The Political Satire/Meme Thread

  • Thread starter Danoff
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It seems like a throw back to your youthful infatuation with Ayn Rand. I already pointed out that the modern billionaire behemoths, people like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg & Elon Musk are the prefect embodiment of Rand's imaginary heroes. Not only are they fantastically wealthy, they wield an enormous amount of power & influence as a result. I have no idea why you think they need defending at all.

I'm not defending anyone. I'm asking why the amount of money someone has should result in us accepting criticism of them. I'm not sure why you think that means what you apparently think that means.

Buffet is from a different generation from the four I mentioned & made his fortune in a very different way. I don't attack any of them, but don't see that they need defending either. They're going to be alright.

What does whether someone is going to be alright have to do with whether criticism of them is correct?
 
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ElHgNG7X0AgOJ_9


Geert Wilders posted this on twitter and now the lover of goats has pressed charges against him.

And in response to the remarks French President Macron made about Islam, Iran published this extremely offensive picture of said President.

Careful, highly offensive.

iran-medyasindan-macron-a-sert-tepki-paris-iblisi-1603784018.jpg
 
Can we get a translator on aisle 185 in the memes department?
I'll try.

Someone (who is a tosser) in the Netherlands shared a picture of Turkey's famously humorless and genocidal leader Erdogan with a turban bomb, somewhat mimicking the supposed image of Muhammed* from Charlie Hebdo which some nutjobs took as an excuse to kill a bunch of writers and artists. Meanwhile Charlie Hebdo itself drew an image of Erdogan as a lascivious pervert, lifting a woman's skirt to look at her arse, while holding an open can of something, presumably beer because alcohol is haram. The caption reads "In private, he is quite funny".

Shockingly, this upset Erdogan, because he has no sense of humour and apparently thinks he has control over the internal affairs of France and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, someone in Iran delivered a truly sick burn to France's President Macron (who is also a tosser), because he repeated France's constitutional secularism in response to a nutjob killing a teacher over another supposed image of Muhammed*, by drawing him as the devil. That'll teach him.


*As Islam kinda (and the major modern sects more explicitly) forbids the practice of creating images of people, with a particular focus on its deities and prophets, it's somewhat hard to know what Muhammed looked like in order to say that any image of him is an actual image of him
 
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Woooooooowwww....

Or, you know, China being competitive. Jeeezus!




Any idea at all about how this is "looting"? Oops, I forgot. I'm supposed to accept all criticism of people with high* net worth. I'm officially an internet weirdo for pointing out how fallacious this is.

*not defined
The Communist Dictatorship exploits its people with horrific working conditions, child labor, slave wages, environmental disregard and you defend that with "China being competitive".
 
The Communist Dictatorship exploits its people with horrific working conditions, child labor, slave wages, environmental disregard and you defend that with "China being competitive".

"defend" always so judgey with you.

I've been to china. I've seen how the people there live. Peace, prosperity, and social development is happening in china because we trade with them (no, china is not perfect by a long shot). Your meme is very.... nationalistic. Trumpist even.

I know it comes from a different angle of hatred toward globalism, but it is still hatred toward globalism.
 
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"defend" always so judgey with you.

I've been to china. I've seen how the people there live. Peace, prosperity, and social development is happening in china because we trade with them (no, china is not perfect by a long shot). Your meme is very.... nationalistic. Trumpist even.

I know it comes from a different angle of hatred toward globalism, but it is still hatred toward globalism.
Doubling down on your advocacy for the Chinese dictatorship with nothing but personal opinions and an anecdote. That's Trumpism.
 
Doubling down on your advocacy for the Chinese dictatorship with nothing but personal opinions and an anecdote. That's Trumpism.

:lol: No, it's not. And no, I did not "advocate" for a Chinese dictatorship. And I did not "defend" it either. That's your strawman (twice).

I note that you carefully avoided the entire substance of my response, which is to be taken at face value rather than requiring my personal anecdote as proof. In case you missed it, here it is again:

Peace, prosperity, and social development is happening in china because we trade with them (no, china is not perfect by a long shot).
 
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:lol: No, it's not. And no, I did not "advocate" for a Chinese dictatorship. That's your strawman.

I note that you carefully avoided the entire substance of my response, which is to be taken at face value rather than requiring my personal anecdote as proof. In case you missed it, here it is again:

Peace, prosperity, and social development is happening in china because we trade with them (no, china is not perfect by a long shot).
Yes, that's the part of your defense which is your personal opinion. And it still does not justify oppression.
 
Yes, that's the part of your defense which is your personal opinion. And it still does not justify oppression.

What defense? Defense of what? How am I justifying oppression? Citation needed.

Hint: I'm not defending dictatorships, you're going after a strawman.
 
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I've been to china. I've seen how the people there live. Peace, prosperity, and social development is happening in china
https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/findings/country-studies/china/

"Much of China's rapid economic development has been the result of a domestic economy specialising in the production of labour-intensive, cheap goods for export.4 Forced labour mainly occurs in the production of these goods, including in the manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as in more informal industries, such as brick kilns. Although there are indications of a larger-scale problem, forced labour remains underreported in the local media.5 In 2016, cases of forced child labour were detected in a garment factory in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, where underage workers were forced to work overtime and beaten if they refused. They also had their passports and mobile phones confiscated if they attempted to run away.6 Also in 2016, police rescued six disabled people from forced labour in a brick factory in Yunnan, where they had been forced to do physically hard work without pay.7

Among the many manufacturing industries, the electronics sector has been under particular scrutiny since it was revealed that employees of Chinese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn, which produced parts for Apple’s iPhone, were allegedly subjected to exploitative working conditions.8 Students from vocational courses are reportedly forced to work in the electronics manufacturing sector under the threat of failing to graduate if they decline. These jobs are disguised as “internships” but are usually simple production line jobs.9 Such cases of forced labour have been documented in electronics factories supplying major brands such as Apple, Acer, HP, and Sony, among many others.10

The construction sector in China is known for the common practice of paying workers in arrears, with wages sometimes being withheld for up to a one year.11 Construction workers are reportedly subjected to other exploitative practices such as withheld wages and non-payment, excessive and illegal overtime,
Factory towns in Southern China have been found to employ illegal workers from Vietnam on a widespread basis. These workers are often smuggled into the country by Chinese human smuggling syndicates who work together with Vietnamese gangs. The syndicates make their profits by claiming a portion of the workers’ monthly wages while also charging factory owners a fee.15 Another case in May 2017 revealed that seven Filipino women were deceived by Chinese human traffickers and forced to work on farms in China.16 The women were promised marriages to local Chinese men and better lives but found themselves in conditions of exploitation.

The Global Slavery Index estimates that on any given day there were over 3.8 million people living in conditions of modern slavery in China, a prevalence of 2.8 victims for every thousand people in the country. This estimate does not include figures on organ trafficking.

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) publishes some data on trafficking-related investigations and convictions. In 2016, MPS reported investigating 1,004 cases of human trafficking and arresting 2,036 suspects. Of those cases, 45 were suspected cases of forced labour, involving the arrest of 74 suspects. In one investigation, the Chinese government reportedly arrested 464 suspects who were involved in labour trafficking of disabled victims. The government convicted 435 individuals for sex trafficking, 19 individuals for labour trafficking, and 1,302 individuals were convicted in cases in which the type of exploitation was unclear.1

FORCED LABOUR

China’s meteoric economic rise over the past half century is a striking example of the transformative power of the market economy. China is now the second largest economy2 as well as the second largest importer3 in the world. Much of its rapid economic development has been the result of a domestic economy specialising in the production of labour-intensive, cheap goods for export.4 Forced labour mainly occurs in the production of these goods, including in the manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as in more informal industries, such as brick kilns. Although there are indications of a larger-scale problem, forced labour remains underreported in the local media.5 In 2016, cases of forced child labour were detected in a garment factory in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, where underage workers were forced to work overtime and beaten if they refused. They also had their passports and mobile phones confiscated if they attempted to run away.6 Also in 2016, police rescued six disabled people from forced labour in a brick factory in Yunnan, where they had been forced to do physically hard work without pay.7

Among the many manufacturing industries, the electronics sector has been under particular scrutiny since it was revealed that employees of Chinese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn, which produced parts for Apple’s iPhone, were allegedly subjected to exploitative working conditions.8 Students from vocational courses are reportedly forced to work in the electronics manufacturing sector under the threat of failing to graduate if they decline. These jobs are disguised as “internships” but are usually simple production line jobs.9 Such cases of forced labour have been documented in electronics factories supplying major brands such as Apple, Acer, HP, and Sony, among many others.10

The construction sector in China is known for the common practice of paying workers in arrears, with wages sometimes being withheld for up to a one year.11 Construction workers are reportedly subjected to other exploitative practices such as withheld wages and non-payment, excessive and illegal overtime, and widespread lack of employment contracts – all of which are indicators of forced labour.12 Amid a recent slowing of economic growth in China after decades of robust growth, in 2015 nearly three million Chinese workers reported not being paid on time, with workers in construction being most at risk of underpayment.13

Other labour-intensive industries in China are also creating a demand for low-paid foreign labour. The sugarcane industry in China’s southern Guangxi province attracts an estimated 50,000 illegal Vietnamese workers.14 Factory towns in Southern China have been found to employ illegal workers from Vietnam on a widespread basis. These workers are often smuggled into the country by Chinese human smuggling syndicates who work together with Vietnamese gangs. The syndicates make their profits by claiming a portion of the workers’ monthly wages while also charging factory owners a fee.15 Another case in May 2017 revealed that seven Filipino women were deceived by Chinese human traffickers and forced to work on farms in China.16 The women were promised marriages to local Chinese men and better lives but found themselves in conditions of exploitation.17

STATE-IMPOSED FORCED LABOUR

The Chinese government officially announced in November 2013 that it would abolish the Re-education through Labour (RTL) System, in which inmates were held and routinely subjected to forced labour for up to four years.18 However, a 2017 report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission alleges that China still maintains a network of state detention facilities that use forced labour,"



"It is the largest mass internment of an ethnic-religious minority group since World War II.

The concentration camps are the most extreme example of China’s inhumane policies against the Uighurs, but the entire population is subject to repressive policies,"


"Peace, prosperity and social development" -Danoff
 
https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/findings/country-studies/china/

"Much of China's rapid economic development has been the result of a domestic economy specialising in the production of labour-intensive, cheap goods for export.4 Forced labour mainly occurs in the production of these goods, including in the manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as in more informal industries, such as brick kilns. Although there are indications of a larger-scale problem, forced labour remains underreported in the local media.5 In 2016, cases of forced child labour were detected in a garment factory in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, where underage workers were forced to work overtime and beaten if they refused. They also had their passports and mobile phones confiscated if they attempted to run away.6 Also in 2016, police rescued six disabled people from forced labour in a brick factory in Yunnan, where they had been forced to do physically hard work without pay.7

Among the many manufacturing industries, the electronics sector has been under particular scrutiny since it was revealed that employees of Chinese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn, which produced parts for Apple’s iPhone, were allegedly subjected to exploitative working conditions.8 Students from vocational courses are reportedly forced to work in the electronics manufacturing sector under the threat of failing to graduate if they decline. These jobs are disguised as “internships” but are usually simple production line jobs.9 Such cases of forced labour have been documented in electronics factories supplying major brands such as Apple, Acer, HP, and Sony, among many others.10

The construction sector in China is known for the common practice of paying workers in arrears, with wages sometimes being withheld for up to a one year.11 Construction workers are reportedly subjected to other exploitative practices such as withheld wages and non-payment, excessive and illegal overtime,
Factory towns in Southern China have been found to employ illegal workers from Vietnam on a widespread basis. These workers are often smuggled into the country by Chinese human smuggling syndicates who work together with Vietnamese gangs. The syndicates make their profits by claiming a portion of the workers’ monthly wages while also charging factory owners a fee.15 Another case in May 2017 revealed that seven Filipino women were deceived by Chinese human traffickers and forced to work on farms in China.16 The women were promised marriages to local Chinese men and better lives but found themselves in conditions of exploitation.

The Global Slavery Index estimates that on any given day there were over 3.8 million people living in conditions of modern slavery in China, a prevalence of 2.8 victims for every thousand people in the country. This estimate does not include figures on organ trafficking.

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) publishes some data on trafficking-related investigations and convictions. In 2016, MPS reported investigating 1,004 cases of human trafficking and arresting 2,036 suspects. Of those cases, 45 were suspected cases of forced labour, involving the arrest of 74 suspects. In one investigation, the Chinese government reportedly arrested 464 suspects who were involved in labour trafficking of disabled victims. The government convicted 435 individuals for sex trafficking, 19 individuals for labour trafficking, and 1,302 individuals were convicted in cases in which the type of exploitation was unclear.1

FORCED LABOUR

China’s meteoric economic rise over the past half century is a striking example of the transformative power of the market economy. China is now the second largest economy2 as well as the second largest importer3 in the world. Much of its rapid economic development has been the result of a domestic economy specialising in the production of labour-intensive, cheap goods for export.4 Forced labour mainly occurs in the production of these goods, including in the manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as in more informal industries, such as brick kilns. Although there are indications of a larger-scale problem, forced labour remains underreported in the local media.5 In 2016, cases of forced child labour were detected in a garment factory in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, where underage workers were forced to work overtime and beaten if they refused. They also had their passports and mobile phones confiscated if they attempted to run away.6 Also in 2016, police rescued six disabled people from forced labour in a brick factory in Yunnan, where they had been forced to do physically hard work without pay.7

Among the many manufacturing industries, the electronics sector has been under particular scrutiny since it was revealed that employees of Chinese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn, which produced parts for Apple’s iPhone, were allegedly subjected to exploitative working conditions.8 Students from vocational courses are reportedly forced to work in the electronics manufacturing sector under the threat of failing to graduate if they decline. These jobs are disguised as “internships” but are usually simple production line jobs.9 Such cases of forced labour have been documented in electronics factories supplying major brands such as Apple, Acer, HP, and Sony, among many others.10

The construction sector in China is known for the common practice of paying workers in arrears, with wages sometimes being withheld for up to a one year.11 Construction workers are reportedly subjected to other exploitative practices such as withheld wages and non-payment, excessive and illegal overtime, and widespread lack of employment contracts – all of which are indicators of forced labour.12 Amid a recent slowing of economic growth in China after decades of robust growth, in 2015 nearly three million Chinese workers reported not being paid on time, with workers in construction being most at risk of underpayment.13

Other labour-intensive industries in China are also creating a demand for low-paid foreign labour. The sugarcane industry in China’s southern Guangxi province attracts an estimated 50,000 illegal Vietnamese workers.14 Factory towns in Southern China have been found to employ illegal workers from Vietnam on a widespread basis. These workers are often smuggled into the country by Chinese human smuggling syndicates who work together with Vietnamese gangs. The syndicates make their profits by claiming a portion of the workers’ monthly wages while also charging factory owners a fee.15 Another case in May 2017 revealed that seven Filipino women were deceived by Chinese human traffickers and forced to work on farms in China.16 The women were promised marriages to local Chinese men and better lives but found themselves in conditions of exploitation.17

STATE-IMPOSED FORCED LABOUR

The Chinese government officially announced in November 2013 that it would abolish the Re-education through Labour (RTL) System, in which inmates were held and routinely subjected to forced labour for up to four years.18 However, a 2017 report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission alleges that China still maintains a network of state detention facilities that use forced labour,"



"It is the largest mass internment of an ethnic-religious minority group since World War II.

The concentration camps are the most extreme example of China’s inhumane policies against the Uighurs, but the entire population is subject to repressive policies,"


"Peace, prosperity and social development" -Danoff


I hate to do this but... TL;DR

(no, china is not perfect by a long shot).

I am aware that there are major issues in china, including issues with violence, poverty, and social oppression. But they also have peace, prosperity, and social development. It is not mutually exclusive, just like here in the US. I am not defending China. I am saying that trading with China moves them forward.
 
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I am saying that trading with China moves them forward.

Unfortunately, it ALSO moves Xi and get party's agenda forward. Ultimately one could argue that the Chinese people are better off for it. But one day we may all be paying the price.
 
Unfortunately, it ALSO moves Xi and get party's agenda forward. Ultimately one could argue that the Chinese people are better off for it. But one day we may all be paying the price.

Global trade has been the greatest movement for peace the world has ever seen. It is what keeps the US and China talking. Our trade wars with China have walked us away from that peace over the last 4 years. One thing that helps greatly with the establishment and enforcement of human rights is economic development. I do not believe that an impoverished or isolated China can be expected to defend and support their people the way we might want them to.
 
"Peace, prosperity and social development" -Danoff

You're working really hard to miss the point here. There are spectrums of everything. Any given country exists in a bunch of different places on a bunch of different spectrums. After periods of great prosperity and growth, the US still, for an example somewhat similar to yours, put Japanese Americans into internment camps. It was an awful thing, done by a nation that had, to that point in history, done a great many both good and bad things.

China is no different. You can't reduce a country, especially one as massive and long-lived as China, down to a simple binary label. Yes, like any other nation, China has some issues. Danoff acknowledged that himself, which makes it a little odd you keep lecturing him about it. But it's also true that China, and a great many of its people, have benefitted by opening up trade with other nations. All of those truths can exist simultaneously, and merely observing them doesn't equate to "defending" anything.

And as Danoff just tree'd me by saying, continuing that growth, continuing to have open trade with the rest of the world, makes it more likely that China will eventually address the complaints you have about them. Just look next door to China for an example of what happens to people when they're kept closed off from the rest of the world.
 
You're working really hard to miss the point here. There are spectrums of everything. Any given country exists in a bunch of different places on a bunch of different spectrums. After periods of great prosperity and growth, the US still, for an example somewhat similar to yours, put Japanese Americans into internment camps. It was an awful thing, done by a nation that had, to that point in history, done a great many both good and bad things.

China is no different. You can't reduce a country, especially one as massive and long-lived as China, down to a simple binary label. Yes, like any other nation, China has some issues. Danoff acknowledged that himself, which makes it a little odd you keep lecturing him about it. But it's also true that China, and a great many of its people, have benefitted by opening up trade with other nations. All of those truths can exist simultaneously, and merely observing them doesn't equate to "defending" anything.

And as Danoff just tree'd me by saying, continuing that growth, continuing to have open trade with the rest of the world, makes it more likely that China will eventually address the complaints you have about them. Just look next door to China for an example of what happens to people when they're kept closed off from the rest of the world.
China's economic competitiveness is due in large part to worker exploitation, slave labor, human rights violations, oppression, environmental irresponsibility and more. These don't exist in a vacuum,they amplify China's economic power. Yes China is very competitive but the ends don't justify the means.
China is a much bigger global threat than NK.
 
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