On Thu, 25 Aug 2011 05:12:24 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc
wrote:

The People's Republic of China is a dictatorship. Thus, terrible
things happen there to innocent people all the time, and there is no
recourse; and to survive there for any length of time, one has to be
willing to be complicit in that.

Terrible things happen everywhere. I'm not defending dictatorships,
but they can be very efficient forms of government, and I don't think
China's is a particularly "evil" one. Individual freedom is China is
nearly as broad as in the U.S., so long as you don't choose to stir
the political pot... and few care to. On the whole, Chinese people
seem happy and comfortable with their situation... more so, perhaps,
than Americans. That's an important indicator of societal success.


Those who have the good fortune to live in a country where freedom and
justice reign, where injustices can be openly discussed, so that the
people can work to right them... should not throw that away.

Well, Americans are currently throwing these things away in our own
country. Choosing to live and work in China is not necessarily
throwing anything away. Doing so doesn't require changing one's
citizenship, or prevent one from leaving if they don't like things.
But I've read several accounts of Westerners living for extended
periods in China, and they haven't found themselves in any sort of
nightmare. Indeed, most seem to develop a respect for a system that is
working pretty well for most of its citizens. That doesn't mean there
isn't a lot of room for improvement... but in what country isn't
there?