Video: abc.net.au Foreign Corespondent (27.14 minutes)
One could argue that Mao’s China was communist, but in my view China quickly became a dictatorship (which is hardly Marxist) and based on the cult of the leader (Stalin, Mao, Castro, Kim ll-Sung, as with Fascism and National Socialism before them) which is ironically that which they opposed, the Romanovs, the Qing dynasty and so on.
China scholars sometimes say that the CCP has no ideology, but I would say their ideology is about fear and control. For the CCP, control of the population is paramount (usually argued over the issue of population size, but ignores India as a comparative). Of course, fear comes packaged in many guises, usually plausible necessity – ‘we must do this together for the good of the country because …’ (The usual drivel around scapegoating). If you disagree or protest you are labelled as a dissident or a criminal, and in China that is a virtual death.
China didn’t invent facial recognition, that began in the U.S. with Woodrow Wilson Bledsoe in the 1960s, but China has been the world’s leading pioneer in mass utilisation for population control, as per the above video. The new control is Social Credit, an insidious policing and censorship. Essentially it regulates every aspect of public life from travel, to behaviour, including shopping choices. China is using the technology to contain its population, and it has intentionally become a new form of house arrest. In the video above the once popular journalist has become a pariah according to the CCP (because he uncovered corruption at high levels of govt.), and is restricted in income and travel as well as access to certain people and processes thereby rendering his work and movement impossible, all without recourse to trial. The other factor is racial profiling, and the Chinese govt. is tracking Uighers among others, for the purpose of control.
Also in the video above the successful couple have very high social credit based on their compliance, profession and shopping choices. It is the new disguised capitalism of China that favours an elite and so a new class system has been created. Eventually one becomes a drone or a prole to use Orwell’s language, pushed and directed by every institutional whim, for the good of the nation of course. China is not alone in this, just more advanced and unashamed in the process.
Notably, in the U.S. the cities of Cambridge, San Francisco, Oakland and Somerville have taken preemptive steps to ban the use of facial recognition technologies on the basis that such technologies are a breach of freedom of speech and privacy, and have already been seen to be used to unfairly target activists, minorities, race and women. Such technology is being used to punish those who criticise government.
D.H. Lawrence (1885 – 1930) didn’t mind slinging off, but when he spoke critically of America, he couldn’t have known that his observations would apply world-wide within a generation: “America is neither free nor brave, but a land of tight, iron-clanking little wills, everybody trying to put it over everybody else, and a land of men (sic) absolutely devoid of the real courage of trust, trust in life’s sacred spontaneity. They can’t trust life until they can control it.”
What could possibly go wrong?!
parallax 
Love the D H Lawrence quote…it’s stinging criticism, but strikes a true chord.
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It sure is stinging but yes it really strikes a chord.
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Nonetheless, I’m starting to get weary of all the criticism about the USA…it’s been my home since birth and I’m well aware of the glaring imperfections. Any place populated by humans is bound to have issues.
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But as I say in the post, it’s no longer just the U.S. it is everywhere, a virus.
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True–a “virus” is the perfect metaphor!…wonder if we can get preventive inoculations, like for shingles 🙂
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Oh that would be wonderful 🙂
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I hope there wouldn’t be side-effects–I just got a “booster” (90% effective) shingles shot 2 days ago, and my arm is still swollen, sore and red; but the worst part was the first night’s shivering chills… I’m supposed to have a 2nd one in 2-6 months, but I’m not sure about that 🙂
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Not so simple then really, always the complications. Sorry to hear that.
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I reported the side effects to the pharmacist today, who assured me they’re common/normal–and that I should follow through with the 2nd dose in 2-6 months….and likely have the normal/common, and thankfully brief unpleasantness yet again (said with great cheerfulness and mild sympathy 🙂 I have to admit it’s certainly better than contracting shingles… Now you’re up to date, so have a great weekend, friend! 🙂
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I hope your weekend is a good one too, and thank you for sharing your update 🙂
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Haha, I feel silly about it now.
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No need to 😀
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Thank you–guess it was just one of those days 🙂 Blessings to you!
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Thank you, and right back at you too. 🙂
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Thank you 🙂
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Most welcome 🙂
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🙂
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Definitely!
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🙂
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Thanks Liz
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Argh!!!!!
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Yes, I feel that Ruth.
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Nice
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Many thanks 🙂
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Wow to the D.H. Lawrence quote. So apt
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Bit of a grenade really but so true.
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Wow 200 million cameras. I am so glad that my town took down all the red light cameras that they used to issue tickets.
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Just a nonsense really for petty minded govt. For me it represents a lack of trust and community. Glad to hear they gave up on one form of revenue 🙂
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I put this on Twitter. I sent to my kids. Thanks for bringing this to light.
Sent from my iPad
>
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We’re on a slippery slope.
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I fear you’re right.
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Wish it were otherwise.
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I agree. It’s important to become aware of what is going on in the world beyond the tip of my own nose.
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Yes, if we aren’t aware we suffer more.
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powerful post with great insights and I agree … CCP is a ruthless dictatorship and their dictator just ensured he would rule unquestioned for the remainder of his life!
Bravo to those US states who banned facial recognition, it is muted that china has already erected their own FR poles here in oz … i don’t doubt it. Bravo also to San Francisco who have correctly labelled NRA as a local terrorist organisation.
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Yes, much to raise in the public eye, and the fact that politicians are like children who are busy playing with the wrapping paper at Christmas as if it were something special. The corporate shadow.
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are they that naive that their greed will be our downfall!
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Yes, they have no idea, their distracting memes are trade, and their demons dressed as angels are security advisors who live in fakelandia.
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I always suspected the security advisors were hedging their bets each way with no loyalty to anyone but their own bank accounts … and that’s been proven correct!
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Yes, and they’re nicely enmeshed.
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I984 may be running a bit late,
but it’s knocking at the door.
Just depending on where you live,
the knocking can be louder, or softer.
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That makes sense David, its contextual, it comes when it comes. A bit like John Donne’s poem which asks “For whom does the bell toll …”
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We are fully entrenched in an Orwellian age. His essay “Politics and the English Language” couldn’t be more apt.
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Yes, I’d very much agree.
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What could possible go wrong? It is happening.
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Very robust post Paul.
I see India is changing the secular mask and following China’s step in hypnotizing mass and in case of failure house arrest the person or at the worst in some cases people simply disappear.
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Yes, in the name of the government I note, it has swapped to obedience, just as Orwell saw it.
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