Re:China to Set Up ‘Security Offices’ Inside Internet Companies
by alextgordon on Wednesday August 05, 2015 @11:15AM
(#10010351)
> ____ is being run by a cabal of scared, mostly 60-year old men. They're using every trick in the book to hold on to their power while trying to appease the crowds with shiny new trinkets.
You could literally be describing any country on earth with that.
Re:China to Set Up ‘Security Offices’ Inside Internet Companies
by jacquesm on Wednesday August 05, 2015 @11:29AM
(#10010469)
No, you definitely couldn't.
For instance, NL has a 10/5 split m/f and the average age of the ministers is 52.
Re:China to Set Up ‘Security Offices’ Inside Internet Companies
by pjc50 on Wednesday August 05, 2015 @10:52AM
(#10010126)
brake on their development
Well, at the moment the economy is still growing and that makes a huge difference. Even in the west, people who feel that their lives are improving are much less interested in political reform.(+)
If the economy experiences a serious recession, then things could get much nastier.
(+) this does not apply to Tibet
Re:China to Set Up ‘Security Offices’ Inside Internet Companies
by jacquesm on Wednesday August 05, 2015 @10:55AM
(#10010159)
Yes. That's why the fact that China had such a huge backlog actually works in favor of the current leadership, and it is a very strong incentive for them to keep applying the brakes. Too much growth in too short a time could easily lead to things plateauing well before parity is achieved which would wake up some nasty sentiments but as long as there is growth there is hope that one day parity will be achieved. It's a very difficult balancing act. If the economy should crash (and there are definitely signs this may be in the cards) then all bets are off.
Re:China to Set Up ‘Security Offices’ Inside Internet Companies
by prewett on Wednesday August 05, 2015 @03:04PM
(#10012056)
The irony is that if they weren't so scared and determined to keep power by any means necessary, they could address the people's stated grievances (justice, corruption, and equal opportunity) and they would keep power by general consent.
What I can't figure out is why they think they need to retain power. Is it because they are scared of what will happen to them if they don't? Do they feel that China without Communism will be chaos? Or is it just institutional momentum?
That's why you get things like what the article discusses and why you get the great firewall. It's all about crowd control on a very large scale and it is driven by fear of what that crowd could do once it realizes there are no chains.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politburo_of_the_Communist_Par...