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Steam has been banned in China

thegamer.com

491–500 of 533 posts

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#491
post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> To me, China seems to be preparing. This is a really interesting perspective. If China is trying to masculinize its teenage male population, we could see it engage in conflict as soon as these teenagers grow into adults at their physical prime, 6-8 years from now. I think it's entirely likely that China will attempt to annex Taiwan within the next 10 years. I think we will also see China be one of the first countri…

Yes China seems to have a very long term perspective with their five year plans that they seem to take very seriously. Couple that with the treatment China received in the Opium Wars, Rape of Nanking, etc. I type on computers for a living so take it with a grain of salt. But it seems to me China was on top technologically for thousands of years. Then they suffered humiliations for hundreds of years. And I think they’…

They were neck and neck with other civilizations but they certainly weren't "on top" unless you only read Chinese history books.

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#492
post #434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m ethnically Chinese. While I speak a little I am still mistaken for a foreigner since I often hire a translator and I traveled extensively through China throughout the last 2 decades to many places both remote and urban on a US passport. Never had a problem with hotels (though mostly booked online) nor staying at relatives/friends houses, nor anything blatantly authoritarian besides my internet bring blocked (whic…

The reason it took more than a year for me to realize this phenomenon is because when I first visited the country then I relied on travel agencies, international hotel booking apps, and had accommodation provided for me. It's certainly possible to live in China for even a decade without realizing the reality of the situation if you exclusively stay at 4-5 star hotels, or only book hotels through international hotel b…

I traveled frequently, for short and longer trips (months at a time), as well as having lived there (albeit not on a foreign passport when I lived there).

Most 4-5 star hotels are still dirt cheap in China. We’ve stayed in budget hotels (by Chinese standards) in non first-tier cities with no problem.

I’d say if you got turned away it’d be some combination of obviously looking like a foreigner (in which you could get them reported for some infractions) and not being licensed to accept foreigners.

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#493

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your argument basically boils down to “you should trust propaganda from the authoritarian Chinese government because I trust the propaganda from the authoritarian Russian government.” It’s not very convincing.

> Your argument basically boils down to “you should trust propaganda from the authoritarian Chinese government because I trust the propaganda from the authoritarian Russian government.” What? Why? How? Where does this extreme binary logic come from? When have I said that he should "trust propaganda from the authoritarian Chinese government"? When have I said that "I trust the propaganda from the authoritarian Russian…

Because Russia doesn’t have a free press. So your “personal experience” is one filtered through what the Russian government allows to be printed.

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#494
post #462

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dont know if you are being naive or a troll. In any case, for the benefit of other people reading this thread: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO https://theintercept.com/2014/09/25/managing-nightmare-cia-m... https://theintercept.com/2019/10/22/terrorism-fbi-political-... https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2016/11/5/13533838/history-...

The fact that you had to link to COINTELPRO is pretty revealing :) Grasping at straws, no?

Tell that to all the people that got their lives ruined. How is the pay rate going on here?: https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/441480-ins...

I only get paid 50 cents by the yellow menace and I am not a rapper.

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#495
I honestly (no flamewar intended) wonder if the people of China (the majority of its regular citizens) suddenly decided that they're actually not happy with where the country is going, could they successfully make a change in government? Or is the power grip (+ available technology) of the powers that be (Xi and co) already too strong as to make that impossible, i.e. beyond the point of no return?

I am asking because, putting China aside, other countries seem to be headed in a similar direction if are not outright copying what China's been doing during the last years.

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#496

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What gymnastics would you have performed if the systemic oppression of Uyghurs had been in my list? Another sin largely ignored by the echo chamber, yet one that certainly does single out a minority. Shall we speculate on the relative population sizes of 'effeminate' Chinese men vs Uyghurs while further regressing into this rationalization of selective outrage?

None, because that issue is hotly contested. This issue is not contested; there is no denial from them on this issue. If they are doing something wrong they know that it is wrong. Meanwhile they think this is something they can get away with openly. I hope this clears up the confusion. There is no selectivity here.

Hotly contested? Uyghur oppression is some figment of our imagination? Will you assert that without the "hotly contested" weasel words?

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#497
post #311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Radical islamic terrorism was going on way before 2001.

I didn't write radical Islamic terrorism didn't exist before 2001, I wrote it emerged at never before seen scales. And I have plenty of data to back that statement. In Western Europe Islamic terrorism was pretty much a non-issue [0]. It only started becoming an issue after 2003, after the invasion of Iraq, when AQ conducted attacks on Madrid and London, respectively Spain and UK, both countries being part of the coal…

Oh man, what happened to all your other posts? So much censorship on this site. I really didn't know it is that bad.

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#498
post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are, and it’s horrible. But they key difference is that you won’t really see anyone downplaying them or outright denying their existence.

I don't know, running torture camps doesn't sound much better if you can talk about them and yet they are not closed.

Could be worse, you could run a real risk of getting disappeared for talking about them. Which is obviously a non-issue in the west.

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#499
post #386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is true. The reason is that only hotels with passport verification system can accept foreign guests (all hotels have a system connected to police department to verify national id), most hotels only have a small national id verification system (because it was cheaper I guess), only some 4 star and 5 star hotels have these. I had once tried to use my passport to stay in a hotel, they didn't allow me then I learnt ab…

Probably only the bigger hotels have an agent of ministry of state security on premises. You should assume that you get a bugged room too. Russians did it in the 80s, even easier now.

China only start to recognize passport as identification a few years ago, previously a Chinese citizen can only use national id. It was just a lot extra work for the hotel if they don't have this system. No, you can get bugged, but by the state, maybe by some creeps.

Re: Steam has been banned in China

#500
post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But why do you need to sell stuff to anyone, once everyone else has shit economy? You can lie back and relax at that point, you're still top of the heap.

You're on top of a garbage heap instead of a mansion.

Hardly matters to rulers, they still get all of life's amenities.
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