<div><br></div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, 27 Oct 2021 at 08:21, William Flynn Wallace via extropy-chat <<a href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000000">Oh, I haven't forgotten any history, and the leaders of China are tyrants, and all that. Our own history, particularly in the 20 century, has truly awful wars and other things in it. China doesn't run around the world trying to change people with wars who are not going to change (((and killing tens of thousands of civilians (collateral damage) while killing one member of a radical group (for propaganda purposes), who is immediately replaced))). They hate us in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran etc. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000000"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000000">From what I read China is doing good things, say in Africa, to win friends with help rather than with guns.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000000"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000000">You have to admit that they have made incredible progress since Mao in any economic indicator you chose. I am still unalterably opposed to authoritarian governments of any kind. Including actions of our own government. China is not totally the bad guys we think they are and neither are we totally the good guys we think we are. bill w</div></div></blockquote><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">People tend to be blind to their own system’s propaganda.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:comic sans ms,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:#000000" dir="auto"></div></div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Oct 25, 2021 at 5:03 AM BillK via extropy-chat <<a href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org" target="_blank">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">On Mon, 25 Oct 2021 at 06:13, Stuart LaForge via extropy-chat<br>
<<a href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org" target="_blank">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a>> wrote:<br>
><br>
<big snip><br>
><br>
> This is clearly some kind of CCP propaganda piece written by some fan<br>
> boy. What part of it made you forget history, Bill?<br>
><br>
> Stuart LaForge<br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
<br>
<br>
Astro-turfing campaigns have destroyed the information content of social media.<br>
Disinformation campaigns mean that lies and propaganda will have<br>
millions of posts and supporting articles spread on social media and<br>
the internet. Not just China. Russia and western countries also use<br>
this system to gain support for their side.<br>
The sheer volume of disinformation is overwhelming.<br>
<br>
See:<br>
<<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing</a>><br>
For China, see:<br>
<<a href="https://handwiki.org/wiki/Social:50_Cent_Party" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://handwiki.org/wiki/Social:50_Cent_Party</a>><br>
<<a href="https://handwiki.org/wiki/Social:Internet_Water_Army" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://handwiki.org/wiki/Social:Internet_Water_Army</a>><br>
There are also patriotic Chinese who join in the campaigns.<br>
<<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-58922011" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-58922011</a>><br>
<br>
Social media has become like a destructive cancer.<br>
<br>
<br>
BillK<br>
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</blockquote></div></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">Stathis Papaioannou</div>