4 ms·
I was in China just last month and was surprised how openly everyone circumvents the blocks. I stayed in a very large 25+ floor 4* hotel where the entire free w
by beck5 14y ago
I was in China just last month and was surprised how openly everyone circumvents the blocks. I stayed in a very large 25+ floor 4* hotel where the entire free wifi went through a VPN. My Chinese friend said the government turn a blind eye because they know business needs it and they want the business.
- wtvanhest 14y agoSounds like the paper bag system reference on The Wire. EDIT: Brown paper bags cover open containers so people can drink on the street without police intervention so that police can focus on real work, but people still show police some respect.
- camus 14y agoyou mean, as long as one is not saying something the government dislike anything goes... just like in any dictatorship.
- Volpe 14y agoIf that is your qualification for a dictatorship, then the U.S falls in that category as well. See WikiLeaks, and Assange.
- gurkendoktor 14y agoDownvoted, because "X happens in every dictatorship" does not mean "every place where X happens is a dictatorship", and also because I think there is a noticeable difference between Gmail and Wikileaks (even though I supported the latter).
- Volpe 14y agoGovernment doesn't want X to be said about it, and thus pressures/censors company Y to stop it. (X = "Anti-Communist sentiment" or "War crimes") (Y = "Google" or "Visa, Mastercard, Amazon, Wikileaks... etc") Not a huge noticeable difference. The point I was trying to make, is everyone is quick to taint a discussion on china with words like "Dictatorship", when in fact, china isn't (You know they can vote!?), and all the 'evidence' of them being one are scenarios played out in all countries.
- gurkendoktor 14y agoLet's take it even further then, Government doesn't want X to happen against its interests, and thus implements measure Y to counter-act it. Now all governments and governmental actions are the same. Also, people in Eastern Germany could vote, that didn't help a lot. I am not sure if dictatorship is the proper term when it's actually a one-party state / oligarchy, though.
- Volpe 14y agoThere is a conservative wing and a progressive wing to the CCP... much like there is a Republican party and a democratic party. one party state is techniquely true, but in reality it plays out much like a 2 party system. Government is oligarchical by nature. i would not rank the US much better than china in that regard.
- antihero 14y ago"If that is your qualification for a dictatorship"