u/HappiCow69 - originally from r/GenZhou
Hello comrades!
As Amerikkka and global capitalism continue their backslide into inevitable self-destruction, the ruling classes of Western nations have sowed the seeds of a Second Cold War in a desperate attempt to keep their imperialist hegemony afloat against the rising tide of Chinese power. As Western leaders continue to escalate their rhetoric and actions, we have seen and will continue to see more frequent and more egregious allegations against China and other AES nations. The one that is getting the most attention now is the fabricated narrative around a supposed "genocide" occurring in China's Xinjiang region.
Instead of another debunk post, of which there are a plethora of excellent ones on the internet's commie-sphere (I have linked the most helpful and comprehensive ones here, here, here, here, here, here here, and here, ) this post will be an instructional guide on how best to disseminate in this information and combat false Western narratives on the increasingly common Reddit threads pertaining to the matter, or in another space on the internet. At the expense of sounding too LARP-y, the internet is an important battleground of information as the Western media machine steps up their consent manufacturing during this New Cold War, and with a lack of real media presence, Marxists should be using such a widely-accessed medium to counter the narratives people are bombarded with every day. Changing so much as one person's mind is an important step, as they become one more likely anti-war activist and media skeptic. This all comes from my, I will admit, extensive (but what the fuck else could anyone do during early lockdown?), experience in comment sections debating the Xinjiang accusations, and talking to people who's minds have been changed on the matter. The aim of the list below is to provide a comprehensive guide on how to most effectively debunk accusations against China in Xinjiang in internet comment sections, mainly on Reddit.
I'd also like to preface this with the disclaimer that the aim of this advice, and any comments made on the kinds of posts mentioned, should not be to turn the people commenting on the thread (or lurkers) into Marxists-Leninists. It should simply be to convince them of the invalidity of the subject at hand, and get them to see past the U$ Empire's lies. Any anti-New Cold War activist is a valuable asset in the fight against misinformation.
1. Sow skepticism; avoid taking an explicitly pro-China stance and do not reveal your ideological leaning.
This one is going to be controversial, so I will clarify. Most average Reddit shitlibs will immediately write you off with their incredible powers of cognitive dissonance (they're a Chinese bot, or a Wumao, etc) if you dive into the deep end and take an explicitly pro-China stance. Instead, focus on pointing out the discrepancies in the article/report within itself, or within other 'verified accounts' of supposedly genocidal action in Xinjiang. A comment pointing out that a report is authored by Adrian Zenz, and then a short paragraph about his history and views, is far more effective at sowing the seed of doubt in someone's mind than a blatant, combative paragraph about how the whole report is wrong and here's an explicitly communists essay on why. It is scientifically proven that when people arrive at a conclusion themselves (or believe they do) they hold that belief more strongly and are more likely to accept it. Our job should be to plant the seed in the reader's mind that something is very wrong with the information they are being spoonfed by the media, and allow them to arrive at the conclusion they are being lied to on their own.
For example, instead of commenting
"This report from [Generic billionaire owned think tank] is totally wrong because X, here's a Global Times or CGTN article debunking it"
A more effective comment at reaching non-Marxists would be
"Hm, isn't it odd that this report is from a think tank connected directly to US intelligence agencies and receives most of its funding from weapons contractors? And that it's main author is the widely-debunked 'academic' Adrian Zenz, known for his anti-Semitic and Sinophobic views with a history of calculations errors and shoddy reporting when it comes to China?"
Again, these are just examples, but the idea is there. The average Redditor will give more credence to a commenter they see as a well-meaning and unbiased skeptic than a raging communist spreading 'propaganda'. Which brings us to our next point.
2. Your goal should be to change the mind of the lurker, not OP or the people who will reply to your comment to try and debate you. Keep it civil and avoid shit-fligning or name-calling.
When commenting, type as if you are addressing a lurker, not OP or other commenters. Lurkers will be most swayed by any evidence, and are the least likely to be down the ideological rabbit hole of liberalism. They likely do not have the prior knowledge to chime in, and therefore are also the least likely to be pre-programmed with the same bullshit anti-communist talking points that others will throw at you. OP, and anyone who replies to your comment, will not be interested in a good faith discussion. They will likely resort to accusations that you're a bot, or biased, and become combative or defensive when their views are challenged. Make sure you maintain civility to make the other commenter look like an idiot.
For this reason, including sources is also vital too. I will go more in depth into this point on #3, but sources are key to changing the minds of lurkers. When faced with something that challenges an existing narrative, the natural reflex is to look it up on a search engine, which will likely only funnel them back to large Western media outlets. For large or important claims, always provide a source so they are more likely to look at yours than any garbage Google spits up at them.
3. Use sources, but avoid Chinese-government funded outlets and reports. Use Western media's own contradictions against it.
Like I stated in point 1, it is important for the reader to believe that you are simply a neutral, well-meaning skeptic and not an unpaid volunteer agent of the Chinese Communist Party (obvious /s). For this reason, it is imperative that you use sources that are familiar to Western readers; exposing the lies of sources they trust will further plant the seeds of doubt in their mind. While CPC-funded outlets like Global Times and CGTN do great work, as to anti-imperialist outlets like The GrayZone, the average Redditor will be turned off by sources they see as biased or sketchy. Instead, use the contradictions of Western media outlets in your favor: linking two articles from one Western outlet (The Guardian, NYT, WaPo, etc) that contradict each other will do far more to further a person's skepticism of the existing narrative on Xinjiang than an article from Chinese media will.
There are plenty of examples of this occurring. For example, this article from the World Bank stating that allegations of "genocide" in Xinjiang are unsubstantiated is sure to fry a few Western brains. So will this article from Foreign Policy on the fact that even the US State Department doesn't have enough evidence to call China's counter-terrorism program a "genocide". Bringing up the contradictions and lies of often Western-paid defectors is also good; the 'but muh defectors' point is always the one reactionaries will lob at you when they have no ammo left. Here are some good ones exposing the lies/changed stories of Sayragul Sautbay, and both stories from Tursunay Ziyawudun, two of the most prominent defectors.
Don't feel limited by the examples I linked above; any examples of contradiction within Western media and think tank's reporting will work, especially if it pertains specifically to the report or article in question.
Finally, make sure to fucking flood these posts. Do not brigade them, but as you see them on r/all, make sure to chime in even just a little bit. A lot of comments pointing out an article's contradictions or lies will really hammer home the point to readers. While these tips are tailored specifically to tackling the lie of the Uyghur "genocide", they can be more broadly applied to counter pretty much any Western narrative. And with that, you've finished your first step in becoming a CPC Propagandist! Congrats comrade, your Xi Bucks should be arriving in the mail within 6 to 9 business days.