[flagged]

It's explicitly against the site guidelines to post like this. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules, we'd appreciate it. Note this one: "Please don't post insinuations about astroturfing, shilling, bots, brigading, foreign agents and the like. It degrades discussion and is usually mistaken. If you're worried about abuse, email [email protected] and we'll look at the data."

It's particularly bad when internet users invoke these tropes to hound commenters with minority backgrounds out of a discussion. This has happened more than once on HN in the past, which is particularly shameful and totally against the desired spirit of the site.

I gather from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43632625 that it wasn't your intention, but this is what gets communicated by comments like the parent, whether intended or not. These effects happen all too easily, so we need to guard against them, which is why we have that guideline.

(I'm not taking sides for or against any country or position on a topic. This is about HN being a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds.)

OK, will change my behavior.

Appreciated!

Please confirm that it is only the one comment that did not meet HN's standards and my https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43632069 was OK.

It wasn't great because it was (1) generic and (2) on the border of nationalistic flamewar, but it's not one we would post a moderation reply to.

You are such a funny guy, I don't know how to prove it for a moment. I think I can prove it through my own knowledge. I don't need any so-called reward to explain the facts. I am a backend programmer, currently working on a large model project, using GraphRAG and DeepSeek to build a recommendation engine for Internet links. I am also interested in functional programming, such as lisp haskell minikanren. The salary of programmers in China is relatively high.

OK. I appreciate the reply. I meant no disrespect by my question.

You can never know. You need to visit China and judge for yourself and also take into consideration the cultural differences (some cultures prioritize outdoor smoking over having political liberties).

Your comment made me kind of sad. I remember many years ago, during the Arab Spring, President Obama went to the Uk Parliament and said the following:

"we have learned better than most that the longing for freedom and human dignity is not English or American or Western –- it is universal, and it beats in every heart."

I remember several years earlier President George W Bush, when asked about China, said:

“Young people who grow up with freedom in one area of their lives will ultimately demand freedom in other areas"

So it seems sad to me personally today that I see the comment you have made. I am not too surprised though. It feels such sentiments have been making their way to many countries all over the world nowadays. I feel sad because 10 years ago it really felt like freedom, democracy, etc would continue spreading all over the world...

How do people in China feel when they see stuff like this said by American politicians and commenters? Such as the President Obama and President Bush quotations and speeches I posted and linked?

Source for Obama's comments made in 2011:

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/0...

Source for Bush's comments made in 2008:

https://thehill.com/homenews/news/13451-bush-reiterates-conc...

My friend, I like you, and I like this place too. Most people on HN are very friendly. I understand your sadness. But please don't feel sad for me. I once read a book called On Liberty when I was a freshman in high school. I also read 1984 and The Road to Serfdom (stereotyped, some people may think that such books are banned from sale in China). At that time, I began to realize that our country restricted the freedom of citizens in some aspects. Later, I asked our university teacher, and she said that freedom is always relative, but I still don't quite understand this sentence. But there is one thing I can understand, that there is always a gap between real freedom and ideal freedom. For example, are your people really free? The words can be said very beautifully, but practice is often another matter. If you look at the development process of capitalist countries, have they also sacrificed the freedom of some people? I remember that your people flocked to RedNote a while ago, saying that the lower-class Americans worked several jobs to maintain the high rent. I was actually a little surprised, because in the past, such things would only be associated with our country. Are they free? Maybe I am making a choice between economy and freedom, but freedom is indeed not an independent concept. It is complex and related to many factors. So I simply don’t think about it. It is enough for me to work hard, improve myself, improve my life and create value.

Thank you for your polite and courteous reply.

It was interesting to read your perspective.

Thank you for your insight

> there is a consensus that we need a harmonious, stable and positive society

It's not clear to me that there's any link between China's authoritarian government and its harmony/stability. Taiwan is richer per-capita than China and just as stable, without an authoritarian government.

In fact, I suspect that China will be rich and harmonious as long as it's not at war (with itself or a foreign power). The authoritarianism is just a historical coincidence.