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"The same government that..." -- Hmm, I think government is comprised of people, and the people that did that have likely aged out. This government is like the

"The same government that..." -- Hmm, I think government is comprised of people, and the people that did that have likely aged out. This government is like the son or daughter of that government. And this government has realized many free market principles (and certainly many other lessons). It's not the same, nor totally different. Either way, I have to talk about it impartially, as if I were contemplating its use in the states.

anthonyleecook 9y ago
There are quite a few ways this government is similar....cases in point => China 'holding at least 120,000 Uighurs in re-education camps' https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/25/at-least-120000-muslim-uighurs-held-in-chinese-re-education-camps-report https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/25/at-least-12000... Authoritarian regimes shroud their darkest features in euphemism. So it is with China’s “residential surveillance at a designated location.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/opinion/in-china-the-brutality-of-house-arrest.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/opinion/in-china-the-brut... Huang Shike was arrested in 2016 in Xinjiang province, three months after he formed a discussion group about Muslim worship on the messaging app WeChat, according to the official website China Judgments Online https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-jails-muslim-huang-shike-teaching-islam-online-wechat-groups/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-jails-muslim-huang-shike-...
jorblumesea 9y ago
China is a totalitarian state with lip service to the free market. No one believes China has any of the freedoms it espouses. It's about as "free market" as a ponzi scheme with zero transparency into its markets, debt, companies, etc. Generation means nothing because they select for true believers. The same people crushing people with tanks got promotions and are now running the government. Like...you're so far off from reality idk what to say :(
- danschumann 9y ago
  I've hardly said anything about China. You've however said it is completely equivalent to running people over with tanks. I think you are slightly off the deep end, and you view my moderateness as the opposite of your view, when I merely am a less extreme version. Haha. You.
  - jorblumesea 9y ago
    I said nothing of the sort, I was merely saying the same country that engaged in those actions is also the same implementing this technology, and it would be naive to think about it as just technology. Tech has users and it's important to consider who is using it. And those same people in positions of power now are the ones who actively murdered their own citizens in 1989. Idk why everyone is ignoring the elephant in the room, this is more than glasses and you cannot and should not separate the two.
- dang 9y ago
  Would you please not use HN for nationalistic/political battle? You've posted a bunch of such comments to this thread, it's not what this site is for, and it destroys the intellectual curiosity that it is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - jorblumesea 9y ago
    So, stating the truth == "destroys the intellectual curiosity" Sorry for intruding reality onto your discussion? If you don't want to have a real discussion why are you here? How is Chinese abuses not on topic for this discussion?
goatsi 9y ago
>And this government has realized many free market principles If there is one thing to be learned from the former communist states + whatever China currently is, it's how little "free market principles" have to do with things like human rights, civil liberties or democracy.
- danschumann 9y ago
  Ceteris paribus, going from no free market to free market is a step in the right direction.

anthonyleecook 9y ago

There are quite a few ways this government is similar....cases in point => China 'holding at least 120,000 Uighurs in re-education camps' https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/25/at-least-120000-muslim-uighurs-held-in-chinese-re-education-camps-report https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/25/at-least-12000... Authoritarian regimes shroud their darkest features in euphemism. So it is with China’s “residential surveillance at a designated location.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/opinion/in-china-the-brutality-of-house-arrest.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/opinion/in-china-the-brut... Huang Shike was arrested in 2016 in Xinjiang province, three months after he formed a discussion group about Muslim worship on the messaging app WeChat, according to the official website China Judgments Online https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-jails-muslim-huang-shike-teaching-islam-online-wechat-groups/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-jails-muslim-huang-shike-...

jorblumesea 9y ago

China is a totalitarian state with lip service to the free market. No one believes China has any of the freedoms it espouses. It's about as "free market" as a ponzi scheme with zero transparency into its markets, debt, companies, etc. Generation means nothing because they select for true believers. The same people crushing people with tanks got promotions and are now running the government. Like...you're so far off from reality idk what to say :(

danschumann 9y ago
I've hardly said anything about China. You've however said it is completely equivalent to running people over with tanks. I think you are slightly off the deep end, and you view my moderateness as the opposite of your view, when I merely am a less extreme version. Haha. You.
- jorblumesea 9y ago
  I said nothing of the sort, I was merely saying the same country that engaged in those actions is also the same implementing this technology, and it would be naive to think about it as just technology. Tech has users and it's important to consider who is using it. And those same people in positions of power now are the ones who actively murdered their own citizens in 1989. Idk why everyone is ignoring the elephant in the room, this is more than glasses and you cannot and should not separate the two.
dang 9y ago
Would you please not use HN for nationalistic/political battle? You've posted a bunch of such comments to this thread, it's not what this site is for, and it destroys the intellectual curiosity that it is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- jorblumesea 9y ago
  So, stating the truth == "destroys the intellectual curiosity" Sorry for intruding reality onto your discussion? If you don't want to have a real discussion why are you here? How is Chinese abuses not on topic for this discussion?

goatsi 9y ago

>And this government has realized many free market principles If there is one thing to be learned from the former communist states + whatever China currently is, it's how little "free market principles" have to do with things like human rights, civil liberties or democracy.

danschumann 9y ago
Ceteris paribus, going from no free market to free market is a step in the right direction.