4 ms·

The implicit claim that, "actually the US and China are the same regarding human rights, balance of power, authoritarianism, etc." is by far the weakest argumen

The implicit claim that, "actually the US and China are the same regarding human rights, balance of power, authoritarianism, etc." is by far the weakest argument in this domain.

pessimizer 3y ago
Nobody cares what you think (except for parents and loved ones), they might care why you think it. Sneering at a claim isn't an argument.
- AbrahamParangi 3y ago
  It's not about what I think, it's just simply untrue.
- ipaddr 3y ago
  I cared. In fairness even less care what you qualify as a counter-point
photochemsyn 3y ago
The only thing I pointed out was that the two 'Great Powers' have a curiously similar obsession with spying on domestic civilian populations. You added the other issues for some reason. It is true that authoritarian control freaks are my least favorite people, regardless of what government they're affiliated with - but I don't doubt that the American version, given free rein, would rush to introduce the methods used in China to control the population.
- AbrahamParangi 3y ago
  Well, as a counterpoint to "America is the same" I would direct your attention to this handy map of how long the current national leader has been in power for each country - there are some pretty clear distinctions (https://preview.redd.it/gzqeeslcyez91.png?width=1024&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=494725432490a86cb838f4bf27775017544782dd https://preview.redd.it/gzqeeslcyez91.png?width=1024&auto=we...)
  - ngcazz 3y ago
    If China was politically and culturally organized like a western democracy this would be a worthwhile analysis. China does continuity not plurality, because its government scopes out centuries, not decades. And the Chinese understand this - they are broadly happier with their government than Americans are with theirs. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/07/long-term-survey-reveals-chinese-government-satisfaction/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/07/long-term-sur... How relevant is it that Xi Jinping has gained an additional mandate, if he's basically continuing a long-term policy which started in the early 80s with Deng Xiaoping, who was also the head of the party that's been in power since 1949?
ngcazz 3y ago
It's not, because dialectically the article furthers the framing of TikTok and China as uniquely perverse which is wrong (cf. the abundance of examples posted elsewhere in this thread) and plays into American imperialist/hegemonic anxieties

The implicit claim that, "actually the US and China are the same regarding human rights, balance of power, authoritarianism, etc." is by far the weakest argument in this domain.

pessimizer 3y ago

Nobody cares what you think (except for parents and loved ones), they might care why you think it. Sneering at a claim isn't an argument.

AbrahamParangi 3y ago
It's not about what I think, it's just simply untrue.
ipaddr 3y ago
I cared. In fairness even less care what you qualify as a counter-point

photochemsyn 3y ago

The only thing I pointed out was that the two 'Great Powers' have a curiously similar obsession with spying on domestic civilian populations. You added the other issues for some reason. It is true that authoritarian control freaks are my least favorite people, regardless of what government they're affiliated with - but I don't doubt that the American version, given free rein, would rush to introduce the methods used in China to control the population.

AbrahamParangi 3y ago
Well, as a counterpoint to "America is the same" I would direct your attention to this handy map of how long the current national leader has been in power for each country - there are some pretty clear distinctions (https://preview.redd.it/gzqeeslcyez91.png?width=1024&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=494725432490a86cb838f4bf27775017544782dd https://preview.redd.it/gzqeeslcyez91.png?width=1024&auto=we...)
- ngcazz 3y ago
  If China was politically and culturally organized like a western democracy this would be a worthwhile analysis. China does continuity not plurality, because its government scopes out centuries, not decades. And the Chinese understand this - they are broadly happier with their government than Americans are with theirs. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/07/long-term-survey-reveals-chinese-government-satisfaction/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/07/long-term-sur... How relevant is it that Xi Jinping has gained an additional mandate, if he's basically continuing a long-term policy which started in the early 80s with Deng Xiaoping, who was also the head of the party that's been in power since 1949?

ngcazz 3y ago

It's not, because dialectically the article furthers the framing of TikTok and China as uniquely perverse which is wrong (cf. the abundance of examples posted elsewhere in this thread) and plays into American imperialist/hegemonic anxieties