As more mainstream libs are discovering Lemmy, we’re seeing a pattern of complaints that opinions outside the ones they deem acceptable are allowed on the platform. We’ve even seen instances defederating because their userbase does not wish to be exposed to these views.
Interestingly, these are the same people who level censorship and control of free speech as their main critique of communists. What we’re seeing is that these people absolutely don’t care about free speech. They understand the necessity of censorship and actively advocate censoring opinions that they find dangerous. Yet, when societies based on values different from their own use these same tools they screech about authoritarianism.
Turns out it’s not authoritarianism libs hate, but having their own views censored. What actually offends them about places like China is that it’s their ideology that’s being suppressed there.
Plenty of libs from the big cities, places like Shanghai, Guangzhou and even Beijing.
They’re the type to go silent when commemorating the victims of Nanjing or celebrating the anniversary of the Japanese surrender. But in the same breath they cheer fanatically for Azov, US invasions and dream about one day leading the way for western imperialists to kill and enslave their fellow citizens.
Granted, a lot of these are paid 1450 trolls from Taiwan but liberals are not as suppressed as they claim. Zhihu, Weibo etc. are full of types who idolise the west and even the third reich vs what they regard as “evil yellow russian pinkos” lol.
More than a decade ago, mainstream opinions were even more heavily liberal with constant portrayals of the US as a magical utopia while we were ‘backwards, dirty and polluted’.