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Comment by ok_dad | Hacker News Reader

Taking HN threads into nationalistic and/or ideological flamewar like this is against HN's rules and we ban accounts that do it. Please don't do it again.

If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.

I understand thanks, this article bit me the wrong way. I rarely post things like this.

I am neither American nor Chinese, nor live in either country. Their governments both do awful things around the world as well as domestically, but here’s one reason I’d rather live in the former: you can publicly criticize the government, and organise an opposition to it.

You can also talk more publicly about any topic pretty much - being "cancelled" in the US is laughable compared to the Chinese version of cancelled (i.e. deleted from the Internet, publicly humiliated and/or possibly disappeared for weeks on end for even a mild suggestion that the financial system is not optimal in China, something reasonably up for discussion).

Why don't you try searching "tiananmen square" in China and see where that gets you? No country is perfect, the US certainly isn't, but I would still take this over China's social scoring system

I believe that the outcome of searching "tiananmen square" in China is a page of poor quality results and possibly slow internet for some time, but no meaningful consequences beyond that.

You can pick up your baggages and move to one those countries since they are the same or better as you say, but it must be China, Russia, Cuba or equivalent; none of west or northern Europe. That kind of comments show that you have never lived in a dictatorship.

Clearly, you haven't lived under a authoritarian government. I have, and I live in US now. I don't have to think more than one second which one I would prefer between US and China. And I am aware US is plagued with every kind of problem at every level.

Your profile says "I'm not here for politics".

This should be a welcomed critique. While I believe China is worse, the US has many issues that affect the majority on a personal level that should bother the average citizen more than it does. Healthcare insurance, medical debt, credit scores, worker’s rights, privacy data, and the list goes on.

I could whataboutism your point, but I think it’s clear you aren’t saying we should move to China. Instead the point seems to be that our Democracy seems to be back sliding.

Plus critiquing your government makes for a better democracy.

Thank you, as you’re the only one who gets it.

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