3 ms·

How do you know it's random? Just because you're Chinese doesn't mean you have to side with china's govt.

knzhou 7y ago
Imagine that random, unremarkable things involving people from Arkansas occasionally got blasted across every newspaper and forum in the US. And everywhere you went, you saw people saying that this must be a plot from Arkansas' governor to take over the US, and everybody from Arkansas is a government spy, that Arkansas' culture of deception meant that you could never trust anybody from it, and that true patriots spent every day fuming in hatred at Arkansas and its people. If you were born in Arkansas, this would be all be clearly crazy, because you would know that your family in Arkansas are ordinary human beings, not heartless government spies. And it would be rather alarming, even if you had moved out of Arkansas, and hated its current government, because you would be next on the chopping block. It would be even more disappointing if, when you tried to argue otherwise, you were dismissed without a thought by the same Arkansas paranoia. That's how witch hunts work.
- frequentnapper 7y ago
  Well, if I were to have moved out of Arkansas, and hated its current govt, I wouldn't be defending its govt when it detained people without any solid reasoning.
  - knzhou 7y ago
    Well, I just told you why I wrote the comments I did. I mean, are you part of any groups that get constantly bashed in the popular press, or on the internet at large? Any groups that are the subject of paranoia, witch hunts, and general moral panic? If you really aren't, you're extraordinarily lucky. If you are, you know where I'm coming from. Moreover, I'm not defending any governments. I'm just pointing out in this thread that an act that is stupid in retrospect might have just been that -- one person's stupid mistake. There's no need to talk about it in such conspiratorial tones.

Imagine that random, unremarkable things involving people from Arkansas occasionally got blasted across every newspaper and forum in the US. And everywhere you went, you saw people saying that this must be a plot from Arkansas' governor to take over the US, and everybody from Arkansas is a government spy, that Arkansas' culture of deception meant that you could never trust anybody from it, and that true patriots spent every day fuming in hatred at Arkansas and its people. If you were born in Arkansas, this would be all be clearly crazy, because you would know that your family in Arkansas are ordinary human beings, not heartless government spies. And it would be rather alarming, even if you had moved out of Arkansas, and hated its current government, because you would be next on the chopping block. It would be even more disappointing if, when you tried to argue otherwise, you were dismissed without a thought by the same Arkansas paranoia. That's how witch hunts work.

frequentnapper 7y ago
Well, if I were to have moved out of Arkansas, and hated its current govt, I wouldn't be defending its govt when it detained people without any solid reasoning.
- knzhou 7y ago
  Well, I just told you why I wrote the comments I did. I mean, are you part of any groups that get constantly bashed in the popular press, or on the internet at large? Any groups that are the subject of paranoia, witch hunts, and general moral panic? If you really aren't, you're extraordinarily lucky. If you are, you know where I'm coming from. Moreover, I'm not defending any governments. I'm just pointing out in this thread that an act that is stupid in retrospect might have just been that -- one person's stupid mistake. There's no need to talk about it in such conspiratorial tones.