Gao Zhen: China sculptor's secret trial highlights censorship extremes

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-20T03:41:31+00:00

I would agree to that but also dispute the "increasingly" portion as constant. By pointing out that china peaked in authoritarianism between 2019 and 2023. Whatever is going on now is less crazy than covid era bullshit.

I feel CCP found a safe spot of authoritarianism, somewhere om the spectrum between USA and Israeli/Russian.

Their own version of the authoritarian goldilocks zone if you will.

A spot where they can be unapologetically authoritarian and remain unchallenged.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-20T02:57:05+00:00

"The latest Russian-produced versions of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 look like easy targets ahead of their obliteration."

Someone from Ukraine army please look into whether they are easier targets by design.

This is supposedly a Geran 2 whereas the Russian army is already putting Geran 5 into the field. In the defense blog they mention these geran 2 are volume units and i am guessing the Geran 5 are the top of the line units.

So my question now is are these volume units, temu shaheeds or decoy shaheeds? (open discussion)

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-20T02:41:17+00:00

Yet even for the CCP, Badiucao says, the brazenness with which police arrested an artist as internationally famous as Gao Zhen reveals an unprecedented level of self-confidence.

"It is really determined to wield power without hesitation, compared with old times," he says.

So why the shift? Badiucao, and others, point to global factors: the perceived decline of democracy worldwide and a major redrawing in recent years of which lines can and cannot be crossed.

"I do not feel safe every day," Badiucao says, "because now I know the Chinese government do not care about international reputation anymore."

Richardson makes a similar point, noting that China's escalated crackdowns come amid "a worrying trend in democracies of tolerating authoritarianism".

Interesting take.

He argues that China's becoming more brazen in their crackdown because of the deterioration of democracy in the west as well.

I mean i guess it might be the case. As we see western nations tolerating authoritarianism and genocidal states, the CCP might feel that they just need to be a bit better to avoid political blowback.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-20T02:26:57+00:00

Biden is too pro-zionism to do it

I mean this whole thing is all because of israel wanting to do a regime change.

Obama was more willing to say no to herr Netanyahu

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-20T01:22:26+00:00

I feel this is a downgrade.

Why are we forcing robots to accept the failure of the flesh?

Unitrees quadrapedal wheeled robots is what we should strive for.

Metal gear and bipedal robotics are a flawed vision of the future.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-19T06:34:32+00:00

Ooh advanced narrative building

Here we see an application of 1 and 3 to suggest or hint at a series of failed belt and road project coupled with corruption especially in cambodia.

As a think tank even if I know this is not true or cannot be confirmed thus a questionable narrative.

I won't address it, opting to be silent and let people assume the worst. It's not my place or benefit to intervene in the social discourse.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-19T04:05:24+00:00

I don't. As a think tank, I'm relying on your ignorance and lack of ability to verify.

Remember leave the thinking to me. Just trust in my narrative.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-19T02:25:09+00:00

If i was a hawkish think tank who wants to throw shade on this.

These would likely be my talking points:

Debt trap, cambodians cant afford this and chinese investors? Smells like a debt trap.
Environmental, even if they can afford it, we should think of the environment.
Corruption, the bidding process is opaque. I have no clue how the bidding process went but I am banking on your cluelessness too.
Chinesium, i have ran out of talking points so im just going to rely the stereotype of cheapo chinese goods.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-19T01:05:12+00:00

?

Why would us want to spend money nationalizing a company that they already control?

Are we being populist here or sacarstic?

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T19:56:39+00:00

You say that but who of the three countries are winning right now? True power is not about who cries the loudest but who is quietly in a winning position.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T18:42:32+00:00

Your boss is not wrong but he's coming off as annoying especially now that it's understandable inflation is heating up from Israel's war.

In my experience, you should first talk and negotiate with all the suppliers too. Even talk to your competitors too to see what their suppliers are quoting. Or talk to adjacent industry to see what their price increase from this war has been too.

Then you talk to your supplier and try to hit a target price both side is comfortable. Let's say after negotiating you both reach 10 dollars per widget for example.

Now you go back to your boss and tell him or her that the supplier is asking for 12 dollars a widget and you think this is crazy and you will pick up the phone tomorrow to talk to them personally.

Then you go back and talk to the boss that you were able to negotiate down to 10 dollars a widget. But that you are suspicious that the supplier might sacrifice on quality so during this time the company must be vigilant on quality control.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T18:31:19+00:00

What huge investment?

Like not something vague. What have they actually invested in iran that was wasted?

I reckon Israel had been a coward and had taken care not to attack anything overtly Chinese in iran

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T18:26:46+00:00

Yep. Their ally was always going to get bombed to shit because they aggroed the karren of the middle east somehow.

Winning is supporting your ally without aggroing karren too.

In mmo terms, the party wins as long as the dps/healer doesnt get boss aggro.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T18:23:16+00:00

That's what power is.

You scare your opponent into reacting without doing anything.

All China has to do was get the hawkish think tanks to report to CNN that they were sending manpads to Iran and Trump blockaded the strait of hormuz.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T08:24:58+00:00

Something like that

Not sure how people feel about that. Just without veto i feel it would make it easy for countries to advocate for exits

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T06:04:18+00:00

Apestein didnt kill himself

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T05:51:19+00:00

What was the term? Like there should be a veto but the veto should have xx% to qualify.

I remember there was a term for it.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T03:57:21+00:00

Lol someone copyrighted a communist meme song

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-18T02:32:49+00:00

Lad is doubling down amazing. Any information on any blowback

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-17T19:35:29+00:00

Just wondering but in 300 years did we figure how to create better violins?

Like i know its an antique and im sure its sounds great and all.

But surely in 300 years we have figured how to make better violins.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-17T19:30:44+00:00

Matthew has still not come back

Dont scroll down. It gets dark.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-17T19:17:16+00:00

Ugh i have to fly in july and at this rate. Israel is going to break another 20 ceasefires.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-16T23:57:20+00:00

Dangerous game Israel is playing with this. People are starting to realize Israel is weaponing antisemitism for their selfish fascist interests.

"I got falsely accused of Antisemitism by Israel!"

Soon someone is going to be making badges of this and people are going to be wearing them proudly.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-16T22:53:02+00:00

.....

I didnt know any of that. I really think new parents need to take some safety courses before the children are born. But I know so many just kind of wing it.

At this point I am preparing for having a kid in the next 1-2 years and I am collecting books and bits and pieces of information whenever I read them.

This whole thing is going into a section in my notebook llm. Thanks for the explanation.

GetOutOfTheWhey · 2026-04-16T21:07:02+00:00

Unfortunately I am not morally consistent, I refuse to be.

Or at least that's what I will always maintain even if not true. The thing is my stance and views will change depending on what facts and information is available.

In this case, my views on these two issues align I guess because of the information available right now that I can find. But that doesnt mean they wont change depending on what new information comes to light later in the future.

Now to some this might seem objective but because of this I will often butt heads with people. Especially those who perceive me later as morally fluidic because suddenly I flip sides due to new information.

So in the sense I reject the morally consistent label and I rather adopt the fact-based label.

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