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Younger Americans are friendlier to China (www.economist.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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[–] 31 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I visit China frequently for work and feel that the impression most older Americans have of China is incredibly out of touch. The traditional media portrayal of the country is definitely a part of this. Yes, it's certainly an authoritarian state, but this doesn't change whether the people are nice or what they want in life.

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  • [+] 15 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)
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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Hot take. What's the eli5 behind the idea?

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  • [+] 11 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)
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  • [–] -5 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    the state maintains that this is a moral and legitimate use of force: that it has the authority to do this.

    I don't necessarily agree with "moral". In western democracies laws and use of force doesn't legitimize itself by a call to morality usually. Just using some kind of authority, doesn't make a government authoritarian by any common definition of the word.

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  • [–] -5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    It absolutely does imo, it legitimises itself through an appeal to an underlying moral framework.

    Yes, but very indirectly. We don't have a "moral police", but one that enforces laws which are, as you say, legitimized by the people as a sovereign.

    So you don't see police stopping people on "moral grounds" in some vague interpretation.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    What about abortion? Tracking if women are pregnant and hunting them down if then stop being pregnant.

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  • [–] -2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Usually codified by lawy not prosecuted as "immoral behaviour" as such. Although if you look at recent anti-abortion legislation in the US it is intentionally vague. That shifts some burden of interpretation to the executive branch and is a sign of authoritarianism I'd say.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    I've been once for work. Didn't have an issue with anyone there. I live in Australia now and a few of my friends are Chinese. In fact, I've had 2 Chinese really good friends / best friends

    None of them agree with the government at all

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