4 ms·

As a native Chinese, the recent years of US politics definitely made me more unsympathetic for people like Jimmy Lai and the (for lack of better words) campaign

As a native Chinese, the recent years of US politics definitely made me more unsympathetic for people like Jimmy Lai and the (for lack of better words) campaigns related to them, and, at least from my personal experience, my sentiment (that such people and campaigns are inconsequential at best) is shared amongst a significant portion of Chinese.

BrenBarn 10mo ago
Can you elaborate on why you say that? What is it about US politics that has influenced your views on Lai and others like him?
- jambutters 10mo ago
  I mean, we went after Assange and Snowden who are in a gray area. Jimmy Lai actually went to top US officials and advocated military assistance to coup the government. No nation would ever go easy on that and it's scary to see all these comments on HN are mindlessly chanting without actually more research
  - n4r9 10mo ago
    > advocated military assistance to coup the government Is there source evidence for this? I keep hearing various different things Jimmy supposedly advocated or asked for, but very little actual source.
    - jambutters 10mo ago
      https://www.reddit.com/r/Hong_Kong/comments/u8692j/jimmy_lai_urges_the_us_to_use_nuclear_weapons_to/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Hong_Kong/comments/u8692j/jimmy_lai... Sidenote: The riots went too out of control and one of em threw a brick which hit an old street cleaners head. https://www.reddit.com/r/Hong_Kong/comments/dwmc76/rioters_threw_brick_to_kill_the_old_cleaner_rip/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Hong_Kong/comments/dwmc76/rioters_t...
      - n4r9 10mo ago
        You claimed he urged top US officials to give military assistance to a coup. This video is just him pleading to the US public "They'll listen to you because you're as powerful as they are".
  - Arn_Thor 10mo ago
    Hong Kongers would very much like to choose their own leadership. I understand that you're arguing from a mainland Chinese perspective, but in so doing you're ignoring the people who ought to have the most to say.
    - 10xDev 10mo ago
      America doesn't speak for Hong Kong and many people don't want America sticking its nose deep into their business especially through someone breaking the law by acting as a pseudo-foreign agent. The irony is that Trump getting involved in pressuring for the release of Jimmy Lai just makes him look even more like an American asset.
      - expedition32 10mo ago
        That's the tragedy of Hong Kong. They never got the sympathy of the mainland. And I cannot escape the feeling that a lot of Americans believe that a democratic China would be friends with the US...
        10xDev 10mo ago
        Who exactly is "friends" with the US at the moment? Maybe Israel? In Trumps world it mostly seems you are either an asset or a liability. They do no want a multipolar world.
      - Arn_Thor 10mo ago
        Who brought up America?
    - jambutters 10mo ago
      I used to have your viewpoint, but after reading Lee Kuan Yew, and after several hours of cross referencing various interviews with the pro-rioters/hk democracy, and pro-engagement/neutral hongkongers, I conclude that most of the pro-rioters like Joshua Wong/Jimmy Lai at large fail to articulate anything of value other than "I want to turn the system upside-down" , while pro-engagement/neutral people know they want upward social mobility and more government involvement in fixing the housing and employment crisis.
  - deleted 10mo ago
    [deleted]
- Gathering6678 10mo ago
  I have to emphasise that this is all my personal feeling and experience: I used to think these people and their actions actually mean something, and could lead to a different future. I was uncertain of this future, but willing to try. Seeing recent US politics makes me reconsider: if this is democracy, or at least what it could very well turn out to be, is it really something I would want in my own country? I know my answer would be no. Honestly, nowadays, if given the choice of "one person one vote" for the head of state tomorrow, I would strongly oppose such an idea and prefer the status quo. Given such sentiment, I really don't care about these people and their campaigns anymore.

BrenBarn 10mo ago

Can you elaborate on why you say that? What is it about US politics that has influenced your views on Lai and others like him?

jambutters 10mo ago
I mean, we went after Assange and Snowden who are in a gray area. Jimmy Lai actually went to top US officials and advocated military assistance to coup the government. No nation would ever go easy on that and it's scary to see all these comments on HN are mindlessly chanting without actually more research
- n4r9 10mo ago
  > advocated military assistance to coup the government Is there source evidence for this? I keep hearing various different things Jimmy supposedly advocated or asked for, but very little actual source.
  - jambutters 10mo ago
    https://www.reddit.com/r/Hong_Kong/comments/u8692j/jimmy_lai_urges_the_us_to_use_nuclear_weapons_to/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Hong_Kong/comments/u8692j/jimmy_lai... Sidenote: The riots went too out of control and one of em threw a brick which hit an old street cleaners head. https://www.reddit.com/r/Hong_Kong/comments/dwmc76/rioters_threw_brick_to_kill_the_old_cleaner_rip/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Hong_Kong/comments/dwmc76/rioters_t...
    - n4r9 10mo ago
      You claimed he urged top US officials to give military assistance to a coup. This video is just him pleading to the US public "They'll listen to you because you're as powerful as they are".
- Arn_Thor 10mo ago
  Hong Kongers would very much like to choose their own leadership. I understand that you're arguing from a mainland Chinese perspective, but in so doing you're ignoring the people who ought to have the most to say.
  - 10xDev 10mo ago
    America doesn't speak for Hong Kong and many people don't want America sticking its nose deep into their business especially through someone breaking the law by acting as a pseudo-foreign agent. The irony is that Trump getting involved in pressuring for the release of Jimmy Lai just makes him look even more like an American asset.
    - expedition32 10mo ago
      That's the tragedy of Hong Kong. They never got the sympathy of the mainland. And I cannot escape the feeling that a lot of Americans believe that a democratic China would be friends with the US...
      - 10xDev 10mo ago
        Who exactly is "friends" with the US at the moment? Maybe Israel? In Trumps world it mostly seems you are either an asset or a liability. They do no want a multipolar world.
    - Arn_Thor 10mo ago
      Who brought up America?
  - jambutters 10mo ago
    I used to have your viewpoint, but after reading Lee Kuan Yew, and after several hours of cross referencing various interviews with the pro-rioters/hk democracy, and pro-engagement/neutral hongkongers, I conclude that most of the pro-rioters like Joshua Wong/Jimmy Lai at large fail to articulate anything of value other than "I want to turn the system upside-down" , while pro-engagement/neutral people know they want upward social mobility and more government involvement in fixing the housing and employment crisis.
- deleted 10mo ago
  [deleted]
Gathering6678 10mo ago
I have to emphasise that this is all my personal feeling and experience: I used to think these people and their actions actually mean something, and could lead to a different future. I was uncertain of this future, but willing to try. Seeing recent US politics makes me reconsider: if this is democracy, or at least what it could very well turn out to be, is it really something I would want in my own country? I know my answer would be no. Honestly, nowadays, if given the choice of "one person one vote" for the head of state tomorrow, I would strongly oppose such an idea and prefer the status quo. Given such sentiment, I really don't care about these people and their campaigns anymore.