
In 1850, America was like China today - charzom
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/08/26/a_nation_of_outlaws/?page=full
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alex_c
I learned this in my History of Technology course a few years back... Ever
since I've been very amused by the outrage over China's disrespect for
"intellectual property" on sites like Slashdot.

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patrickg-zill
really? They had forced abortions and internal passports that dictated where
in the country you could live? And the US government ran tanks over people who
protested?

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nostrademons
Nope. They gave you smallpox-infested blankets, made you walk thousands of
miles to the reservation, and massacred you if you resisted.

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giardini
These things _did_ occur, but they are not the cause of the demise of the
Native American.

The mere _arrival_ of Europeans, who carried diseases to which Native
Americans were not immune, doomed them. These diseases were rapidly spread to
any who traded with Europeans and thence to the innermost regions of North
(and South) America. Most Native Americans died of transmitted European
diseases long before they had any any opportunity to glimpse a "white man".

The Native Americans were so decimated by the time of the massacres and
reservations that entire tribes had to migrate and merge, losing their unique
identities, in order to merely survive.

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kingnothing
America was communist in the 19th century?

I learn something new every day.

~~~
nostrademons
China is communist today?

I learn something new every day.

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kingnothing
According to the CIA factbook, China is a communist state.

[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/...](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/ch.html#Govt)

~~~
nostrademons
That entry is under "Government Type", not under "Economy". The relevant
passage from the Economy section is "China's economy during the last quarter
century has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to
international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly
growing private sector and is a major player in the global economy."

This may be confusing, because communism is both a political and an economic
system. China could best be described as a one-party communist _state_ with a
free-market capitalist _economy_. However, the article is the economy, not the
government. These complaints wouldn't be an issue if China was really
Communist - the recent uproar has been about a _lack_ of government regulation
in product manufacturer, while a truly communist government would manufacturer
all the goods itself.

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rms
Don't forget that the Chinese government has a minority stake in many major
Chinese companies. This is a kind of partial communism, at least.

~~~
nostrademons
So does Warren Buffett, but you wouldn't claim that the Chinese economy is
partial Buffettism, eh? ;-)

~~~
rms
I think it would only be Buffettism if Warren Buffett was one of the Chinese
oligarchs...

