• nednobbins@lemmy.zip
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    11 hours ago

    OK. How are you measuring the ability to criticize your own government? Is there any metric, besides gut intuition, about criticisms you can make here that you can’t make there?

    • starik@lemmy.zip
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      11 hours ago

      It’s not just vibes. The censorship in China is unparalleled. Try being Chinese and going on their equivalent of YouTube or Twitter and posting simply “I don’t like Xi JinPing’s policies. I think we need a new leader.” Your posts will be removed, and if you keep it up, you will be imprisoned.

      Also, they’re not a democracy. They don’t get to choose or change who is in power. There is basically no mechanism for pushing back against anything the government does in China.

      In the US, we’re getting a little taste of that kind of unaccountability with ICE, and there is outrage, which is still legal to express. Hopefully, the whole top of our government will change hands in a couple years. I’m thankful I live somewhere that is possible.

        • starik@lemmy.zip
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          5 hours ago

          Wait, so you think they do have elections in China? And I’m supposed to prove to you that they don’t? How should I go about satisfying you?

          • nednobbins@lemmy.zip
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            3 hours ago

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_China

            I’ve actually seen them myself so convincing me otherwise will be a tall order. You’d be better off trying to argue that elections in China are less fair than they are here. That’s feasible but your argument would need to address a whole host of systemic electoral problems in the US.

            • starik@lemmy.zip
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              3 hours ago

              Here’s a quote from a different Wikipedia article:

              “Xi was elected president on 14 March 2013, in a confirmation vote during the first session of the 12th National People’s Congress in Beijing. He received 2,952 for, one vote against, and three abstentions.”

              That man will be “president” for the rest of his life. Good thing he’s so popular! 100% of the “vote”

            • starik@lemmy.zip
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              3 hours ago

              Did you even read the intro to the article you linked? You’re embarrassing yourself