athena53
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- May 11, 2014
- Messages
- 7,377
Still, I maintain that when a country has freedom of speech, particularly a free press, that means the populace has the means to find the truth, that it is not being brainwashed. From what I have read, by allowing a large number of foreign visitors the Vietnamese Communists have lost their grip on the people, compared to the brutal regime of North Korea. They allow foreign visitors because they need the cash. Cuba is trying to do the same. I guess in a way, that's good for the people of these countries. I just cannot bring myself to go to these places. This includes mainland China too. Read about how Hong Kong people are protesting the tightening grip of mainland China, who does not allow free local election.
And do not get me talking about countries that do not allow freedom of religion, unless you want this thread shut down. And I am not even religious!
I was about to start a new thread on the topic of what factors may keep a particular country off your travel list. Maybe it's best not to! DH and I visited Russia in 2003 when things were freer and we loved it; we wouldn't go there now. Mainland China will never be on our list, nor will any country where they're willing to suspend mainstream religious beliefs about alcohol and allowing women to swim in the hotel pool for tourists who pay enough money. . We visited Croatia, which was beautiful and memorable, but read "Balkan Ghosts" first to get the history and understand the Serbian side.
It's always good to get background from all sides before visiting a country (including your own) and be aware of biases and selectivity in what they show/say. We're not big on politics anyway, but we never discuss politics/history outside of the US except with great caution and tact.