Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

thenexus.media

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

481–490 of 727 posts

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#481

Post by asats »

Bukhmanizer wrote: post #92

The issue is that American media/discourse paints a very distorted view of what life under authoritarian rule is like. The truth is in many countries, unless you’re some kind of minority, politically active, or in legal trouble, day-to-day life is mostly similar to life in the west. But people don’t want to hear that, because we want to feel better than them. Like we wouldn’t tolerate that kind of life. Of course the…

>day-to-day life is mostly similar to life in the west

The "happy path" is, the major differences start when you have any kind of a problem, then not having any functional institutions makes the experience _very_ different from the west.

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#482

Post by pbhjpbhj »

idiomat9000 wrote: post #388
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #371

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Prevalence of masked gangs (ostensibly a Gestapo, but without uniform or id) kidnapping people in government buildings without police intervening appears (as an outside observer) to be ~100% higher than under recent USA administrations. Are you saying this was already happening, just as much, under Obama, say?

[flagged]

Right, other places also have evil people in charge and lack of rule of law. Agreed.

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#483

Post by FollowingTheDao »

specproc wrote: post #335
Bukhmanizer wrote: post #92

The issue is that American media/discourse paints a very distorted view of what life under authoritarian rule is like. The truth is in many countries, unless you’re some kind of minority, politically active, or in legal trouble, day-to-day life is mostly similar to life in the west. But people don’t want to hear that, because we want to feel better than them. Like we wouldn’t tolerate that kind of life. Of course the…

Yeah, this is it. I've lived under governments of a variety of different stripes in some very different parts of the world, I've lived in war zones. Day to day life has been more or less the same across all of them. You go shopping, go to work, see friends, have a few beers or maybe a smoke, eat out, go to weddings, birthdays and funerals, play sports. People run businesses, post memes. The way non-OECD, "non-democra…

The only difference in the United States is that you have a better chance of being the head authoritarian, and by that I mean a business owner.

We have had a pretend democracy in the US for the last 60 years.

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#484

Post by Workaccount2 »

chasd00 wrote: post #468
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #374

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sliding in? Your head of state declared themselves to be a dictator, declared the end of the rule of law, and ignores the constitution. They openly take bribes without consequences. They, or their handlers, unilaterally decide on the application of justice and the progress of investigations. They unilaterally control international relations (eg tariffs) without oversight. They put armed military on the streets. They…

if mid-term elections and the next presidential election are cancelled then i'll call it authoritarian. Until then you're just trolling.

We might get a peak much sooner if the supreme court shoots down his tariffs.

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#485

Post by asats »

nanliu wrote: post #432
phkahler wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> The issue is that American media/discourse paints a very distorted view of what life under authoritarian rule is like. The truth is in many countries, unless you’re some kind of minority, politically active, or in legal trouble, day-to-day life is mostly similar to life in the west. Short term maybe. But there are reasons people want(ed) to move to the USA, and I don't mean refugees. A lot of college educated well…

The desire to come and immigrate to the US has greatly diminished. This use to be a easy decision for foreign students to stay in the US for work opportunities. Nowadays, a US degree isn't considered prestigious outside of a few elite schools and the cost has completely spiraled out of control. I've talked to numerous colleagues who abandoned waiting for a green card because it's no longer a clear cut decision. Oppor…

>The desire to come and immigrate to the US has greatly diminished

Do you have any data to back up that claim?

E.g. the number of diversity lottery applicants (one of the easiest proxies to judge how many people express their interest in moving to the US) went up from 12 million in 2011 to almost 20 million last year.

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#486

Post by throwaway7783 »

Bukhmanizer wrote: post #92

The issue is that American media/discourse paints a very distorted view of what life under authoritarian rule is like. The truth is in many countries, unless you’re some kind of minority, politically active, or in legal trouble, day-to-day life is mostly similar to life in the west. But people don’t want to hear that, because we want to feel better than them. Like we wouldn’t tolerate that kind of life. Of course the…

This isn't even remotely true. Life is nothing like western countries in most parts of the world, authoritarian or not.There is a reason for such levels of immigration to western countries.

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#487

Post by christina97 »

asats wrote: post #485
nanliu wrote: post #432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The desire to come and immigrate to the US has greatly diminished. This use to be a easy decision for foreign students to stay in the US for work opportunities. Nowadays, a US degree isn't considered prestigious outside of a few elite schools and the cost has completely spiraled out of control. I've talked to numerous colleagues who abandoned waiting for a green card because it's no longer a clear cut decision. Oppor…

>The desire to come and immigrate to the US has greatly diminished Do you have any data to back up that claim? E.g. the number of diversity lottery applicants (one of the easiest proxies to judge how many people express their interest in moving to the US) went up from 12 million in 2011 to almost 20 million last year.

This thread is largely about college educated folks who represent a small minority of diversity lottery applicants. As to why the DV lottery has grown, I suspect it has a lot to do with it just having become more visible and known, growing hand in hand with increased access to internet and ability to apply.

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#488

Post by rlt »

“The only difference between your phone and China's social credit system is that China tells you what they're doing.”

Weird take. There’s a massive difference between a centralized government-run system and a decentralized system run by individual companies.

Credit scores are closest but limited to financial behaviors

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#489

Post by gadders »

danny_codes wrote: post #186
mattnewton wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> unless you’re some kind of minority, politically active, or in legal trouble, day-to-day life is mostly similar to life in the west Okay but that is exactly why I would prefer a western liberal government. It is better and that is ideal is worth criticizing authoritarians for, and fighting to keep in the west.

I mean I live in the US and people are getting persecuted right now for being a minority, being politically active, or being in legal trouble. So not seeing a huge difference between liberal democracies and authoritarians.

Yes, never happened under Biden. Completely new and unheard of.

Re: We already live in social credit, we just don't call it that

#490

Post by 20after4 »

chasd00 wrote: post #468
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #374

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sliding in? Your head of state declared themselves to be a dictator, declared the end of the rule of law, and ignores the constitution. They openly take bribes without consequences. They, or their handlers, unilaterally decide on the application of justice and the progress of investigations. They unilaterally control international relations (eg tariffs) without oversight. They put armed military on the streets. They…

if mid-term elections and the next presidential election are cancelled then i'll call it authoritarian. Until then you're just trolling.

Trolling? They were stating facts.
Post reply on HN