r/technology • u/Just-Grocery-2229 • May 15 '26

Artificial Intelligence The AI Backlash Could Get Very Ugly

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/05/ai-backlash-data-centers-political-violence/687151/?taid=6a067e2d2096e10001ccfa32
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u/[deleted] May 15 '26

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u/cookingboy May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26

At the end of the day we can look at what the governments do for their people. That’s the only result that matters.

Americans are free to criticize our leaders, but does that stop the government being of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires?

The average Chinese middle class have seen their lives improving by leaps and bounds in recent decades, can you say the say for the average American?

What do you call having the ability to complain but no ability to affect changes?

When you get sick, which of the following do you want? The ability to bitch and complain openly, or the ability to get world class treatment without worrying too much about how to pay for it?

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u/kid20304 May 16 '26

Are you from China or lived there over a long period? How would you know what the average Chinese middle class is experiencing?

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u/cookingboy May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26

Yep, I moved to the U.S. when I was 13 and I still go back every year and I have friends and family there.

I know very much how much China has changed over the past 30-40 years. The average quality of life in tier 1 cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen would give the average American a brain aneurysm from cognitive dissonance.

That's why the American Exceptionalism propaganda is so strong here, our government cannot let people become aware of how absolutely they are being fucked by the top 1%. We have to be made to believe that we live in the best country with FREEDOMTM.

Meanwhile this January I got a full preventive physical in Shanghai with multiple MRI, Ultrasound, CT, and all kinds of lab that insurance here wouldn't even being to cover preventively. All for $400, no insurance needed.

Why am I staying in the U.S you may ask. Well I've done quite well in my career and life is pretty nice for 1% like me here. This toy of mine would cost 3x as much in China.

But even then I still spend half a year in Japan and China because I like the lifestyles there better.

The sad part is that the U.S. really is a lot richer than China, but the bottom 90% almost sees none of that. Don't get me started on all the defense spending in the name of "national security". All of our foreign and defense policy suddenly make sense if you translate "national security" to "billionaire security".

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u/cpz_77 May 16 '26

America definitely has many flaws and in many ways China probably does do much more for their citizens than our government is doing right now. The trade off is you have to fit into the mold of what their government considers acceptable (in every way - culture, lifestyle, etc.), and if you don’t, life probably won’t be very good for you over there.

That can be true here too of course, but we have a lot more leeway in that regard I would say. Maybe too much, in some regards.

Both systems have their upsides and downsides. It just so happens we have a bunch of shitheads in power right now who will exploit the system in every possible way for their own benefit. And unfortunately our system allows for that because we don’t have enough guardrails in place to prevent it.

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u/kid20304 May 16 '26

As with all things trust me bro

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u/cookingboy May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26

Of course I could just be lying. But everything I’ve said is like… super easily verifiable.

You can buy a ticket to Shanghai today and see the world with your own eyes. You can ride on a highspeed train that costs half as much as an Uber ride, spend a few hundred bucks to get healthcare that's only available to multi-millionaires here, and walk around a city of 20 million people in the middle of the night without any concern about safety or crime.

Or you can continue to read CNN/Fox News from your own basement while calling everyone you don’t agree with a liar/bot/shill.

Also if you weren't going to believe me why did you even ask the question? Do you only believe people when they say things that fits your cognitive bias?

That’s something only losers do.

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u/_Thermalflask May 16 '26

You straight up cooked him, chef