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Comment by archivist1 | Hacker News Reader

Drop the China bashing. If we're going to criticize any government on this issue, we need to criticize all of them.

Was there really any government without guilt or incompetence in their handling of this?

Really nobody who in any way delayed taking steps, nobody who in any way sat on information, nobody who in any way instructed a certain type of scale of coverage in an attempt to minimize panic?

Let those without sin cast the first stone.

But actually, I think the "blame game" is bullshit.

Everyone should just be like, "Holy crap, this virus doesn't care about what passport you have, we all need to just work together on this."

Good to see people contesting the blame narrative here, but better if we didn't promote this news at all. This is a highly technical site, surely there's a chance to share articles about studies, algorithms, ways data scientists/programmers/bioinformaticians can get involved, pool resources, donate cloud time, etc.

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I don't think it's fair to criticize all governments (or forms of government) equally.

In our town (New Jersey, USA), several parents decided to keep their kids home from school as the virus spread nearby, even as the school stayed open. Evidently (https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000006970549/cor...) in other forms of government, the government itself controls what information is available (and the ability of citizens to make prudential judgments).

That doesn't mean this virus is "China's fault." As you say, all governments demonstrated some form of incompetence (usually starting with the assumption it can't be that bad). There is here an interesting contrast in how two systems respond to incompetence. Since surely how we disseminate information is important to the response to the virus, it seems fair to point out how one system disproportionately impedes how that happens.

Ok, let's call it CPC bashing then, if that makes you feel better. What they have done during this whole debacle is despicable, and their attempts to push the conspiracy theory that the virus came from the US Military is just the icing on the cake.

Let's call it "Westerners blaming China to feel better, while they all get the virus anyway". Seems to be Western-style policy in a nutshell right now.

If you call saving millions of Chinese people despicable, it sounds like you're to be despised.

The cake isn't cooked yet, but Western governments are already eager to play the blame game, while China got on with getting results. Nearly zero new cases. Contained to Hebei.

You've been reading fake news... and worse, believing it. They're not pushing a conspiracy theory. They're taking a victory lap.

The comments about it being a bio weapon are from the FM, who is just volleying back Pompeo's comment about it being the "China virus". That's all it is. Tit for tat. If you believe everyone in China is obsessed with blaming the US for the virus origins, or, worse, that Chinese people believe it's a bioweapon, you're wrong, sorry.

They contained a crazy new pathogen in the biggest country on Earth, they don't need to play the blame game, and domestically their media is taking a victory lap. It's just revealing of Western incompetence, and insecurity that Western media is fanning these blaming narratives.

If you want to make me feel better, I thank you. Start by admitting your pro-Western propoganda does not tell you what's really happening in China.

Please stop with this flamewar now, and please stop posting in the flamewar style in general, regardless of how right you are or how wrong or ignorant someone else is.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Edit: we've banned this account for flamewar comments. See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22607034

Please stop with this flamewar now, and please stop posting flamebait and/or unsubstantive comments generally. It's not what this site is for and we've had to warn you already.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

I will do my best adjust my tone in the future. Sorry about this.

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