China crushes democracy
-
@kluurs said in China crushes democracy:
@george-k said in China crushes democracy:
China is an asshole.
And in 20 years, the world will be theirs.
Yup, and I'll be 90, or dead.
In either case, for me, it won't matter.
-
@kluurs said in China crushes democracy:
@george-k said in China crushes democracy:
China is an asshole.
And in 20 years, the world will be theirs.
How long do you think before Taiwan falls?
-
@george-k said in China crushes democracy:
A national security hotline, set up in November for people to leave anonymous tips about potential violators of the law, has received 40,000 reports, expanding mainland China-style surveillance on the ground.
.
The national security law categorizes four crimes—secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces, punishable by up to life imprisonment.C'mon, man. We'll eat their lunch.
And c'mon, man, these types of rules would be good for the U.S., where everyone is free to not speak and avoid being canceled. Government is only there to help all with equity, where everyone must be true patriots for the system in the U.S. to work as well.Yeah, maybe in 20 years, which is 7 internet years.
-
@loki said in China crushes democracy:
@kluurs said in China crushes democracy:
@george-k said in China crushes democracy:
China is an asshole.
And in 20 years, the world will be theirs.
How long do you think before Taiwan falls?
Within 20 years. Most likely, 10.
-
As Princeton Historian Stephen Kotkin has been trying to point out for several years, the only people who are surprised to discover that China is still a communist state are Westerners. We had actually led ourselves to believe in our own delusion that China was reforming politically alongside its economic transformation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is no more reformed politically now than it was thirty years ago when the Tienanmen Square massacre happened.
-
@renauda said in China crushes democracy:
As Princeton Historian Stephen Kotkin has been trying to point out for several years, the only people who are surprised to discover that China is still a communist state are Westerners. We had actually led ourselves to believe in our own delusion that China was reforming politically alongside its economic transformation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is no more reformed politically now than it was thirty years ago when the Tienanmen Square massacre happened.
Not this westerner. And not a whole lot of people who voted for the same presidential candidate I did, think the same.
-
Just a few miles from here down Route 17 they build aircraft carriers and other wonderful devices.
There are not many people around here who would be surprised to discover China is a commie state.
In fact, they wouldn't have to discover it at all, they already know.
-
@renauda said in China crushes democracy:
As Princeton Historian Stephen Kotkin has been trying to point out for several years, the only people who are surprised to discover that China is still a communist state are Westerners. We had actually led ourselves to believe in our own delusion that China was reforming politically alongside its economic transformation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is no more reformed politically now than it was thirty years ago when the Tienanmen Square massacre happened.
Spot on, Renauda.
I think there are plenty of people in the West that don't know if Mao was a good guy or a bad guy. And even more people in the West that don't give a damn because well, they just don't. -
@jolly said in China crushes democracy:
Not this westerner. And not a whole lot of people who voted for the same presidential candidate I did, think the same.
Yes, if my memory serves me right, you have never bought into the China democratization model. Frankly speaking, I don't think many ordinary folks gave it much thought, particularly supporters of the presidential candidate you supported. Besides, that presidential candidate himself invested into China, just like the rest of his big bourgeois capitalist cronies. Business is, by its very nature, opportunistic.
When I refer to westerners, I am referring to big business leaders, most politicians and academics. It was inconceivable to them that as the Chinese economy expanded and GDP increased that political reform towards democracy would not also take root. They failed to see or more likely forgot, that communism is an all or nothing system. A communist system cannot survive in a politically pluralist environment. Big business in particular looked at the Chinese Communist system through rose coloured glasses and saw the mirage of democracy in the distance.
The Chinese communists were and remain, very mindful of what happened in the Soviet Union and the Eastern European states when glasnost' and perestroika were introduced. The European Communist parties and their states imploded upon themselves. Not one was left in power. Owing to this, under no circumstances will Xi and the Party cadres allow any internal questioning of the political supremacy of the Communist Party over the organs of state or the Chinese population.
-
@renauda said in China crushes democracy:
Besides, that presidential candidate himself invested into China, just like the rest of his big bourgeois capitalist cronies.
There is no innocence in the Biden family, he has his own bourgeois capitalist cronies in the swamp, in swamps everywhere, maybe even in Canada along with Chinese swamp dwellers.
I'm just jealous. Nothing like easy money, in my family.
-
@renauda said in China crushes democracy:
Yes, if my memory serves me right, you have never bought into the China democratization model. Frankly speaking, I don't think many ordinary folks gave it much thought, particularly supporters of the presidential candidate you supported.
If my memory serves, the candidate that @Jolly supported called China out more than one time for being predatory and oppressive.
Besides, that presidential candidate himself invested into China, just like the rest of his big bourgeois capitalist cronies. Business is, by its very nature, opportunistic.
As @Rainman says, we know a lot about the investments of the Biden offspring into China.
And here's where you post gets really, really good.
They failed to see or more likely forgot, that communism is an all or nothing system. A communist system cannot survive in a politically pluralist environment. Big business in particular looked at the Chinese Communist system through rose coloured glasses and saw the mirage of democracy in the distance.
The Chinese communists were and remain, very mindful of what happened in the Soviet Union and the Eastern European states when glasnost' and perestroika were introduced. The European Communist parties and their states imploded upon themselves. Not one was left in power. Owing to this, under no circumstances will Xi and the Party cadres allow any internal questioning of the political supremacy of the Communist Party over the organs of state or the Chinese population.
-
@taiwan_girl said in China crushes democracy:
@renauda Great post, but I would say that mainland china is not communist and is in fact, moved away from communism under Chairman Deng and has move more towards something like fascist.
If I am jailed and executed, does it matter if it was a communist government instead of a fascist? Rightwing socialist or, leftwing communist, dead is dead.
The very poor in mainland China, would they go "whoppie!!" if someone explained to them that the country was now more fascist and moving away from communism?I guess I'm having a knee-jerk reaction to TG's post. As Renauda points out, the missing ingredient in communism is always the, "well, if the entire world were communist, then it would work."
I need to check on Venezuela, see how happy the people are now, as the same thugs continue in power. Bus driver, painter, stogie and drinking a shot of Vodka throughout the day, there are and were leaders, and then Orange Man Bad because shut up and no discussion allowed, period.
Did Renauda mention that Stalin actually didn't drink? Maybe it was someone else. Imagine supporting stupid gosplan edicts sober.
"Increase Paper Production!" Yessir, we shipped 100 tons more.
Good comrades.Truth was, the workers simply increased the weight of the individual pages and tadaa: compliance and a reward. They did the same thing with aluminum cans. Increased production by making thicker cans, since production was based upon weight.
And more stories at your favorite former soviet republic book stores, some in English. Stepping over frozed bodies in Siberia was a nice touch for the collective experience, I'm sure. Were the guards fascists or communists? OK now, I'm starting to rant, need to end. I wish to God we'd learn something, by studying the horrors of the 20th century instead of the beyond stupid, "but this time, it will work, because we're modern, progressive, blah blah nonsense." How many bodies next time.
PS - my mom's brother was allowed to live, while sentenced to 8 years in Siberia. All his Estonian male compatriots died, worked to death. The reason he was allowed to live, is he could perform higher maths, and was the only one that could calculate how much was being mined based upon what was bought to the surface. Then he did the Frederick Taylor dance, to increase production and save the butts of the overlords at the mine.
-
@taiwan_girl said in China crushes democracy:
@renauda ....I would say that mainland china is not communist and is in fact, moved away from communism under Chairman Deng and has move more towards something like fascist.
That is not an uncommon argument for the PRC. I however remain in the camp that still maintains that it is still very much a communist state. The reason is essentially twofold.
First, the country adheres to the Leninist model of a two tiered system in which the state apparatus is subordinated to the ruling Communist Party. The Party not only controls all levels of not only the state apparatus but also the private economy and society as a whole through a complex network of Party cells that oversee and ensures the supremacy of the Communist Party in all aspects of Chinese life. As well, the Party maintains a nomenklatura or list of Party officials that it, not the state, appoints as heads of state ministeries and enterprises, education and research institutions and members of Boards of Directors in the private sphere.
Secondly, there is ideology. Chinese communists still believe in Marxism - Leninism. While it gives the Party its strength it is also its Achilles heel. Xi and his faction represent the middle road within the Party. There still remains a powerful faction on the far left of the party that wants to abolish private business and economic reforms and return to the orthodox Maoism of the early era. There is also a right wing faction which in addition to supporting the current economic liberalism wants to introduce Gorbachev style political reform as well. Xi and his cadres know that they must walk a fine ideological line to keep the country from falling back into the hell of Maoism or begin the dissolution of Communist Party supremacy through promoting a Gorbachev style agenda of political reform.
In short while Marxism gives the PRC its ideology and world view, it is its adherence to the Leninist Party structure that enables it to liberalise economically while retaining and iron grip on political power and ideological supremacy. It thus remains very much an classic totalitarian communist state.