People who've been to China consistently report that you can mock the regime and people do, but in private.

So, in a way that will have zero impact on the political course of the nation?

Does complaining about Trump have an impact on the political course of the nation?

It kept him out of office for four years. It could have more impact.

As bad as Trump is (and he's bad) he's still nowhere near as bad as Xi is.

Let's look at the Six Defining Characteristics of Totalitarianism (Friedrich and Brzezinski, 1956):

* An elaborate guiding ideology [typcially focused around patriotism and loyalty to the state above all else]

* A single political party, typically led by a dictator

* Use of instruments of terror such as violence and secret police to control the population

* A government monopoly on weapons

* A government monopoly on means of communication (such as state-controlled media and heavy censorship)

* A state-controlled economy

In none of those categories is the United States as far along as the PRC under Xi. At least one of those categories would require a large amount of bloodshed for the US to reach the level that China is.

> It kept him out of office for four years.

So if people stopped complaining on the second day, he would've been in office on the third day?

> do, but in private.

Yeah, thanks for confirming my point.

> For instance, you can mock Trump and question the US all day.

Only if you are US citizen (so already locked into the system) or never plan to visit the US.

But it's very likely you won't be let in and in worst case be interrogated for several days if you try to. Or even worse if you aren't white.

So nah, it's not that easy and definitely not that "free speech" for anyone.

> For instance, you can mock Trump and question the US all day.

It's less dangerous to do this in the US, but it's still much worse there than it was even a decade ago.

But much much more dangerous than the US in China still.