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Are the UK and China Authoritarian? (programming.dev)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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I've often heard that China is authoritarian, particularly due to events like the suppression of student protests in Hong Kong. However, I'm curious about more recent examples. Conversely, I've been hearing about the UK's Online Safety Act being used to target Wikipedia editors and silence protests, which raises questions about authoritarian tendencies there as well. What specific examples do you have that demonstrate whether these countries are authoritarian or not?

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[โ€“] 14 points 1 year ago (4 children)

There are 8 other political parties beyond the CPC in China. They don't compete with the CPC, but cooperate, and exert their own interests. Over 90% of Chinese citizens support their government. The extent to which the average Chinese citizen can affect policy is greater than that of the average UK citizen, because democracy is more than just picking a party, but having the ability to pick and choose policy.

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  • [โ€“] -1 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

    I don't think that number is surprising. Living in China e.g. 40 years ago would have sucked, so as mentioned in the article you posted, living conditions have basically continuously improved for people. I expect that number will drop in the upcoming decades (although IDK to what extent). It's worth noting the studies were basically pre-COVID.

    Also, pointing out that China has other political parties is worthless since they basically can't do anything.

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  • [โ€“] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    What gives you the impression that those satisfied with the government will drop, in the PRC?

    As for pointing out that China has 1 main party and 8 smaller, more focused parties, I point it out because democracy doesn't need to look like a bunch of groups battling it out. Society can be run in a more cooperative manner. In the PRC, the minor parties are focused on specialized areas, and some parties even hold seats in the NPC.

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  • [โ€“] -3 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Cooperative? Mate, they simply put everyone who disagrees too much away. Having a choice is battling it out, having no choice to begin with is cooperation. How can we twist reality some more?

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  • [โ€“] 6 points 1 year ago

    Why on Earth does democracy have to take the form of competition? Discussion and direction can be cooperative, you've done this hundreds of times in your life without needing to take an antagonistic stance.

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