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Comment by wutbrodo | Hacker News Reader

How do you figure? Is it your impression that being ethical is generally good for corporations financially? You're much more optimistic about both the way the economy works and other people than i am. (I should note that I'm not a believer in the "corporations automatically behave soulless and corrupt" camp that's so popular; I just think that your comment's implication goes too far in the other direction)

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You don't understand how things work in China. It has nothing to do with ethics. You give up free speech so you can make a few bucks in China. But in the long run they will only let their own companies thrive. Those the communist party can control. You will be eaten alive.

Oh sure, we've seen that pattern play out enough that I totally buy it. But "operating in China for some period of time" is still more profitable than "not operating there at all/leaving early for ethical reasons". The claim that kowtowing to their illiberal demands is short term gains and long term losses doesn't make any sense.

You're only addressing one side of the equation (i.e. the Chinese customers) and ignoring the other side (i.e. the non-Chinese customers). That's where the long-term death happens; if you alienate US customers in favor of Chinese customers (which is exactly what's happening right now), and then China shoves you out anyway in favor of Chinese businesses (which they inevitably will), then congrats, now you're worse off.

How do you know how things work in China? It's not about free speech. It's about boycotting the support of splitting a country. If a company says that American Civil War and Lincoln is evil and illegal. It's free speech. How American think about it?

Lol. South Park has made fun of America and Lincoln many times. They’re still making videos and broadcasting them on national TV in the US.

But a comparison to Winnie the Pooh is apparently something The Chinese premier can not handle.

> If a company says that American Civil War and Lincoln is evil and illegal. It's free speech. How American think about it?

Plenty of Americans would agree with that, hence the popularity in America of the banner of the losers of that conflict.

I don't think that's a good example. No one cares about Lincoln. Culture difference. You cannot offend America as a whole, but definitely many chances to offend groups of Americans. And the consequences would be similar to this. Offending other countries is free of speech to all Americans, because no one inside America would complain. All media care about is the complaint letters, phone calls to their call center and politicians.

China isn’t really that different. The people getting offended just have lots of power.

Great question!

The interesting thing is that President fought that war, in part, to fight for America’s highest value, freedom.

So, in point of fact, China is treading upon the one area that is offensive to us almost unanimously, our freedom, in this case, of speech.

How is China take away America's free speech? Yes, it is taking some money away, so what? You can still say whatever you want anyway. Why do people care about China anyway, China is not your mum. Just say what you want. Yes, you lose a few bucks. Also people shouldn't judge on others when they prefer bucks over a few statements. It is a free country anyway. Not a free-as-long-as-you-agree-with-me.

> If a company says that American Civil War and Lincoln is evil and illegal. It's free speech. How American think about it?

Well it's not like Americans have a long history of television, movies, music, and literature that are harshly critical and even outright mocking of past and current US presidents. Nobody ever depicts Donald Trump as an orange-skinned combover-wearing loon, or Michelle Obama as a health-fascist, or George W. Bush as a big-eared warmongering idiot. That would surely be unacceptable to any American!

right! It's not about free speech. It's about boycotting the support of splitting a country!!!

So what do you think of Gulag? A rehabilitation camp keeping the union united against the enemies of the state.

1 country, 2 systems.

It's more like boycotting dictatorship

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