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I think one point the grandparent is alluding to is that there are more than two ways to slice up the world. Cold-War thinking assumes a bipolar world - Allied

I think one point the grandparent is alluding to is that there are more than two ways to slice up the world. Cold-War thinking assumes a bipolar world - Allied vs. Axis, U.S. vs. Russia, NATO vs. Warsaw Pact, now U.S. vs. China. But that's not the only way to look at the world. Even restricting yourself to dualities, you could also view it as Commerce vs. Guardians [1], people who think for themselves vs. people whose opinions come from those around them [2], zero-sum thinking vs. positive-sum thinking, or those who divide people into two groups vs. those who don't. With many of those lenses the nation-state as a social organizing principle is obsolete: people look out for their own interests and make contracts with each other when it's mutually beneficial. I think this is a particularly useful worldview when it comes to large mega-corps. Apple is on Apple's side, and to some extent on their customer's side; both the CCP and the AG dislike them. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_of_Survival https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_of_Survival [2] http://paulgraham.com/orth.html http://paulgraham.com/orth.html

vmception 6y ago
Grandparent poster here, this is exactly what I was aiming to say regarding the nation-state as a social organizing principle being obsolete and the dualities being equally irrelevant. The final thing I would say is that communism lost, except in name alone, so that makes this perspective so much easier! All major powers reformed to market based economies and dropped the strict marxist ideologies, even if some teach it and don't point out the contradictions.
- tkinom 6y ago
  "communism lost, except in name alone" - unfortunately not according the CCP / Xi. They/He still thinks China are winning according the Communism/Socialism principals and not before the Deng's market reform 30/40 years ago.
  - vmception 6y ago
    that's exactly what I am referring to, they do teach marxist ideals but they don't teach the contradictions to their populace while their free trade zones and market based reforms grow and grow and are wildly popular this is very easy to integrate into, compared to not having 7 special economic zones and administrative regions, and massive metropolitan areas supporting those zones.
    - T-A 6y ago
      > market based reforms grow and grow https://www.ft.com/content/3e37af94-17f8-11e9-b191-175523b59d1d https://www.ft.com/content/3e37af94-17f8-11e9-b191-175523b59...
      - vmception 6y ago
        if “the people’s Congress” wants to shut off all markets as handicap non-state owned enterprises, they have the power and ideology to do so there is no assurance of private enterprise there regardless, it is possible to operate in the here and now and stash resources and titles in the caymans as fast as you can

vmception 6y ago

Grandparent poster here, this is exactly what I was aiming to say regarding the nation-state as a social organizing principle being obsolete and the dualities being equally irrelevant. The final thing I would say is that communism lost, except in name alone, so that makes this perspective so much easier! All major powers reformed to market based economies and dropped the strict marxist ideologies, even if some teach it and don't point out the contradictions.

tkinom 6y ago
"communism lost, except in name alone" - unfortunately not according the CCP / Xi. They/He still thinks China are winning according the Communism/Socialism principals and not before the Deng's market reform 30/40 years ago.
- vmception 6y ago
  that's exactly what I am referring to, they do teach marxist ideals but they don't teach the contradictions to their populace while their free trade zones and market based reforms grow and grow and are wildly popular this is very easy to integrate into, compared to not having 7 special economic zones and administrative regions, and massive metropolitan areas supporting those zones.
  - T-A 6y ago
    > market based reforms grow and grow https://www.ft.com/content/3e37af94-17f8-11e9-b191-175523b59d1d https://www.ft.com/content/3e37af94-17f8-11e9-b191-175523b59...
    - vmception 6y ago
      if “the people’s Congress” wants to shut off all markets as handicap non-state owned enterprises, they have the power and ideology to do so there is no assurance of private enterprise there regardless, it is possible to operate in the here and now and stash resources and titles in the caymans as fast as you can