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When weighing pphysch's media recommendations, consider that they apparently believe that applying Occam's Razor leads to the conclusion that "Washington media

When weighing pphysch's media recommendations, consider that they apparently believe that applying Occam's Razor leads to the conclusion that "Washington media is blowing literally any scandal out of proportion in a propaganda blitz aimed at tarnishing Beijing 2022." https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29344160 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29344160

guscost 5y ago
Eh, I don’t really care which username recommends things on the internet, I care about finding more sources to expand my understanding. pphysch’s sources could very well be garbage, but I can decide that for myself.
pphysch 5y ago
Now why would I think that? > When the Chinese do it, it’s propaganda. When Washington does it, it’s “investing in our values”. The last phrase is taken from the Strategic Competition Act of 2021, newly passed by the United States Senate and will soon become law. It aims squarely at China and enjoys bipartisan support. Surely no trusted journalist would publish objective nonsense for a slice of that $300,000,000 propaganda budget created by the SCA21?
- hogFeast 5y ago
  It is truly bizarre to me that someone who is taking a very pro-CCP stance will justify this with reference to propaganda that other nations create...it is really something. Every nation creates propaganda, every nation does not have media controlled by the state, every nation does not have massive propaganda departments that are present at all levels of society...they aren't equivalent, the only reason to draw the equivalence is because you understand that something is wrong but (for whatever reason) have to justify that to yourself by claiming everyone else is just as bad. It is like the Communist criticism of democracy: oh, elections are all rigged by wealthy people anyway...said from a country with no elections and a one-party state. Ofc.
  - pphysch 5y ago
    It is truly bizarre when people trick themselves into the paradox of "I don't trust Government 1 but I trust everything they or their crony media says about Government 2"
    - hogFeast 5y ago
      Again, the doublethink is amazing. My point is precisely that people in democracies are not forced to trust the govt. They don't have to trust the media, they are totally free. The only context in which your logic makes sense is one in which you believe the govt controls truth. You are living in a mental prison that you created.
      - pphysch 5y ago
        Where is the "doublethink" in pointing out the paradox in distrusting your government yet trusting everything they say about a foreign government? You do realize that "trusted" "unbiased" media outlets like the Reuters, AP, NYT, WaPo literally have State Department/Pentagon censors filtering any material that could be deemed sensitive to "national security"?
        hogFeast 5y ago
        I am baffled how this makes sense to you. You are complaining about the State Department censoring news but imply that the CCP which literally controls all information isn't as bad? Again, you realise that the US being as bad as China doesn't make China good? And, again, the doublethink is being unable to understand that the question of whether you have to trust government makes no sense in the US. You don't have to trust the govt, that is freedom. Indeed, the US govt is constructed on the principle of multiple sources of power so it doesn't even make sense to say that authority arises from one source, there are competing sources of power (ironically, this is what the CCP finds incomprehensible about the US). The US govt does not censor the internet, most of the news sources you cite are not "trusted", people are sceptical of the media, people are sceptical of the govt. The point I am making is that people are unable to sceptical in China because they have no choice, the question you are posing makes no sense in a US context.

guscost 5y ago

Eh, I don’t really care which username recommends things on the internet, I care about finding more sources to expand my understanding. pphysch’s sources could very well be garbage, but I can decide that for myself.

pphysch 5y ago

Now why would I think that? > When the Chinese do it, it’s propaganda. When Washington does it, it’s “investing in our values”. The last phrase is taken from the Strategic Competition Act of 2021, newly passed by the United States Senate and will soon become law. It aims squarely at China and enjoys bipartisan support. Surely no trusted journalist would publish objective nonsense for a slice of that $300,000,000 propaganda budget created by the SCA21?

hogFeast 5y ago
It is truly bizarre to me that someone who is taking a very pro-CCP stance will justify this with reference to propaganda that other nations create...it is really something. Every nation creates propaganda, every nation does not have media controlled by the state, every nation does not have massive propaganda departments that are present at all levels of society...they aren't equivalent, the only reason to draw the equivalence is because you understand that something is wrong but (for whatever reason) have to justify that to yourself by claiming everyone else is just as bad. It is like the Communist criticism of democracy: oh, elections are all rigged by wealthy people anyway...said from a country with no elections and a one-party state. Ofc.
- pphysch 5y ago
  It is truly bizarre when people trick themselves into the paradox of "I don't trust Government 1 but I trust everything they or their crony media says about Government 2"
  - hogFeast 5y ago
    Again, the doublethink is amazing. My point is precisely that people in democracies are not forced to trust the govt. They don't have to trust the media, they are totally free. The only context in which your logic makes sense is one in which you believe the govt controls truth. You are living in a mental prison that you created.
    - pphysch 5y ago
      Where is the "doublethink" in pointing out the paradox in distrusting your government yet trusting everything they say about a foreign government? You do realize that "trusted" "unbiased" media outlets like the Reuters, AP, NYT, WaPo literally have State Department/Pentagon censors filtering any material that could be deemed sensitive to "national security"?
      - hogFeast 5y ago
        I am baffled how this makes sense to you. You are complaining about the State Department censoring news but imply that the CCP which literally controls all information isn't as bad? Again, you realise that the US being as bad as China doesn't make China good? And, again, the doublethink is being unable to understand that the question of whether you have to trust government makes no sense in the US. You don't have to trust the govt, that is freedom. Indeed, the US govt is constructed on the principle of multiple sources of power so it doesn't even make sense to say that authority arises from one source, there are competing sources of power (ironically, this is what the CCP finds incomprehensible about the US). The US govt does not censor the internet, most of the news sources you cite are not "trusted", people are sceptical of the media, people are sceptical of the govt. The point I am making is that people are unable to sceptical in China because they have no choice, the question you are posing makes no sense in a US context.