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The Chinese government has gotten on the bandwagon with its own publication of the US's human rights violations (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-05

The Chinese government has gotten on the bandwagon with its own publication of the US's human rights violations (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-05/25/c_1316113... http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-05/25/c_1316113...). I found this humorous. I'm reminded of the Soviet counterpart to this. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_you_are_lynching_Negroes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_you_are_lynching_Negroes)

mlvljr 14y ago
(speaking from Russia) at the time of that argument, our propaganda guys did have a point: the poverty was defeated here, everyone had a job guarantee, an opportunity to get (free) world-class higher education, choose a career in science, military, or industry, etc. Speaking of China, they do have their problems (of course), but to have a moral right to criticize, other fellow countries should at least stop their oil-for-bombs and occupation-based-on-rumors politics (and we will see, how that will change the quality of life and corruption level). But the resemblance is there, yeah ;)
- InclinedPlane 14y ago
  Are you implying that in the 1960s there was literally no one living in poverty in the soviet union? Seems to be some evidence against that, such as: http://books.google.com/books/about/Poverty_in_the_Soviet_Union.html?id=hHJeZ2-iA6sC http://books.google.com/books/about/Poverty_in_the_Soviet_Un...
  - m0skit0 14y ago
    Poverty in the USSR didn't impeach you from having free health care, free education and almost free basic food and transport. Compare with poors in the USA.
  - mlvljr 14y ago
    Yes, I'm speaking exactly of the golden era of USSR (1961 -- 1979, roughly), and the evidence of my family, relatives and friends clearly states, that poverty was _literally_ defeated by that time -- you plain could not be starving from hunger or be homeless (unless you prefered to, but that was against the law, and everyone was guaranteed to have a roof above his head). Speaking short and plain, everyone had at least enough to live a healthy life, and quite many had somewhat more.
- alushta 14y ago
  I don't need to comment on US corruption, as I assume that most of you live in that country, and can easily read any book from Chomsky. Here's a little anecdote about Chinese and Russian corruption. The mayors of the Russian city xxxsk in the Far East and its Chinese sister city xxxhui in the Heilongjiang province, get together once a year to discuss worldly affairs. The mayor of xxxsk comes to visit the mayor of xxxhui, and find that the mayor of xxxhui is living in a luxury apartment, with a fine BMW in the garage, and even an "er nai" in an adjecent apartment. The mayor of xxxsk is impressed, and asks: "how are you, as a public servant, able to afford all this?" The xxxhui mayor gestures towards the floor to ceiling window of his pad, and responds proudly - "you see that factory complex - 800 million yuan (that was about 100 MM USD at the time I heard this joke) project, and I skimmed 10% of it". The next sunmmer, the mayor of xxxhui visits xxxsk at the Russian mayor's dacha. The dacha was filled with resplendent decorations that would not be out of place in Odintsovo. There was a black Mercedes Benz in the garage, and several devki frolicking in the swimming pool. The Chinese mayor was duly impressed, and asked his Russian counterpart - "how are you able to afford all this?" The Russian mayor proudly gestures towards the woods - "you see that over there?" "No, I see only trees!", replies the Chinese mayor. "Well, that was supposed to be the eastern end of the new Trans-Siberian Highway - 3 billion rubles project, and I spizdel vse - took all of it."

mlvljr 14y ago

(speaking from Russia) at the time of that argument, our propaganda guys did have a point: the poverty was defeated here, everyone had a job guarantee, an opportunity to get (free) world-class higher education, choose a career in science, military, or industry, etc. Speaking of China, they do have their problems (of course), but to have a moral right to criticize, other fellow countries should at least stop their oil-for-bombs and occupation-based-on-rumors politics (and we will see, how that will change the quality of life and corruption level). But the resemblance is there, yeah ;)

InclinedPlane 14y ago
Are you implying that in the 1960s there was literally no one living in poverty in the soviet union? Seems to be some evidence against that, such as: http://books.google.com/books/about/Poverty_in_the_Soviet_Union.html?id=hHJeZ2-iA6sC http://books.google.com/books/about/Poverty_in_the_Soviet_Un...
- m0skit0 14y ago
  Poverty in the USSR didn't impeach you from having free health care, free education and almost free basic food and transport. Compare with poors in the USA.
- mlvljr 14y ago
  Yes, I'm speaking exactly of the golden era of USSR (1961 -- 1979, roughly), and the evidence of my family, relatives and friends clearly states, that poverty was _literally_ defeated by that time -- you plain could not be starving from hunger or be homeless (unless you prefered to, but that was against the law, and everyone was guaranteed to have a roof above his head). Speaking short and plain, everyone had at least enough to live a healthy life, and quite many had somewhat more.
alushta 14y ago
I don't need to comment on US corruption, as I assume that most of you live in that country, and can easily read any book from Chomsky. Here's a little anecdote about Chinese and Russian corruption. The mayors of the Russian city xxxsk in the Far East and its Chinese sister city xxxhui in the Heilongjiang province, get together once a year to discuss worldly affairs. The mayor of xxxsk comes to visit the mayor of xxxhui, and find that the mayor of xxxhui is living in a luxury apartment, with a fine BMW in the garage, and even an "er nai" in an adjecent apartment. The mayor of xxxsk is impressed, and asks: "how are you, as a public servant, able to afford all this?" The xxxhui mayor gestures towards the floor to ceiling window of his pad, and responds proudly - "you see that factory complex - 800 million yuan (that was about 100 MM USD at the time I heard this joke) project, and I skimmed 10% of it". The next sunmmer, the mayor of xxxhui visits xxxsk at the Russian mayor's dacha. The dacha was filled with resplendent decorations that would not be out of place in Odintsovo. There was a black Mercedes Benz in the garage, and several devki frolicking in the swimming pool. The Chinese mayor was duly impressed, and asked his Russian counterpart - "how are you able to afford all this?" The Russian mayor proudly gestures towards the woods - "you see that over there?" "No, I see only trees!", replies the Chinese mayor. "Well, that was supposed to be the eastern end of the new Trans-Siberian Highway - 3 billion rubles project, and I spizdel vse - took all of it."