The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball Audiobook

This post has 11 comments with rating of 5/511

• 
  caesar963
  June 5th, 2019
  

  

  Well in excess of 1.5 million Muslims are imprisoned in the Chinese regime’s re-education/concentration camps. This vast prison population is only a section of the unjustly detained within the massive slave-state.
  Naturally, warrants, due process, right to hear your charge or face your accuser, right to fair trial/procedure, appeals, don’t form part of the Chinese “justice” system.
  These camps function also as a form of open-ended preventive detention. They feature forced labour, organ extraction/harvesting, torture, human experimentation, coerced drug-testing - the standard authoritarian horrors.
  Thanks, not.

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  ssafe05
  June 5th, 2019
  

  

  oh, yes! The Water Kingdom FTW!

  Sure, they may be a surveillance state with thuggish tendencies towards their critics, but what nation among us hasn’t occupied another country or locked up a significant segment of its populace - from time to time?

  (yep, liberal democracy done caught one helluva cold lately)

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  caesar963
  June 5th, 2019
  

  I don’t think you even have to be a critic to end up in one of their delightful “indoctrination” camps. Unless they have some method of detecting thought crime. I always think that to end up in any form of detention in such a dystopic system, you almost have to be innocent. The unpleasant contemplation of such unimaginable hellholes has a way of putting things into perspective, for namby-pamby Westerners.

  I’m not one to brag or anything, but my benighted country has never colonised or raped any other country - although we have been on the victim end of the stick. 800 years of victimhood, now that is a tough record to beat. We never seek reparations or anything, we just like to throw it into arguments at (in)opportune moments. The awkward dinner guest at the dining table of nations. The proverbial Banquo at the international banquet.
  We do lock people up, however. But don’t worry, they never stay locked up for long, to the chagrin of their once and future victims.

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  Gweilo
  June 5th, 2019
  

  FFS, three “comments” above that simply are triggered by the word “China” and so paste in their political rants that have no relevance to this book at all. Hate the CCP by all means, they deserve it, but don’t shoehorn it into every possible venue.

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  caesar963
  June 5th, 2019
  

  Tiny exaggeration and febrile overreaction there. A hasty referral to the definition of the term “rant” might also be in order (helpful hint: a rant will likely contain phrases such as “FFS”). “Relevance” may also be due a perusal (we all get rusty).

  “Comments” simply triggered by the word(s) “China,” “Documentary,” “Education,” “History,” “politics,” “ways of life,” “culture,” “growth and development” and the sadly ironic “Chinese civilization,” due to the unconscionable suffering of so many of its non rights-bearing citizens. No “hate,” only sadness, I suspect.

  In addition, “shoehorn(ing) into every possible venue” a reference to China & its politics, may reasonably encompass, I don’t know, a book about China & its politics? Rather than, for instance, a book about the vocal music of Johann Sebastian Bach?

  Ratings & pertinent gratitude to the uploader may also have been expressed.

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  Gweilo
  June 5th, 2019
  

  @caesar: Hoping you might have a sense of what is appropriate here was overoptimistic. You’re not commenting on THIS BOOK, you just look for a something to use as a coatrack for your diatribes.

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  caesar963
  June 5th, 2019
  

  Seems my horribly offensive racist/antisemitic/homophobic/sexist/antitheist/hateful/fascist/Marxist comments are always disappointing folks! Oh, wait - that’s almost every other comment on the site. “Hilariously,” it was probably necessary to stumble over a dozen such remarks in order to target the posters on this book.

  My explanation genuinely could not have been clearer. Characterised also by forensic decorum.
  Personal attacks…could we set a date for the cessation & retirement of all depressing personal attacks? Just in actual contemplation of what is “appropriate?”
  Entirely germane observations being based on actual knowledge of the author, the book, the area - these are strictly Verboten?

  Measured, composed, congruous and apropos comments relating to politics/history, on what is a book about politics/history, cannot, by definition be a diatribe.
  However, a bitter, abusive personal attack - yep, you guessed it, a diatribe!

  Thanks again, notonthat.

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  Gweilo
  June 5th, 2019
  

  I apologise, your very insightful views on Chinese waterways somehow escaped me. I was confused, since I was only reading the words you had written.

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  caesar963
  June 5th, 2019
  

  Apology accepted! Very gracious - although I discern now the source of your bafflement. Superficially, the book does refer to Chinese waterways; however, the survey is not confined to these vital conduits. And much like my own insights, it extends into a broader analysis, and endeavours to offer “a window on the whole sweep of Chinese history.”
  The description and the above comments may be instructive when read fully, attentively and in conjunction, relating, as they do, to China as a gestalt political entity.

  It can be a wee bit fatuous to rush to judgment about the comments, deriving silly interpretations and groundlessly imputing nefarious intent. You have to appreciate now how futile & counter-productive are these negative, personalised attacks. They truly contribute nothing. We could all benefit from reflecting a little before committing to anything. I’ve seen some of your comments and they can be constructive - but all that bitter spite, you’ll give yourself a duodenal ulcer, dude! The comment-zone is not the War for the One Ring, or the conflict for the Iron Throne, y’know. My apologies also if I expressed any impatience. Rudeness gets Caesar riled!

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  Gweilo
  June 5th, 2019
  

  @Caesar: 750 words (so far), none that relate to what the book is about.
  For instance, the first rant about Muslim oppression: in Ball’s book, Muslims are mentioned only in a chapter the 15th century sailor Zheng He.

  Nothing in the book about concentration camps. A mention of people who opposed the Three Gorges Dam being imprisoned is the closest.

  The book is a history book, and 80% or more pre-Communist era.
  But you have to get your whacks on Beijing in.

  As I said, you just used a word in title as a coatrack. Really, get a blog or find a forum where everything you say isn’t 100% off topic. Maybe you’ll find an audience. Get a soapbox and go to a park and share your wisdom with the pigeons.

  But if you must, write another smarmy self congratulatory blather. I won’t look here again.

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball
• 
  caesar963
  June 5th, 2019
  

  Now I’m confused - we were leaving that on a good note. Come on, man, you’re counting words?! What I said about personal attacks is perfectly clear and should be put into effect. Segueing directly into an hysterically abusive rant (correct use) is not helpful, and also not without unhappy precedent. Oh, well, One Rant to Bind them all, I suppose…

  The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China - Philip Ball

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