It's just hard, because I know the people I'm referring to are generally good, empathetic people who care about social justice. They just have unfortunately had their consent manufactured in favor of these pro-imperial/US talking points. They genuinely think there's a humanitarian crisis and that China is killing a minority. They simply just don't realize everywhere they're being informed by is steeping in anti-communist, right wing sources vying to create propaganda.
It's honestly so much easier dealing with a shitty reactionary than a liberal who simply doesn't recognize their own biases. And you trying to reveal said propaganda to them comes off as you being a heartless freak trying to justify some terrible act, no matter how legitimate your proof against said narrative is.
Like, what if I am wrong? Idk, sometimes it just feels like I must be, because I'm so outside the narrative. For instance, people trying to justify Israel's treatment of Palestine is complete BS to me, so isn't that how my defense of China sounds to said liberal? I just get worried sometimes that I'm the one brainwashed and on the wrong side of history. I don't want to be the bad guy, I'm just trying to do what I beleive to be right. But isn't that how every shitty side in history feels?
It is sad (and a good point) that the only thing people on both sides of the Liberal spectrum can agree on is "China bad, NK bad, etc."
I'd say the anti-AES propaganda is the strongest and most ingrained of all. In my formative years of learning about Marxism and socialism, I still held those beliefs that those countries were scary authoritarian places that turned their back on socialism. Why were they that way? I hadn't given it that much thought, just figured it was money, corruption, the usual things.
The book "Killing Hope" opened my eyes to it all, and Boy Boy's "The Haircut" was another thing that honesty made me feel like I was waking up from the Matrix or some shit. Just a totally different view that I had never been exposed to.
I'd say that's the biggest reason it's so well ingrained. Even the most well-meaning people are often never exposed to any sort of counter to the mainstream narratives. It's a given that these AES states are abusive just the same as the sky is blue. It's hard to fight that.
I searched for this and couldbn't find it, could you maybe link or explain?
https://youtu.be/2BO83Ig-E8E
Could have sworn it used to be titled just "The Haircut." But here it is.