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Comment by SilverElfin | Hacker News Reader

> And when it does, a generation of people (who grew up wealthy) will start to think about corruption, human rights, and having a say in what goes on.

Maybe. But what happens when that group of people are suppressed and it takes a lot longer for them to become brave and speak up? Meanwhile, the government of China will become more powerful and be more of a hegemonic power than America ever was. That may extend their ability to govern and remain authoritarian. Not just for their citizens, but against other regions they unfortunately control like Hong Kong or Taiwan or Tibet or Xinjiang.

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Why do you say it’s unfortunate that China controls those places?

Those places have their own culture, identity, political views, and way of life. All of that gets erased and replaced with the CCP’s ideology and Han Chinese culture through a process called Sinicization (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinicization_of_Tibet). It’s a very effective way of erasing and controlling people.

Plus given that the government of China is very authoritarian and controlling and not democratic, I don’t think it’s good for the world when they get more land, resources, and economic power (which turns into military power).

Xinjiang is basically becoming like Hawaii. Most of the younger people are adopting Han culture, and while their native culture is still kept, a large part of it is to support tourism.

How is their native culture kept when older people are arrested and jailed and have no chance to actually pass on their culture?

Because they aren’t. The ones being sent to rehabilitation centers were the ones trying to import Wahhabism into Xinjiang. And the harsh policies really only happened after the numerous terrorist attacks.

The native culture and language is still taught in Xinjiang schools. The RMB/Yuan itself has the Uyghur language printed on it.

   and Han Chinese culture

What kind of people do you think lives in Hong Kong and Taiwan?

  It’s a very effective way of erasing and controlling people

I wonder who else has historically done the same.

  Plus given that the government of China is very authoritarian and controlling and not democratic, I don’t think it’s good for the world when they get more land, resources, and economic power (which turns into military power).

Does it matter what form of government China has? Shouldn't we judge on what governments actually do?

an unserious answer to the question

What kind of people do you think lives in Hong Kong and Taiwan?

the yue?

Rather than bombarding your interlocutor with a barrage of questions, please articulate your position clearly and save everyone's time instead.

Well, what’s your position in this?

Questions are to make OP think. Sometimes it’s better for OP to do a bit of research instead merely stating.

Those weren't real questions, you just stated your opinions - that the CCP doesn't want to steamroller disloyal cultures, and if they do it's perfectly fine because it's some sort of revenge on the West, and that their ideology doesn't matter if they manage to get their people money - and then you put question marks on the end and implied we ought to meditate over this.

No, I didn't mean what you just said.

They didn't say that

Probably not exactly that, but there is no evidence to the contrary, so this is my best guess.

Luckily the democratic west has been setting a really good example so there's no way a hegemonic China can get away with genocide, chopping up journalists, poisoning the air, causing famines, ignoring international bodies, committing war crimes, torturing people, toppling other country's governments, invading nations on flimsy pretexts...

And all that's before counting whatever Trump manages to ruin before his time is up.

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