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"Leading to what a U.S. commission on China last month said is “the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today.”" Oh the irony.

NPMaxwell 8y ago
I think I'm following you, but I'm not sure. You're referring to the incarceration of African Americans and poor people today? Or Japanese-Americans during WWII? Or Native Americans under Jackson? Also, AP is referring to counts; percents are needed.
- ForRealsies 8y ago
  You're looking for a premise in the parent comment that isn't there.
arcticfox 8y ago
Why is this ironic? Are we talking about Japanese internment camps from almost a century ago?
- danharaj 8y ago
  It could also refer to Gaza. I'm not the OP though.
- adventured 8y ago
  I believe they're referring to the premise that US prisons are overwhelmingly filled with innocent, non-violent offenders, with the majority specifically consisting of black and hispanic men. The US has a real negative mark there and deserves the flack that it gets for it. However, while China seems to be racing toward some terrifying authoritarian nightmare with its Xi dictatorship and bringing back camps, the US incarceration rate has been declining for a decade. It has been rolled back to 1995-1996 levels and is on an aggressive downward slope. Most likely with the continued legalization / de-criminalization of marijuana, the US will see its incarceration rate continue to plunge for the next 10-20 years. The prison explosion began around 1978-1979. In another ten years we should have the incarceration rate back down to late 1980s levels. That would still be 2x higher than the late 1970s levels, and a lot more work would still need to be done. For reference, peak incarceration was around 2007, and was about 5x what the rate was in the late 1970s (per capita). Both political parties have widespread agreement that the failed US policies of mass-incarceration have to be reversed / ended.
  - zip1234 8y ago
    Maybe non-violent, but innocent? Innocent of what? If they are innocent, then perhaps some statistics on how many innocent people are imprisoned?
Lionsion 8y ago
> "Leading to what a U.S. commission on China last month said is “the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today.”" Oh the irony. You really need specify exactly what you're referring to, otherwise there can be no discussion and your comment is content-less snark. I'm guessing that you're referring to the high numbers of African Americans imprisoned in the US. However, the situations are clearly not comparable. These camps appear to be the result of high-level Chinese government policy that explicitly targets this ethic group. There are no contemporary parallels in the US. If you think there are, do you think Obama was in on it? The US situation is unfortunate, but it's more the result of poverty and lower-level racism, not a policy to imprison blacks. It's exceedingly frustrating that whenever there's an article about Chinese human rights abuses, there are dozens of comments that seem to just want to deflect attention from them. We never actually end up talking about China, just the US.
- jonathanyc 8y ago
  Not the GP but you really should avoid being deliberately obtuse. Also, I agree whataboutism is a problem, but most of us live in the US. It makes sense that we would talk about our own country. Lastly, you are wildly off the mark regarding racialized drug policies in the US. Just two references: https://www.aclu.org/issues/mass-incarceration/racial-disparities-criminal-justice https://www.aclu.org/issues/mass-incarceration/racial-dispar... https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-richard-nixon-drug-war-blacks-hippie/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-rich...
  - Lionsion 8y ago
    > but most of us live in the US. It makes sense that we would talk about our own country. In an article about Chinese human rights abuses? At the most charitable, needing to make everything about the US is a form of political narcissism. If you want to talk about US problems, post an on-topic article and talk about them there.
    - jonathanyc 8y ago

NPMaxwell 8y ago

I think I'm following you, but I'm not sure. You're referring to the incarceration of African Americans and poor people today? Or Japanese-Americans during WWII? Or Native Americans under Jackson? Also, AP is referring to counts; percents are needed.

ForRealsies 8y ago
You're looking for a premise in the parent comment that isn't there.

arcticfox 8y ago

Why is this ironic? Are we talking about Japanese internment camps from almost a century ago?

danharaj 8y ago
It could also refer to Gaza. I'm not the OP though.
adventured 8y ago
I believe they're referring to the premise that US prisons are overwhelmingly filled with innocent, non-violent offenders, with the majority specifically consisting of black and hispanic men. The US has a real negative mark there and deserves the flack that it gets for it. However, while China seems to be racing toward some terrifying authoritarian nightmare with its Xi dictatorship and bringing back camps, the US incarceration rate has been declining for a decade. It has been rolled back to 1995-1996 levels and is on an aggressive downward slope. Most likely with the continued legalization / de-criminalization of marijuana, the US will see its incarceration rate continue to plunge for the next 10-20 years. The prison explosion began around 1978-1979. In another ten years we should have the incarceration rate back down to late 1980s levels. That would still be 2x higher than the late 1970s levels, and a lot more work would still need to be done. For reference, peak incarceration was around 2007, and was about 5x what the rate was in the late 1970s (per capita). Both political parties have widespread agreement that the failed US policies of mass-incarceration have to be reversed / ended.
- zip1234 8y ago
  Maybe non-violent, but innocent? Innocent of what? If they are innocent, then perhaps some statistics on how many innocent people are imprisoned?

Lionsion 8y ago

> "Leading to what a U.S. commission on China last month said is “the largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today.”" Oh the irony. You really need specify exactly what you're referring to, otherwise there can be no discussion and your comment is content-less snark. I'm guessing that you're referring to the high numbers of African Americans imprisoned in the US. However, the situations are clearly not comparable. These camps appear to be the result of high-level Chinese government policy that explicitly targets this ethic group. There are no contemporary parallels in the US. If you think there are, do you think Obama was in on it? The US situation is unfortunate, but it's more the result of poverty and lower-level racism, not a policy to imprison blacks. It's exceedingly frustrating that whenever there's an article about Chinese human rights abuses, there are dozens of comments that seem to just want to deflect attention from them. We never actually end up talking about China, just the US.

jonathanyc 8y ago
Not the GP but you really should avoid being deliberately obtuse. Also, I agree whataboutism is a problem, but most of us live in the US. It makes sense that we would talk about our own country. Lastly, you are wildly off the mark regarding racialized drug policies in the US. Just two references: https://www.aclu.org/issues/mass-incarceration/racial-disparities-criminal-justice https://www.aclu.org/issues/mass-incarceration/racial-dispar... https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-richard-nixon-drug-war-blacks-hippie/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-rich...
- Lionsion 8y ago
  > but most of us live in the US. It makes sense that we would talk about our own country. In an article about Chinese human rights abuses? At the most charitable, needing to make everything about the US is a form of political narcissism. If you want to talk about US problems, post an on-topic article and talk about them there.
  - jonathanyc 8y ago