[Digi]

Michael Merritt, on Apr 12 2008, 06:16 PM, said:

I think what it boils down to is a difference in the goals. Perhaps in the West (or at least in the U.S.), people would rather be poor and be able to speak out against their government than have to live in fear of saying the wrong thing.

I'll concede on Russia. When a country that has never known real democracy implements it too quickly, it can be difficult. China is similar, since it also had an Emperor for a long time prior to a communist revolution. Its democracy was short lived, and tumultuous at best. So, developing that will take time. But, it's still essential, I think.

Regardless of the political state of your country, ysun, it's still in my top 10 list of countries to visit. China is a beautiful place. Some classmates of mine visited last Summer, and made a documentary whilst there.

That's more or less what I was getting at a few pages back. I made direct references to "western culture", poor democratic countries, and states like China and how the super powers want to spread democratic rhetoric. That way these other, less developed (by freedom and/or industry), countries can't take our surper power status from us. I'm glad I'm not the only one that can see this (or at least commented on it). And again, that's not to say I'm anti-freedom or anything, jsut that I realize that sometimes we don't know everything that is right for other people