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BenJepheneT
BenJepheneT
I'm just wondering: how far will the protest go.

I'm not commending the protesters. They're doing what their doing for a good cause and a better future.

But once the first petroleum bomb hits the floor, I'm starting to think if things are looking a bit different here.
BenJepheneT
BenJepheneT
Police brutality is still ongoing, of course. But looking at the news and the live reports, they look more like fights of survival than actual beatings.

I don't recall the police being the one setting a man on fire in recent news.
BenJepheneT
BenJepheneT
The protesters beat up shops, block trains, shut down airports; all in the name of democracy. And anyone who says otherwise is the enemy of the state.

I'm not saying what their doing is terrible and worthy of a kayak trip down Hell's river of lava. I'm just saying.
BenJepheneT
BenJepheneT
Right now, it's the grayest situation I've ever seen. If the protests stop, China will have their way and whatever bad that can happen will happen. But seeing the state of the country right now...

I don't really know anymore.
BenJepheneT
BenJepheneT
I realise I forgot to mention the 18 year old who got a full frontal blast of plastic slugs. Of course, that's worthy to note.

But if you were the cop and you got a maniac flailing his bludgeon of justice at you and you have a gun in your hand, I wouldn't think any of us would do any different.
Yorda
Yorda
I would never want to be a police officer of an authoritarian state. The Chinese government just wants more control, but I think there is a scary line where excessive control dehumanizes the citizens who have lost their agency. They would no longer be human beings; they would merely be functional elements of society forced to stay in line and not speak their opinions. Chinese censorship is notoriety legend.
Yorda
Yorda
I accidentally, edited over my previous comment ... woe.
Yorda
Yorda
I just wanted to say that growing up in a free country makes me sympathize with the pro-democracy protesters. If a plutocratic authoritarian government wanted to take away my freedoms and censor me forever I would probably freak out too. The riots seem like a natural result. There is no balance in this interplay between government and citizens. It's pure elitist domination.
Yorda
Yorda
Thomas Hobbes wrote the Leviathan. The content was a treatise on why people give up agency/freedom to governments. Essentially it is something like a trade of freedom for safety and order, but authoritarian governments that seek to expand their control seem like a broken positive feedback loop. The lack of balance makes it no longer a trade deal; it's extortion where the citizens get the bad bargain.
Yorda
Yorda
Not just authoritarian governments use propaganda, pretty much all governments use propaganda to sway public opinion. Since it is known worldwide that China, which is basically the censorship and propaganda behemoth of our planet, skews facts sometimes, I feel the need to be discerning when I hear their take on the horrible protesters and righteous government.
Nahrenne
Nahrenne
It kind of reminds me of when the miners in the UK started riots and marches in protest to the coal mines being shut down. It was chaos, both sides got quite violent...

[...to be continued in next few posts]

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Nahrenne
Nahrenne
I'm not saying the two situations are the same, but I see similarities:
The government decided something without taking into account the people it affected.
The people to be affected rose up in defiance to put their point across.
Lots of protests and marches were held, which escalated into violence.

[tbc]

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Nahrenne
Nahrenne
This is where I think the similarities will end...

In the case of the miners, the government established negotiations with them and ended things in a somewhat amicable way - with new benefits and payouts set up for those financially affected by the closing of the mines.

[tbc]

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