• OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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    5 hours ago

    B-b-b-b-b-but China might, possibly, at some point in the future, try to reclaim Taiwan! Both sides! Two things true at once! Me speculating about something possibly happening is the exact same as the thing actually happening!

    • BanMeFromPosting [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      4 hours ago

      Also Taiwan is a staging ground for a US invasion, claims sovereignty over China, has it’s airspace go far over mainland China, and so much more. Somehow China not being a fan of this is the same as when the United States coups another country because it elected someone that doesn’t align 100% with us policy.

      Is it possible for more than two things being true at once? Is it in fact possible that reducing everything to “both sides bad” isn’t some supreme insight, but instead just a mantra that allows libs to support the status quo of us imperialism? thonk

      • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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        4 hours ago

        Is it possible for more than two things being true at once?

        Scientists recently managed to get three things to be true at once, but it only lasted for a couple seconds. It may be possible for as many as four, even five things to be true at the same time, but that’s purely theoretical at this point.

  • Destide@feddit.uk
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    3 hours ago

    Can we just have like a couple of years of everyone just getting on with their own shit

  • BanMeFromPosting [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    2 hours ago

    Authoritarian is a nothing-word used to describe enemy-nations. It’s like calling their government a “regime” or their intelligence agencies “secret police” or the vice-president the “hand picked successor”.
    I’ve never seen a definition - neither academic or by some farthuffing Redditor - that wasn’t so broad as to just be describing a state or so specific it wasn’t just a longer way of spelling “China”.

    Every state is authoritarian. Reducing political analysis to wether a state does stuff and not what it does, why it does it, or with what amount of popular support, is top-tier liberal winecave apparatchik intelligentsia thought. No actual insights, but it makes you seem like you know stuff, if you don’t think about it at all. And going against the concept makes you seem like a villain because who wants to defend “authoritarianism”?

    The definition came out in the fucking 60’s while the US was busy beating the shit out every protestor it could, yet somehow that wasn’t authoritarian.[1]
    Running around with HUAC screaming about authoritarian communism. Funding death squads, secretly approving money to royal families, forcibly relocating the poor and marginalised, all the shit the west did in Africa, all the crackdowns in west Germany, the ongoing colonialism, Robert Moses and his European copycats, shit like the syphilis and LSD experiments; all this occuring in the nations decrying the USSR - and now China - for being “authoritarian”.
    Britain is a police state today; the US is a modern Prussia, but the army is replaced with 17 different types of cops; the EU is funding concentration camps for refugees abroad and I can tell you from experience the cops have pretty free reign here too. We’re all surveilled up the ass and out again, but somehow China is an authoritarian danger? I’m supposed to be afraid that TikTok tells Xi Jinping knows when It take a shit, but its completely fine that my own overlords get the same info from the billion other trackers that are everywhere? People say “two wrongs don’t make a right” in response to this, but it seems like they think one of the wrongs is pretty right, and it’s the wrong that’s hanging over our heads - while the one around the globe is something to worry about[2]

    Its the same shit as totalitarianism - incidentally both concepts popularized by Hannah Arendt - which was just a fuckass way for dumbasses to sound smart when they uniquely observed that both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union used state power to do stuff - What stuff they did apparently having no matter at all, what percentage of approval from the populace or involvement mattering neither. No, what was important was that both states Did Stuff and that meant they were the same.
    Now what if you pointed out that the US Did Stuff too? Well that’s whataboutism, a clever Russian ploy to make you want to have a consistent ideological throughline in your geopolitical critique.
    What if you pointed out how old colonial powers like France were still Doing Stuff?[3] Well that’s Old Stuff so it doesn’t matter. Or it doesn’t matter because they aren’t superpowers or whatever.

    Here’s someone else shitting on her better than I could https://mirror.explodie.org/Losurdo___Critique_of_Totalitarianism_(2004).pdf

    not-immune-to-propaganda

    If you’re not a commited anarchist then I will not hear you utter a word in favour of Authoritarianism as an academic concept.
    If you claim to be one then I am going to need to see some serious dissertation on leftist theory from you, as well as proof that you actually organise in the real world, because I know there’s enough larping lemmitors who don’t want to admit they’re just libs, because they can’t stand the thought of not being a special smart little kid.
    Even then I am going to shit in your mouth if you’re an anarchist and you’re more concerned or preoccupied with what china is doing rather than whatever hellhole of a nation you live in yourself.


    1. Incidentally from the early 50’s and onwards the soviet gulag system had a lower recidivism rate, lower death rate and overall higher QoL than the US system. ↩︎

    2. Did you know the “social credit system” only ever applied to businesses? Fuck i wish the yeomen farmers back home were kept half as responsible as they are in China ↩︎

    3. and are still Doing Stuff, did you know they control the monetary policy of several African nations? ↩︎

  • FunkyCheese@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    11 hours ago

    Chinas military stays in and around china as far as i know…

    But the us is everywhere interfering in everyones business

    • callouscomic@lemmy.zip
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      11 hours ago

      I do know China meddles in Africa a lot. I think because they are interested in resources, maybe mining or oil?

      I read in the past that a lot of the Sudanese groups that pillage and fight with a lot of South Sudan are funded and given firearms or something by China or Chinese groups. I think this was more prominent around 15 years ago when South Sudan was trying to be independently recognized.

      Side note: I also remember reading that George Clooney used to fund some kind of satellite thing that helped South Sudanese track movements of North Sudanese so they could preemptively avoid attack.

      China definitely meddles. But yeah, probably nowhere near the degree the US does.

      • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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        7 hours ago

        I do know China meddles in Africa a lot

        Oh you know that? That’s something you know? How exactly do you know that? Did it come to you in a dream?

      • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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        10 hours ago

        China has mutual development projects in Africa, the reason is because in the long run mutual development benefits everyone.

        • Schmoo@slrpnk.net
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          3 hours ago

          These are soft power projection projects. You would recognize them as such if it were the US doing it (which we used to before Trump decided it was woke), so why do you stick to the Chinese state narrative here?

          • ExotiqueMatter@lemmy.ml
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            3 hours ago

            Those 2 things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, genuinely helping poor countries develop is a pretty good way to gain soft power.

            No one here, and I do mean no one, is saying that China isn’t gaining anything from doing that. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad for the other party or hides some nefarious secret purpose either. Diplomacy isn’t a zero sum gain where if China gain from a deal therefore the other party has to lose to compensate, that’s not how international relations work.

          • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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            3 hours ago

            Because China isn’t imperialist, it isn’t dominated by finance capital and isn’t super-exploiting the global south. Imperialism isn’t a policy preference, it’s what happens when capitalism reaches its domestic limits. China doesn’t have the same economic forces that push the US Empire into imperialism.

            China does gain international credibility from these mutual cooperation projects, sure, but since they are mutually beneficial that isn’t a bad thing. Further, Trump still exerts soft power, it wasn’t because it was “woke” but because it’s expensive and imperialism is declining. The US Empire is pivoting towards hard power now that US soft power is dying.

        • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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          3 hours ago

          While it does have benefits, the overarching Chinese plan is to own everything, and have countries on the debt hook.

          USA is the world bully by might, China does it by strategy

          • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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            3 hours ago

            This isn’t true though, as I elaborate on over here. China doesn’t seek to own everything, nor does it debt trap. In fact, it frequently forgives billions in debt. China’s goal in Africa is mutual, win-win development, as long term cooperation benefits everyone more greatly than western imperialism does.

            The US, Canada, Europe, etc, in being dominated by finance capital and the profit motive, are ecomomically compelled into the strategy of keeping the global south underdeveloped so as to super-exploit them for cheap labor and resources. The PRC is socialist, though, and the finance industry is dominated by the state, meaning long-term planning and mutual development is not only possible, but economically compelled.

            • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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              3 hours ago

              There’s lots of other links that discount your denial of their plans and how they leverage. USA is like 5 year plan, 10 year plan. China has 100 year plan and 1000 year plan.

              • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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                3 hours ago

                China does have long-term planning, I’m not disputing that, I’m disputing the idea that China is predatory towards the global south. These narratives are largely pushed by the west in order to scare the global south away from pivoting to China, whose mutual cooperation programs are proven to result in dramatic and rapid development.

                • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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                  2 hours ago

                  I just don’t want to confuse capitalism vs socialism, with Global Domination strategy of USA or China.

                  They are “socialist” but they aren’t doing it out of the idea of greater good of all humankind, they are a dictatorship (currently) and this is self interest so they can be a global logistic player and their port building also includes military access. This is a longterm goal to be the only superpower.

        • Zexks@lemmy.worldbanned_from_community_badge
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          9 hours ago

          No. Its not. Go read about their lease agreements. Theyre doing the same thing just through financial means.

  • Sternout@feddit.org
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    7 hours ago

    Wtf of course china is authoritarian. China is all about total surveillance and total control by one party.

    • m532@lemmy.ml
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      2 hours ago

      I’m sure glad it isn’t libertarian or it would have been overrun by bears decades ago

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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      7 hours ago

      Surveillance in China is no greater than in western countries, though, and the decisions made by the CPC are made through constant polling and consensus building. This is why a much larger portion of Chinese citizens support their system and believe it represents their interests:

      • Sternout@feddit.org
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        7 hours ago

        It’s still a centralized system, which is undemocratic. I agree that the majority of chinese citizens seems happy with how it works.

        Who is doing this consensus building? Who decides what questions to poll?

        Its surprising that you claim that the surveillance of chinese citizens by the CCP is on the same level as let’s say Germany. Hard disagree. I thought the CCP is proud of the surveillance.

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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          6 hours ago

          Centralization doesn’t mean a lack of democratization, that’s why socialist democracy centers cohesion and unity over endless fragmentation. In China, for example, local representatives are directly elected, and then these representatives elect from within them the higher rungs of government. The CPC itself has over 100 million members, has a presence in every major company, and thus has its finger firmly on the pulse of what people actually want.

          Progress is slow but extremely stable, and as such China has been able to consistently outperform other countries when it comes to improving the lives of the citizens of China. The CPC conducts this polling, and you can see this in action when looking at how Five Year Plans are made. You can read more about this system in Roland Boer’s Socialism in Power: On the History and Theory of Socialist Governance.

          I don’t see what you are saying by claiming Germany spies on its citizens less than China. Both Germany and China are better than Five Eyes countries, sure, but Germany absolutely is spying on its citizens, not to mention privatized spyware. China isn’t “proud of the surveillance,” I don’t know what you mean by this in a way that makes it different from western surveillance.

    • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
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      7 hours ago

      Imagine being so utterly delusional to think that number of parties has anythign to do with how democratic the country is.

      • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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        7 hours ago

        I do think explaining the difference between democracy and competing parties can be helpful, because it’s so thoroughly ingrained into people that democracy means voting between competing parties and not reflecting the will of the people.

        • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
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          5 hours ago

          It’s one of the more subtle propaganda narratives I find. On the surface it almost makes sense, but once you apply materialist analysis the whole thing falls apart because the whole discussion of democracy is meaningless when the means of production are privately owned. This arrangement takes away from public debate the key question of who governs our common economic life and to what ends?

          Genuine democracy must include the power to shape the material conditions of our existence. The nature of labour, the distribution of its fruits, and the purpose for which we can produce are fundamental decisions we make as a society. When these are decided by a capitalist class alone with the absolute authority of private property, then political democracy becomes merely an ornamental competition on secondary issues. Citizens vote to choose politicians, but not regarding the structure of industry or finance, or the necessity for maximum profit which places all social and ecological considerations in a subordinate position. This creates an inherent contradiction where citizens are called equals politically, yet remain subordinates economically.

          Any system where there is a private dictatorship over industry is not democracy but a carefully staged charade which legitimises the rule of money through the hollow ritual of elections. So you can have as many parties as you like, but there’s no actual democracy to be had.

          • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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            4 hours ago

            Agreed, my point is that it’s helpful to explain that rather than jumping to insult right off the bat. Bloodsport is fun and all, but at the bare minimum I think it’s helpful to showcase why the point is bad, not just claiming that it’s bad. I know it isn’t as fun, and we do explain time and time again, but that’s the task we have as communists, to help bring the working class to more correct ideological lines.

            • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
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              2 hours ago

              Fair, I should work on being a bit more patient. It’s just so tiring when people keep regurgitating these same tropes that have already been addressed time and again. Kudos on your patience dealing with this sort of stuff and actually explaining things.

              • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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                2 hours ago

                Believe me, I sympathize with the monotony of dispelling the same myths and tropes regularly. It’s why I usually reference prior comments of mine before making a bespoke comment or post, and tweak to better suit the context, similar to what you do. I’m a firm believer that simply explaining and refusing to take cheap rhetorical wins results in long-term ideological cohesion in internet communities, raising the general average understanding of those who use these forums, and results in reduced work load in the long run by increasing the number of people that can actually respond well.

    • 小莱卡@lemmygrad.ml
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      6 hours ago

      it is tho, it’s been a part of china since the qinq dynasty in 17th century, the people in taiwan are exactly alike the ones in mainland china. It’s also in the best interest of both to reunificate, the US just wants to turn them into chinese ukraine for their geopolitical goals.

    • BanMeFromPosting [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      6 hours ago

      And Taiwan is very vocal about having airspace that goes several hundred miles over mainland China. Taiwan is also very vocal about being a part of china, so what are you gonna do?

      Also, why would I be against a full incorporation of Taiwan into China, if it has popular support? The island was occupied by the fascist Kuomintang, the party carried out a genocide on the native population and it’s only around to day because it can function as a military launching ground for the US.

      What’s the actual rational explanation for why Taiwan should become an independent nation when that’s not what Taiwan wants nor what China wants and doing so would only be in the interest of the imperialist US?

      If this is the kind of stuff you actually care about, then why not start with all the national sovereignty that whatever place you’re from doesn’t respect? You know, something you can actually influence, instead of doing something that just so happens to further imperialist interests?

    • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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      8 hours ago

      Both the PRC and ROC (Taiwan) claim sovereignty over all of China. Neither considers the island of Taiwan to be distinct from China, the question is over which government has legitimate sovereignty over all of China, and the overwhelming consensus globally is that it’s the PRC. Taiwan’s government is made up of the ones that lost the Chinese Civil War and fled to the island, slaughtered resistance, and have been protected by the west.

    • Aleko Treko@lemmygrad.ml
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      7 hours ago

      And Republic of China—aka the government of Taiwan Island—is very vocal about China, Mongolia and old Qing Dynasty territories being theirs.