In a statement, Access Now says it was “told that diplomats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were putting pressure on the Government of Zambia because Taiwanese civil society participants were planning to join us in person.”
In a statement, Access Now says it was “told that diplomats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were putting pressure on the Government of Zambia because Taiwanese civil society participants were planning to join us in person.”
At some point we’ll be talking about the US military actions to “protect Taiwan”. I just want you to remember this comment when that happens.
Like, whatever you think about China, it really doesn’t matter. These stories are only here to serve as a means to manufacture consent for US actions in the future.
It’s for more war. Just like Iran. Just keep that in mind as we push further into the next world war. No one writing articles like this cares about the “digital rights conference” and you don’t either.
If you cared about “digital rights” or any “rights” you’d be refusing to go to work until the genocidal pedophiles in your own government were brought to justice. You don’t care.
Looks at instance
.ml
Yeah checks out
$1.6 Billion of our tax dollars spent on an influence campaign. https://www.congress.gov/index.php/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7476/text But sure, its a .ml conspiracy /s
I sure hope you were paid to read that, because why else would you waste your time following a 700 page bill that hasn’t been passed yet? At a glance it isn’t about astroturfing, it’s about sanctioning and charging melign actors as criminals, plus a whole ton of stuff from monetary policy to IP protections. It’s basically outlining the entire geopolitical strategy towards China, which is probably why it’s spent over a year being bounced around 20 different subcommittees.
Idk where you got that price tag seeing as the link you provided contains no budgeting information, but you should ask your handler if that figure is for the entire bill, or for an “influence campaign” specifically. While you wait to hear back from them for that talking point, would you mind showing me where in the bill this influence campaign is outlined?
“Knowing your politics means you’re paid to do so”
Unfathomably uneducated take
That’s so true almighty knower of politics. Please show me where your knowledge comes from in the above link. You’ll find the document is organised into many numbered and lettered sections, so just let me know which section supports this guys unfounded assertion about a $1.6 billion budget for an “influence campaign”.
I’m not USian, I don’t give a shit about the authenticity, I’m just laughing at your attitude
See now that’s a lie, because you implied that guy knows his politics, which is a positive claim that turns on the authenticity of his claim. Now you’re running away from it because it’s increasingly clear he doesn’t know shit and you look like a sock for defending him.
Maybe you should change your original comment to “spreading lies about politics means you’re paid to do so” which isn’t really what I said either, but would at least be close enough to avoid looking completely illiterate.
Took me shorter to find a source than to write a bullshit comment like yours.
Got owned
Looks at instance
.ml
Yeah checks out
I don’t think the “.ml so wrong” NPCs realize that their just doing free promotion for Marxist when that’s their only response to comments over and over. They’re not saying anything. They’re just relying on others, that already fall for Imperialist propaganda, to continue to believe lies.
It’s what prompted me to start reading here. And .ml is more informed than the biggest instances of Lemmy, combined.
Caring about stuff isn’t a binary, it doesn’t hinge on whatever insane purity test you think it does.
You can care about things. But, honestly, when you read an article do you never ask yourself “why am I reading about this and who wants me to think this important?”
Like, let’s not use China. A lot of people have a hard time with it. Take for example “trans woman in sports”. The conservative brain might be very concerned about this. Why? Do they play sports? Have they even met a trans person? No. But they are told that this is a very important thing. They convince themselves that it’s important to their lives.
Now, you (I hope) and I know these types of stories are just forms of manufacturing outrage to direct blame away from the real problems with American society.
That’s what I’m talking about in my initial comment. It’s just not Trans kids in sports. It’s some thing China is doing related to their relations with Taiwan.
Now, the problem is, you don’t think “why am I reading about this? Who wants me to care about this?”
You start asking yourself those questions when you read any articles about any of the US “enemies” in global politics. You’ll start to see the manufacturing of your concent for more war funding everywhere ; you’ll see it as obviously as the “trans kids in sports” is to you today.
I find this pearl clutching over manufactured consent highly obnoxious and borderline archaic. The days of top-down narratives fueled by restricted access are laughably simple compared to the fractured global media ecosystem of today.
Whatever opinions planted in the mind by manufactured consent are dwarfed a thousand-fold by internet echo chambers that owe no allegiance to the state. To be clear I do not think they cannot align with state interests, only that alignment is selfish, non-ubiquitous across vast swathes of the media landscape, and not the result of a power imbalance in favour of the state.
Unless you want to conflate the two in which case I would ask whether you think the .ml instance “manufactures consent” against support of western interests.
Ironically enough, China is one of the few places where manufactured consent is still able to be effective because of the authoritarian stranglehold they maintain on their media by banning access to outside sources and replacing them with state sanctioned alternatives. Same with Iran, Russia, North Korea, etc. It’s weird ml’s complain about manufactured consent while simping for countries that do it more than anywhere else.
They’re definitely gearing up for major anti-China action, but I doubt Trump or the oligarchs are that keen to fight a war they’ll lose even worse than the war with Iran. After that disaster, many of the US’s potential allies in a war over Taiwan will not be keen on sticking their neck out. Without their support, the US has little chance at stopping China. It’d be much more convenient for them if Taiwan surrenders to China and they can virtue signal about authoritarianism. They might even get the computer parts on backorder for a few years.
The only reason the US would go to war with China is if Trump really is that stupid. In that case, nobody but his cult will really be happy with the outcome.
Thanks for the reasonable response in an array of bad ones.
I’d say when I’m talking about war with China - I don’t believe that is going to happen under Trump. There are steps that need to occur before that. Especially in terms of forcing European support via a dependence on American controlled Oil.
So, I don’t really disagree with you on the short term. But, there is a reason for the US propaganda to alienate China. They need to maintain them as some evil power that must be stopped.
I don’t think the US is gonna be in any position to force European support via oil dependence. The harder they try to bully Europe, the more Europeans are gonna fall into China’s camp. This is especially true if China becomes a dominant provider of renewables; the Iran crisis alone has demonstrated the wisdom of diversifying one’s energy grid. Besides, Europe will want to become less reliant on oil if they want to be capable of opposing Russian conquest. Between the US and Russia both trying to carve out sections of their countries and spheres of influence, China is a safe and sane bet.
The days of US hegemony are well and truly over, and they will probably not be returning in our lifetimes. Multipolarity was inevitable even before Trump, something that Obama was keenly aware of and tried to navigate around. China was always gonna be a primary power, but thanks to Trump they are probably gonna be number one. They will never replace the US in every respect, but they will take their place as the system for the world to emulate. It will be an era of industrial capitalism and increased barriers to trade, where neoliberalism and the free exchange of goods are things of the past. There will be no more pretending that China is an underdog.
These stories are here to remind that there is an elephant in the room. Fortunately it’s only breathing loudly at the moment.
China has territorial ambitions regarding several neighbours (sea areas) and serious ambitions about Taiwan (taking it over) and unless the international community can help Taiwan and other countries achieve a peaceful co-existence with China (and this means backing them)…
(note: air raid simulations with 100+ aircraft testing Taiwan’s responses or naval blockade simulations with tens of warships around the island are not peaceful coexistence, and China has been running such exercises)
…then we better start learning how to make microchips in every country and obviously pay for that. Because if war happens, Taiwan will be in ruins and China under a boycott, possibly with a few strategic locations also in ruins - and the rest of the world in a severe economic crisis due to lack of microchips. There is also nonzero risk of China attempting to conquer Taiwan escalating to a bigger war between coalitions of countries, with all the possible consequences.
If someone is bullying someone else, the wider community wold be wise to intervene early and dissuade agression.
So yes, what we are seeing is a prelude, which will likely lead, if not dissuaded, to agression against Taiwan at some day in future. What the rest of the world thinks about on that day, is not yet determined. The US and Japan and South Korea have previously made fairly clear what they will think, but recently the US is running headless.
I think Europe’s best hope regarding Taiwan, is to establishing a EU-NATO partnership where Europe protects Taiwan, getting military chips in return. If Europe doesn’t do that, the only good alternative is to develop their own chip technology to at least equal China.
Another possibility is India protecting Taiwan. India isn’t friendly with China, and being able to have top-end technology would very much help India in the decades to come. There is much soft and practical power to having the chips.
Johnny Harris? Is that you? I hope the CIA is paying you at least.
Who is Johnny Harris? You can find me here. Once you figure out the agency who pays me, tell me too, I’ll go and cash in then. :)
In return for the quesiton, I will ask you - which news sources do you use?
Ah I get. Johnny Harris is a popular YouTuber that once worked with the CIA (obviously still does) that does a lot of “China is a concern” content. He’s a typical US imperialism supporting liberal. Basically says the exact type of shit from your first comment.
You know what the difference between a liberal and an anarchist is?
The former actually gets paid to spread CIA talking points about China. I guess you’re just the later. Sorry, I’m sure you understand why I would have been confused. It’s so hard to tell the difference between neocon liberals and “China is a threat” anarchist these days.
Reminder: every large centralized state - not just China - is a threat, especially if it has no democracy, an easy-to-manipulate democracy, or a democracy standing on its last legs.
💯
liberals are fore front on manufacturing consent for that war, I am sure they will do anything to maintain their military base besides china.