4 ms·
1. It's hard to speak up when it could literally mean life or death. 2. Why don't the people of the USA speak up and urge their government to stop the aggressio
by typon 9y ago
1. It's hard to speak up when it could literally mean life or death.
2. Why don't the people of the USA speak up and urge their government to stop the aggression against North Korea? The US's aggression/imperial attitudes are a major reason why China would be uneasy with this missile defense system.
- adventured 9y agoSouth Korea GDP per capita: $27,500 North Korea GDP per capita: $500 There's definitely some aggression going on against the North Korean people.
- sidcool 9y agoI am not sure why you are getting downvoted without rebuttals.
- jerf 9y agoThe mention of North Korea. The first sentence would be unobjectionable and true. If nothing else it's a violation of the putative local norms in which you really shouldn't bring an unrelated political hotbutton topic in to a discussion. Though I am both aware of the fact that rule is a great deal more nuanced in its connotations than its denotations, and the fact that whether it is "unrelated" is a matter of debate. (Though personally I'd submit that the evidence is that China would be cracking down regardless of the state of North Korea in any way shape or form, so yes, it's unrelated.)
- typon 9y agoIt's not unrelated at all. The original comment posted a link that's actually unrelated to the current topic of discussion (it's not about China-South Korea relations, it's about Xi consolidating power). Then using that link, the commenter tried to make a larger point about how Chinese people need to "speak up". I'm making a similar point and showing why "speaking up" is hard by showing how the Americans haven't done so in the same conflict, where they are actually to blame rather than the Chinese.
- jerf 9y agoAmericans aren't "speaking up" about North Korea, because on average, they don't care and don't want to speak up. Note the difference between the observation that they don't care, and the claim they shouldn't care. I'm just making the first one here. You may believe that is wrong, but it won't change the facts on the ground. As a result, it's not a relevant comparison, because there's no coercion in the case you cite.
- Qworg 9y agoWhile I agree with your initial argument (#1), whataboutism is a plague.
- risotto_groupon 9y agoMany people in the USA do speak up and urge the government to stop the aggression against North Korea. People who do so are respected in the US by their fellow citizens and their ability to speak up, organize, protest in a non-violent way is protected by law. In practice the local police have really screwed up protecting people's rights in recent years but it doesn't change the fact that achieving big goals like changing US foreign policy is HARD. The difference is in the US change like this is HARD. Not necessarily DANGEROUS. If you can achieve political action and change you are RESPECTED because it is HARD. You are not FEARED because you are DANGEROUS.
- typon 9y agoIs there a difference between HARD and DANGEROUS when the outcome is similar?
- risotto_groupon 9y agoI'm gonna go with, yes? I'd rather be disappointed and frustrated than on the back of a milk carton.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- mr_spothawk 9y agoHard is a life's work... e.g. WhataboutBerni, bro!?!?! Dangerous is a car bomb... e.g. those journalists nobody ever talks about. * flag my balls you cunt!
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]