- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
You must log in or register to comment.
Life expectancy was already below China for a decade
If the perception of your country falls below that of a suppressive, authoritarian dictatorship then you are either a despicable asshole country or a dictatorship yourself.
Or both.
USA us now classified as chaotic evil. Never know what wacko stuff is going to happen today.
China is more lawful evil. It has its own logic so you can at least anticipate on what it’s gonna do and work with it.
The PRC has a pretty clear ideological basis. Many of its leaders have written theoretical works about economics and governance. The direction might veer one way or another over the years but it’s the same party running the show. So at the end of the day, one thing they have going for them is consistency. You can know what to expect. From an international perspective, they’re an appealing trade partner.
The US ran a pay-to-win popularity contest to give the keys to a reality show failed-businessman backed by a weird mix of alienated mega-millionaire and billionaires who clearly have little idea of how the levers work, alongside the vicious selfish bigots who ally with them. It was already an inconsistent system for a long time, but now there’s no more facade of professionalism to keep them half-rational. It’s pretty much the 1930s all over again.
“Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.”
The US ran a pay-to-win popularity contest
Left wing voters didn’t show up to protest how they felt the democrats were dealing with Gaza, nevermind that by staying home they voted for the situation in Gaza to get worse but regardless, please don’t shuffle blame away as if there was some giant institutional force preventing them from voting
please don’t shuffle blame away as if there was some giant institutional force preventing them from voting
My point isn’t that the giant institutional force prevented people from voting (although voter suppression is, incidentally, a huge issue too).
All the US federal elections are a popularity contest, where rich people have ludicrous amounts of power to determine which politicians even end up as viable options on the ballot, through tools such as lobbying parties, mass media ownership, flak and advertising [wikipedia: further reading] to influence the exposure and framing of candidates. How many candidates does the typical citizen even learn about from the news or pop culture? Probably a number between 1 and 4, and only two will be endorsed by the major parties and therefore viable options in practice. That’s the institutional power in action. One can’t look at Clinton, Biden and Trump in 2016 and 2020 and pretend any were the best (or even decent) choices for a country’s leader. These candidates rise to the top because of institutional pressures, hence, pay-to-win - the owning class decide on the options that citizens can vote on.
IIRC, Australia (I’m assuming you’re from there because of your instance?) has a voting system where at least the minor parties are a viable option and independent candidates have a real chance. That’s not the case in the US federal election. There’s no option but the big two, the parties beholden to billionaires and mega-millionaires through tools like lobbying and mass media needed to win the popularity contest.
Obviously the PRC also has major influence over which candidates citizens can vote for, and they don’t have direct federal elections for party leaders (they’re elected by the local members who are elected by citizens), but the main difference is that it’s not a popularity contest where celebrities like Trump, Reagan and Schwarzenegger end up as political decision makers partly due to name recognition rather than credentials and trust, or where money decides the available options.
Left wing voters didn’t show up
I find it hard to believe that Gaza protest votes were anywhere near enough to sway the election, we’re talking IIRC about a 15 million drop. The Democrats weren’t delivering. Voter turnout from both parties went down.
I don’t think the protest votes made much of a difference, In MI maybe, but in general Arab countries do not like gazans at all, mainly because of their history with Gazans going into the countries that was instigated by Israel causing unrests and uprising in those countries,
Tankies must be celebrating.
On the other hand, this isn’t exactly news to them. Countries outside of the Western world and Asian neighbors have been siding with China over the US for a while now, probably due to all the invasions and coups.
Countries outside of the Western world and Asian neighbors have been siding with China over the US for a while now, probably due to all the invasions and coups.
And the targeted application of soft power.
A game which the US also used to play, but has recently decided to rapidly abandon.
This is a pretty simplistic take. A western tankie take if you will.
Many countries in Asia have suffered from invasions and conflicts with China.
Many countries in Asia have suffered from invasions and conflicts with China.
Yes, that’s a reason why some don’t side with China.
Africa and the Middle East and South America and other Asian countries didn’t have conflicts with China (in fact, they’re typically invaded by European countries and/or the US) and so have tended to side with China.
I don’t see where we’re disagreeing or how what I said was any more simplistic than your reply.
Your post implied that all countries outside of the west sided with China when this is clearly not true. I am so adamant about the because I have first hand experience with this.
Even in Africa there is a lot of pushback among the population (not necessarily the elites) against Chinese imperialism. Sri Lanka is another example where there is a measures of opposition to jingoistic Chinese meddling.
Your post implied that all countries outside of the west sided with China when this is clearly not true.
I didn’t mean to imply all countries, and it’s my mistake for phrasing it like that, sorry.
Even in Africa there is a lot of pushback among the population (not necessarily the elites) against Chinese imperialism. Sri Lanka is another example where there is a measures of opposition to jingoistic Chinese meddling.
That’s true. It’s also important to note, at least with Africa, that there is also pushback against ongoing European imperialism, so when it comes to a “do you prefer US or China more” situation like OP, they might still pick one of them while also giving pushback.
My bad, a little misunderstanding on my part.
We are good.
Consider more recent history, since 2000 what countries have China invaded?
China has conflicts with countries like India and Philippines. China backs the brutal junta in Myanmar. China invaded Hong Kong.
China invaded Hong Kong
lol, what? the british just returned lands they stole, after a century’s worth of exploitaition
Hong Kong?
Hong Kong was leased for 99 years and then reverted to being a “special administrative region” there was no invasion.
The U.S. invaded Iraq and Afghanistan and provided military support for war crimes to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
this ain’t the win you want
unfortunately no green haired left wing ‘queers for Uyghur’ about for some reason…
I have literally no idea what you are trying to say with that? Is queers supposed to be a verb in that sentence?
I’m not saying china is good, I am saying America is bad even in comparison to China in many ways. The U.S. has become culpable for the atrocities being committed by Israel and El Salvador and that is just this year. In recent years they got the atrocities being committed in the Middle East and before that South America and south east Asia
Removed by mod
If the US and China went BAND FOR BAND, as the kids say, in war crimes, terrorism, coups and overall destabilisation, who do you think would win? Do you even live in this world? America, a European colonial project that developed into its own monstrosity, has the blood of the world on its hands just like its forefathers.
The difference is that, with the evolution of the internet and with the waning power of the US (specially after their Middle Eastern neo crusades that showed America to be a bit of a paper tiger, and now with the incapability of NATO to defeat Russia), and as the majority of non-Western countries seek independence from neo colonial control (check Ibrahim Traoré out!), the narratives can be openly challenged. The only remaining bastions of consumption of American propaganda are America itself (it will only grow stronger there, I assume) and tiny spots of confused folks around the world (a coworker who’s a bit of a schizo told me the other day “Trump will save us” and we’re French! 🤷😅).
