China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
foreignpolicy.com
China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
1–10 of 193 posts
Re: China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
#2Although this new scheme has the potential for punishing dissidents, I oddly don't find it too bothersome. Five years ago this idea would have seriously creeped me out. What has changed? To some degree I feel numbed and desensitized by my own government (USA) with TSA searching laptops and social media at borders, near total special interest control of "news" media, and the general feeling that now more than in the past the rich and powerful can just about get away with whatever they want.
EDIT: sorry, I didn’t express myself very well: I don’t approve of the proposed system in China, but given what is happening in the USA I don;t feel like criticizing other countries.
Re: China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
#3So basically they want to take the private credit system and make it public and accountable. What’s wrong with this, exactly?
Re: China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
#4So basically they want to take the private credit system and make it public and accountable. What’s wrong with this, exactly?
Public services, especially those run by China, don't exactly have a stellar record of being uncorrupt and accountable. What if the system is abused to shut down a competitor on the surreptitious "donation" of another company? What if being LGBT or the wrong religion is made demerit-worthy?
It would bother me a lot less if it were private and governed private services only. There's more accountability in the sense that, there will always be services available that don't require the credit system, and there will be multiple competing bureaus ala the current credit system.
Re: China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
#5Although this new scheme has the potential for punishing dissidents, I oddly don't find it too bothersome. Five years ago this idea would have seriously creeped me out. What has changed? To some degree I feel numbed and desensitized by my own government (USA) with TSA searching laptops and social media at borders, near total special interest control of "news" media, and the general feeling that now more than in the p…
If you think the rich and powerful won't pay someone to mark up their score, I have bad news for you. This is not a solution to that.
Re: China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
#6I understand the inclination to do this - I think it's natural to want to live in a meritocracy. But I just can't image this not backfiring.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Re: China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
#7Although this new scheme has the potential for punishing dissidents, I oddly don't find it too bothersome. Five years ago this idea would have seriously creeped me out. What has changed? To some degree I feel numbed and desensitized by my own government (USA) with TSA searching laptops and social media at borders, near total special interest control of "news" media, and the general feeling that now more than in the p…
If you think the rich and powerful won't pay someone to mark up their score, I have bad news for you. This is not a solution to that.
The article says you can earn points by donating to charity. So there is at least one provision for the rich to buy a better score.
Re: China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
#8So basically they want to take the private credit system and make it public and accountable. What’s wrong with this, exactly?
The presence of a credit system to begin with, with puts people in the mercy of corporation (private) or the bureaucracy (public neither in China nor in most of the world, perhaps with the exception of Switzerland, means "directly controlled by the people").
Re: China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
#9So basically they want to take the private credit system and make it public and accountable. What’s wrong with this, exactly?
Public services, especially those run by China, don't exactly have a stellar record of being uncorrupt and accountable. What if the system is abused to shut down a competitor on the surreptitious "donation" of another company? What if being LGBT or the wrong religion is made demerit-worthy? It would bother me a lot less if it were private and governed private services only. There's more accountability in the sense th…
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Re: China’s experiment in ranking and monitoring citizens has started
#10I understand the inclination to do this - I think it's natural to want to live in a meritocracy. But I just can't image this not backfiring. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
> I think it's natural to want to live in a meritocracy
It’s fallacious to think that meritocracy is a function of ONLY the present.