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One should asume "pro-China" means against dictatorship and presidents for life, right? There is no people or culture on Earth that stands to gain from oligarc

One should asume "pro-China" means against dictatorship and presidents for life, right? There is no people or culture on Earth that stands to gain from oligarchy.

tonylinn80 9y ago
You'd be surprised how many people in China are seriously pro-amendment, and agrees that Xi should have a 3rd term or more. Though it's probably also true that tons of people are shocked by the news
- cornholio 9y ago
  I've looked a bit in your posting history and can't say with confidence that you are shill, but a certain patern is clearly emerging: the Chinese government is always right, it serves the people and listens to them, in fact it knows what people want; there is certainly no need for those pesky elections and wasted energy voting. Oligarchy ad infinitum. In the off chance that you are a real person, I'm sorry to say but you have the gullibility and critical thinking of a child and I mean that in the most non-ofensive way. It's troubling that propaganda could be so effective.
  - tonylinn80 9y ago
    lol, it's not a long history anyway. I'm glad you read. I came to read tech news mostly and didn't feel the need to create an account to post comment until a few days ago
- antichronology 9y ago
  Probably similar to how a lot of Russian people are unwaveringly support Putin's continuous rule
phyller 9y ago
I'm an American, I've had many close Chinese friends. What follows is completely anecdotal, but I've spent a lot of time trying to wrap my mind around it, for what it is worth. Our cultures are incredibly different. At the same time our cultures are both unusually strong. And for some reason, part of American culture seems to be assuming everyone in the world is just like us, just in different circumstances. This is extremely foolish. It took me quite a while to be able to understand some things about my Chinese friends that really confused and sometimes frustrated me. A big part of it is the American concept of freedom and personal independence is practically part of our DNA, while it is not valued very highly by many Chinese. Stability, peace and order are highly valued. Of course it would be nice to be able to do whatever you want, but it is much more important that the government is strong. Period. And you get away with what you can as an individual (I've noticed much less respect for the rule of law, much greater respect for personal relationships). And of course many (not all) are highly patriotic, as a great culture with a great history that has been under great pressure for generations, and feels that the rest of the world doesn't respect them like they should or wants to see them fail. I guess I'd sum it up, that it seems to me an unusual amount of mainland Chinese would choose strength over freedom, and almost all mainland Chinese see themselves as part of a bigger society and a somewhat oppressive government is inevitable and it is futile to resist. In America, we would prefer to free 10 guilty people than unjustly imprison 1 innocent person. In China, the concept is reversed, it is better to imprison 10 innocent people than let 1 guilty person go free. I actually heard someone say that. Think about it.
- backspin 9y ago
  This. At least in my family most of my older Chinese relatives prefer order and peace to American democracy, for their income increased dramatically over the past 5 years. But I guess after family income gets to certain threshold, people will start weighting more on freedom.
  - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
    But if you get to any Chinese over 60, they still remember the chaotic cultural revolution very clearly, they definitely don’t want a return to strongman cult of personality Maoism where Xi seems to be going. Xi is the last vestige of Maoism, the last president who grew up under Mao’s shadow. The next generation of leadership is surely going to be much more modern than any before it. That they are delaying it for something in china’s past is a travesty.
    - backspin 9y ago
      Not sure how to explain this best, but let's just say cultural revolution's most devastating impact was on culture. If you ask any elderly with good upbringing, you'll probably hear the answers you expect, but I'm from a working class family, and the only bad thing my relatives experienced was unable to go to college.
    - phyller 9y ago
      Or maybe he is the first of the next generation of leaders that has forgotten the lessons learned under Mao.
      - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
        Xi came of age during the cultural revolution, which means he participated as a red guard, was sent down to the country side, went to college late, and much of his college education was ideological rather than practical. He is the first leader who is a career politician (has an engineering degree but never used it) and the first whose appointment is clearly about nepotism rather than merit. So...interesting guy.
cwkoss 9y ago
What about oligarchs?

One should asume "pro-China" means against dictatorship and presidents for life, right? There is no people or culture on Earth that stands to gain from oligarchy.

tonylinn80 9y ago

You'd be surprised how many people in China are seriously pro-amendment, and agrees that Xi should have a 3rd term or more. Though it's probably also true that tons of people are shocked by the news

cornholio 9y ago
I've looked a bit in your posting history and can't say with confidence that you are shill, but a certain patern is clearly emerging: the Chinese government is always right, it serves the people and listens to them, in fact it knows what people want; there is certainly no need for those pesky elections and wasted energy voting. Oligarchy ad infinitum. In the off chance that you are a real person, I'm sorry to say but you have the gullibility and critical thinking of a child and I mean that in the most non-ofensive way. It's troubling that propaganda could be so effective.
- tonylinn80 9y ago
  lol, it's not a long history anyway. I'm glad you read. I came to read tech news mostly and didn't feel the need to create an account to post comment until a few days ago
antichronology 9y ago
Probably similar to how a lot of Russian people are unwaveringly support Putin's continuous rule

phyller 9y ago

I'm an American, I've had many close Chinese friends. What follows is completely anecdotal, but I've spent a lot of time trying to wrap my mind around it, for what it is worth. Our cultures are incredibly different. At the same time our cultures are both unusually strong. And for some reason, part of American culture seems to be assuming everyone in the world is just like us, just in different circumstances. This is extremely foolish. It took me quite a while to be able to understand some things about my Chinese friends that really confused and sometimes frustrated me. A big part of it is the American concept of freedom and personal independence is practically part of our DNA, while it is not valued very highly by many Chinese. Stability, peace and order are highly valued. Of course it would be nice to be able to do whatever you want, but it is much more important that the government is strong. Period. And you get away with what you can as an individual (I've noticed much less respect for the rule of law, much greater respect for personal relationships). And of course many (not all) are highly patriotic, as a great culture with a great history that has been under great pressure for generations, and feels that the rest of the world doesn't respect them like they should or wants to see them fail. I guess I'd sum it up, that it seems to me an unusual amount of mainland Chinese would choose strength over freedom, and almost all mainland Chinese see themselves as part of a bigger society and a somewhat oppressive government is inevitable and it is futile to resist. In America, we would prefer to free 10 guilty people than unjustly imprison 1 innocent person. In China, the concept is reversed, it is better to imprison 10 innocent people than let 1 guilty person go free. I actually heard someone say that. Think about it.

backspin 9y ago
This. At least in my family most of my older Chinese relatives prefer order and peace to American democracy, for their income increased dramatically over the past 5 years. But I guess after family income gets to certain threshold, people will start weighting more on freedom.
- seanmcdirmid 9y ago
  But if you get to any Chinese over 60, they still remember the chaotic cultural revolution very clearly, they definitely don’t want a return to strongman cult of personality Maoism where Xi seems to be going. Xi is the last vestige of Maoism, the last president who grew up under Mao’s shadow. The next generation of leadership is surely going to be much more modern than any before it. That they are delaying it for something in china’s past is a travesty.
  - backspin 9y ago
    Not sure how to explain this best, but let's just say cultural revolution's most devastating impact was on culture. If you ask any elderly with good upbringing, you'll probably hear the answers you expect, but I'm from a working class family, and the only bad thing my relatives experienced was unable to go to college.
  - phyller 9y ago
    Or maybe he is the first of the next generation of leaders that has forgotten the lessons learned under Mao.
    - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
      Xi came of age during the cultural revolution, which means he participated as a red guard, was sent down to the country side, went to college late, and much of his college education was ideological rather than practical. He is the first leader who is a career politician (has an engineering degree but never used it) and the first whose appointment is clearly about nepotism rather than merit. So...interesting guy.

cwkoss 9y ago

What about oligarchs?