A Chinese earthquake rescue team deployed drones to light up the night and aid search and rescue operations after the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar.

[u/Red_Lotus_Alchemist]

[u/callisstaa]

Yeah I've been living in China for a few years and people here are happy. It turns out that the freedoms people really care about are the freedom to walk around at night in safety, the freedom to go for a meal without being shaken down at every opportunity and the freedom to work a menial job and buy a house in their 30s.

China has 50,000 kilometres of high speed rail that it operates at a loss yet continues to expand because infrastructure is something that people actually want, more than the freedom to burn cars or talk shit about Trump to literally no avail.

The only thing I missed initially was smoking weed but it's a small sacrifice to live in a society that feels just like the West felt prior to 9/11.

The other major difference IMO is that the average Chinese has respect for the Western world and wants to see us prosper whereas Americans have to think that 1.4 billion people on the other side of the world are suffering just to have something to smile about.

[u/Alternative-Mix7288 → u/callisstaa]

Buddy I value my freedom to talk shit about Trump, so don't underestimate that. However, we have lost that freedom here in the U.S. You can be denied entry and put into a concentration camp if they find these things on your phone at the airport. Elon Musk even said they'd be going after people pushing "propaganda". Our country is cooked, and at least China is living in the future.. but "China Bad" I'm sure.

[u/Icyrow → u/Alternative-Mix7288]

Buddy I value my freedom to talk shit about Trump, so don't underestimate that.

as i cba re-writing the comment here just read this first i wrote it at the end though looking back over my comment: i get that i'm agreeing with you on a lot of points, just sorta adding ot your comment, not intending to say you're wrong, though in looking over my comment it sounds pretty aggressive, just know that i think we think the same thing and it's not intended.

americans say this, but while i'd say you have more than china in this regard, it is not absolute. like we're literally dealing with people getting their facebooks scrubbed to say if they said anything bad in deportations and if you want to test it, write out a comment detailing (doesn't have to be a lot) how you would end someone at the top of the country, like, look at where they will be in a few weeks and write something out, see what happens.

no country has absolute freedom, at some point it's freedom to do over the freedom to be safe, i.e, your freedom to drive a car that we know is more dangerous to those around you, the freedom to shout "fire" in a movie theatre, freedom to detail a dumb ass plan to do something very dumb.

like shouldn't your kids be free to go to school without being shot?

[u/Alternative-Mix7288 → u/Icyrow]

Yes, I think we agree mostly. I'm reminded of Ben Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"

I believe the key word here being "essential". I'm not an anarchist and value liberty over freedom. Yes, we 100% should be responsible for protecting our kids at school. This is where liberty trumps freedom. Children should have the liberty to go to school and not be affected by others' freedom to own overpowered and unnecessary weapons. Free speech is an essential liberty imo and one of the things I would criticize China the most. However, I do understand that the U.S. has been fed massive amounts of propaganda and they likely have more freedom than we perceive here. Unfortunately we've given up freedoms here in this country without receiving any of the safeties or other benefits China has received in exchange.