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The Big [Censored] Theory

(pudding.cool)
1444 points feross | 4 comments | 29 Aug 22 17:34 UTC | HN request time: 0.679s | source
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aero-glide2 ◴[29 Aug 22 18:32 UTC] No.32641737[source]▶
I don't really agree with this, but consider this argument : Is it really a bad thing if different countries have different understanding of what's allowed/not allowed? If the whole world had the same system of governance, that could be dangerous too.
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S201 ◴[29 Aug 22 18:40 UTC] No.32641842[source]▶
Because the people of China didn't choose this: their oppressive and authoritarian government did it for them.
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darawk ◴[29 Aug 22 18:49 UTC] No.32641964[source]▶
This is right. If people vote for censorship in a democracy, that's a perfectly fine form of governmental heterogeneity. What's happening in China is not that.
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cutemonster ◴[29 Aug 22 19:06 UTC] No.32642181[source]▶
I find it slightly amazing how often commenters here (hello aero-glide2) fail to see that the people in a country are not the same as the dictators controlling the country.

When such misunderstandings are common here at HN, where people are a bit brighter that elsewhere (or so I think) -- then, such misunderstandings must be dangerously common outside HN. I wonder what consequences follow from that

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1. astrange ◴[29 Aug 22 23:05 UTC] No.32644677[source]▶
That's because the people who say this are the only ones who believe it. In particular, Chinese people themselves don't believe it, and do believe their government is the same thing as "them" and represents them, so they still take it personally/nationalistically when you criticize the government.
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2. MichaelCollins ◴[30 Aug 22 07:00 UTC] No.32647432[source]▶
The CCP claim they have the support of the Chinese people, but they won't allow that claim to be tested by the trial of political freedom and fair elections.
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3. astrange ◴[30 Aug 22 07:49 UTC] No.32647757[source]▶
There’s elections in China. There isn’t freedom, but the population of old people with PTSD from the Cultural Revolution seems happy to not have it as long as noone else has it either. And as long as the government is competent and delivers economic growth, which may be coming to an end.
4. int_19h ◴[30 Aug 22 22:00 UTC] No.32655735[source]▶
Chinese people are not a hivemind. Some believe what you have described, others do not.