That is not a subtle deflection. The so-called great firewall is indefensible, as it would also be anywhere else it was implemented.
In other news….
Since the Two-State Solution post got deleted yesterday, I was unable to reply to your comment directed at me when I pressed Send, so I’ll paste it to you below. Ciao.
I’m under no illusions about Western imperialism in its various forms, nor about the slippage of rights Western societies have undergone over the decades, nor about the oligarchic tendencies baked into capitalism, because I have 20 years experience studying and writing about exactly those issues.
However, I live in a world of comparatives, not absolutes, and compared to those in the cities and especially countrysides of Russia and China, I’m incredibly free. Compared to Western billionaires, CEOs, and the politicians that they own, I’m not. When I say death to all tyrants, it’s a broad brush that knows no borders since the bastards can be found anywhere we look, including DC and China, among many others.
I protect no authoritarian regime no matter whether they pretend to espouse the myths of the free market or those of a worker’s paradise. They’re both excuses for a concentration of power, and having lived in various dictatorships as well as purported democracies, I know evil when I see it, and I see it all over.
That is not a subtle deflection. The so-called great firewall is indefensible, as it would also be anywhere else it was implemented.
Indefensible? From which angle? Now China has their own software solutions some even better and more developed that the western counterparts, meanwhile the rest of the world is dominated by USian tech monopolies. If anything, every developing country should try to mimic China, build their own firewall and develop their own national software, especially now that we are seeing the power to shape reality the tech oligarchs in the US have through their control of social media.
The “angle” that no government anywhere should have absolute control over the flow of information. Not in DC, not in Dubai, not anywhere. I abhor it all. China doesn’t get a pass.
But in reality DC does control the vast majority of the flow of information, as i mentioned, the vast majority of internet infrastructure is DC based, by advocating for “freedom in the flow of information” you are advocating for DC controlled flow of information.
You’re right once again. No government should have control over information; it should be left free to be monopolized by the wealthiest owners of private platforms to dominate in their own interest.
You’re right. They should have allowed US controlled monopolies to saturate their market and snuff out any chance of creating their own tech industry before it got off the ground.
However, I live in a world of comparatives, not absolutes, and compared to those in the cities and especially countrysides of Russia and China, I’m incredibly free.
So presumably you’ve been to these places, seen their living conditions for yourself, and spoken to locals about their experience. Would you mind sharing the specifics with us all?
Under capitalism, your “freedom” has a price. That price being the every looming threat of poverty, homelessness, and ultimately resulting in death. In China, housing is a constitutional right granted to every citizen.
Yeah, I’ve been all over China, urban and rural. Constitutional right, hilarious. There is a shit ton of poverty, countless people living in shacks. One time I was also there as an alley was literally being bulldozed to ‘cleanse’ it of homeless people for the upcoming Olympics.
I’ve been to Moscow, but I didn’t go all Tucker Carlson over it. It’s a large city that’s mostly bleak, like many other cities I’ve seen across former Soviet states, and I’ve seen plenty of them. In one regard it stood out to me, and that is in how miserable the people seem to be. Dour and without exuberance. If I could think of an opposite-world to Latin American culture, Moscow would be it, and it’s by far the most prosperous region in the vast Russian Empire.
As for speaking to the locals, yeah, I’ve tried to have conversations eliciting their opinions about their lives, not only in Russia and China, but also in Cuba, and many hundreds of times in the Gulf Arab states because I spent so much time there, and I know that look on a human face oh-so-well when they want to say something out loud but they know how dangerous it would be, so they shoo it away and you’re left only with a sad and demure smile. I’ve definitely had those conversations in your paradises countless times.
Stop with your immature romanticizing. There is no utopia, not in the West, not in China, not on Earth. Stop dreaming of heaven like some religious automaton. We’re nothing more than bipedal apes and we’ve just got to make our own communities as good as we can make them. Kill your heroes already.
I love that when asked for specifics, your response is just some vague, orientalist drivel. It’s clear you’ve either never been to any of these places or if you have, didn’t actually bother leaving the airport. You say that I’m doing immature romanticizing, but then you try and paint all of these places with a black brush. Anyone who’s traveled outside of their home country will be able to tell that this is just storytelling. The world is of course, far from perfect, but it’s also not the bleak dystopia you describe it as.
the vast Russian Empire.
What year do you think it is?
This is some real 🤡 shit. You’re either a fed or just really depressed. If it’s the latter, I hope that you can get some help. Otherwise, Minecraft is waiting. I see now why everyone else here ignored you and from here on, I will be doing the same. Bye 👋
A fed? That’s cute. Welcome to Qanon. I’ve lived and worked outside my home country for over 20 years, actually seeing the corners of the world you claim to adore, actually meeting the people and asking the questions because that’s exactly what I do.
Anyway, I’m sure Putin and Xi appreciate your help. I’m all for overthrowing Western hegemony, but surely we can be more creative than using China and Russia as models. Surely.
Nice try. The feigned interest without any intent to actually learn, as if it’s my job to unilaterally lay out how societies should organize themselves.
As if any critique is disallowed unless I have a little red book under my arm to lay before you my exacting plans. I mean, there seems to be a lot of love in here for societies in which dissent is immediately punished by state violence, so I suppose it tracks.
You’re using an old trap of the far-right, never offered in good faith, unironically repurposed by supposed leftists. Trap me in an endless circle of rhetoric where I’m always on the defensive.
I’ve foolishly trodden that road too many times with neo-cons. Not interested any more. No good faith, no discussion. I truly wish you well on your intellectual journey and I also hope it trends toward your own freedom.
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
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That is not a subtle deflection. The so-called great firewall is indefensible, as it would also be anywhere else it was implemented.
In other news….
Since the Two-State Solution post got deleted yesterday, I was unable to reply to your comment directed at me when I pressed Send, so I’ll paste it to you below. Ciao.
I’m under no illusions about Western imperialism in its various forms, nor about the slippage of rights Western societies have undergone over the decades, nor about the oligarchic tendencies baked into capitalism, because I have 20 years experience studying and writing about exactly those issues.
However, I live in a world of comparatives, not absolutes, and compared to those in the cities and especially countrysides of Russia and China, I’m incredibly free. Compared to Western billionaires, CEOs, and the politicians that they own, I’m not. When I say death to all tyrants, it’s a broad brush that knows no borders since the bastards can be found anywhere we look, including DC and China, among many others.
I protect no authoritarian regime no matter whether they pretend to espouse the myths of the free market or those of a worker’s paradise. They’re both excuses for a concentration of power, and having lived in various dictatorships as well as purported democracies, I know evil when I see it, and I see it all over.
And now comes the .ml ban. :)
Indefensible? From which angle? Now China has their own software solutions some even better and more developed that the western counterparts, meanwhile the rest of the world is dominated by USian tech monopolies. If anything, every developing country should try to mimic China, build their own firewall and develop their own national software, especially now that we are seeing the power to shape reality the tech oligarchs in the US have through their control of social media.
The “angle” that no government anywhere should have absolute control over the flow of information. Not in DC, not in Dubai, not anywhere. I abhor it all. China doesn’t get a pass.
But in reality DC does control the vast majority of the flow of information, as i mentioned, the vast majority of internet infrastructure is DC based, by advocating for “freedom in the flow of information” you are advocating for DC controlled flow of information.
You’re right once again. No government should have control over information; it should be left free to be monopolized by the wealthiest owners of private platforms to dominate in their own interest.
Which happen to be based in the imperial core, just a coincidence 🤓
Pay no attention to the man with military mannerisms in the locked server room!
You’re right. They should have allowed US controlled monopolies to saturate their market and snuff out any chance of creating their own tech industry before it got off the ground.
So presumably you’ve been to these places, seen their living conditions for yourself, and spoken to locals about their experience. Would you mind sharing the specifics with us all?
Under capitalism, your “freedom” has a price. That price being the every looming threat of poverty, homelessness, and ultimately resulting in death. In China, housing is a constitutional right granted to every citizen.
Yeah, I’ve been all over China, urban and rural. Constitutional right, hilarious. There is a shit ton of poverty, countless people living in shacks. One time I was also there as an alley was literally being bulldozed to ‘cleanse’ it of homeless people for the upcoming Olympics.
I’ve been to Moscow, but I didn’t go all Tucker Carlson over it. It’s a large city that’s mostly bleak, like many other cities I’ve seen across former Soviet states, and I’ve seen plenty of them. In one regard it stood out to me, and that is in how miserable the people seem to be. Dour and without exuberance. If I could think of an opposite-world to Latin American culture, Moscow would be it, and it’s by far the most prosperous region in the vast Russian Empire.
As for speaking to the locals, yeah, I’ve tried to have conversations eliciting their opinions about their lives, not only in Russia and China, but also in Cuba, and many hundreds of times in the Gulf Arab states because I spent so much time there, and I know that look on a human face oh-so-well when they want to say something out loud but they know how dangerous it would be, so they shoo it away and you’re left only with a sad and demure smile. I’ve definitely had those conversations in your paradises countless times.
Stop with your immature romanticizing. There is no utopia, not in the West, not in China, not on Earth. Stop dreaming of heaven like some religious automaton. We’re nothing more than bipedal apes and we’ve just got to make our own communities as good as we can make them. Kill your heroes already.
Damn, that is the most vibes based analysis I’ve ever seen. “No they didn’t say it, but I assume they were thinking it.”
I love that when asked for specifics, your response is just some vague, orientalist drivel. It’s clear you’ve either never been to any of these places or if you have, didn’t actually bother leaving the airport. You say that I’m doing immature romanticizing, but then you try and paint all of these places with a black brush. Anyone who’s traveled outside of their home country will be able to tell that this is just storytelling. The world is of course, far from perfect, but it’s also not the bleak dystopia you describe it as.
What year do you think it is?
This is some real 🤡 shit. You’re either a fed or just really depressed. If it’s the latter, I hope that you can get some help. Otherwise, Minecraft is waiting. I see now why everyone else here ignored you and from here on, I will be doing the same. Bye 👋
A fed? That’s cute. Welcome to Qanon. I’ve lived and worked outside my home country for over 20 years, actually seeing the corners of the world you claim to adore, actually meeting the people and asking the questions because that’s exactly what I do.
Anyway, I’m sure Putin and Xi appreciate your help. I’m all for overthrowing Western hegemony, but surely we can be more creative than using China and Russia as models. Surely.
Sounds neat to me! What models in particular would you say are more creative?
Nice try. The feigned interest without any intent to actually learn, as if it’s my job to unilaterally lay out how societies should organize themselves.
As if any critique is disallowed unless I have a little red book under my arm to lay before you my exacting plans. I mean, there seems to be a lot of love in here for societies in which dissent is immediately punished by state violence, so I suppose it tracks.
You’re using an old trap of the far-right, never offered in good faith, unironically repurposed by supposed leftists. Trap me in an endless circle of rhetoric where I’m always on the defensive.
I’ve foolishly trodden that road too many times with neo-cons. Not interested any more. No good faith, no discussion. I truly wish you well on your intellectual journey and I also hope it trends toward your own freedom.
I am actually interested lol, but it seems like you don’t actually have any better model to offer. So China’s it is.
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
Jean-Paul Sartre