Americans don't Understand Chinese and Chinese don't Understand Americans

How would they know? State run TV, State censored internet, social monitoring, encouraged informants...
in China, you might think you are reading outside information but are really being fed fake outside information. Do you think this 'Clutchfans ' debate is reaching Mainlanders unabated? Or is the Clutchfans debate dominated by troll farms? For all anyone knows, Chinese Clutchfans might be 1000 posts in support of China and 0 posts in support of Mury and Hong Kong.

 

the dizzying height of ignorance, as evidenced by the inability to separate the people from the Govt

 

@rocketsjudoka

To preface this post, I have lived and worked in China and wrote my undergraduate thesis on the Chinese renminbi. Although I recognize that experience brings with it its own biases, I can speak to a different perspective as an American outsider that has experience dealing with China. Plain and simple, I disagree with the notion that has been expressed by the OP that mainland Chinese people are basically universally able to circumvent the Great Firewall and other forms of censorship. From the impoverished to the wealthy, I've seen firsthand how effective CCP censorship has been, and it's especially true with the lower classes. Brainwashed may be a strong word and not completely true, but I've found that Chinese people with political thought independent from the government's are the exception, not the rule. Xi Jinping's reign has brought about the wholesale erosion of civil liberties in China. In some ways, the country is more economically free than in the past; however, the country has never been less free from a social and cultural perspective. Jinping's government has cracked down on vocal dissent, churches, and minority groups. The Chinese government razes Christian churches and Muslim mosques in the middle of the night in major cities, sending them into hiding or worse. That's not even going into the widespread reeducation and persecution of the Uighurs. The government has increased its ability to monitor individuals to the point that not even foreigners are safe. When I advise colleagues traveling to China, I warn them to buy a burner phone and be prepared to wipe everything clean on a phone/computer when they get back. From an economic perspective, I have seen Chinese companies steal from US and European companies through forced transfer of intellectual property through the guise of joint ventures and "partnerships." Many of these companies had no chance. They see the Chinese market as a massive growth opportunity but are forced to bend to the will of the CCP just to enter the market. China is an imperialist, mercantilist economic engine that has left ruin in developing countries on the back of a wanton desire for economic growth, and it's only going to get worse. The Belt and Road Initiative is just the beginning.

China is the biggest threat to freedom worldwide. China has mastered the art of controlling its citizens, submitting them to a society that has grown in prosperity at the expense of basic freedoms and the marginalization of minority groups. On the surface, China appears wealthy, with gleaming cities and shiny new public infrastructure. The reality is massive inequality and a country stricken with poverty in the rural areas (that the government ignores), the persecution of religious and minority groups, and the mounting desire of the CCP to export their ability to censor to other dictatorships. China is misunderstood in that it holds a much longer-term view on things than the West, which is more likely to view things in terms of short-term gain. While the US positions itself for the next presidential race, China is thinking ahead to how it can gain more and more power. This is incredibly dangerous from a political and foreign policy perspective, and I don't see how we don't enter another cold war at minimum.

 

Actually I understand perfectly, but only American's have the rights to speak their minds - the Chinese have limited information as their government controls what they are allowed to see and read, and this causes them to be ill informed about how the rest of the world works.

The USA has problems but at least we are free to speak our minds, and yes, that can mean we have a bunch of IDIOTS who elect a con man as President, but that is our system.

Freedom comes at a price.....

The Chinese are great people - their government sucks.

DD

 

That's a strong take, would u be interested in hearing a different perspective? (It may sound offensive.)

 

Why do you keep posting these absurd imaginations? Have you ever been to China?

 

What OP are you talking about... some other thread? None of those descriptions seem to fit the thoughtful post that started this thread.

 

If people stop thinking about China as a communist state but more as an imperial dynasty, things will be much easier to understand.

 

@WNBA Still waiting on you to exercise your freedom of speech. Go ahead. Call Xi the worst thing that you're comfortable with. Doesn't even have to be pig head or grade school doctorate or pork bun. Anything negative is fine. How about Xi Jinping is Winnie the Pooh? Surely that's innocuous. If people in China are free to read and say anything as you say, surely you have nothing to be afraid of in the land of the free and the home of the brave? I'm waiting.

 

I am pretty sure that you do not know much of China. All your conclusions on China are told by your mainstream media like CNN. It is an exhibit that your very own USA government is controlling what you see, what you speak and what you think....

Think about it if you still can, how could Chinese government control 150 million people who travel to foreign countries each year? think that number for a minute. They let that many people go outside and somehow control what they see and hear, in foreign country?? How do they control half a million students who are going abroad at very young age and learning the stuff and values that you teach? How do they control the minds of 35 million Chinese who have been living in other countries for 10 or 20 or 100 years? There is no way. The narrative of 'Chinese have limited information' is your media's technique to mute or downplay the opinions from Chinese people...hmm...the exact way that your government is controlling your information on China.

 

Really well said, and it matches my own experiences in China.

 

Because this is a message board for free thought, musing and discussion for entertainment purposes. It's not an academic paper or official doctrine of anything. It has no significance or influence, no requirements, no required justification.

Are you mad because you are wasting your time here? Are you not entertained?

 

You all do not understand China, Chinese people have lots of freedom to speak, but bad Xi leaders do not listen. You can say whatever you want, but you can not get rid of Xi without a military action, which is almost impossible to remove him. If you replace Xi with Trump, China will become even bad.

Hong Kong is the part of China, it has nothing to do with a freedom to speak.

 

I hope you don't get arrested for saying that. You're not in China are you? Don't you know, Xi listens to everyone. All the time.

How dare you speak as though Xi was a human with flaws! -1000 sesame credits! No train for you! Or your family! To the prison for organ donations and reeducation!

 

Why are China Mobile / China Unicom / China Telecom on international roaming still subject to GFW? Why are mobile Wi-Fi hot spots for rental prior to leaving China still subject to GFW? Why are they heavily subsidized so that they're dirt cheap? What is your government afraid of?

 

I've left China since last century. Why would I call Xi the worst thing when he has nothing related with me? From outside view and my visit to China, people seem positive toward him. Calling irrelevant people names is not my thing, but Xi does look like Winnie the Pooh. I was a fan of his wife who performed frequently on TV in army uniforms since her early 20s..... A gorgeous lady. I am still listening to her songs when I drive.

now, the worst things in my mind are Bush, Trump and CNN, == war criminal, nazi with mental illness, and war propaganda machine. I do have facts to support it.

 

Now I'm going to have to google Comrade's Xi's wife when she was young.

 

is it relevant to my questions: How could China control 150 million people's mind who are travelling abroad each year? How could China control teenage kids who are educated by western schools?

If google did not help the terrorists organized the attack that killed 200 people in one night, Google should be still in China.

wait, you think you do not have GFW in your google, facebook or tweeter??

my government is US government now. My government is afraid of people getting information that USA is actually not that great....

 

This is required reading right here. Hustletown is definitely not bought and paid for by the ChiCom.

 

What can kids do against an oppressive totalitarian regime that they are inclined to accept because it fits their own self identity as being part of the great Chinese nation? These teens are not likely to rebel and if they do going home will be difficult.