1277
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] ZDL@lazysoci.al 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I am always dubious of people who claim they have nothing against "the people of " just the government. See it doesn't fit with lived experience.

I get called upon to answer for every crime (real or imagined) of the Chinese government because I'm perceived as Chinese for these reasons:

  • I'm half-Chinese and my appearance leans very much toward my mother's side.
  • I'm resident in China.
  • I don't instantly leap up and criticize everything Chinese, nor do I instantly agree with ever criticism of China.

So I'm basically accused of being a Communist Party of China shill (despite, ironically, my not even being permitted to join the Party if I wanted to … which I don't), being a "brainwashed" Chinese citizen, despite holding a Canadian passport—and never another—for about half a century, and in general treated with contempt and suspicion.

Despite, you know, "nothing against any Chinese".

So … perhaps you're the exception to the observed rule? But I won't be putting myself on the line to test it. I've got well over half a century of testing completed.

edited to add

I have the perfect parallel, actually. Fundamentalist Christians who babble about "love the sinner, hate the sin". Their actions constantly belie their pretty words. Same for "love the , hate the government" crowd.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago

I don't really know to respond to this. You're projecting things onto me that I can not defend against without divulging too much about my personal life.

And I also don't mean to invalidate your experience. I do not doubt that you have gone through that countless times. Nothing I can say can convince you that I'm sincere. And why should it?

But that leaves me in a weird place. Should I have said nothing? Just criticize a government and make no statement on its average citizens? Assume the sentiment will be implicit? I'm not comfortable with such assumptions on the modern internet unfortunately. I'm not happy with the state of things either.

But I strive to form my own opinions and always see the individual. Whether you can recognize or trust that or not I feel I have to go on that path.

I appreciate your input. Even if, or especially because, it led me to think a lot.

this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2026
1277 points (100.0% liked)

Political Memes

11596 readers
2274 users here now

Welcome to politcal memes!

These are our rules:

1) Be civilJokes are okay, but don’t intentionally harass or disturb any member of our community. Sexism, racism and bigotry are not allowed. Good faith argumentation only. No posts discouraging people to vote or shaming people for voting.

2) No misinformationDon’t post any intentional misinformation. When asked by mods, provide sources for any claims you make.

3) Posts should be memesRandom pictures do not qualify as memes. Relevance to politics is required.

4) No bots, spam or self-promotionFollow instance rules, ask for your bot to be allowed on this community.

5) No AI generated content.Content posted must not be created by AI with the intent to mimic the style of existing images

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS