Not just here, but also on reddit and other social media.

Sure, there is a propaganda war brewing wherein a lot of Western media are pushing exaggerated narratives, Adrian Zenz is a theological dope of an academic, and the CIA has a vested interest in accelerating conflict, etc. but surely there's got to be room to also address the shortcomings of China as well? Whether it's about LGBTQ+ issues, or the exploits of Chinese capitalism, or being able to criticize or make fun of Xi, I see posts here routinely and systemically brigaded and comments downvoted to oblivion that even sniff at criticism of China.

I consider myself a free agent, and China's meteoric rise gives me some hope for a brighter tomorrow (in contrast to the US), but this blatant campaign of social media manipulation gives me pause for concern. It just screams insecurity and makes me not trust what feels like a counter-propaganda narrative. (Mods, please never get rid of the downvote counter.)

Anyway, here's hoping for a brighter future, but please let ideas breathe.

Thanks for listening.

  • GrouchoMarxist [comrade/them,use name]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I agree with all this, and sorry I wasn't trying to claim that you need to be critical of multiple countries to have a good faith discussion.

    But I do think it is incredibly apparent when someone is having a good faith, scientific-socialism-driven discussion, vs someone wishing to tear down China and using scientific socialism as an excuse to do so. I'm receptive to the first example, and shut down the second on sight.

    Seeing how OP brought up China's influence on Disney as a shield for their views, they clearly fall into that second category, and I'm not gonna play nice and let it happen. For me it's more about someone reading the conversation after the fact and what they walk away with. If we allow bad faith discussions to occur because we are afraid of killing good faith ones, we are gonna get a lot of 'leftists' with very warped views and warped justifications for those views.

    It's a tough nuance to hit, but I want to see us do it properly, and not just sit back and allow bad faith bullshit to fester in our spaces

    • Abraxiel
      ·
      4 years ago

      I also agree that this thread is framed very poorly and aggressively if it is in fact trying to address this difficult issue. I just finally felt able to organize my thoughts on this meta-discussion.

      I've seen good threads on here about specific criticisms of the Soviet Union that ended with a richer understanding of the situation, fewer on China. Ratcheting tensions and a living, contemporaneous state definitely make things more difficult. I hope we can continue to cultivate a healthy culture here that enables considered and constructive discussion while expediently dispelling common misconceptions or deliberate misrepresentations.