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Interesting article, but I get the impression it was downplaying environmental and social concerns quite a lot. A lot of "promising signs" but in the meantime y

Interesting article, but I get the impression it was downplaying environmental and social concerns quite a lot. A lot of "promising signs" but in the meantime you get heavy metals in your food, and workers' conditions are just bearable. It's probably better than most other parts of China but still, the situation seems to be quite bad.

DanielBMarkham 11y ago
Meta: It's obviously a puff piece. It is also true that there are folks that enjoy the city. I was going to flag it and file it under "why the heck did that appear on HN?", but if it generates some useful conversation about hiring and startups, it's worth it. A lot of puff pieces on HN (and elsewhere) It makes for an interesting exercise to take all of the criticism that you see elsewhere and note how it is handled in the article. "...Labor practices are still a concern, but..." and "...environmental issues are still a major concern, there are hopeful signs..." Note the use of the passive voice and the elimination of the subject of the sentence. It's never "I made a mistake" or "China's labor practices concern others", it's "mistakes were made" and "labor practices are a concern" (I also love the word "concern". What does that mean? If you're driving in your car and the radio doesn't work, is that concerning? If the car catches fire, is that concerning? "It's a concern" simply says that you thought about it. Brownies are a concern) We could use a lot more China articles -- huge market, lots of really cool stuff going on there. But we would be remiss if we read any article on HN without a critical eye to context, style, and agenda.
- WoMaameTwe 11y ago
  Have you been to China or you're just regurgitating on the packaged media anti china rant like a raving lunatic
- Wo_Maame_Twe 11y ago
  Have you been to China or you're just regurgitating on the packaged media anti china rant like a raving lunatic. Mind you, this isn't a Chinese funded magazine.
  - BasDirks 11y ago
    GP does not come across as a raving lunatic. GP displays critical thought. You on the other hand..
    - dang 11y ago
      > You on the other hand.. Please don't break the HN guidelines by responding in kind. Instead, flag an egregious comment by clicking on its timestamp to go its page, then clicking the "flag" link.
    - kjs3 11y ago
      Someone really should let these Chinese state-sponsored trolls know that this sort of unhinged, Cultural Revolution-esque rant dosen't translate well into English. Makes the troll very easy to spot.
yitchelle 11y ago
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/467/americans-in-china http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/467/a... This episode gives a little different perspective on living in China.

DanielBMarkham 11y ago

Meta: It's obviously a puff piece. It is also true that there are folks that enjoy the city. I was going to flag it and file it under "why the heck did that appear on HN?", but if it generates some useful conversation about hiring and startups, it's worth it. A lot of puff pieces on HN (and elsewhere) It makes for an interesting exercise to take all of the criticism that you see elsewhere and note how it is handled in the article. "...Labor practices are still a concern, but..." and "...environmental issues are still a major concern, there are hopeful signs..." Note the use of the passive voice and the elimination of the subject of the sentence. It's never "I made a mistake" or "China's labor practices concern others", it's "mistakes were made" and "labor practices are a concern" (I also love the word "concern". What does that mean? If you're driving in your car and the radio doesn't work, is that concerning? If the car catches fire, is that concerning? "It's a concern" simply says that you thought about it. Brownies are a concern) We could use a lot more China articles -- huge market, lots of really cool stuff going on there. But we would be remiss if we read any article on HN without a critical eye to context, style, and agenda.

WoMaameTwe 11y ago
Have you been to China or you're just regurgitating on the packaged media anti china rant like a raving lunatic
Wo_Maame_Twe 11y ago
Have you been to China or you're just regurgitating on the packaged media anti china rant like a raving lunatic. Mind you, this isn't a Chinese funded magazine.
- BasDirks 11y ago
  GP does not come across as a raving lunatic. GP displays critical thought. You on the other hand..
  - dang 11y ago
    > You on the other hand.. Please don't break the HN guidelines by responding in kind. Instead, flag an egregious comment by clicking on its timestamp to go its page, then clicking the "flag" link.
  - kjs3 11y ago
    Someone really should let these Chinese state-sponsored trolls know that this sort of unhinged, Cultural Revolution-esque rant dosen't translate well into English. Makes the troll very easy to spot.

yitchelle 11y ago

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/467/americans-in-china http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/467/a... This episode gives a little different perspective on living in China.