So many people around me think China eats babies or sth
Like, seriously, everyone around me, be it irl friends as well as online leftist friends seem to think China is evil to the core and genocides muslims for fun
And I‘m a bit torn, I think there’s a lot of anti-China propaganda but I also struggle to believe that it’s as great as Chapo says it is
What do you guys think about them banning sites like twitter and youtube, for example? What’s the purpose of that if not censorship? Am I missing sth?
Gonna grab from a previous comment regarding the Great Firewall which is what you're referring to:
The Great Firewall is actually pretty good, ngl. Ideally ofc, censorship shouldn’t occur at all, but given China’s main geopolitical and ideological rival has a virtual monopoly on information, I understand why it exists. It helps filter out the bullshit propaganda that we get fed here in the West, and helps develop Chinese internet services, like Weibo, to rival US ones, like Facebook. Additionally, you can bypass it pretty easily. Just get a VPN. Chinese citizens know this, and those who are bothered enough, mainly the younger generations, will get one. I have heard that the analogy that the crime of using a VPN to bypass the Firewall is like the crime of jaywalking - pretty much accepted.
Adding to the above, having widespread access to Western-dominated social media platforms, especially in countries that are official enemies of the US, makes it easier to propagandise, organise and ferment dissent. Examples include the coup against Morales in Bolivia (BadEmpanadas video on the matter is good), the entirety of the Arab Spring, the recent Hong Kong riots, among others.
So many people around me think China eats babies or sth
Like, seriously, everyone around me, be it irl friends as well as online leftist friends seem to think China is evil to the core and genocides muslims for fun
And I‘m a bit torn, I think there’s a lot of anti-China propaganda but I also struggle to believe that it’s as great as Chapo says it is
What do you guys think about them banning sites like twitter and youtube, for example? What’s the purpose of that if not censorship? Am I missing sth?
deleted by creator
Gonna grab from a previous comment regarding the Great Firewall which is what you're referring to:
The Great Firewall is actually pretty good, ngl. Ideally ofc, censorship shouldn’t occur at all, but given China’s main geopolitical and ideological rival has a virtual monopoly on information, I understand why it exists. It helps filter out the bullshit propaganda that we get fed here in the West, and helps develop Chinese internet services, like Weibo, to rival US ones, like Facebook. Additionally, you can bypass it pretty easily. Just get a VPN. Chinese citizens know this, and those who are bothered enough, mainly the younger generations, will get one. I have heard that the analogy that the crime of using a VPN to bypass the Firewall is like the crime of jaywalking - pretty much accepted.
Adding to the above, having widespread access to Western-dominated social media platforms, especially in countries that are official enemies of the US, makes it easier to propagandise, organise and ferment dissent. Examples include the coup against Morales in Bolivia (BadEmpanadas video on the matter is good), the entirety of the Arab Spring, the recent Hong Kong riots, among others.