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Unfortunate that this rightward lurch by the Modi government (still incredibly popular in India) will be ignored by the "west" due to competition with China. I

Unfortunate that this rightward lurch by the Modi government (still incredibly popular in India) will be ignored by the "west" due to competition with China. India considers unfettered social media and speech a threat to stability, just like China.

indy 4y ago
Why label this 'rightward'? Plenty of left-leaning governments throughout history have used censorship.
- radicaldreamer 4y ago
  You're right, I think "illiberal" lurch is a better description.
- beisner 4y ago
  authoritarian is probably the right word, rather than left/right.
  - jtode 4y ago
    Authoritarian is also probably the rightward.
- jutrewag 4y ago
  Banning hate speech is not censorship.
  - lockhouse 4y ago
    Censorship: the action of preventing part or the whole of a book, film, work of art, document, or other kind of communication from being seen or made available to the public, because it is considered to be offensive or harmful, or because it contains information that someone wishes to keep secret, often for political reasons https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/censorship https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/censorsh...
    - jutrewag 4y ago
      Then banning bomb making is censorship but there’s no opposition to that.
      - drdeca 4y ago
        Banning instructions on how to make bombs would be censorship. Banning the making of bombs is not censorship.
        jutrewag 4y ago
        The former is banned.
        philipkglass 4y ago
        This is where it's more helpful to talk about specific nations' laws. Books about making bombs are not banned in the USA, for example. Here are the books "Improvised Munitions Black Book" and "U.S. Army Unconventional Warfare Devices: Boobytraps" from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Improvised-Munitions-Black-Book-Unabridged/dp/5401352530 https://www.amazon.com/Improvised-Munitions-Black-Book-Unabr... Originally created for soldiers in guerrilla warfare situations, this handbook demonstrates the techniques for constructing weapons that are highly effective in the most harrowing of circumstances. Straightforward and incredibly user-friendly, it provides insightful information and step-by-step instructions on how to assemble weapons and explosives from common and readily available materials. Over 600 illustrations complement elaborate explanations of how to improvise any number of munitions from easily accessible resources. https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Unconventional-Warfare-Devices-Boobytraps/dp/B09M5L99LP https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Unconventional-Warfare-Devices-Bo... Some of the materials discussed in this special forces guide to boobytraps include: - Disguise boobytraps in common items. - Disguise boobytraps in structures such as window frames and stairways. - Disguise boobytraps in outdoor areas, in bushes and underground. - Learn the mechanics of the various types of firing devices, detonators, fuses, cords, adapters, blasting caps, and lighters. Actually following instructions in these books may lead to felony charges in all 50 states. But writing or reading about them is perfectly legal. The same goes for reading and writing about making scheduled drugs, poisons, and other controlled items.
  - Delk 4y ago
    "Throughout history". I doubt all the Soviet Union and other authoritarian communist regimes censored for decades was hate speech. Sure, at the moment the left seems to largely align with social liberalism, at least in the west. Maybe authoritarianism is generally more correlated with conservatism, and conservatism with right-wing politics. But left vs. right and authoritarian vs. liberal aren't really the same axis, and it would seem historically quite myopic to think left-wing views somehow confer immunity to abuse of power.
- wolverine876 4y ago
  > Plenty of left-leaning governments throughout history have used censorship. What does that have to do with Modi? Modi's government has moved far to the right.
  - lockhouse 4y ago
    Not the person you're replying to, but there is this persistent fallacy that left is inherently good and right is inherently evil, despite the fact that neither side of the political spectrum is inherently good or evil. Great injustices have been committed under both liberal and conservative governments throughout history.
    - rektide 4y ago
      In this modern case though we have another rightward illiberal authoritarian lurch. In modern times these seem to have high correspondences.
      - indy 4y ago
        The correspondence is with power. Opposition parties are often anti-censorship, pro free speech etc. Once they come into power this all changes and they drift towards authoritarianism. Western, left-leaning governments have invented the term "hate speech" to justify this behaviour, right-leaning governments would often use "family values".
        wolverine876 4y ago
        Not every restriction on speech is the same. Restricting hate speech protects the politically vulnerable, the minority, the oppressed. It's not a restriction on hate speech toward the government. Restricting 'anti-family' speech protects the status quo, those in power, the political majority and oppresses the vulnerable minority. For example, look at the discrimination against LGTBQ people now.
    - wolverine876 4y ago
lazyninja987 4y ago
[dead]
standardUser 4y ago
It's true that the US has a lot of reasons to play nice with India, but even if they didn't, there's not much I'd expect the US to do in this situation. Maybe Blinken would make a statement. But this isn't the kind of thing that historically results in sanctions or officially curtailing the bilateral relationship.
ankit108 4y ago
[flagged]
roncesvalles 4y ago
The West ignores much more egregious rights transgressions by much deeper allies. India is a lamb of a country in comparison.

indy 4y ago

Why label this 'rightward'? Plenty of left-leaning governments throughout history have used censorship.

radicaldreamer 4y ago
You're right, I think "illiberal" lurch is a better description.
beisner 4y ago
authoritarian is probably the right word, rather than left/right.
- jtode 4y ago
  Authoritarian is also probably the rightward.
jutrewag 4y ago
Banning hate speech is not censorship.
- lockhouse 4y ago
  Censorship: the action of preventing part or the whole of a book, film, work of art, document, or other kind of communication from being seen or made available to the public, because it is considered to be offensive or harmful, or because it contains information that someone wishes to keep secret, often for political reasons https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/censorship https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/censorsh...
  - jutrewag 4y ago
    Then banning bomb making is censorship but there’s no opposition to that.
    - drdeca 4y ago
      Banning instructions on how to make bombs would be censorship. Banning the making of bombs is not censorship.
      - jutrewag 4y ago
        The former is banned.
        philipkglass 4y ago
        This is where it's more helpful to talk about specific nations' laws. Books about making bombs are not banned in the USA, for example. Here are the books "Improvised Munitions Black Book" and "U.S. Army Unconventional Warfare Devices: Boobytraps" from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Improvised-Munitions-Black-Book-Unabridged/dp/5401352530 https://www.amazon.com/Improvised-Munitions-Black-Book-Unabr... Originally created for soldiers in guerrilla warfare situations, this handbook demonstrates the techniques for constructing weapons that are highly effective in the most harrowing of circumstances. Straightforward and incredibly user-friendly, it provides insightful information and step-by-step instructions on how to assemble weapons and explosives from common and readily available materials. Over 600 illustrations complement elaborate explanations of how to improvise any number of munitions from easily accessible resources. https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Unconventional-Warfare-Devices-Boobytraps/dp/B09M5L99LP https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Unconventional-Warfare-Devices-Bo... Some of the materials discussed in this special forces guide to boobytraps include: - Disguise boobytraps in common items. - Disguise boobytraps in structures such as window frames and stairways. - Disguise boobytraps in outdoor areas, in bushes and underground. - Learn the mechanics of the various types of firing devices, detonators, fuses, cords, adapters, blasting caps, and lighters. Actually following instructions in these books may lead to felony charges in all 50 states. But writing or reading about them is perfectly legal. The same goes for reading and writing about making scheduled drugs, poisons, and other controlled items.
- Delk 4y ago
  "Throughout history". I doubt all the Soviet Union and other authoritarian communist regimes censored for decades was hate speech. Sure, at the moment the left seems to largely align with social liberalism, at least in the west. Maybe authoritarianism is generally more correlated with conservatism, and conservatism with right-wing politics. But left vs. right and authoritarian vs. liberal aren't really the same axis, and it would seem historically quite myopic to think left-wing views somehow confer immunity to abuse of power.
wolverine876 4y ago
> Plenty of left-leaning governments throughout history have used censorship. What does that have to do with Modi? Modi's government has moved far to the right.
- lockhouse 4y ago
  Not the person you're replying to, but there is this persistent fallacy that left is inherently good and right is inherently evil, despite the fact that neither side of the political spectrum is inherently good or evil. Great injustices have been committed under both liberal and conservative governments throughout history.
  - rektide 4y ago
    In this modern case though we have another rightward illiberal authoritarian lurch. In modern times these seem to have high correspondences.
    - indy 4y ago
      The correspondence is with power. Opposition parties are often anti-censorship, pro free speech etc. Once they come into power this all changes and they drift towards authoritarianism. Western, left-leaning governments have invented the term "hate speech" to justify this behaviour, right-leaning governments would often use "family values".
      - wolverine876 4y ago
        Not every restriction on speech is the same. Restricting hate speech protects the politically vulnerable, the minority, the oppressed. It's not a restriction on hate speech toward the government. Restricting 'anti-family' speech protects the status quo, those in power, the political majority and oppresses the vulnerable minority. For example, look at the discrimination against LGTBQ people now.
  - wolverine876 4y ago

lazyninja987 4y ago

[dead]

standardUser 4y ago

It's true that the US has a lot of reasons to play nice with India, but even if they didn't, there's not much I'd expect the US to do in this situation. Maybe Blinken would make a statement. But this isn't the kind of thing that historically results in sanctions or officially curtailing the bilateral relationship.

ankit108 4y ago

[flagged]

roncesvalles 4y ago

The West ignores much more egregious rights transgressions by much deeper allies. India is a lamb of a country in comparison.