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> I lived in China for a few years and was surprised to find out that most people seemed relatively (if not very) happy with the CCP. What happens if you make

> I lived in China for a few years and was surprised to find out that most people seemed relatively (if not very) happy with the CCP. What happens if you make your displeasure with the CCP known publically?

olalonde 9y ago
Assuming it was a rhetorical question: I am basing my observation on many private conversations I had over the years (e.g. with my wife). I think most foreigners in China would agree with this as well. In case your question wasn't rhetorical: nothing would happen. That is, unless you were a very public figure or made it your life's mission. Fun fact: China has a very low incarceration rate, about 15% that of the USA. It's not like people are getting thrown in jail right and left for opening their mouth. I know, it's a hard pill to swallow.
- em3rgent0rdr 9y ago
  China has a lower incarceration rate, but they also have a higher rate of execution. Even for things like drug trafficking (which most of the US prison population consists of). These stricter punishments surely make people more afraid of breaking the law...and I'm sure many chinese are justifiably afraid of speaking out due to fear of the consequences. So the fact that there is a smaller prisoner population isn't that great when considering there are harsher penalties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_China I know, it's a hard pill to swallow.
  - dahauns 9y ago
    >These stricter punishments surely make people more afraid of breaking the law Actually, far from surely.
  - olalonde 9y ago
    I agree that incarceration rates alone don't paint the whole picture. The "hard pill to swallow" was that Chinese people don't value free speech as much as we do, even if you account for the deterrents. That's a hard pill to swallow, at least to a person like me who values free speech.
- hueving 9y ago
  >Fun fact: China has a very low incarceration rate, about 15% that of the USA. It's not like people are getting thrown in jail right and left for opening their mouth. That's not a good comparison. You would need to compare stats for number of people thrown in jail for speaking out against the government. The US has the idiotic war on drugs and terrible recidivism driven by bad incentives to thank for its high incarceration rate.
deleted 9y ago
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forapurpose 9y ago
You can find many reports of the government locking people away, on a significant scale, without trial or, IIRC, even notice. For example, this happens to people who go to Beijing to petition the national government. China recently has gone so far as to kidnap critics in other countries and bring them to China. Nationals from other countries also sometimes are locked up. A simple search of the NY Times, for example, will find many, many stories.

olalonde 9y ago

Assuming it was a rhetorical question: I am basing my observation on many private conversations I had over the years (e.g. with my wife). I think most foreigners in China would agree with this as well. In case your question wasn't rhetorical: nothing would happen. That is, unless you were a very public figure or made it your life's mission. Fun fact: China has a very low incarceration rate, about 15% that of the USA. It's not like people are getting thrown in jail right and left for opening their mouth. I know, it's a hard pill to swallow.

em3rgent0rdr 9y ago
China has a lower incarceration rate, but they also have a higher rate of execution. Even for things like drug trafficking (which most of the US prison population consists of). These stricter punishments surely make people more afraid of breaking the law...and I'm sure many chinese are justifiably afraid of speaking out due to fear of the consequences. So the fact that there is a smaller prisoner population isn't that great when considering there are harsher penalties. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_China https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_China I know, it's a hard pill to swallow.
- dahauns 9y ago
  >These stricter punishments surely make people more afraid of breaking the law Actually, far from surely.
- olalonde 9y ago
  I agree that incarceration rates alone don't paint the whole picture. The "hard pill to swallow" was that Chinese people don't value free speech as much as we do, even if you account for the deterrents. That's a hard pill to swallow, at least to a person like me who values free speech.
hueving 9y ago
>Fun fact: China has a very low incarceration rate, about 15% that of the USA. It's not like people are getting thrown in jail right and left for opening their mouth. That's not a good comparison. You would need to compare stats for number of people thrown in jail for speaking out against the government. The US has the idiotic war on drugs and terrible recidivism driven by bad incentives to thank for its high incarceration rate.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

forapurpose 9y ago

You can find many reports of the government locking people away, on a significant scale, without trial or, IIRC, even notice. For example, this happens to people who go to Beijing to petition the national government. China recently has gone so far as to kidnap critics in other countries and bring them to China. Nationals from other countries also sometimes are locked up. A simple search of the NY Times, for example, will find many, many stories.