[partialrecall]

> "When the US took over Puerto Rico, kids there damn well learned English, the American history, the national anthem, and the star spangled banner in school. Do you call that assimilation?"

If that's not assimilation, then I have no clue what the term means.

> "Or is that OK because it's the US that did it? "

If your argument relies on all Americans being hypocritical sycophants of the American government, it's a bad argument. Criticism of America is mainstream in America. One can be American and be critical of the American government, just as one can be Chinese and be critical of the Chinese government. In fact there is ample reason for both to be critical of both.

[UIZealot]

Call it assimilation if you want. My point is that it's what all governments will do under the situation. The fact that China did not push through national education forcibly shows that it's willing to forgo even that minimum amount of "assimilation". It has actually been a model of hands-off administration.

EDIT: Actually do not call it assimilation. Learning Mandarin as a shared language does not mean eradicating Cantonese, and most Hongkongers are ethnic Chinese and share much of the same culture, there's nothing to assimilate.

[manhuntingoyu]

No. That is the exact definition of assimilation.

Wiki: Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a dominant group[1] or assume the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group.

[UIZealot]

No it is not assimilation. See my edit.

[banabr]

> Mandarin as a shared language does not mean eradicating Cantonese

Mandarin is a dialect, just like Cantonese.

China has been actively trying to eradicate Cantonese but mainly backfired. In Guangdong, no less.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou_Television_Cantone...

So yes, it is assimilation when you force your dialect on others.

> most Hongkongers are ethnic Chinese and share much of the same cultuRe

I beg to differ. Mao destroyed a lot of cultural relics during the Cultural Revolution. Things that used to be wide spread such as idol worshiping is no longer seen in China and only in Hong Kong. Hong Kong resembles more of the traditional China culture than China does today.

[UIZealot]

An attempt to deemphasize Cantonese in Guangdong does not constitute eradication.

Mandarin in Hong Kong as far as I know would've been strictly in addition to, not instead of Cantonese, much like learning English in Quebec.

So again, not assimilation.

> Mao destroyed a lot of cultural relics during the Cultural Revolution.

The relics may have been destroyed, but (most of) the people lived, some still living. Culture doesn't die with the relics, it lives with the people.

> Things that used to be wide spread such as idol worshiping is no longer seen in China

It's certainly less wide spread now, especially in big cities. But it's still common in small towns and villages. Dive deeper next time you visit China.

[manhuntingyou]

> The relics may have been destroyed, but (most of) the people lived, some still living. Culture doesn't die with the relics, it lives with the people.

I would have to disagree with this. Those people are in their 70s now. And without relics, there is no anchor for cultural values.

Cambodia did the same thing and it has been a disaster to their culture.

The destruction of the relics was on purpose. Hence “cultural” revolution.

> its stated goal was to preserve 'true' Communist ideology in the country by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, and to re-impose Mao Zedong Thought as the dominant ideology within the Party

It was a deliberate attack on Chinese culture to solidify Maos power.

Your statement sounds too much like marketing speak without any substance. I think I heard it before. Oh yeah: Thor Ragnorak. It is low effort.

[partialrecall]

Oh yeah, the Chinese government is the model of restraint.

Give me a break dude. Are you free to criticize your government or not? I freely criticize mine, and you should do the same.

[UIZealot]

The Chinese government certainly has a lot to improve when it comes to how it governs the people of mainland China.

But we are talking about Hong Kong here. And it has been a model of restraint here, if you are being honest with yourself.

[bsznjyewgd]

We are talking about the same Hong Kong in which sellers of questionable books were disappeared to the mainland, apparently without the knowledge of the HK government.

[banabr]

If it is a model of restraint, what would be your definition of unrestrained. It seems like you would have a different way of handling the situation? Would love to hear it.