I’m leaving China • Hacker News Board

Re: I’m leaving China

#21

Post by throwaway37585 » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:22 PM UTC

noobermin wrote: post #13

rjvbk wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not everything the TFA says. It begins talking about how uncivil the Chinese are.

I am sympathetic to the discussion of the government. The emphasis on line cutting and gawking is interesting as a foreigner (experienced gawking too in Seoul) but it does seem to contradict the author's contention that the reason for leaving has nothing to do with Chinese people and culture.

> the author's contention that the reason for leaving has nothing to do with Chinese people and culture

Where does he say that?

Re: I’m leaving China

#22

Post by evmar » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:23 PM UTC

Can anyone comment on the risks of posting such an essay while still living in China? Is this considered safely within the lines, a calculated risk, or something else?

(Or has he already left China before posting the essay?)

Re: I’m leaving China

#23

Post by ShabbosGoy » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:24 PM UTC

pmarreck wrote: post #14

Speaking as someone essentially atheist (or at least, secular humanist), this entire piece is IMHO the strongest [secular] argument that can be made for Christianity's positive effect on Western values.

To be honest, it read to me like the ramblings of an unemployed academic who’s struggling to find employment. Academia breeds and welcomes this type of toxic attitude and personality.

The sad part is, this piece is passed off as intellectual, when the author himself didn’t reflect on anything in his time in China. He looks at the Chinese as the “Other”, much like many academics looked at Japan in the 80s as some menacing threat they could never understand.

Overall, I rate it 5/10.

Re: I’m leaving China

#24

Post by seanmcdirmid » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:26 PM UTC

noobermin wrote: post #13

rjvbk wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not everything the TFA says. It begins talking about how uncivil the Chinese are.

I am sympathetic to the discussion of the government. The emphasis on line cutting and gawking is interesting as a foreigner (experienced gawking too in Seoul) but it does seem to contradict the author's contention that the reason for leaving has nothing to do with Chinese people and culture.

I don’t believe uncivil behavior has anything to do with Chinese people and culture, it is only something that the government leads society and is less prevalent in other Chinese societies (Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc...).

Re: I’m leaving China

#25

Post by curuinor » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:26 PM UTC

ShabbosGoy wrote: post #23

pmarreck wrote: post #14

Speaking as someone essentially atheist (or at least, secular humanist), this entire piece is IMHO the strongest [secular] argument that can be made for Christianity's positive effect on Western values.

To be honest, it read to me like the ramblings of an unemployed academic who’s struggling to find employment. Academia breeds and welcomes this type of toxic attitude and personality. The sad part is, this piece is passed off as intellectual, when the author himself didn’t reflect on anything in his time in China. He looks at the Chinese as the “Other”, much like many academics looked at Japan in the 80s as some mena…

Dude was fully employed as effectively-tenured (tenure track, theoretically) professor for a decade. The forcing out was for 100% political reasons. If he treated China as an Other, then it was with a decade's worth of experience living full-time in China.

Re: I’m leaving China

#26

Post by throwaway37585 » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:27 PM UTC

ShabbosGoy wrote: post #23

pmarreck wrote: post #14

Speaking as someone essentially atheist (or at least, secular humanist), this entire piece is IMHO the strongest [secular] argument that can be made for Christianity's positive effect on Western values.

To be honest, it read to me like the ramblings of an unemployed academic who’s struggling to find employment. Academia breeds and welcomes this type of toxic attitude and personality. The sad part is, this piece is passed off as intellectual, when the author himself didn’t reflect on anything in his time in China. He looks at the Chinese as the “Other”, much like many academics looked at Japan in the 80s as some mena…

Got anything to back up those insults of yours?

> the author himself didn’t reflect on anything in his time in China

Patently and objectively false to anyone who read the article. It really makes me wonder what your motivations are for lying so blatantly.

Re: I’m leaving China

#27

Post by wuliwong » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:27 PM UTC

kevin_b_er wrote: post #18

I find it strange that the author continues to reiterate how they're a libertarian and even criticizes the "god is money" view of the Chinese, when back here in the United States the god is indeed money too, we just pretend it is not. Libertarianism requires the same practice around fiscal matters. The god must be money under libertarianism because it is every man for himself, dictated by your level of wealth. The wi…

>it merely replaces a government not actually formed by the will of the people

I'm confused by this statement. What do you mean "not actually formed by the will of the people"?

Re: I’m leaving China

#28

Post by lainga » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:29 PM UTC

evmar wrote: post #22

Can anyone comment on the risks of posting such an essay while still living in China? Is this considered safely within the lines, a calculated risk, or something else? (Or has he already left China before posting the essay?)

To be fair, his blog was never exactly positive on China, and (as he states in the article) he was very wary of crossing the fine line between moderate criticism and falling afoul of the CCP.

Between the fact that he was forced out of his position, and that he says he's "grateful" not to have been detained, I imagine he feels safe enough to get a shot off as he leaves. I don't think the government would get rid of him with an ostensibly administrative dismissal, and then turn around and detain him on the back of this post, as he was about to leave the country for good; it would look heavy-handed.

Or, as you say, he could already be gone... I don't know.

Re: I’m leaving China

#29

Post by ShabbosGoy » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:29 PM UTC

throwaway37585 wrote: post #26

ShabbosGoy wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be honest, it read to me like the ramblings of an unemployed academic who’s struggling to find employment. Academia breeds and welcomes this type of toxic attitude and personality. The sad part is, this piece is passed off as intellectual, when the author himself didn’t reflect on anything in his time in China. He looks at the Chinese as the “Other”, much like many academics looked at Japan in the 80s as some mena…

Got anything to back up those insults of yours? > the author himself didn’t reflect on anything in his time in China Patently and objectively false to anyone who read the article. It really makes me wonder what your motivations are for lying so blatantly.

> Patently and objectively false to anyone who read the article. It really makes me wonder what your motivations are for lying so blatantly.

Wrong. He clearly didn’t, because he describes a caricature of a Chinese person, reminiscent of a Fu Manchu type character that is dishonest and untrustworthy. Your motivations were clearly revealed the moment you created a throwaway account my man.

Re: I’m leaving China

#30

Post by sctb » Tue, Jul 17, 2018, 10:31 PM UTC

xmly wrote: post #16

So this guy lived in China in 7 years and never felt anything wrong. But after he lost his job, suddenly felt threat from ccp? This is just a pathetic guy who lost job and try to get some credits by blaming ccp. Just like blaming everything to russia.

Please don't post unsubstantive flame-y comments like this.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html