this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2026
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My therapist made a comment about how China is a failed socialist experiment because they have 2-3 year olds working in factories. I responded "So we've been told." She looks at me like I'm crazy. (Not a great look for a therapist) "I've not seen any evidence of that."

"Because they're such a closed country!"

"Which means you have no evidence to your point either?"

"Well, missionaries... anyway!"

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[–] Ram_The_Manparts@hexbear.net 71 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (2 children)

The idea that China is a "closed country" is fucking wild, there are literally hundreds of millions of people travelling in and out of there every single year, not to mention the tons of Chinese people who work and study abroad who are in regular contact with their families back home, and likewise all the foreigners who work and study in China doing the same.

You should ask your therapist if they are an r/worldnews mod lmfao

[–] Hestia@hexbear.net 32 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

It’s a “closed country” due to the something called the “Chinese language” which creates a black box of communication between westerners and Chinese comrades.

[–] Le_Wokisme@hexbear.net 15 points 12 hours ago

the great wall of china was a language barrier all along

[–] CupcakeOfSpice@hexbear.net 37 points 18 hours ago (6 children)

I think she's thinking of bygone times when they were more closed off. I mentioned that they have opened up, to which she replied, "Just a little." I think there're too many brainworms, for me to help root out in the relatively short time I see her. I just needed to complain a little.

[–] krolden@lemmy.ml 7 points 8 hours ago

Uno reverse therapy card her.

[–] mathemachristian@hexbear.net 14 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

She said missionaries which is a huge red flag (the bad kind)

https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/china/

is listed as #17 between Iraq and Burkina Faso

[–] miz@hexbear.net 32 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (3 children)

I mentioned that they have opened up,

FOUR DECADES AGO. I am reminded of people who think Russia is still commie

[–] Hestia@hexbear.net 8 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Russia defeated the nazis and the world will never forgive them for it.

[–] starkillerfish@hexbear.net 13 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

the soviet union. not just russia

[–] Hestia@hexbear.net 4 points 11 hours ago

Thanks for the correction, it’s easy to conflate the two due to decades of western propaganda

[–] BeanisBrain@hexbear.net 25 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

It's always bizarrely funny to me when someone's conception of a foreign country is frozen in the era when they grew up. Like a guy I knew who, when I tried to explain that Japan is a semi-colony of the US, responded "actually the US is a semi-colony of Japan because they make all our electronics and could paralyze our economy by cutting us off from trade."

[–] miz@hexbear.net 2 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

my parents' generation grew up hearing some variation of "finish your dinner, because there are starving children in China" and they can't really let go of when they were kids and it was one of the poorest countries in the world

[–] ThermonuclearHoxha@hexbear.net 7 points 8 hours ago

This guy after learning the bubble burst:

actually the US is a semi-colony of China because they make all our electronics and could paralyze our economy by cutting us off from trade

[–] Le_Wokisme@hexbear.net 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

commie just means bad to a lot of assclowns.

[–] Hestia@hexbear.net 3 points 4 hours ago

Guess I’m down bad then

[–] Gucci_Minh@hexbear.net 29 points 17 hours ago

Westerners do seem to have a view of China that's stuck in the 1960s in terms of politics and 1980s in terms of development. Hence the insane cope when people present them with images of even 3rd tier Chinese cities.

[–] Ram_The_Manparts@hexbear.net 21 points 17 hours ago

It's 1956 up in here