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

thenexus.media

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

#511

Post by I-M-S »

throwaway7783 wrote: post #486
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.

In a lot of cases that reason is that the West has pillaged and/or coup-ed those countries in the past, and doesn't care if it scorches and/or submerges them underwater in the future.

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

#512

Post by 0xffff2 »

hlhdlhcohcv wrote: post #506
0xffff2 wrote: post #502

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Credit scores are used for a lot more than finances. Such as? I'm wracking my brain, but I can't think of a single non-financial situation where someone has asked to pull my credit.

housing? security clearance? preemployment checks?

Housing is categorically a financial transaction.

Clearances are a far broader investigation, but to the extent that they look at your credit, I believe it is also to establish your financial status, which is most definitely a significant component of the clearance process.

Preemployment: I admit to not having started a new job in many years... Is there any evidence whatsoever you can present that companies regularly reject candidates not in a position of financial trust for having poor credit?

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

#513

Post by sjsdaiuasgdia »

lurk2 wrote: post #456
pavlov wrote: post #441

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’re deporting green card holders now.

“Now” implies that this wasn’t being done before. It has always been legal to deport a green card holder over criminal convictions. Are you suggesting that ICE is rounding up these green card holders for the crime of being Mexican and throwing them back over the wall? This seems to be what you want people to believe. I’m aware of at least two cases where naturalized citizens were deported without having their status…

It's almost like increasing the speed and discarding process safeguards increases the rate of error! Imagine that! Who could have predicted?

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

#514

Post by mcbobgorge »

cornhole wrote: post #505

I have the choice to not use LinkedIn or uber

I agree with the sentiment but I have seen multiple job applications that have a mandatory 'apply with LinkedIn' button. Of course I could always choose not to apply, but I don't want to do that.

Same thing when some websites require you to sign in with Google- there is no Google user score yet but they can ban you from their platform.

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

#515

Post by graemep »

bombcar wrote: post #396
philipallstar wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems identical to saying that convincing someone with anorexia that they aren't overweight is "social death", and "social death" is (somehow) genocide. I.e. it's nonsense.

Using the same word “genocide” for what is happening in Gaza and what is happening in the US seems to make language pretty useless.

To say nothing of using the same word as what happened in the holocaust or to the Armenians or native Americans or Rwanda or is happening in Xinjiang....

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

#516

Post by tastyfreeze »

lurk2 wrote: post #465
tokioyoyo wrote: post #447

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They’re right about 1 and 3, but not 2. Life has gotten much better in a good chunk of the world, that the opportunity loss for not moving to US is getting smaller. You can easily see it by immigration application numbers by country.

> You can easily see it by immigration application numbers by country. Where are you getting this information? Visa issuance more than doubled between 2020 and 2024. https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Annual...

Visa issuance doubling and having less applications from improving countries can both be true. I think you want issuance by place of birth to make the comparison OP is pointing out.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/v...

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

#517

Post by eth0up »

I-M-S wrote: post #507
eth0up wrote: post #501

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"pretend democracy" I rarely offer an opinion here, expecting in advance it will gray into oblivion, however politely or sincerely it's presented. I see it happen to others often enough to remember. In most cases I see the word democracy used, I have the exact thought, "pretend democracy". I don't deliberately try to be a morose cynic. I've just become incapable of thinking the very word without the subjunction "pret…

Democracy is the opium for the masses.

I won't try to evaluate that.

For me, as a born eccentric, aspects of the concept terrify me. I tend to favor the principles of a Republic, with unassailable foundations impervious to popular fervors and whims. Ideally with heavy democratic principles fortifying the Republic. I don't see either.

I look at recent affairs with FTC for example, and too many things to list. I don't even know what to call what I see. Recipe for nightmares comes to mind, but I know the flaws of emotions well enough.

Personally I find myself retreating into a quasi spiritual state, remotely bordering asceticism. Fading into an in but not of it.

I'm convinced it's a brutally complicated situation. Evey day, though, I think it could be drastically simplified with kindness, but that's a subject where I'm inclined to go full macabre and will hush now.

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

#518

Post by graemep »

account42 wrote: post #307
ethersteeds wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

[flagged]

Being gay is not generally recognised as mental illness, although it has been in the past. Being trans is less well defined (historically even being gay was not well defined, or defined the same way).

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

#519

Post by graemep »

mr_toad wrote: post #339
account42 wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They might, if not now then possibly in the future. See e.g. people in the UK getting arrested for tweets.

If you’re telling people to punch other people in the balls maybe you should be arrested.

Only if it is proved to a criminal standard (i.e. beyond reasonable doubt) to be intended to encourage an act of violence. It it is an expression of anger it is legitimate free speech.

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

#520

Post by californical »

rafaelmn wrote: post #510
specproc wrote: post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> Day to day life has been more or less the same across all of them. This is a wild take, unless you mean that in thw sense of wake up, eat, work and sleep kind of way. If I call the prime minister a criminal liar - worst that will happen is I get a defamation lawsuit. In authoritarian countries I go to a prison camp, and the neighbors are the one to report me. Even if I'm not political - if step on toes of people in…

I’ve seen a couple Reddit threads recently where someone says something like “my neighbor has been doing [insert major nuisance here], I think they might not be citizens. I’m not in favor of ICE taking people away, but should I report them since it might solve [nuisance]?”

The couple I’ve seen, the people aren’t that direct in their comments.

And I’ve seen reports of citizens being arrested for a day or two while they’re investigated about whether they’re legal or not, before being released, all without warrants or even probable cause. Sure, not a prison camp, but far from what I’d expect in a free society.

But the seeds of disappearing and detaining people without cause are already sprouting in the US among the general population, even if only among a tiny minority of shitty people. And that’s scary.

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