[IshKebab]

> FWIW, ridiculousness is in the eye of the beholder

Only sometimes. Implying that the American lockdown is the same as the Chinese one is obviously untrue.

If I call you ridiculous for thinking that Sweden is just as oppressive as North Korea you wouldn't say "well that's a matter of opinion" would you?(assuming you're not an idiot)

[A4ET8a8uTh0]

I don't disagree in an abstract, but the issue I have is with an argument that relies on 'obvious' as a flag. Not everything is obvious ( and most things could be argued ). In fact, some things may appear obvious only to be lost in the sea of nuance. This is the reason I object to arguing along the lines of obviousness. North Korea and Sweden are very different countries in just about every way I can think of. It would take a tremendous stretch of language ( and rather ignorant audience ) to convincingly argue that Sweden is just as oppressive. With America and China it is not as straightforward a comparison, because those countries do share some interesting characteristics so less of a stretch is needed.

The issue gets muddled, however because the word lockdown is discussed without any nuance attached to it. In US, it was challenged in courts and people ( clearly ) mostly did what they wanted to do ( that said, some businesses got fined heavily ) despite heavy media shaming, whereas in China lockdowns included stories ( among others ) of sealing off entire buildings without allowing their denizens for any way out. Despite the same word, those two approaches are very different in application ( edit: and results ).

[IshKebab]

Ok maybe I should have said "obvious if you have read anything at all about China's covid lockdowns". I think it was fair to assume that he had read at least something about them given his strong opinions on the matter.

[hellfish]

> Implying that the American lockdown is the same as the Chinese one

Wasn't what was said in my comment. It was about protests of the lockdowns and the govt/media response to said protests

Did you only skim read my comment before posting a one sentence reply?

[IshKebab]

Your comment relied on the premise that the lockdowns are equivalent. If they are not, why on earth would you expect the same reaction to protests about them??!