Why does it have to be a binary? It's possible to have freedom of speech and a well run nation. In fact, of China are doing as well as you all seem to think, they have nothing to worry about with criticism or mockery since they can point at their record to disprove it.
Do you think China proving its accomplishments will make the CIA leave? Will building another hospital make the Falun Gong stop accepting money from foreign intelligence? Is this simply a question of winning hearts or is this a country trying to defend itself?
Does a country benefit from having a free press that makes shit up and acts as a vector for hostile foreign governments?
Because you just now framed it as me framing it as one? I'm just pointing out that the right to criticize is A) sometying they have in China and B) Not actually a useful tool for making change on it's own. We can complain all we want here about how our kids are hungry, but start actually feeding them, start taking real action and improving the lives of the impoverished, and the feds will straight up kill you like they did Hampton. In America, our "right to free speech" is a consolation prize for living in a giant human blender, and we are raised to think that the right to complain ineffectually about the blender is just as good as not living in one.
Why does it have to be a binary? It's possible to have freedom of speech and a well run nation. In fact, of China are doing as well as you all seem to think, they have nothing to worry about with criticism or mockery since they can point at their record to disprove it.
Do you think China proving its accomplishments will make the CIA leave? Will building another hospital make the Falun Gong stop accepting money from foreign intelligence? Is this simply a question of winning hearts or is this a country trying to defend itself?
Does a country benefit from having a free press that makes shit up and acts as a vector for hostile foreign governments?
Because you just now framed it as me framing it as one? I'm just pointing out that the right to criticize is A) sometying they have in China and B) Not actually a useful tool for making change on it's own. We can complain all we want here about how our kids are hungry, but start actually feeding them, start taking real action and improving the lives of the impoverished, and the feds will straight up kill you like they did Hampton. In America, our "right to free speech" is a consolation prize for living in a giant human blender, and we are raised to think that the right to complain ineffectually about the blender is just as good as not living in one.