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I am not sure why you assume that I am American or consume media from those particular countries. I am from Latin America, and I know from first hand the power

I am not sure why you assume that I am American or consume media from those particular countries. I am from Latin America, and I know from first hand the power and the influence of the CCP. It's funny you mention how free you are while having to use a VPN for most internet applications (I collaborate with people in China and it's very hard to communicate sometimes, the only way to use Whatsapp is through a VPN and they don't have on 100% of the time). Can you use Google, for example? Are you free to choose which app you use? Apple censors apps because the CCP ask them to. Can you criticize your own government (not really "own" government given that you can't even choose it!) without retaliation from the government? Funny how you think you are free when you are only allowed to do what an authoritarian and dictatorial government allows you to do. Even Winnie the Pooh is banned in China...

FooBarWidget 6y ago
I am also Chinese though I live in Europe now. There are different forms of freedom. One is not necessarily better than the other. You are focusing on one kind of freedom only, to the exclusion of other kinds. You are also not comparing the Chinese's freedom of today, with their freedom of the past. In China, people have freedom from being infected by COVID. They have freedom from assault; streets are very safe even at night, even for women. They have freedom to consume alcohol publicly. They have freedom from being shot. They have freedom from homelessness. They have freedom from being attacked by the police; contrary to what many people expect, Chinese police is very nice and don't carry guns, and people don't fear them. Not all western countries have these kinds of freedoms, or have them to the same level as China. China today is freer than it has ever been in the past 3000 years. In the past, everything was at the whim of the emperor. 100 years ago, everything was at the whims of foreign imperialists, who drugged people, looted treasures and stole land as they pleased. 40 years ago, Chinese people could not choose what to wear, where to work, what to study, where to travel. 40 years ago, everybody was poor. With the massive, industrial-scale poverty alleviation efforts that western media somehow doesn't like reporting on, Chinese now have freedom from poverty, which very few countries have. When you are poor, you are not free, no matter how much you can criticize the president. All of this has changed. The past 30 years are literally the best in the past 3000 years. Chinese are freer than they have ever been. Furthermore, China isn't even a dictatorship or totalitarian. China is a political meritocracy. See this interview with professor Daniel A Bell: https://youtu.be/D_ZzlPoapB4 https://youtu.be/D_ZzlPoapB4 Particularly at 13:30 he explains why it makes no sense to lump China together with the likes of Saudi Arabia or North Korea. Usually, when people criticize China for being 'a totalitarian dictatorship', it is because they want to confirm their preconceived notions about China as a bad place, rather than because their statements are 100% based on facts. Since you're Latin American, maybe you should listen to what this fellow Latin American has to say about freedom in China. He lives in China. https://youtu.be/RFRIRaj1QvE https://youtu.be/RFRIRaj1QvE
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
hungryhobo 6y ago
Have you wondered why despite being one of the most resource rich places on the planet, with some of the brightest populace, Latin America remains relatively insignificant on the world stage? Why isn't Latin America exerting it's influence and power abroad? Sure you have free access to google and Facebook, but you have no IT industry of your own. What can a software engineer except for hoping to get hired by an American company. Maybe instead of complaining about CCP power and influence, you should learn from them and have the balls to develop your industries, and maybe you'll finally escape the middle income trap
powerapple 6y ago
Are you not allowed to use WeChat to communicate with people in China? Why is that?

FooBarWidget 6y ago

I am also Chinese though I live in Europe now. There are different forms of freedom. One is not necessarily better than the other. You are focusing on one kind of freedom only, to the exclusion of other kinds. You are also not comparing the Chinese's freedom of today, with their freedom of the past. In China, people have freedom from being infected by COVID. They have freedom from assault; streets are very safe even at night, even for women. They have freedom to consume alcohol publicly. They have freedom from being shot. They have freedom from homelessness. They have freedom from being attacked by the police; contrary to what many people expect, Chinese police is very nice and don't carry guns, and people don't fear them. Not all western countries have these kinds of freedoms, or have them to the same level as China. China today is freer than it has ever been in the past 3000 years. In the past, everything was at the whim of the emperor. 100 years ago, everything was at the whims of foreign imperialists, who drugged people, looted treasures and stole land as they pleased. 40 years ago, Chinese people could not choose what to wear, where to work, what to study, where to travel. 40 years ago, everybody was poor. With the massive, industrial-scale poverty alleviation efforts that western media somehow doesn't like reporting on, Chinese now have freedom from poverty, which very few countries have. When you are poor, you are not free, no matter how much you can criticize the president. All of this has changed. The past 30 years are literally the best in the past 3000 years. Chinese are freer than they have ever been. Furthermore, China isn't even a dictatorship or totalitarian. China is a political meritocracy. See this interview with professor Daniel A Bell: https://youtu.be/D_ZzlPoapB4 https://youtu.be/D_ZzlPoapB4 Particularly at 13:30 he explains why it makes no sense to lump China together with the likes of Saudi Arabia or North Korea. Usually, when people criticize China for being 'a totalitarian dictatorship', it is because they want to confirm their preconceived notions about China as a bad place, rather than because their statements are 100% based on facts. Since you're Latin American, maybe you should listen to what this fellow Latin American has to say about freedom in China. He lives in China. https://youtu.be/RFRIRaj1QvE https://youtu.be/RFRIRaj1QvE

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

hungryhobo 6y ago

Have you wondered why despite being one of the most resource rich places on the planet, with some of the brightest populace, Latin America remains relatively insignificant on the world stage? Why isn't Latin America exerting it's influence and power abroad? Sure you have free access to google and Facebook, but you have no IT industry of your own. What can a software engineer except for hoping to get hired by an American company. Maybe instead of complaining about CCP power and influence, you should learn from them and have the balls to develop your industries, and maybe you'll finally escape the middle income trap

powerapple 6y ago

Are you not allowed to use WeChat to communicate with people in China? Why is that?