this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2024
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Depicting a heap of contorted bodies and screaming faces, the statue was unveiled Tuesday as part of an exhibition of “forbidden art” that organizers said had been censored or “deemed subversive” by Hong Kong and mainland China.

The exhibition was hosted by Jens Galschiøt, the Danish artist behind the famous sculpture, and Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, a member of the European Parliament (MEP). A further six MEPs, including representatives from each of the parliament’s five largest political coalitions, were listed as co-hosts.

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[–] [email protected] 112 points 8 months ago (3 children)

That's good, however it's again just symbolism. A real signal would be to begin cutting ties with China on a path to end our economical dependency on them.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 8 months ago

Rich people never do anything financially adverse so virtue signaling is the only thing that works for them.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 8 months ago (6 children)

In theory yes, in practice we should then also cut ties with every other nation that committed a massacre or oppressed its population, which… checks notes… would be almost every nation.

Why not Turkey for the Armenian Genocide, why not Australia for the treatment of aboriginal people, why not the USA and Canada for the treatment of indigenous people? Why not Great Britain for conquering half of the planet and enslaving people?

[–] TheGrandNagus 68 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

There's a bit of a difference between the likes of Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, etc, who committed atrocities primarily in the days of colonialsm and have since drastically changed — they've acknowledged what they've done, and to my knowledge apologised for it — and China.

China hasn't become less authoritarian since the massacre, doesn't acknowledge it even happened, and certainly hasn't apologised. The sad truth is, they'd likely do it all over again. Because they're just as bad now as they were then.

I hate the "but whatabout..." whenever someone calls out China on murdering their civilians and even committing an ongoing genocide.

If you actually think China and nations such as Britain, Canada, France, Spain, Germany, etc are the same, you frankly need to get your head examined.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Nobody is saying you have to be perfect. Obviously every past society has flaws and pockmarks. The point is acknowledging past wrongs and seeking reconciliation and seeking to improve.

Denying atrocities makes atrocities worse, because it means you will repeat the errors.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

why not cut ties because of the people in power? people in power today are not the ones that made these crimes, ~~except china~~ i'm stupid

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (2 children)

And also excepting Israel, Kongo, Russia, UAE, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan and still the USA.

And on a side note Xi Jinping, the man in power today, didn’t do the TS massacre, he came to power in 2012

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Most of these sound quite reasonable, if i think about it.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

So he should have no problem acknowledging the issue and seeking reconciliation.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Oh man, the tankies are out in force today, aren’t they?

[–] Badeendje 13 points 8 months ago (8 children)

LoL.. I have a relatively limited Blocklist of tankies and therefore do not see any of their drivel anymore. Seriously, just block the names you recognize.. at 20 your Lemmy experience will be much more sane.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I tend to block anyone with an @hexbear on sight even if they're making an innocuous comment. It's takes a certain type of person to choose that instance. I'm at like 30 blocks including their instance and yea my feed is solid.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

it takes a certain kind of person

I don't think many of them are people, they're LLMs. Those that are actually people didn't choose Hexbear, their bosses who pay them to be shills chose it.

Similar problems at lemmy.ml but not as bad.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

Same. Lemmygrad is also on my shitlist.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Sorry for my ignorance, but what are 'tankies'?

[–] MalachaiConstant 16 points 8 months ago

Far-left authoritarians. In this case, CCP supporters/apologists

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

From Wikipedia:

The term "tankie" was originally used by dissident Marxist–Leninists to describe members of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) who followed the party line of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Specifically, it was used to distinguish party members who spoke out in defense of the Soviet use of tanks to crush the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the 1968 Prague Spring uprising, or who more broadly adhered to pro-Soviet positions

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[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod 27 points 8 months ago

If China didn't censor everything to do with something that totally didn't happen I'm sure they'd be very upset.

[–] qaz 27 points 8 months ago (7 children)

What about banning imports from any company that is using forced labour?

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 8 months ago

That statue could only be better if Winnie Pooh was sitting on top of it

[–] Linkerbaan 15 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (8 children)

Virtue signaling from Europe while still supporting israel's Genocide and even inviting them to Eurovision.

Shamelessness knows no bounds.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (6 children)

There can be multiple different people and multiple different motivations within people that do not all need to agree with each other. One person/thought can be good, while others aren't.

That discrepancy alone doesn't discredit the good things, unless they're directly related. In this case, they aren't. Israel's genocide needs to be condemned, but so need to be the events from Tiananmen square.

I hate arguments like yours. It's always like, "you either be perfect or you're the worst scum on Earth". Completely counterproductive. Yes, criticize the bad parts. But don't paint the good things, like this, as bad, it's just unnecessary.

Especially, an art installation at one place has absolutely nothing to do with who decides who goes to a stupid song contest. Wtf.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Can we get one for Russia in 1993 during the black october too? Or is that different when tanks roll on people and bombard a building?

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[–] Harbinger01173430 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Taiwan is not a country. Where are my social credits!?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Return your credit and visit my country. We will show what the true Chinese culture is. Since the CCP deleted all that after the civil war.

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