3 ms·
Sure. Look no further. The co-founder [0], Aaron Bastani, has a lot to say about Israel (nothing less than onslaught ofcourse [1]) But according to some of h
by yonixw 5y ago
Sure. Look no further. The co-founder [0], Aaron Bastani, has a lot to say about Israel (nothing less than onslaught
ofcourse [1]) But according to some of his twitter, we get all that you wanted:
* praising China's "wonderful socialist state" [2] (more like its totalaric structure)
* how ... happy the Chinese are [3]
* defend China's treatment of Uighurs [4] (downplay it a lot)
And after I looked, that one article you gave ([0] in your comment) is the only time they say anything about it, no mentions on their youtube or twitter. Furthermore, in the opening statement of the article, they described what the Uighur experienced as ".. have long faced discrimination". Wow... such strong words for what happend [5]. Brave and not apologetic.
---------
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novara_Media https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novara_Media
[1] https://novaramedia.com/?s=Aaron+Bastani+Israel https://novaramedia.com/?s=Aaron+Bastani+Israel
[2] https://mobile.twitter.com/AaronBastani/status/1462805238969253892 https://mobile.twitter.com/AaronBastani/status/1462805238969...
[3] https://twitter.com/OzKaterji/status/1476873294338998284/photo/1 https://twitter.com/OzKaterji/status/1476873294338998284/pho...
[4] https://twitter.com/OzKaterji/status/1476874275223126021/photo/2 https://twitter.com/OzKaterji/status/1476874275223126021/pho...
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_genocide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_genocide
- tsimionescu 5y agoAgain, these are not the "smoking gun" examples you make them out to be. Item [3] in particular is a widely accepted opinion - you will find it expressed enthusiastically by such "tankies" as Bill Gates [0] and The Economist [1]. For item [4], his opinion seems rather complex. Here he is praising a thread that condemns China's treatment of Uyghurs in no uncertain terms [2]. Here he is again mentioning the U(i/y)ghur problem and China's authoritarian surveillance state [3]. (Note that if you want to see real honest-to-god tankies, there are plenty in the replies to his tweets. It seems an outlet called Gray Media, that they cite, is also a good example of actual tankies, directly claiming the Uyghur crisis is a "Western fabrication"). It's also important to remember that there is a major difference between Israel and China speaking from a UK/US/EU journalist: our countries are generally pouring billions of dollars of direct support, and heaps of diplomatic support, for Israel. They are doing no such thing for China. So, we have a much better reason to criticize Israel compared to China: we are partly responsible for Israel's crimes; while we bear little to no responsibility for China's (with some exceptions, such as slave labour for the production of export goods, or the status of Hong Kong). We can huff and puff all we want at China, it won't budge. Israel will. What you're doing here is similar to people complaining that Chomsky criticized the USA without criticizing the USSR as much or more. His point was simple: he lived in the USA and had some measure of say on its direction. He had no such measure of say on the USSR's behavior, so he was naturally more silent on it. [0] https://www.gatesnotes.com/Development/Goalkeepers-speech-2018 https://www.gatesnotes.com/Development/Goalkeepers-speech-20... - "In the past quarter-century, China lifted more than 500 million people out of extreme poverty" [1] https://www.economist.com/leaders/2013/06/01/towards-the-end-of-poverty https://www.economist.com/leaders/2013/06/01/towards-the-end... - "China pulled 680m people out of misery in 1981-2010, and reduced its extreme-poverty rate from 84% in 1980 to 10% now." [2] https://twitter.com/aaronbastani/status/1285358145003556864 https://twitter.com/aaronbastani/status/1285358145003556864 - "Great thread Ammar.", in response to a thread that says things like "This repression is widely documented: it’s difficult to cover-up concentration camps. It’s also hard to argue against the statements of escapees who describe being ‘brainwashed’, as well as being tortured for speaking the Uyghur language and reciting the Qur’an." [3] https://twitter.com/aaronbastani/status/1115585109736996864 https://twitter.com/aaronbastani/status/1115585109736996864 - "All encompassing surveillance state...not a democracy...uighurs"
- yonixw 5y agoYeah.. you are being dishonest right now. He clearly said in my [3] image it doesn't qualify as genocide since the economist said so. And the thread he endorse is so bizarre. Because the USA hurt Muslim before they need to keep silent now when other do it? Who would say that other than people who doesn't care.. if it isn't the best giveaway of all. So I gave you a clear proof that a person, a cofounder of a big left alternative media, is clearly a inconsistent tankie who endorse China fully while criticize Israel. I don't care some fact are true. There are a lot of nice facts about Israel too. And I don't care if there are honest tankies. In the original comment you said you don't know anybody like that. Now you know. and still ignore him.
- tsimionescu 5y ago> He clearly said in my [3] image it doesn't qualify as genocide since the economist said so. So parroting the line of the Economist and US state department makes you a tankie? > Because the USA hurt Muslim before they need to keep silent now when other do it? The thread doesn't say they should keep silent, it says they should not apply sanctions (and obviously should not use military force) against China. > So I gave you a clear proof that a person, a cofounder of a big left alternative media, is clearly a inconsistent tankie who endorse China fully while criticize Israel. I still don't see him as endorsing China. Anyway, I concede that the people he attracted in his comments are indeed examples of tankies, and I also found this Gray Media site that fulfills the description you gave. Still, I will not concede that this is in any way a mainstream opinion in leftist circles. It is a fringe position, and the vast majority of Leftists in Europe and the Americas are generally against all oppressive regimes, including China and Israel occupation of Palestine. Most are much more vocal against human rights abuses than industrialists and billionaires, who could care less as long as their pockets are secure. The only exception is global warming, where the left realistically sees that China is doing about as well as most industrial countries, and much, much better than the USA. To be fair, I think Israel is also decent on this front, but that is much easier for such a tiny country.
- yonixw 5y ago