4 ms·

oh my. are we equating Japan with China?

• pessimizer 5y ago
  Is it bizarre to compare countries with other countries generally, or only when one is on the official enemies list?
  • jollybean 5y ago
    There's nothing wrong with comparing countries, but it's ridiculous to compare countries which have systems of de facto central control, vs systems that do not. Xi (and the CCP) don't interfere directly very often, but he can and will do so as he chooses. He's an Emperor. Nobody has that kind of power in Japan.
    • des1nderlase 5y ago
      Any government can and will control any present company if "national" interests are in question.
      • jollybean 5y ago
        Again this is unhelpful rhetorical relativism, because the circumstances of 'national interest' are defined completely differently. Yes, if someone is pointing Nuclear Weapons at Japan, they will force Yahoo.jp to fork over data on the spot, but otherwise, no. In China, a random person making a comment about someone in government could be suppressed as a matter of 'national interest'. It's pointless to make rhetorical analogies. Even if one could argue they are 'different in extent and not in character' (though I would disagree), the 'extent of difference' is sufficient to make them different in character. A random person walking down the street has little to fear in either country, but that line can be crossed quickly and arbitrarily in authoritarian regimes.