Lawmaker: TikTok must “sever relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.”

  • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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    10 months ago

    This isn’t even about maintaining hard power; this is just about keeping the inhabitants of the Western world from seeing how the elites make the sausage.

    It’s about soft power. I don’t think it has to do with people of the western world seeing what’s being done either (they don’t and won’t if TikTok is the thing they’re using). It’s just about gathering data and also having control over a service that could be used to influence people. It wouldn’t matter if it’s China or Russia (mostly white) in control of it.

    Power and racism are inextricably bound together when it’s the Americans doing things.

    Is it? Many people saw through the racism of slavery and yet still used it, because racism was an excuse, not a reason. Usually racism is an excuse. It’s something that’s easily sold to the masses, and for some reason people still buy it, and people like you buy that that’s still the reason and not seeing what’s really being played. Sure, there are a lot of racist people, but even that is only because some people use it to gain power. Racism has the same purpose as religion. It’s a method of control, by defining “the enemy”. Usually if anyone is defining an enemy it’s a form of control for that matter. There are plenty of bad people, but it’s hard to say any group is bad by default. There are bad systems though.

    • Amerikan Pharaoh@lemmygrad.ml
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      10 months ago

      I don’t think it has to do with people of the western world seeing what’s being done either (they don’t and won’t if TikTok is the thing they’re using).

      Tiktok is literally how my nieces, nephews, and their peer groups have been learning about American malfeasance, but sure, they’re TOTALLY not seeing anything.

      It’s just about gathering data and also having control over a service that could be used to influence people. It wouldn’t matter if it’s China or Russia (mostly white) in control of it.

      Bull, if it was ‘just about gathering data’ they’d go after Zuck and Musk too. (And no, the wrist-slappings they’ve ‘endured’ thus far don’t count, Meta and Twitter bans have NEVER been floated, OR sailed through Congress as easily as this proposed Tiktok ban has.) Further, if Russia were considered ‘mostly white’, NATO wouldn’t be trying to encircle and exterminate them. Try again.

      Is it? Many people saw through the racism of slavery and yet still used it, because racism was an excuse, not a reason.

      Further bull, America’s done everything in its power to keep forms of slavery in play; specifically pipelining the minorities they used to keep as chattel into prison slavery instead. It’s always maintenance of an Anglo status quo. Don’t try again here; I know you’re not going to go look up the Fourteenth Amendment to see how the Anglos have historically played with legalese to maintain unjust systems.

      There are plenty of bad people, but it’s hard to say any group is bad by default.

      Four hundred years of slavery, genocide, resource extraction, ignorance of sovereignty, rank and blatant funding of terrorism, and extrajudicial murder says what now? Tell your handler I said hi.

        • Amerikan Pharaoh@lemmygrad.ml
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          10 months ago

          America already controls Tiktok’s data via Oracle server farms in Virginia, so that automatically doesn’t track; make it make sense. Why is there a need to ban them that DOESN’T boil down to the usual anglo pearlclutching trying to start new Yellow Perils and Red Scares? And why haven’t Twitter, Meta, Instagram, or Trust Social been banned yet? Make. It. Make. Sense.

          • flying_sheep@lemmy.ml
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            10 months ago

            I’m from the EU, where there’s laws in place for some industries to put EU user data exclusively on servers that are in the EU. I’m assuming that the US doesn’t have that kind of law applying to TikTok, and that the US servers are an infrastructure decision by Tiktok’s owner company. If I’m right, then that’s your answer. If I’m wrong then they really don’t need to ban them.

            For the record, please keep in mind that I’m not defending any party here. I’m very aware of post cold war yellow/red scare stories, I just don’t see how this inevitably has to be the consequence of one.

            • Amerikan Pharaoh@lemmygrad.ml
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              10 months ago

              I just don’t see how this inevitably has to be the consequence of one.

              Then you’re clearly not paying attention; but that’s to be expected of a Five Eyes vassal ig. You can say you’re ‘not defending any party’ all you like, the very geopolitical viewpoint you’ve been propagandized into does that for you.

      • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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        10 months ago

        Bull, if it was ‘just about gathering data’ they’d go after Zuck and Musk too.

        They’re amaerican. They already have them.

        Further, if Russia were considered ‘mostly white’, NATO wouldn’t be trying to encircle and exterminate them. Try again.

        Dude, if NATO wanted them destroyed they wouldn’t be as passive as they have been. It has nothing to do with race. There are plenty of Russian/Caucasian people in the west.

        Further bull, America’s done everything in its power to keep forms of slavery in play; specifically pipelining the minorities they used to keep as chattel into prison slavery instead.

        I agree this is happening, but is it because of race or because it’s an easy excuse. You can’t tell the difference.

        Four hundred years of slavery, genocide, resource extraction, ignorance of sovereignty, and extrajudicial murder says what now? Tell your handler I said hi.

        Show me a nation that doesn’t have exploitation and/or genocide in their past. There isn’t one. All nations exploit. Governments are corrupt. I’m not arguing the US is good, I’m arguing all nations are bad. You are just willfully ignorant. Whatever government you support (Russia presumably, by your instance?) it has exploited people at some point in time at least. It almost certainly is even now, or someone else would be in power.

          • axont [she/her, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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            10 months ago

            i hate when liberals do this, the “i hate all countries” thing. America invades another country every 3 years on average and this is just as bad as China, a country that hasn’t invaded anyone since 1979? What is this reasoning. This is like those Protestants who say lying about your homework is an equal sin as murdering someone

          • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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            10 months ago

            I guess this was shared on hexbear or lemygrad. I’ll see it soon enough from there I guess.

            Why does China not allow all western companies into their ecosystem? Is it because of race? Obviously not. It’s about power and control, and I’m not dense enough to think otherwise.

          • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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            10 months ago

            Alright. Explain how China having their own ecosystem is better. I know what they’re all doing. You’re the one saying any one is doing it because of a race thing.

            • Amerikan Pharaoh@lemmygrad.ml
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              10 months ago

              Yup, I’m saying it; and I’m not humoring ‘debate’ on the topic from anglos. ‘Debating’ you and yours is kin to trying to debate a sinkhole. Empty air flung down an indifferent, almost-smug pit. Any way out from under the thumb of you and everyone like you is only a good thing achieved by anyone who manages it, and I pray I live to get to watch your system crumble under your impotent fingers.

              • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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                10 months ago

                You came here dude. I didn’t go to you to “debate”.

                I pray I get to see it crumble too. However, I’m not dillusional enough to think it’s just one thing that needs to crumble.

                • Amerikan Pharaoh@lemmygrad.ml
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                  10 months ago

                  You keep flooding my inbox with white bullshit like you know better than me; you’re trying to debate. I don’t debate the kinds of people John Brown would’ve shot. You already showed your hand when you tried to sidestep past America’s historical, continued, and unbroken malfeasance over the past four hundred years.

                  • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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                    10 months ago

                    Stop being a “debate bro” here and acting like you aren’t. You came here. You are not the one being flooded. Look at how many people are replying to me with the same crap every time.

                    I didn’t sidestep US history at all. The US has racism literally written into its constitution. It was useful to those in power, but many have writting saying they thought it was wrong and evil and black people were fully people. They still used it. That’s worse than just racism. It’s pure evil.

                    However, I’m not blinded by hatred over a certain group. China has an entire seperate internet ecosystem. Is it because of racism? China has a long history of racism too. Obviously it is not, and its about power and control. The same logic is true for the US. They’d do the same thing if it were Russian owned and Russia is primarily white like the US. Assuming it’s racism makes you ignore the actual issues.

                    Now find a new thread to be a debate bro in. Leave me alone.

        • sooper_dooper_roofer [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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          10 months ago

          I agree this is happening, but is it because of race or because it’s an easy excuse. You can’t tell the difference.

          things have multiple reasons.

          Like when a forest fire happens, it doesn’t happen ONLY because the weather was dry and ONLY because the weather was hot. It was a combination of both of them.

          Likewise, when anglo-crackers pull this shit, it’s not ONLY because they’re racist, or ONLY because they want to personally control it. It’s because they’re racist AND want control, mostly so they can use it to propagandize people into being more racist.

          Generally, when a certain event happens, it has multiple causes! Single cause phenomena are very rare in organic systems!

          • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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            10 months ago

            Sure, it has multiple causes. Anyone intillegent is just using race as an excuse. China has an ecosystem almost exclusive to China. Is it because they’re racist or because they want control, or both?