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China Expands Research Funding, Luring U.S. Scientists and Students

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Re: China Expands Research Funding, Luring U.S. Scientists and Students

#21

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As a Chinese person the thing I find most dispiriting is that, if this comment had been made in a slightly more subtle and polished way (without a Hitler comparison right at the start, for one thing) it would have received a lot more upvotes and given a lot more credence

Us Americans consider any non democratic government to be immoral and can't imagine putting up with it. Even if the Chinese population is ok with it we still think it's evil. Those are our values.

Re: China Expands Research Funding, Luring U.S. Scientists and Students

#25

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I wish, people would pick their example dictators for internet discussions from the appropriate magnitude of evilness pot. If you would swap "Hitler" with "Honecker" the point would still be terrifying (surveillance state, human rights violations, unjustified killings and imprisonments) but not as over the top and far away from reality (gigantic genocide).

Subjugating a billion people to AQI 600+ for 20 years isn't genocide?

Locking a million muslims up and exterminating them isn't genocide?

"It is actually designed to exterminate — eliminate — the whole Uighur nation as people," he said.

"Children are being removed even when their families are willing to care for them, according to Financial Times Beijing correspondent, Emily Feng."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-28/china-working-to-elim...

Re: China Expands Research Funding, Luring U.S. Scientists and Students

#26

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Where on earth did you get that from? Which part of the article, or any evidence at all, supports your statement? And in what situation do you think it's acceptable to write in such a way?

[dead]

Re: China Expands Research Funding, Luring U.S. Scientists and Students

#28
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Chinese person the thing I find most dispiriting is that, if this comment had been made in a slightly more subtle and polished way (without a Hitler comparison right at the start, for one thing) it would have received a lot more upvotes and given a lot more credence

I agree that the comparison to Hitler is a non sequitur. However, as a citizen in a democracy, I am pretty sure the writer of that posts intends it to be a criticism of an authoritarian dictatorship and not China's people or people of Chinese descent.

I'm sure he's not a monster. Thing is, Americans find it very hard to see us as anything other than monsters. It's exhausting to try and have a conversation when the interlocutor is ready to terminate it at any point because s/he decides that you are either evil or brainwashed. (To me, that's where the real prejudice lies - the inability to imagine other people as moral, not just intellectual, equals)

I should also say that the distinction between "criticizing government" and "criticizing people" is routinely not observed, even by Democrats. When Obama was making a case for the TPP, one of the main argument he gave was "The TPP would let America, not China, lead the way on global trade". Zero-sum language like this sends a signal to Americans that if doing something X is bad for this other group of humans, then that's an argument in favor of doing X, not (crazy thought!) an argument against doing it. That's how you get to where we are now where prominent Democrats like Chuck Schumer can say "we must be united in our fight against the Chinese" and not a single American, liberal or conservative, even took issue with that kind of language.

Re: China Expands Research Funding, Luring U.S. Scientists and Students

#29

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The vast majority of this account's comment history is targeted towards China.

only the last few ones :) but hey, please ban me for talking about the urgent issues of the day.

Re: China Expands Research Funding, Luring U.S. Scientists and Students

#30

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I am confident that most scientists would never want to work on any of the projects you've mentioned nor could China lure people in to work on such things.

Instead, just the fact that one day China might be the first destination for young talent instead of the US will be enough to give them the edge in their fight for superiority. Whatever the case humanity will see at least some benefit from these type of competitions.

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