[Danukem]

These guys (of The China Show YT channel) lived in China for 10 years and still have many friends and contacts there, they have a lot of insights into what is going on. I watched their cast live yesterday but it's still relevant and informative:



I worry for the protesters. They may think there is safety in numbers, and while it's true that the government won't swoop in and make them all disappear en masse, that doesn't mean that they won't pay a high price over time. I think they know that they are at grave risk but that the situation has gotten so bad they feel they have little to lose. I honestly don't know what western peoples and governments can or should do to support them, other than to spread truth to anyone who will listen.

[formerlyTodd]

I will readily admit to not knowing all the ramifications of what Apple did, but maybe more of us western consumers can respond with our wallets (or specifically the lack thereof):

https://apple.slashd...spread-protests

Just .00002.

[Danukem]

Vagan, on 28 November 2022 - 10:37 AM, said:

I will readily admit to not knowing all the ramifications of what Apple did, but maybe more of us western consumers can respond with our wallets (or specifically the lack thereof):

https://apple.slashd...spread-protests

Just .00002.

I'm not defending Apple, because I don't know the facts about that specific case, but I do know that the Chinese communist party tries to maintain a constant stranglehold on the flow of information to and between people on the mainland. They may have told Apple that they had to change the app or that it would be completely banned. I suspect that kind of stuff goes on all the time and it's only occasonally that we hear about it.

EDIT: In case it's not clear, what I'm saying is I see no reason to single out Apple. If we are going to boycott western companies, why not boycott any of them that do business in China. But good luck with that...

[formerlyTodd]

+1 (can't upvote so doing it the hard way, haha!)

Edit: completely unrelated, but let me take the chance to thank you for DukePlus.

[Danukem]

The more I learn about what is going on in China, the more I conclude that the people don't have a chance. The CCP has the ability to track everyone's movements all the time using their phones (this ability was enhanced under the pretext of covid tracking). They don't have to run over them with tanks like they did in Tiananmen Square. Officials can track who was at protests and then quietly visit them at their homes later, safe from outside scrutiny. Smartphones have become an invaluable tool of oppression. The government can signal phones to make their QR codes go red, meaning the red flagged citizen must report for quarantine immediately and will not be able to get on a train or do anything that requires ID or using the phone. The government uses massive covid quarantine prisons (which they have continued to build more of in 2022) to punish anyone who gets out of line, in addition to potentailly beating them or making them disappear entirely. Citizens even have to pay out of pocket for their own incarceration, so there is no incentive for the government to stop doing it.

[Hank]

A little positive news about it

China eases anti-COVID measures following protests
https://www.bnnbloom...tests-1.1856046
from the article:
China rolled back rules on isolating people with COVID-19 and dropped virus test requirements for some public places Wednesday in a dramatic change to a strategy that confined millions of people to their homes and sparked protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign.

The move adds to earlier easing that fueled hopes Beijing was scrapping its “zero COVID” strategy, which is disrupting manufacturing and global trade.