China's Influence

[Snowy79]

The media is certainly one of the most powerful weapons to date as just looking around society there appears to be a decent amount of people that can't fact check and believe everything they hear instantly. The media is also done a great job of making an organisation appear to be wrong even if the information is 100% accurate. 

I have good friends who if I said I was reading X this morning and they said "the sea is wet" they'd literaly reply " what are you reading that rubbish for? " Many read either just Left wing media or Right wing media and to them anything else is wrong or biased even if 100% factully accurate.

[Tommy T.]

3 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

The media is certainly one of the most powerful weapons to date as just looking around society there appears to be a decent amount of people that can't fact check and believe everything they hear instantly. The media is also done a great job of making an organisation appear to be wrong even if the information is 100% accurate. 

I have good friends who if I said I was reading X this morning and they said "the sea is wet" they'd literaly reply " what are you reading that rubbish for? " Many read either just Left wing media or Right wing media and to them anything else is wrong or biased even if 100% factully accurate.

I agree 100% with your comments, Snowy. I have had a few government jobs and found that the media often reported what was mostly sensational or simply more "saleable" than the truth. Sad but true. I was the subject of some reports that were total BS. Media, to me, in general is not trustworthy to report simple "facts" without inuendo or spin attached... Politicians are even worse, in my opinion - regardless of affiliation or party... spin, spin spin....

However, having said that, the blatant facts seem fairly obvious to me. China is encroaching upon the entire world lately. Then, when called out,they retort that it is the "other guy" (country, etc.) who is in the wrong. Recalling and paraphrasing from one of the many re-runs of The Wild Wild West I have seen recently... I personally think there is something very wrong with that country...(horse, Silver, in the movie for those who somehow missed it...)

Edited September 9, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Dave Hounddriver]

12 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

there appears to be a decent amount of people that can't fact check and believe everything they hear instantly.

It has become so bad that people comment on Facebook pics without even clicking on the link and reading the link, let alone fact checking the pic or the link.

But things were always like that.  In pre-Internet days many would spread gossip and others would believe.  There was not easy way to fact check back then so we all lived in ignorance, believing what we chose to believe.  Now fact checking is easier, but only to those with the intelligence and will to actually do it.

Funny thing is:  If I share a link on Facebook, people usually like and share immediately and without thought.  If I tell someone the same thing face to face they will say "I am not sure I believe that, let me get out my phone and check with Google".

[Heeb]

On 9/7/2020 at 6:34 PM, Yeochief said:

My thoughts are that the only weapons to be concerned about are Nukes and they have been around a long time.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio-class_submarine#Description  My thoughts about nukes, is you need to be concerned about the smaller countries, not the big guys.  The US has had weapons ready to fire for a very long time.  The first sea-based missile deterrent forces were a small number of conventionally powered cruise missile submarines (SSG) and surface ships fielded by the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s.  My thoughts are when someone writes about weapons, that is old news, newer systems are already out and they will be written about in about 10 years.  

“Mutual destruction”, preventing WWIII for over 60  years.

[Mike J]

19 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

The media is certainly one of the most powerful weapons to date as just looking around society there appears to be a decent amount of people that can't fact check and believe everything they hear instantly. The media is also done a great job of making an organisation appear to be wrong even if the information is 100% accurate. 

I have good friends who if I said I was reading X this morning and they said "the sea is wet" they'd literaly reply " what are you reading that rubbish for? " Many read either just Left wing media or Right wing media and to them anything else is wrong or biased even if 100% factully accurate.

I agree.  I think the reason is economic and ignorance.   Media exists to make a profit.  Many people, perhaps most, seem to want to only hear or read material that supports their presupposed beliefs.no matter how ridiculous or extreme.  Basically we are getting the media that people are willing to pay for.

[RBM]

For those whom haven't seen it the you tube video from Peter Navarro Death by China give a pretty interesting perspective, even if perhaps one sided.  

Edited September 9, 2020 by RBM

[Tommy T.]

10 hours ago, Heeb said:

“Mutual destruction”, preventing WWIII for over 60  years.

Or maybe just deferring it a while? The human race seems hell-bent on self destruction. There seems to have been little to no learning from how many wars in Europe in the 10th through 19th centuries? WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, Yemen? Sorry... I forgot about Afghanistan...

We just don't seem to get it! Sorry... that was sort of a micro-rant... but I feel maybe a bit better now...sort-of... but no safer or more secure...

Edited September 10, 2020 by Tommy T.

[Heeb]

I’m not an advocate of nukes but they have prevented a war with a major superpower like China or Russia, in my opinion because of this we are spending way to much on defense. I think the modern aircraft carrier is a big floating target now, a weapon of the past, smart weapons and drones are so stealthy now I’m afraid they could simultaneously hit our fleet really hard before we even know it, yet our submarine fleet has a good chance of surviving with enough payload to respond. Wasting  money on wars in the Middle East is too costly and will never accomplish anything, too many religious divisions, look what happened with Iraq, there was a reason a strong armed dictator controlled that country. Remember the Camp David peace talks they used to hold almost every year, what a joke.

[Viking]

4 hours ago, Heeb said:

I’m not an advocate of nukes but they have prevented a war with a major superpower like China or Russia, in my opinion because of this we are spending way to much on defense. I think the modern aircraft carrier is a big floating target now, a weapon of the past, smart weapons and drones are so stealthy now I’m afraid they could simultaneously hit our fleet really hard before we even know it, yet our submarine fleet has a good chance of surviving with enough payload to respond. Wasting  money on wars in the Middle East is too costly and will never accomplish anything, too many religious divisions, look what happened with Iraq, there was a reason a strong armed dictator controlled that country. Remember the Camp David peace talks they used to hold almost every year, what a joke.

I think it is all about money. As long as you can convince the people that you have an enemy or that something is threatening your way of life, then it is easy to get the funds to produce all these very expensive equipment needed to protect you. War is simply good for business.  

[Mike J]

14 hours ago, Viking said:

I think it is all about money. As long as you can convince the people that you have an enemy or that something is threatening your way of life, then it is easy to get the funds to produce all these very expensive equipment needed to protect you. War is simply good for business.  

Wars usually are fought over resources (I want yours), religion (I hate yours), ideology (you are wrong), or some combination of those three.   Long term war is bad for business, except for those who build weapons.  Unless, of course, you are defeated and the "winner" rebuilds your countries infrastructure and economy.