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Chinese authorities install app on phones of people entering Xinjiang

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Re: Chinese authorities install app on phones of people entering Xinjiang

#181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that's what's interesting about China! It's an alternative civilization! The last 30 years we've seen it develop at a rate that is obviously impossible given the experience of all other countries. Yet this, very different, country does it. It's good to have diversity in governance systems and be able to see the different outcomes, even from systems everyone "knows" shouldn't work.

> It's good to have diversity in governance systems and be able to see the different outcomes... I've been lucky not to experience this myself, but I imagine it is bad to experience the "different outcomes" firsthand when the governance system -- novel as it might appear from a distance -- has foundations in violent suppression of individual freedom.

Of course.

Then again, when some lunatic American colonists tried an alternative system of governance everyone knew was absurd and evil, it worked out surprisingly well.

I guess what I most of all am arguing against is unified world government.

Re: Chinese authorities install app on phones of people entering Xinjiang

#182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The US ... This style of argument is deflection, and it gets us nowhere. It's very effective in redirecting the focus away from one bad actor and onto another bad actor, though.

Call it what it is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism

This is not whataboutism since the article explicitly discusses the role of the Western countries setting an example:

"There is an increasing trend around the world to treat borders as law-free zones where authorities have the right to carry out whatever outrageous form of surveillance they want," Omanovic said. "But they’re not: the whole point of basic rights is that you’re entitled to them wherever you are. Western liberal democracies intent on implementing increasingly similar surveillance regimes at the border should look to what China is doing here and consider if this is really the model of security they want to be pursuing."

Re: Chinese authorities install app on phones of people entering Xinjiang

#185
post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The US ... This style of argument is deflection, and it gets us nowhere. It's very effective in redirecting the focus away from one bad actor and onto another bad actor, though.

"But western countries do x [whataboutism]" is the standard Chinese propaganda response to everything too. A big part of the 50-cent party's job [1] is to promote negative western news stories. [1] https://www.wikiwand.com/en/50_Cent_Party

And it was successful. Half the comments are now about the West. And you have to scroll down to see any of the comments about China.
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