Hacker News Reader

Hacker News

Comment by teleforce | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

teleforce

> export controls need to be looked at and probably tightened as this is a glaring loop hole

US is the prominent trade freedom proponent champion until it does not suits them

Also US is the prominent democracy proponent champion until it does not suits them

And also US is the free speech freedom champion until it does not suits them

View on HN

There are probably exceptional situations for each, but the US is far more for these things than against, to an extent that is unique and unprecedented. And that has improved lives and secured freedom not just for Americans but for many people around the world. Your negative take on the US isn’t convincing for me, as it is uncritical. Who champions free speech more, for example?

"US" is not a monolithic mind.

I can understand your argument, but I also understand why the US would try to ban an oppressive regime who specifically use technology like AI for ubiquitous surveillance, behavior monitoring and social credit, facial recognition systems that can identify Uyghurs and alert authorities, internet monitoring (they arrest people every day for writing banned words on WeChat for example)... I think it's probably fine if they make the equipment themselves, but US probably shouldn't be supporting this type of activity.

Sorry for the whataboutism, but the US looks more and more hypocrite when they sell themselves as the paragons of democracy and free trade, ready to save the world from authoritarian China but are fine selling AI and AI hardware (and armament, but that's another matter...) to Israel's oppressive regime which clearly uses it to persecute and kill innocent Palestinians.

It's all just dirty politics, in the end none of the people in power care if selling such technology feeds a monster or not, as long as they get their bags of money.

I think the difference in your comment is that China is doing this to their own citizens. Israel is oppressing their enemy, who have voted for Hamas to be the leader of their government, which stated intent is to destroy Israel... Big difference.

    > voted for Hamas

I needed to remind myself of how many times they did that (once). It is incredible that Palestine hasn't had an election since 2006. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Palestinian_legislative_e...

Yup, and as soon as Hamas were elected, the liberal world refused to deal with them. Never mind how convenient Hamas have been for Likud over the past few decades.

It looks incredibly hypocritical to much of the world, and I can see why.

How many people alive in Gaza today voted for Hamas?

What an incredibly awful comment to make after so many kids have gotten blown to bits by Israel as some sort of justification.

Same sorts of stuff were said about Irish people during the Troubles btw.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com