Elected governments are not necessarily better. But setting that aside, if the real issue is oppression by the government, not standing up for the anthem or the like is a very cheap, easy form of subversion. It's like farting when you boss walks around. If you really want change you need to be smarter than that.
There is a growing fear within the Party over dissenters....and especially with the proliferation of smartphones. The Party has a consistent streak of paranoia , always has, but the regime in charge today is consolidating, has consolidated power like no one since Mao. It is the most unchecked surveillance society on earth. All payments go through the central banking system. They are beginning to create citizen scores based on your purchasing, tax payments, and yes, your social media sites. If you've been following the tech fairs over here, you'll notice a huge interest in facial recognition technology. That's not so they don't forget to send you a birthday card.
In the US, you don't stand for the Anthem, the most you get are some bombastic tweets, or maybe something more horrible, like losing your Papa John's sponsorship. In today's China, and into the future, it could mean much, much more to a dissenter.
Elected governments are not necessarily better. But setting that aside, if the real issue is oppression by the government, not standing up for the anthem or the like is a very cheap, easy form of subversion. It's like farting when you boss walks around. If you really want change you need to be smarter than that.
https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/08/1...lls-why-china-is-playing-up-dissident-trials/
There is a growing fear within the Party over dissenters....and especially with the proliferation of smartphones. The Party has a consistent streak of paranoia , always has, but the regime in charge today is consolidating, has consolidated power like no one since Mao. It is the most unchecked surveillance society on earth. All payments go through the central banking system. They are beginning to create citizen scores based on your purchasing, tax payments, and yes, your social media sites. If you've been following the tech fairs over here, you'll notice a huge interest in facial recognition technology. That's not so they don't forget to send you a birthday card.
In the US, you don't stand for the Anthem, the most you get are some bombastic tweets, or maybe something more horrible, like losing your Papa John's sponsorship. In today's China, and into the future, it could mean much, much more to a dissenter.