China jails University of Minnesota student over tweets mocking President Xi Jinping

[captaincranky]

Oh come on, you think Techspot is allowed through the great firewall of China?

Maybe it isn't, but paranoia is just so magical... ""cogito ergo I sum they're out to get me".

 

[Bao Nguyen]

But I have been. I know first hand what it's like in China, and I'll tell you the United States is a greatly better country to live in, by a far margin.

Population has nothing to do with this issue. You're not sidestepping to shift the focus of context.

Fixed. Freedom of speech and expression is a universal human right suppressed by a government with no sense of justice, only a sense of tyranny.

When I left China and came home I had a great respect for the Chinese people. I had ZERO respect for their government.

Oh, the Chinese people do have their own version of Freedom of Speech alright? It just happens to not include criticising the government at all, considering China is a communist regime after all. Sure it's hard to have any respect for the China government but it hardly a surprise as what did happen to the Chinese student. Also, population has to do with everything.

Then read this, if our late night comics were in China, they'd all have been executed by now, Steven Colbert in particular.

I can read as well, but yet, I don't feel like reading the excuses, justifications, and general lackadaisical apathy and acceptance, you exhibit toward tyranny.

Why do you present your opinion so positively toward China's Communist regime? Is it because you're afraid they're reading your posts?

I don't think my opinion on the China government is either too positive or negative. I do think they did a really good job getting where they are today, I think that it's not easy, they must have done something right. May be it's you who have such an extreme view about them that you voiced your opinion your way even though you're neither Chinese or live in China yourself, may be you're just an average American who think the World evolve around them, who know.

 

[captaincranky]

I don't think my opinion on the China government is either too positive or negative. I do think they did a really good job getting where they are today, I think that it's not easy, they must have done something right. May be it's you who have such an extreme view about them that you voiced your opinion your way even though you're neither Chinese or live in China yourself, may be you're just an average American who think the World evolve around them, who knows

Well, a great portion of the progress you speak of, comes from hijacking the world's intellectual property, and paying dirt wages to their workers.

I will say that's typical of "industrial revolutions" in general, and it was true of America's industrial revolution as well.

We don't though, nor do I ever recall us having to put up "suicide nets", around workers dormitories.

Although thousands died while digging the Panama Canal. Most of those losses of life though, were attributable to disease. (Mostly due to yellow fever, IIRC) I'm not sure if that's an apples to oranges comparison, since semiconductor fabs are tightly climate controlled. Just one stinking mosquito could ruin an entire wafer.

The Chinese do get full credit for inventing gunpowder, and look how well that turned out..

Considering the US Constitution was ratified in 1788, including the "Bill of Rights", I'd still insist that China has a lot of catching up to do in the civil liberties department.

 

[ZedRM]

Oh, the Chinese people do have their own version of Freedom of Speech alright?

No they don't. I lived there. Freedom of speech does not exist.

It just happens to not include criticizing the government at all, considering China is a communist regime after all.

Exactly.

 

[Bao Nguyen]

Well, a great portion of the progress you speak of, comes from hijacking the world's intellectual property, and paying dirt wages to their workers.

I will say that's typical of "industrial revolutions" in general, and it was true of America's industrial revolution as well.

We don't though, nor do I ever recall us having to put up "suicide nets", around workers dormitories.

Although thousands died while digging the Panama Canal. Most of those losses of life though, were attributable to disease. (Mostly due to yellow fever, IIRC) I'm not sure if that's an apples to oranges comparison, since semiconductor fabs are tightly climate controlled. Just one stinking mosquito could ruin an entire wafer.

The Chinese do get full credit for inventing gunpowder, and look how well that turned out..

Considering the US Constitution was ratified in 1788, including the "Bill of Rights", I'd still insist that China has a lot of catching up to do in the civil liberties department.

Because the US turned out great, does not mean that that's the only way there is to reach prosperity. The average Chinese citizens do aware that's there's something fishy about their government, as well as the average American citizens should be as well. But the system is working well for them, why should they even need to "catch up" to whatever for? May be they just need to keep going and one day grow out of the US influences and do things completely their way. I don't see why not since they've already had the technology to reach the Moon's far side, they have their own CPUs, their own OS, their own Facebook, their own Google, etc.

 

[Eldritch]

Oh come on, you think Techspot is allowed through the great firewall of China?

Twitter is blocked but look what happened.....

Also, Techspot is not blocked in China. Yet.

 

[ZedRM]

Also, Techspot is not blocked in China. Yet.

While I was there it was. A number of tech sites were. Not all, but many.

 

[Eldritch]

While I was there it was. A number of tech sites were. Not all, but many.

It is unblocked as of now. Please feel free to check at https://www.comparitech.com/privacy-security-tools/blockedinchina/

 

[mattferg]

"When in Rome do as the Romans do".

I'm an American citizen.

I lived in shanghai China whilst a student in Fu Dan University.

Before I got my visa, I was told under no circumstances: to bring illegal drugs, to practice Fa Lun Gong or to criticize the Chinese government.

I obeyed the rules.

I made it back with no issues.

I would go back again.



Unlike America, most Asian/ East Asian countries do not have a bill of rights, or support the 1st amendment (or many of the others either). But, I typically never fear for my life from Chinese/Asian police or their government - not in the way I do here in America. Most of them don't even have guns to be able to shoot me claiming they thought my cellphone, wallet or 3 Muskateers bar was a "weapon".

Here in America, we've got people and even sitting congressmen trying to make a case for murdering American citizens on foreign soil who are "paling around with terrorists".

When I go to Thailand annually I know not to talk bad about the royal family.
When I go to Philippines annually, I know not to criticize Duterte.

If you aren't going to obey the rules...stay home.

Now - in this case, Luo was arrested when he returned to China.

If you know you reside in a place that will punish you for going abroad and "doing something"... don't do it.

"When in Rome do as the Romans do"

In the US you're allowed to criticise leaders on Twitter. He resides in the US but is from China. If you went to Amsterdam, smoked weed and came back to the US, would you expect the US (non-legalised states) to arrest you for doing this?

 

[ZedRM]

It is unblocked as of now. Please feel free to check at https://www.comparitech.com/privacy-security-tools/blockedinchina/

Fair enough. That has changed since I was there but the fact that such censorship exists is a testiment to the very nature of China's government.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

"When in Rome do as the Romans do"

In the US you're allowed to criticise leaders on Twitter. He resides in the US but is from China. If you went to Amsterdam, smoked weed and came back to the US, would you expect the US (non-legalised states) to arrest you for doing this?

China has no 1st Amendment.

Case closed.

 

[Danny101]

The Chinese government is deathly afraid of it's people. That's why they surveil and come down hard on anyone that gets out of line. 1.5 billion? Could you imagine if those people were to rebel?

 

[ZedRM]

Could you imagine if those people were to rebel?

Oh go on, go put that idea in their minds, it's exactly what Chinese government is afraid of.

 

[Squid Surprise]

The Chinese government is deathly afraid of it's people. That's why they surveil and come down hard on anyone that gets out of line. 1.5 billion? Could you imagine if those people were to rebel?

They tried.....Tiananmen square... they got massacred... one of the other perks of technology - a few can defeat many...

 

[Danny101]

They tried.....Tiananmen square... they got massacred... one of the other perks of technology - a few can defeat many...

That's true. But it was too few, mostly students, to make a difference. The elder population was still passive.