[DiggyJohnson]

> I wouldn't conflate the two unless I was intentionally trying to shill for RU or CN.

This sounds like some "... assuming your not a Red ..." Cold War-era dialogue to me.

Is that really the best way of expressing your point about the differences between personal freedom and non-cooperation with US law.

[scoopertrooper]

OP's point was that Russia and China are objectively less free than America, but yet they are the centres for academic copyright infringement.

To suggest that China or Russia were in any way more free than America, would be intellectually dishonest and could only be explained someone acting as a shill.

I'm not from America and I am clear-eyed about its foibles, but being more free than either of the aforementioned countries is a pretty low bar to cross.