[s4vi0r]

You mean in a manner similar to the united states at the moment? :^)

China has some serious issues, but people acting like this is out of the norm is ridiculous. The US is afraid of Chinas rising influence/power and these sorts of articles attacking it are a common tactic.

Like, great - there's no explicit social credit system in the US on an app where you're barred from leaving the country because of who you're friends with. Instead, there's an implicit one where the NSA gets to spy on all your shit (similar to what happens in China), where you're arbitrarily put on a watch list or no-fly list (similar to China), and depending on your ethnicity and/or family you may get unjustly targeted by the state with no real way of defending yourself (again, similar to China).

I'd almost prefer it be done the Chinese way, because at least then the problem is obvious. As it is in the states, like half the country can't even fucking agree that maybe there might be a problem with women & minority rights, immigration, police brutality, etc.

[131012]

At least in the US you have constitutional rights and somewhat efficient check & balances to limit abuses.

On the other hand, I still agree that the phenomenon of rating people based on data is something that happens in the West too. Whenever you buy insurance, be assured that your whole life is scanned before you get a price.

[aplummer]

Look I totally agree the U.S and The West has plenty of problems that certainly to a degree match the Chinese issues. I could bang on about the prison industrial complex for hours.

However I think a key difference is that on your issues "women & minority rights, immigration, police brutality" there is actually a huge number of people who disagree with you. I know it's messed up and they are deluded or afraid etc. but the fact is they get to vote too and they would rather women be subjugated, the country be white, Mexicans are rapists. This is (subjectively) "bad people" and lawmakers using democratic institutions to create these systems and enact change, which is fundamentally different IMO.

[idoescompooters]

The US being "afraid of China's rising influence/power" is the perfect cocktail for war. All it needs is a 3rd party to ignite it... Let's hope we can work together.

[doanguyen]

Another word: The Thucydides Trap

[ameister14]

Yes, it's better to be obvious - so at least you know you're in for systematic torture by police in order to obtain a confession and everyone is SURE women and minorities don't deserve equal rights.

[chrisco255]

No in the U.S. a handful out of a million cops are bad apples. Some legitimately find themselves in difficult-to-interpret life-or-death snap decisions on a daily or weekly basis and they get paid 1/4 or less of what some privileged engineer on HN does. And then a few bad apples plus a few legitimate accidents are over-analyzed as some proof of systemic racism in one of the most diverse countries on earth.

Meanwhile, you want to talk about abuse of minority rights, take a look at China's treatment of its muslim population:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/world/asia/china-uighur-m... https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-uighur-m...

[s4vi0r]

ACAB.

The entire police system is inherently corrupt and racist and needs to be torn down. Also, regardless of whether or not its a few bad apples (hint: given how extremely fucking common these problems are, it absolutely is not just a few) the point still stands that the "not bad" cops are still guilty of supporting their coworkers and enabling their unacceptable behavior.

[dragonwriter]

> No in the U.S. a handful out of a million cops are bad apples

“One bad apple spoils the whole bunch”.

It may be a small number are directly-acting abusers of minorities.

A much larger number, however, are active defenders of that small number against any accountability.

[Mistletoe]

Ah that fresh whataboutism I’m always sure to see on any HN thread discussing Chinese human rights violations.