I personally find that line of defense amusing. In order to discuss trend, one should be able to establish a baseline. In this case, other countries ( and respective factors mentioned by parent including corruption ) must be compared in order to draw a conclusion as to whether that statement is even true. Otherwise, it is just a claim.
Still, I am not here to defend China. Tell me how China is that much more unique than say.. Russia ( which one could argue has similar problems with factors listed )?
> In this case, other countries ( and respective factors mentioned by parent including corruption ) must be compared in order to draw a conclusion as to whether that statement is even true.
I disagree. Mentioning other countries is only relevant as a comparison, but the statement itself is standalone as far as determining whether it's true or not. Sure, we can argue about the degrees of corruption, and some of the subjective claims in my statement such as "deeply" and "any", but I think anyone would be hard pressed to argue that these issues are _not_ true.
> Tell me how China is that much more unique than say.. Russia
Like I said, the combination of these factors is unique to China. By comparison, Russia is not experiencing the economic growth that China has seen in recent decades, and is not set to become the next biggest superpower. Its culture is also far less xenophobic, and there's more regard for the environment and human life.
Again, we can argue about the subjectiveness of "more" or "less" here, link to articles and studies that "prove" each side, but since the topic isn't about Russia, mentioning other countries simply muddles the discussion. This is a common tactic used by Chinese apologists, and is hardly ever productive, but serves their goal of taking the focus away from China, and minimizing the issues that should be discussed.
<<I disagree. Mentioning other countries is only relevant as a comparison, but the statement itself is standalone as far as determining whether it's true or not. Sure, we can argue about the degrees of corruption, and some of the subjective claims in my statement such as "deeply" and "any", but I think anyone would be hard pressed to argue that these issues are _not_ true.
Hah. Good counter. Even with Xi, who effectively rose to power on very public anti-corruption measures, it is virtually impossible to point to any country that has no corruption. I am certain corruption exists. Some habits die hard. And I base it more on my understanding of human nature than anything else.
<< Like I said, the combination of these factors is unique to China.
I accept the ascendancy to 1st world power status as the differentiating factor, which would make it unique enough. With regards to xenophobia and 'regard for human life', I am pretty sure I could point to counters ( including Ukraine, Chechnya, Russian famine, or xenophobia embedded in nationalism[1].. ).
<< This is a common tactic used by Chinese apologists
I agree that whataboutism is a thing and it is being used by troll farms across the globe. I still think that it is difficult to discuss anything without understanding how that something compares to other comparable things. If anything, I posit that not discussing the entirety of the issue including context is a disservice to the reader.
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Thank you for this conversation. This is basically why I come to HN.
Still, I am not here to defend China. Tell me how China is that much more unique than say.. Russia ( which one could argue has similar problems with factors listed )?