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by eloisant 158 days ago
I can hear the argument that the Chinese government serves their people better than the US gov. Not necessarily agree with it but it's worth discussing.

However I don't know by what definition of democracy a country with a unique party, with so little freedom of press, can be considered as one.
2 comments
chithanh 157 days ago
A 1 party system can still be democratic in a way. Just participation in the policymaking works differently. In China this is feedback from the public and local committees.

Also that freedom of speech is very limited is correct, and there is extensive online censorship. But that doesn't mean the government ignores what people think. Almost all domestic government policies are broadly supported by the population. And when public opposition is strong then the government is known to delay implementation or change course.

Notable examples are Covid Zero, the K Visa, and the reclassification of drug use offenses.

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aaronbrethorst 156 days ago
'Look, democratic centralism has the word democratic right there in it. How can it NOT be democratic?'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_centralism

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chithanh 156 days ago
In China the participatory model works and citizens overwhelmingly approve of the outcomes (when it comes to domestic policy).

In US, which is a liberal democracy, you have outcomes like 20% satisfaction with Congress, yet >90% incumbent reelection rates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_stagnation_in_th...

I'm not saying everything is good and democratic in China and bad in the US, but the answer is a bit more nuanced than some people here like to think.

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dennis_jeeves2 158 days ago
>I can hear the argument that the Chinese government serves their people better than the US gov. Not necessarily agree with it but it's worth discussing.

Correct, as a general rule (true) slaves think more highly of their slave owners, compared to people about their politicians/leaders who were elected by them.

(what happens behind the scenes is this: the slaves/dissidents who are rebellious are killed off by the dictator - only the most ardent supporters survive)

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sleepybrett 157 days ago
Oh so like, what trump is attempting to do now by cutting programs to blue states and putting brown shirts on the streets to shoot anyone who disagrees in the face?
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