin our data. On the other hand, this might be a chance to prove that the prisoners are good people who will do something good for China. For example, discover something new that China’s space program never knew before.
I felt ashamed that I did not notice that on the screen it said onion news. I was so into the video and our conversation that I didn’t even have the time to ask what was the source. I was so stupid not to realize that the video was fake.
I think Mr. Chung gave this fake lesson because he wanted us to see how easy it is for kids to be brainwashed. We don’t need to believe everything we hear, and lastly, to always ask the source even though you think it’s real. It might not be.
November 5th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Before Mr. Chung told us the truth, I actually thought that China was knocking out prisoners and having them wake in orbit!
After Mr. Chung showed us the video, he told us to turn and talk to our neighbor and discuss if this was a good idea. Finally, after a heated discussion on the pros and cons of this space policy, Mr. Chung asked us to stop talking. He asked us what we though the big essential question of the lesson was. We were all taking shots at it and I bet at least 20 of us tried to answer, but nobody guessed Mr. Chung’s reason for the lesson. Finally, Mr. Chung finally told us………………………………..”It’s Fake!!!”
I think that Mr. Chung was trying to teach us how easy it is to brainwash people and you shouldn’t always believe what you hear. He even said that if we listened and believed everything that we hear, then we are not going to be successful.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
During the discussion, I thought that China should only do this if the prisoners have a life sentence because they have nothing to lose. Also I thought it was madness that they knocked people out in their cells and made them go into space.
I felt sooo gullible when Mr.Chung told us the news story was fake and I couldn’t believe that me and my classmates got fooled so easily and that nobody asked what the source was. I was also embarrassed because the class and I were talking so seriously about the topic.
I think Mr.Chung gave us this lesson to prove that we can be so vulnerable and gullible. I learned to not trust anything anybody says without checking it out and to always question the source.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
When Mr.Chung was showing us this video I was thinking “what a great idea!” We could use the prisoners and blast them into space and if they are good on the moon, they might get a reward like, if they were sentenced to death, then maybe they could just stay in jail for 10 years or so. I think that’s what a lot of people were thinking. From the way Mr. Chung was talking, I also thought that he thought it was a good idea too. I still think it’s a good idea.
When Mr. Chung finally shared the news that the video was fake, I felt so embarrassed I thought everyone was staring at me. I felt stupid.
I think Mr. Chung gave us this lesson so that we know next time to ask what the source is.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Before I knew the story was fake, I thought it was a good idea. They had to do something with their prisoners. Why should someone innocent have to die? Why not the prisoners? Also, the fake translated girl said they were going to burn down their house if his father didn’t go.
I felt like a piece of doo-doo. I was trying so hard to come up with something good to say. Then I felt used. Though, I still think using the prisoners is a good idea.
I think Mr. Chung gave this lesson to teach us to always check our sources. We can’t just believe everything we hear. Hey, the president could be lying and we wouldn’t know!
November 6th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Well, I never actually felt that this video could be fake. Pretty much every program on the news is real. I didn’t even realize that you could make fake news using a fake network.
When I did think that it was real, I thought the idea was really good. I thought that when you send prisoners into space, it is better for them going and making experiments in space instead of wasting time in jail just sitting around doing nothing. Going into space will put them at risk, but they have almost nothing to lose. I mean, come on! All they are doing in jail is sitting around and some of them are going do be executed anyways. Plus, there could be rewards such as lighter sentences.
I felt really stupid when I found out that the video was fake. I thought that I was so absentminded! I really really felt that all along I was being brainwashed. Still, I feel it is a good idea to send prisoners into space. There’s nothing wrong with that. If they try and escape, they just won’t be brought back down.
I think Mr. Chung gave us this fake lesson because he wanted us to realize that we can be so vulnerable to propaganda and false information. He’s also trying to say that we have to think outside of the box and be more aware.
November 6th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I was thinking that it was wrong what they were doing to the prisoners because if they did something bad, they may try to escape when they landed. They should have used the prisoners with not a very bad record because they could trust them more that they will not do anything as bad as a person who did something like murder. It would be more safer.
When I found out that this news story was fake, I thought Mr. Chung was kidding until I saw the part on the screen where it said ONION NEWS. I knew for sure that it was fake. I could not believe that he fooled two classes that easily. I think it was easier for him to trick us because we are fifth graders and we are interested in space. This made us believe everything that the video talked about it.
Mr.Chung did this to teach us that things are propaganda and not everything on the Internet is true. We need to find facts about the topic to be aware of things around us.
November 6th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
At first, I thought that it was weird what they were doing to the prisoners because I thought what if I were a criminal and someone came into my cell and knocked me out. Even stranger would be waking up expecting to be in my cell, but instead of being on my bed, I’m floating around in a ship in space!
I don’t think that it was right because what if when the prisoners got off the ship into a car with people who aren’t ready to be attacked, then all of the sudden, the criminal holds a hostage and threatens to strangle someone or kill everyone to if they don’t let them go.
It surprised me that it was fake because everything seemed so serious and everybody in the video seemed very frank when they said something.
I think that Mr. Chung wanted us to know how easy it is to brainwash kids. I learned that what some teachers would say wasn’t true.
November 6th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
When Mr. Chung showed us the video of the prisoners in space, I thought it was a great idea because the prisoners had nothing to lose. But, I also thought, “wouldn’t you want to go to space.”
Then, Mr. Chung told us that the newscast was fake; I thought I could have figured that out on my own. It was so obvious because when the girl that was interviewed was smiling, she said that people were going to burn their house down if her dad didn’t go up to space.
Mr. Chung showed us this video to show us that we should not believe everything that we hear, and to check where the source of the information is coming from.
November 6th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
When Mr. Chung was showing the video, I was thinking of why would the Chinese be sending prisoners into space? Why was there only one willing man to go? I thought that it was a good idea to send prisoners into space because they did something bad, and now they have to repay. Besides, what are they going to do besides going into space?
When I found out that the video was fake, I started thinking back to what the video looked like. Why did the man who was knocked out, then found himself in orbit look fake? Why did the part where the girl was saying that her father was sent to space have her smiling instead of being sad?
I think Mr. Chung showed us the video so that we know that everything we see and hear isn’t true. Only some things are true. It’s like propaganda. We have to ask ourselves, what are the recourses?
November 6th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I thought the video was real at first, and I thought it was a good idea that China is sending people in space who are going to jail or are in jail. I also was thinking that the Chinese people had a good idea and that we were so stupid not to think of it.
When I heard that the video was a fake, I felt ripped off that they weren’t doing that and not sending them to space to get another chance to get out of jail. I think that Mr.Chung taught this lesson to show how gullible we are and he wanted us to question why we didn’t ask where the source is coming from. I learned that I should always look things on my own.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
When Mr.Chung was showing us the video I didn’t think anything on that video was fake because it looked so real. I guess it was because Mr.Chung always shows us really awesome and cool videos. He also talks about how China’s space program is going so good. I thought that this was one of the ways they had such a great space program.
When I did think that the newscast was real, I thought that the space program was really good because it’s either stay in prison and sit like a lump on a log for most of your day ,or explore the great wonders of space and maybe find something useful to help someone. If the newscast was real, it made sense that they took prisoners with life long sentences because they are going to die in jail anyway. I mean, why not?
When I found out the video was fake, I just smiled. I couldn’t believe it. I was so interested in the video and so was everybody else. We just watched the video and started talking. I didn’t observe anything, like the title of the channel was onion news! Mr.Chung always tells us to not believe everything we hear and to get your information from a reliable source. But, when he said we could ask questions, nobody asked “Where is this information coming from?” It was so unbelievable as soon as the video came on, it was like we were in a trance and we talked so seriously about our pros and cons about the fake space program.
I think that Mr.Chung showed us this video because he wanted to test us to see if we truly listened to his words. Mr.Chung tells us never to believe all the things you hear or read because sometimes it might not be true. He always says that and we did not listen, but now after experiencing the brainwashing process, I will never forget it.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
When Mr.Chung showed us the video I wondered why the Chinese would do that. I always that that they were calm, kind, and smart (not saying that we are not smart)! I thought that the Chinese who are sending the prisoners into space was good and not good at the same time because if the prisoner has a life long sentence and he dies on his trip, it wouldn’t matter as much. The bad thing is that if the prisoner does not have a life long sentence and dies on his trip, then his family won’t get to see him. When Mr. Chung told us the story was not real, I was surprised and I felt really dumb. I truly believe that Mr.Chung gave us this lesson because he wanted us to know that we shouldn’t believe anything we hear and that we should always ask “what is the source?” I also learned that it’s more easy to brainwash kids than adults. Another thing is that we should think on our own.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
During the lesson, I was thinking what are these people doing to each other, and the thing that came to my mind was why was China sending prisoners to space? In the video, they did not send the prisoners up to space because they volunteered. They knocked them out, then they would wake up in orbit. The video was so realistic looking. Even though the video was fake, the information they gave was convincing enough to fool more than half my class.
I felt like “wow, oh my gosh, that was fake,” because it was not from a real news network even though I thought it was. When my partner and I were having a conversation, I was giving my strongest opinions and I did not even think about where the source came from.
I think Mr. Chung gave this lesson because he was teaching us how easily it is to brainwash people and how this relates to propaganda. I learned that you have to be careful what you believe in and you need to do some research on your own.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
When I watched this video, I was thinking this is a really bad idea because the usual astronauts are trained for years and years to go into space, and the prisoners just got out of their cells and are probably not in good physical shape. They also don’t know how to work the rocket or what their mission is!!!!!!!!
I felt so gullible but thought it was humorous at the same time! We were all so serious and we were having a serious group discussion about this topic. I had to crack up!!!!!
I think Mr. Chung did this lesson to check on our skills of show us how easy it is to fool a bunch of 10-year-olds into believing almost anything!!!!!
November 6th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
When I first saw the video my thoughts were, “Oh my gosh, are you really serious? That is so amazing that China is that crazy about space that they would send unwilling people into space.
I was con on this idea even though it was not real. I am con on this because that is not only mean but also astronauts are trained physically and mentally to do the right thing in space. The prisoners might know what to do or press so the spacecraft might accidentally crash land.
When Mr. Chung told us the story was fake, it was funny but I felt so stupid like I was the stupidest man in the world.
I think what Mr. Chung was trying to teach us was that we are so gullible and that we need to think because you cannot believe anyone, even our own families sometimes. And also that we need to build up our core knowledge.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I thought the Chinese government were being smart by increasing their space program, and using prisoners as astronauts on space missions instead of using people who didn’t do anything wrong but are being forced to go. I thought it was both good and bad. It was good because they were using people who broke the law. The Chinese government is using them for something productive instead of having them just sitting in their cells all day. On the other hand, I also thought it was bad because they made some people who did nothing go against their will. for instance, Yang Li-Wei was knocked unconscious only to find himself in orbit.
I felt really stupid about myself falling for that propaganda, and I felt really bad that we all broke into a very good discussion only to find out that article was fake.
I think Mr.Chung gave this fake lesson because he wanted to teach us how easy it is to manipulate kids using propaganda. I think Mr. Chung also wanted to teach us about how you need primary sources, and not to believe any article. I learned that before I believe in an article I have to know the source and to not fall for propaganda.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
When Mr. Chung was showing us the video I was thinking that the Chinese are smart sending prisoners into space because the prisoners have nothing to lose. It made me wonder if China has a death penalty. If they do, then I was thinking they could give the prisoners a choice between death and being a space experiment. The prisoners would be test subjects by choice instead of getting killed. If I were given the choice, I would choose to go to space.
I thought that it was good that the Chinese government sent prisoners to space, because while the prisoners are in space, they could do something good and maybe get their punishment time lessened.
When I found out that the news story was fake, I felt really dumb. I really thought what I saw was real and I believed it. This shows how easy it is to brainwash kids and trick people into believing something that is not real. I think that Mr. Chung gave this fake lesson to us to teach us to think about things before we believe them. In the future, I am going to step back and think about what I have learned before jumping to conclusions.
November 9th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
At the beginning of the lesson, I was thinking that the Chinese space program was really sending prisoners into space, and they really knocked a prisoner out sent him into space. I think that the Chinese were doing a smart thing because if they send up citizens, some will die so they should send up prisoners. But, I was worried that when the shuttle lands, the prisoner can escape. When I found out the report was fake, I felt very silly and wish I never fell for it.
I think Mr. Chung showed us this because he wanted us to learn of the dangers of propaganda. I learned that we should always ask the question, “WHAT IS THE SOURCE?”
November 11th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
When Mr. Chung showed us the video I was thinking that the Idea was pretty crazy except for prisoners with life sentences because they have nothing to lose. I also thought they must have been proud to send a willing man into space.
I felt embarrassed and a little angry that Mr. Chung showed us a fake video because I thought teachers were never supposed to lie to their students but apparently that statement is not true.
Mr. Chung showed us this video because he wanted to show us how easy it is to brainwash somebody when you have power, and he also wanted to show us that people like teachers, presidents and parents do tell lies.