3 ms·

I believe we are on the verge of witnessing an unprecedented challenge to Western capitalism, emanating from China. It's becoming increasingly clear that the We

I believe we are on the verge of witnessing an unprecedented challenge to Western capitalism, emanating from China. It's becoming increasingly clear that the West is facing difficulties. The capitalist model, particularly in its current form, is failing to deliver. There's also a notable lack of enthusiasm for it in the global south. The Chinese model appears to promise greater, superior, and swifter results, with the price tag for the average individual not being particularly steep—it's merely a bit more of your privacy (which has already been bartered and commercialized in the West) and a few liberties ("people are tired of liberty" was probably the most true quote by mussolini). And boy, can China deliver.

api 3y ago
Maybe, but this very much remains to be seen. There's an equally plausible narrative that China is coasting on the momentum of its liberalization, and that Xi Xinpeng's clampdown is slowly but surely strangling it. That combined with China's impending demographic cliff (self-inflicted via authoritarian one child policies) could lead China to start fading fairly soon. We'll see. In any case I don't think the Chinese model is that different from Western capitalism. At the street level it's fairly similar including hustle culture, long hours, and plenty of cultural commodification. Seems more like a variation on the theme than an alternative. The most obvious area where they "deliver" is competent public works, which is something we seem to have forgotten how to do.
jterrys 3y ago
What is the "Chinese model"? Export cheap manufacturing and labor? Exploit, copy, and imitate superior products until you can flood the market with your cheap knockoffs? Profit as you're headed for the bottom of the barrel? China is the Antichrist in as much as it needs a Christ for it to exist. Without Western capitalism it is nothing, because it doesn't consume nearly as much as it produces. The profits from its production are the result of its wealth. In fact, it is profitable in spite of its government policies.

api 3y ago

Maybe, but this very much remains to be seen. There's an equally plausible narrative that China is coasting on the momentum of its liberalization, and that Xi Xinpeng's clampdown is slowly but surely strangling it. That combined with China's impending demographic cliff (self-inflicted via authoritarian one child policies) could lead China to start fading fairly soon. We'll see. In any case I don't think the Chinese model is that different from Western capitalism. At the street level it's fairly similar including hustle culture, long hours, and plenty of cultural commodification. Seems more like a variation on the theme than an alternative. The most obvious area where they "deliver" is competent public works, which is something we seem to have forgotten how to do.

jterrys 3y ago

What is the "Chinese model"? Export cheap manufacturing and labor? Exploit, copy, and imitate superior products until you can flood the market with your cheap knockoffs? Profit as you're headed for the bottom of the barrel? China is the Antichrist in as much as it needs a Christ for it to exist. Without Western capitalism it is nothing, because it doesn't consume nearly as much as it produces. The profits from its production are the result of its wealth. In fact, it is profitable in spite of its government policies.