phoenixz ,

Both systems are horrible

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar
LeLachs ,

The specific problem with both systems is that they are controlled by a central entity. Sounds harmless enough on a first glance.
However, this also means that whoever owns/controls this system, can control a lot of people very effectively. This could be used for good but is instead mostly used to keep people in line.

This makes it easy for a single person/small group to control an entire nation, which I think is a bad thing.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

Good thing that the system in China is in the hands of the working majority. If you look at how Chinese political system is structured it becomes clear that it's not in fact in the hands of a small group of people.

LeLachs ,

I do not believe that is the case. Mainly because of their questionable choices. Things like their great Firewall, which also censors political topics that the government does not approve or the perseution of certain ethnic groups. I don't belive a majority of the people would want to do things like that.

Hathaway ,

Or the covid “quarantine” that had mass protests and went on with roaming squads of police to ensure no one went outside. Sounds like a majority choice lol. That person is spewing chinese propaganda.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

Claiming that taking tough measures to arrest the spread of the pandemic instead of letting millions of people die the way west did was a bad decision is the height of psychopathy. You are one sick individual.

Hathaway ,

You’re putting a lot of words in my mouth my guy. You said the Chinese government is run by the majority workers. I’m giving an example of how the majority wanted something, and the minority said otherwise. Not only said otherwise, but imprisoned anyone that dissented. Like all government, the few control the many.

The “zero covid” policy in china was absolutely insane.

AND, guess what, I was able to argue my point without calling names. Lmao.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

Majority of people in China actually wanted to have a safe environment. I guess just making shit up is what passes for making an argument in your head. LMAO indeed.

Hathaway ,

Ah, yes, as we see Here the famously outspoken Chinese population welcoming the lockdown with open arms.

In a country where civil gatherings are largely unheard of outside of the respective country, these just super vocal minority thinkers, got 1000’s of people to risk their way of life just for the fun of it. Just cause they wanted to make sure to let the government know how excited they were for their turn to go to prison!

Outside the tongue in cheek, my friend, you cannot tell me this is what the majority wanted. You like/live in china, you should know what it costs those people to even make headlines anywhere. And how many there were.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

There is nothing questionable about those choices. For example, the firewall is the reason why China has its own domestic tech industry while the rest of the world is dominated by a handful of US companies. Meanwhile, censorship of capitalist views is good actually. And the idea that the government prosecutes certain ethnic groups has no actual basis in reality. This notion has been debunked to death but people in the west will keep repeating this because that's what they want to believe.

Hathaway ,

You’re seriously defending the treatment of the Uyghurs?

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

You seriously still peddling this bit pf propaganda?

Hathaway ,

I mean, I guess if that’s where we’re going to go, it doesn’t matter what I say, the number of organizations, within the UN, outside the UN, independent, dependent. You’re just going to call bullshit because who said it isn’t happening? China? Odd, I wonder what they’d have to gain by saying they aren’t committing human atrocities.

There are no organizations, to my knowledge, that are dying on the hill that there’s absolutely nothing happening with the Uyghurs.

There are a lot of reports that say shits going down. Yes, I’m sure a lot of it is editorialized. Just like anything about America in those countries. I’m not naive enough to believe anyone at face value but I’m not going to write off everything as propaganda either. Even China says the camps exist basically specifically for them, for “reeducation”. Which, sure, maybe the people need, but, to believe that at face value is a level of bliss I would love to reach.

And before anyone goes “well the US..” I CONDEMN THAT SHIT TOO. Stop fucking murdering people. There isn’t some magical government that’s better than anyone else. They all fucking suck.

But to pretend it isn’t happening, that’s a tragedy. I hope if someone has to give you compassion on that level, you get it. Cause it’s the least we can do to each other.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

Sigh, alright I guess I'll address the nonsense in detail for you. The whole conspiracy theory started with a claim of millions of Uyghurs being supposedly imprisoned story is based on two highly dubious “studies.”.

However, this claim is completely absurd when you stop and think about it even for a minute. That figure 1 million is repeated again and again. Let's just look at how much space would you actually need to intern one million people.

This is a photo of Rikers Island, New York City's biggest prison. The actual size of a facility interning ten thousand people.

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/8df75b1b-a602-4ff5-bc07-cf41204c3cff.jpeg

According to Wikipedia, "The average daily inmate population on the island is about 10,000, although it can hold a maximum of 15,000." Let's assume this is a Xinjiang detention camp, holding ten to fifteen thousand people. How many of these would it take to hold one million people?

Let's do some math:

Rikers Size Rikers Prisoners One Million Uyghurs Size
413.2 acres (0.645 square miles) 10,000 to 15,000 43 to 64 square miles

In reality, one million people would probably take more space; all the supposed detention camps we see are much less dense than Rikers.

For comparison, San Francisco is 47 square miles. Amsterdam is 64 square miles. You'd literally need detention camps that total the size of San Francisco or Amsterdam to intern one million Uyghurs. It'd be like looking at a map of California. There's Los Angeles. There's San Diego. And look, there's San Francisco Concentration City with its one million Uyghurs.

Literally visible to the naked eye from space.

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/e5bc20b2-6ece-4e6d-9a1e-dfbcb39187a2.jpeg

CHRD states that it interviewed dozens of ethnic Uyghurs in the course of its study, but their enormous estimate was ultimately based on interviews with exactly eight Uyghur individuals. Based on this absurdly small sample of research subjects in an area whose total population is 20 million, CHRD “extrapolated estimates” that “at least 10% of villagers […] are being detained in re-education detention camps, and 20% are being forced to attend day/evening re-education camps in the villages or townships, totaling 30% in both types of camps.” Furthermore, it doesn't even make sense from logistics perspective.

Practically all the stories we see about China trace back to Adrian Zenz is a far right fundamentalist nutcase and not a reliable source for any sort of information. The fact that he's the primary source for practically every article in western media demonstrates precisely what I'm talking about when I say that coverage is divorced from reality.

Zenz is a born-again Christian who lectures at the European School of Culture and Theology. This anodyne-sounding campus is actually the German base of Columbia International University, a US-based evangelical Christian seminary which considers the “Bible to be the ultimate foundation and the final truth in every aspect of our lives,” and whose mission is to “educate people from a biblical worldview to impact the nations with the message of Christ.”

Zenz’s work on China is inspired by this biblical worldview, as he recently explained in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “I feel very clearly led by God to do this,” he said. “I can put it that way. I’m not afraid to say that. With Xinjiang, things really changed. It became like a mission, or a ministry.”.

Along with his “mission” against China, heavenly guidance has apparently prompted Zenz to denounce homosexuality, gender equality, and the banning of physical punishment against children as threats to Christianity.

Zenz outlined these views in a book he co-authored in 2012, titled Worthy to Escape: Why All Believers Will Not Be Raptured Before the Tribulation. In the tome, Zenz discussed the return of Jesus Christ, the coming wrath of God, and the rise of the Antichrist.

The fact that this nutcase is being paraded as a credible researcher on the subject is absolutely surreal, and it's clear that the methodology of his "research" doesn't pass any kind of muster when examined closely.

It's also worth noting that there is a political angle around the narrative around Xinjiang. For example, here's George Bush's chief of staff openly saying that US wants to destabilize the region, and NED recently admitting to funding Uyghur separatism for the past 16 years on their own official Twitter page. An ex-CIA operative details US operations radicalizing and training terrorists in the region in this book. Here's an excerpt:

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/526825a5-2b0e-40aa-bac2-b2167a723d6d.jpeg

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/d2b09d20-4a7a-4845-880d-aee0a3ac3f3b.jpeg

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/6ac418bd-64c0-4e23-8fa6-9ed85c54d6b3.jpeg

https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/fde3d919-b7b2-42bb-b94c-e45d215c5209.jpeg

US has been stoking terrorism in the region while they've been running a propaganda campaign against China in the west. In fact, US even classified Uyghur separatists as a terrorist group at one point https://www.mintpressnews.com/us-was-at-war-uyghur-terrorists-now-claims-etim-doesnt-exist/276916/

Here's an interview with a son of imam killed in Xinjiang https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-06-19/Son-of-imam-assassinated-in-Kashgar-s-2014-mosque-attack-speaks-out-RqNiyrcRuo/index.html

Here's an account from a Pakistani journalist who has been all over Xinjiang (which borders Pakistan) claims that western media reports on "atrocities" are lies. https://dailytimes.com.pk/723317/exposing-the-occidents-baseless-lies-about-xinjiang/

It's also worth noting that the accusations originate entirely from the west while Muslim majority countries support China, and their leaders have visited Xinjiang many times.

Also notable that whenever western media actually deigns to visit Xinjiang, which is not often, they're unable to produce support for any of their claims of mass imprisonment and oppression, so they opt for insinuations instead https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-china-health-travel-7a6967f335f97ca868cc618ea84b98b9

There's a further list of debunking here if you're interested https://redsails.org/the-xinjiang-atrocity-propaganda-blitz/

The whole thing is very clearly a propaganda blitz that US is cynically using to manipulate impressionable people in the west.

Hathaway ,

Well, considering the length of response, and time between them, this was a copy-pasta. But, given the context, I will read through this. I do genuinely want to like have some discourse because, admittedly, I’m not a china expert.

However, you’re going to need to give me time, and this is a lot to go through.

And I may have some counter points and questions, so please be patient?

At the end of the day, I really don’t think china = bad. Us = good. However, I find that whenever I have conversations with anyone about it, on either side, they refuse to see how any sane person could come to a conclusion that isn’t theirs.

I’m very open to changing my mind, but it may take some time if you’re up for it.

Also hitting me with the “YoU ReAd TaBloIDs” then hitting me with a qz article is🤌🏻 however, I’ll be open.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

This comes up often enough that I do have the sources handy. And sure, if you have actual questions/points that aren't just flippant then we can discuss those.

Hathaway ,

I will do my best to add something and questions beyond the “china bad” narrative.

If I do come up with some stuff that you think is disingenuous, please call it out, maybe I’ll be able to rephrase certain things. I’ll reply up a bit in the chain after I look into everything!

(This may take like a day or 2 realistically)

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

No rush, it's a big link dump to go through. Most people don't really bother, so I appreciate the fact that you're willing to actually examine the evidence that's available.

KairuByte ,
@KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Who has access to the back end data, and the ability within it to change any data they want?

Because a group of people with this power exists, whether or not you believe they will act upon it.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

The power of the government being premised solely on who has access to the backend data is certainly a novel political theory.

REEEEvolution ,

The specific problem with both systems is that only one of them actually exists. The chinese one is not a thing.

5in1k ,

The part where it assigns a fucking score to a human being is fucking awful to start. China is an Orwellian shithole.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

You sure could've avoided making a clown of yourself if you bothered reading the links provided

Contrary to common belief, the cities mainly target companies, not individuals.

5in1k ,

Whatever, what would happen to me in China if I went in the street yelling “Xi Jinping can lick my balls”? Cuz that Pooh Bear bitch can straight lick my balls for real.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

people would look at you as the imbecile that you are of course

5in1k ,

Sure thing comrade. I’ll remember as I’m draping my nuts across Xi’s nose and stamping his forehead with my asshole.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

Let's face it, you can't even find China on a map. You're never going to go to China, you don't give a shit about people living in China. You're just a racist who thinks he's being awful clever. It's sad and pathetic, and everybody can see through it.

5in1k ,

Oh I’m racist? Next you’re gonna tell me I am not the same age as her do not touch! Making fun of a government and leader of said government is not racism. You are beyond ridiculous, more ridiculous than the noise Xi Jinping makes when he motorboats my scrote.

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

whatever you say child

pseudo ,
@pseudo@jlai.lu avatar

Does anyone not how to a Bookwyrme review through a Lemmy link ?
Anyway : https://books.theunseen.city/book/192913/s/weapons-of-math-destruction

yogthos OP ,
@yogthos@lemmy.ml avatar

good book!

qjkxbmwvz ,

We tried personally evaluating people for loans on their individual merits, and shocker, there was rampant racism and sexism. Having strict metrics, instead of relying on the whims of a dickwad loan agent, is a good thing.

The new system isn't perfect, and yeah, it completely favors people who have parents who know how the system works. But at least it's not explicitly racist or sexist (again, there are of course systemic issues that feed into it).

I get that it's frustrating to, for example, need to have debt in order to qualify for more debt. But in other contexts this is pretty standard --- it's essentially "financial experience."

But yeah. It sucks that you should pay expenses with a credit card rather than debit in the USA. Personally it doesn't matter to me (I pay them off every month), but it sucks for merchants who get stuck with the credit card transaction fees.

ShellMonkey ,
@ShellMonkey@lemmy.socdojo.com avatar

The rise of check cards and normalizing paying for everything on plastic was a big tipping point. There's even a Monopoly game that uses electronic cards these days. It lets activity tracking run rampant and of course the banks get to skim a fee off everything.

Franky I see it as having nothing to do with fiscal responsibility (can't overspend the cash on hand) and more just a way to funnel more to those with means than anything. It's funny how cash advances on cards charge a higher rate than purchases despite neither offering a security interest to the card issuer.

Tankiedesantski ,

In evil totalitarian China, you can be banned from buying high speed rail tickets if you default on your loans.

In good democratic freedom America, you can be denied all forms of air travel because your name happens to resemble one that's on a secret list.

AFC1886VCC ,

I got rejected just last week for something pretty inexpensive that I can afford to pay off in installments. My credit score is good and I've never defaulted on any payments before. I live in the UK, not in China.

AFAIK the social credit system that westerners like to mock was only trialled and never implemented. I, on the other hand, have actually been screwed over by my own country's credit score system.

FiniteBanjo ,

Incorrect, the Social Credit System started in 2014 and was supposed to be operating at full scale in 2020 but they keep missing deadlines. It is in use, has been for a decade, just not as much as the CCP wanted it to be.

radiant_bloom ,

The sadder thing is that Chinese social credit hasn’t actually even been implemented, and doesn’t seem like it’s going to. There are only limited local experiments, most of which are allegedly largely irrelevant.

Whereas there are multiple credit score companies currently tracking literally everyone who has a bank account.

reverendsteveii ,

How do you think it came to be that most Americans believe that in China you can have your home seized for being impolite?

dessalines ,
@dessalines@lemmy.ml avatar

A deluge of articles that confirms the audience's unexamined orientalism, and makes them feel superior.

criitz ,

I'm no fan of credit scores but let's not act like its the same thing as Chinese social credit

linkhidalgogato ,

course not credit scores actually exists and social credit does not since it was just a trial

lud ,

Assuming you are correct it's still pretty crazy that they even considered anything even close to that.

wildbus8979 ,

Meanwhile insurance scores in the US gather all sorts of opaque behavioral data via data brokers. And the IMF even thinks you're browser history should influence your credit score.

lud ,

Maybe, I don't live there. But a social score is absolutely insane.

bloodfart ,

China is having some of the same wages/productivity split problems that the us has and there’s a vein of thought that says it’s fixable with social incentive programs.

This isn’t 1984 evil authoritarian tankie shit, its liberal reform shit.

And as another reply to you mentioned, a lot of the “social” factors are reported to the big 3 credit reporting agencies through denials based on giant weird datasets anyway, so the “normal” credit score is a “social” credit score in disguise.

FiniteBanjo ,

Incorrect, the Social Credit system was started in 2014 and intended to operate at full scale before 2020 but it's still not there, yet. It's been in use for over a decade, just not as much as the CCP wants it to be.

Tb0n3 ,

What's that? You don't think you should have a score that keeps track of everyone's mundane behaviors and ranks them? But what if I want to cross the street between crosswalks, or need to spit, or feel like criticizing the government? Anybody who does those things should be banned from even buying groceries, or having children. Maybe we should send the death van.

TheAnonymouseJoker ,

Let's just make up shit about China/Russia and cope with it

- average westoid

Tb0n3 ,

Do you think I made any of that up?

TheAnonymouseJoker ,
imPastaSyndrome ,

>implying americans actually want a credit score

wildbus8979 ,

The vast majority of Americans (95%) say having a good credit score is important to them, according to the survey.

I have yet to meet a Democrat or Republican who thinks they shouldn't exist.

Rikj000 ,
@Rikj000@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

I mean same applies to the Chinese,
but wanting to look good in an oppressive system, does not mean you actually like to be oppressed by said system.

wildbus8979 ,

Finally! It's just too bad my insurance score is still too low for me to get the required homeowner's insurance because the car company shared my driving data with insurance data brokers. It's ok though, cause at least I'm still free to tip my landlord!

sentient_loom ,
@sentient_loom@sh.itjust.works avatar

I have good credit but I cannot buy a house.

LinkOpensChest_wav ,
@LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

My husband and I bought ours in 2019, and I feel like we did so in the nick of time, and that's with being on two programs and taking an additional loan for the down payment, and that's because paying the mortgage was lower than renting an apartment at the time.

People can't afford housing anymore. I feel guilty even owning a house because it's gotten so bad (even though the bank technically owns this shit).

sentient_loom ,
@sentient_loom@sh.itjust.works avatar

Don't feel guilty! Congrats on the house. Enjoy it.

LinkOpensChest_wav ,
@LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Thank you.

anarchrist ,

Same. Alternatively, turn that guilt into the drive to attend community meetings.

LinkOpensChest_wav ,
@LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Yeah I'm pretty involved locally, although action is pretty limited here where I live in South Dakota

anarchrist ,

Bummer that sounds rough. I'm in New England so it's mostly nattering neoliberal nimbys 🙄

LinkOpensChest_wav ,
@LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Oh don't worry, we've got a lot of them here as well. I know a lot of good people too, but everyone is stretched so thin with work and trying to survive.

Sunforged ,

Buying a house was what pushed me from Bernie flavored socialist to full on leftist. We were lucky enough to find and qualify for a community land trust and it is such a better system than anything else in America. It should just be how housing is done available to everyone, not just people who qualify.

qjkxbmwvz ,

even though the bank technically owns this shit

Nah, they just have a substantial lien against the property :)

LinkOpensChest_wav ,
@LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Oh thank god that's all it is /s

catsarebadpeople ,

Well in China you could buy an apartment that should be built in a year but will never actually be built. That's how you know China is better than America.

sentient_loom ,
@sentient_loom@sh.itjust.works avatar

k

Infamousblt ,
@Infamousblt@hexbear.net avatar

735 ain't enough to buy a house in America in this economy

Assian_Candor ,
@Assian_Candor@hexbear.net avatar

It's not the 735 thats the problem it's the 5k a month mortgage

fuckwit_mcbumcrumble ,

Don't forget the minimum 20% down payment if you don't want to get your booty destroyed with interest.

Maoo ,
@Maoo@hexbear.net avatar

It's enough but you've gotta be ready to pay for a $1 million small bungalow, so $200k up front and a $4k/month mortgage.

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