Showing posts with label Dictatorships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dictatorships. Show all posts

March 17, 2023

Not Our World

This is not our utopian world as countries are getting more and more aggressive and dangerous:

  • Russia
  • China
  • Iran
  • North Korea

Ever wonder what things will look like tomorrow?  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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March 8, 2022

Ukraine Effectiveness

Ukraine is effective on the battlefield.

As well as with their communications management. 

Together with western civilization, hopefully Russia will pay a heavy price for their aggression. ;-)

(Credit Twitter Post: Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs)


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February 25, 2022

World Is Worse Today

With Russia invading Ukraine.

With China up next to invade Taiwan.

With Iran and North Korea just waiting for their chances at evil. 

With provocations, escalations, and threats of nuclear weapons.

The world is much worse today. 

Peace is shattered.

There is no telling when or how this will all end. 

(Credit Photo; Andy Blumenthal)


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February 24, 2022

Our Deterrence Is Lost

As Russia bombs and invades Ukraine.

The U.S. is sitting on its hands. 

NATO is in total disarray. 

The United Nations is a joke!

As Russia looks mighty, we look ever so weak!

Total body blow to world democracy and human rights.

Russia is free to murder, take what it desires, do whatever it wants.

And China is gearing up for Taiwan next.  ;-)

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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December 13, 2018

A Social System that Inspires Pride and Shame


This story continues to fascinate me. 

China's social credit system started in 2015. 

China scores individuals based on public data (social media, financial, insurance, health, shopping, dating, and more), and they have people that act as "information collectors" (i.e. neighborhood watchers) who record what their neighbors are doing--good and bad. 

Each individual starts with a 1,000 points. 

If you do good things in Chinese society--helping people, cleaning up, being honest--you get points added. 

If you do bad things in China--fight with people, make a mess, be dishonest--you get points deducted. 

Fail below 1,000 points and you are in trouble--and can get blacklisted!

A good score is something to be proud of and a bad score is something that shames people to hopefully change for the better. 

But more than that, your social score has tangible social impacts--it can determine your ability to get into certain schools, obtain better jobs, homes, loans/mortgages, high-speed internet, and even high-speed train tickets/airplane flights. 

While maybe well intentioned, certainly, this has the very real potential to become a surveillance state and the embodiment of "Big Brother"!

On one hand, it seems like a great thing to drive people and society to be better. Isn't that what we do with recognizing and rewarding good behavior and with our laws and justice system in punishing bad behavior?

Yet, to me this type of all-encompassing social credit system risks too much from a freedom and privacy perspective. Should the government and all your neighbors be privy to your most intimate doings and dealings?  And should people be controlled to such an extent that literally everything you do is monitored and measured and counted for/against you?

It seems to me that the price of sacrificing your very personal liberty is too high to make in order to push people towards positive social goals.

Guiding people is one thing, and rewarding outstanding acts and punishing horrific ones is understandable, but getting into people's knickers is another. 

This type of social credit system really borders on social control and moves us towards a very disturbing, dystopian future. ;-)
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