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Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by nostrademons on Friday August 23, 2019 @12:55PM (#20779597)
I haven't been at Google in 5 years but I worked with a lot of Chinese coworkers from all three of mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong when I was there (as well as ABCs of those descents). Honestly, I never saw a Chinese employee get into a political argument. Mostly they were just happy to be in the U.S. and draw a Google-level salary. ABCs (including myself) would, but usually about American politics, not Chinese.

I think most Americans underestimate the extent to which most Chinese are apolitical and pragmatic. Chinese culture doesn't have the tradition of civic engagement and vigorous debate that Anglo-American culture does, and skews more towards Exit than Voice. A typical Chinese response to a looming civil war is more akin to "Well shit. Better emigrate (if I can) or pay off the right soldiers and officials (if I can't) so this doesn't harm my family" than to demonstrate in the streets and call for the ouster of the leaders in question. This is a double-edged sword: it's how the CCP maintains social controls that would be unacceptable violations of civil liberties in Western democracies, it's also behind the "model minority" image of Asian-Americans, but it also means that you don't get a lot of disruptive political talk in groups with Asian immigrants.

Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by SignalsFromBob on Friday August 23, 2019 @01:20PM (#20779972)
ABCs? I don't understand. What does that mean?
Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by samyem on Friday August 23, 2019 @02:47PM (#20781090)
American Born Chinese
Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by kerng on Friday August 23, 2019 @01:27PM (#20780050)
American Born Chinese
Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by CompanionCuuube on Friday August 23, 2019 @01:25PM (#20780028)
American Born Chinese
Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by thinkingemote on Friday August 23, 2019 @02:50PM (#20781139)
Similar but unrelated to ABCDs

American-Born Confused Desi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American-Born_Confused_Desi

Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by psychrometer on Friday August 23, 2019 @01:55PM (#20780422)
Public actions like the ones in the story linked below make me think different.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3020639/c...

Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by nostrademons on Friday August 23, 2019 @02:04PM (#20780541)
The action in question involved 3 mainland students and one Hong Kong student.

How many people live in mainland China? 1.3B. How many people live in Hong Kong? 7.4M. How many overseas Chinese are there? 50M. How many overseas Hongkongers? About 1.5M.

You can bet that if there is any one such incident happening in the globe, the press will seize on it, because it fits the current media narrative and gets clicks. By the numbers, though, you're looking at 1 in a million.

Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by psychrometer on Friday August 23, 2019 @02:16PM (#20780678)
It may not represent the majority of overseas Chinese or even many but it is the view I get from media.
Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by nostrademons on Friday August 23, 2019 @02:17PM (#20780691)
That should tell you a lot about the media.
Re:Google Doesn’t Want Staff Debating Politics at Work Anymore by sct202 on Friday August 23, 2019 @02:38PM (#20780970)
I heard from some friends in NYC that there was drama over the lego flag sculptures, where the Taiwanese lego flag was mysteriously smashed several times and the rebuilt flag hidden behind a larger PRC lego flag.