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Communist-dominated China might appear to be ‘less corrupt’ because it has an unapologetic and unrepentant totalitarian regime that makes no meaningful concessi
by ralmidani 5y ago
Communist-dominated China might appear to be ‘less corrupt’ because it has an unapologetic and unrepentant totalitarian regime that makes no meaningful concessions on political issues, but it’s actually less subtle than corruption in the US.
The US political system has many, many problems (e.g. winner-take-all two-party system in most places, no restrictions on the corrupting influence of money thanks to Citizens United, out-of-touch incumbents in many places, unwavering support for Zionism among the majority of politicians). But all of these can still, in theory, be changed via activism, lobbying, lawsuits, and constitutional amendments. Don’t like any aspect of China’s political/economic system? Well, too bad.
I would advocate for a more nuanced understanding of corruption than that used in the OP - just because it’s a country’s ruler(s) who is/are taking an outsized chunk of the resources and refusing to share, that does not mean it is not corruption. And even more broadly, totalitarianism and ruler-worship like we see in China (and also North Korea, Iran, Syria, etc.) are also obscene and corrosive (and, I would argue, immoral).
Economics, politics, and society are inevitably intertwined, and attempts to separate them often miss the point.
- carabiner 5y agoUS could be really great in theory, like you say. China is good in practice. In the US, we value being able to insult leaders as part of "freedom of speech." In China, they accept a paternalistic guidance that ignores dissent for the sake of actual progress. In the US, we celebrate childish squabbling among our leaders, while China builds high speed rail and nuclear power. The CPC's progress has been extraordinary. They've done more to improve the lives of more people than any government in the past 30 years. Pretend you're an alien visiting the Earth in 2021. Can you honestly say that they'd find the US to have better governance? I see China as a modern tech company that bans political conversations in the workplace in order to get shit done. The US is some hippie-dippie Biosphere 2 "democratic" process that just leads to infighting and stagnation.
- simmerup 5y agoIf the US was like China you’d get a visit from the secret police for posting something so disparaging about your country. It’s actually embarrassing how ignorant you are of your privilege while glorifying a country that is persecuting millions
- Ekaros 5y agoSo secret police or a mob justice that basically lynch you on twitter by calling your employer to fire you. Just because thing you posted a few years back isn't the correct current political position...
- simmerup 5y agoWow, losing your job because a Twitter mob gets its panties in a twist over something you’ve said sucks. No doubt about that. It doesn’t even compare to the consequences of getting dragged away in a van by some henchmen of the CCP. Have you even thought about that comparison?
- carabiner 5y agoSigh: https://youtu.be/iR1jzExZ9T0 https://youtu.be/iR1jzExZ9T0 The only difference with freedom of speech is that in the US, your allegiance is to corporations not the government. Ask yourself this: would you rather have the homeless problem solved (everyone given reasonable housing and food to be clear), or freedom of speech? Additionally, what do you think a homeless person would say?
- ashwagary 5y agoI've seen videos of people in the UK and Australia get visits from the police over non-violent social media posts. Most seemed unaware of what they had done wrong. Anyone familiar with mainland China can help me with an answer to these questions. 1. Are Chinese citizens mostly aware of the speech laws and not surprised when censorship occurs? 2. Are the speech restrictions and list of taboo subjects understood by the majority of the population?
- simmerup 5y ago1. Yes, to the extent they’re afraid to speak their minds to their children for fear of government intervention 2. Yes, but additionally there is no rule of law in China. Judges will do what the CCP tells them to rather than what the law book necessarily says.