Why are we so up in arms about this? Why not before this?
Well, because we were insulated from China's behavior. Their heavy handed approach only affected their own citizens. They jailed their own citizens, but not Americans, not other people.
We got our supply chain from them and they gave us what we wanted, so we're good.
However! Now China's tyranny is leaking out of China. It's getting into arenas where we are. You could have been playing that game. You could have said something that offended China -- maybe without even knowing it.
Plus, they are in our IoT devices, our iphones, our cameras. China is watching and controlling us now. They are restricting our access to games -- not just their own people.
The culture and rules of countries don't exist solely within the borders of that country.
This is new for Americans. It's not new for the rest of the world. What USA wanted, USA got.
Now, what China wants, China gets -- even if it's not what we want.
Continuing your thought. In the past, wars were fought physically by damaging the opponent. We are at a place in history where we can fight not with fists and bullets, but with entertainment.
Like national rap battles.
Wars were fought over resources: water, oil, food. Now they are fought over games, movies, ... products.
Instead of war winners being those who can inflict the most harm on the opponent, maybe now we can shift that into the winner being the most entertaining.
>We are at a place in history where we can fight not with fists and bullets, but with entertainment.
Not sure if sarcastic or genuine, but er... you know that this used to be called "soft power"? As in America used to have all this soft power and made the whole world worship how awesome American life is? Like, even Rammstein sang about how "we all live in Amerika / Amerika ist wunderbar"?
> I know if suddenly my entertainment was taken away I would flip my shit if it was my government that was responsible.
How would you even know, when all your news is telling you it's the fault of those nasty foreigners?
It's been clear in recent years that even an ostensibly 'free' media results in some people with very strange ideas of reality. It must be so much worse when all the messages are curated.
Why are we so up in arms about this? Why not before this?
Well, because we were insulated from China's behavior. Their heavy handed approach only affected their own citizens. They jailed their own citizens, but not Americans, not other people.
We got our supply chain from them and they gave us what we wanted, so we're good.
However! Now China's tyranny is leaking out of China. It's getting into arenas where we are. You could have been playing that game. You could have said something that offended China -- maybe without even knowing it.
Plus, they are in our IoT devices, our iphones, our cameras. China is watching and controlling us now. They are restricting our access to games -- not just their own people.
The culture and rules of countries don't exist solely within the borders of that country.
This is new for Americans. It's not new for the rest of the world. What USA wanted, USA got.
Now, what China wants, China gets -- even if it's not what we want.