Dear N. S. Lyons, I urge you to take a look at the results rather than nitpick at things that grate against so-called American values. The results are that many millions of Chinese have been raised out of poverty by their system, in spite of its many flaws. They, the Chinese, may not like everything the government does, but they know damn well that their lives have improved dramatically in a relatively short period of time (a few decades). Meanwhile, back home in America, the quality of life for most Americans is getting dramatically worse, and our rights are being erased on an almost daily basis. The Chinese government takes into consideration the quality of life of all the people. It makes sure that they benefit as well. Ours does not. We are in the business of preserving the professional class at everyone else's expense. I started going back and forth to China in the very early 90s, and lived there off and on for years at a time, and I witnessed this incredible transformation at the same time that I was witnessing the disintegration of our quality of life (our democracy) here at home. It wasn't something Americans were willing to talk about or even consider. It's pretty hard to ignore now, and yet we would rather find something to complain about in China than honestly look at what we're doing to ourselves at home. I'm not a subscriber so I don't expect you to post these sentiments, which is fine with me. But I do hope you read this. I'm writing to you. If you want to know what's going on in any country, including your own, ask the people who live there. Don't ask the pundits, and don't ask the government. Our pundits and politicians have no idea what's going on in this country; they don't even know their own people. Why trust them on China, or Russia, or Missouri? You need only look at how China handled the pandemic compared to us. We utterly failed on every level, and continue to do so. China protected its people. America protected the institutions, the corporations, and the professional class. And yet we look to blame everyone except our own incompetent and craven leadership. Why? Cheers, R. P. Harris
"Or at least if you’re willing to open your heart to Xi Jinping and “the warmth of the Party and the government.”
It's not like the West doesn't do the same - they just have it privitized, and call it "the mainstream Press" and the modern "universities". But concerning agreeing to a party line and feedback loops with power centers, it's closer than ever.
I think it's a good idea. Movie nights? Visiting the Elderly? Face to face interaction with your neighbors? Self-reliance? America's version of social control is cold war era game theory and an iron cage of Bureaucratic administration which has led to a spiritless individualistic nihilism that China is trying to avoid! Good for them! It's worth a try.
Didn't the Chinese people have the qualities they are attempting to 'introduce' before all these destructive modernisation practices? I'm pretty sure they did, as did most traditional communities. As I keep saying to anyone who cares to listen, the only way forward now, is back.
What is fascinating to me is how obvious these truths are, and that we would be surprised by this.
to paraphrase: "A nation without string cultural traditions and ties is built on a weak foundation"
Which explains why the Chinese are taking a 2 pronged approach to this.
1) Build up their OWN cultural foundations
2) TEAR DOWN Our cultural foundations.
Just as they recognize the need to reinforce their own, they see the obverse, that our strength came from our strong cultural foundations in Liberty and Democracy, our story, with all it's warts, is still a great one.
Which is why they have moved heaven and earth to infiltrate and compromise our elites, funded the destruction of our norms etc..
Make no mistake. While many of the idiots attacking us from within THINK they are doing this of their own accord, the puppet strings (and their funding) come from outside the US.
So I just read the Wang Huning piece NS wrote for Paladium . China is being ravaged by the same nihilistic forces destroying America. Authority is breaking down, a crisis of legitimacy is everywhere, cultural inheritance is discarded, we are alone to face the void, loneliness abounds.
Let me take my best shot: The medium is the message, electricity is an extension of the human nervous system and brain, our invention usurped time and space, infinite knowledge is in the palm of our hands. The universe at our fingertips, how can any old analogue culture compete with that, it savages our old understandings, but offers no replacement because infinity, all information at once is chaos and terrifying.
I studied under Eric McLuhan (Marshal’s son) at York University in Toronto. He and Professor Frank Zingroni used to get in trouble, at their joint lectures in the largest lecture theatre, 400 students, they would jovially describe the complete breakdown of meaning they foresaw. They were frightening the students and were told to tone it down: they often said they were glad they wouldn’t be around to see the collapse. We are going where are inventions take us. The Chinese attempt to stem the tide makes sense to me it is better than the progressive successor ideology and its abandonment of enlightenment rationalism.
On second thought, what do I know, I was stoned most of the time in University.
Practicing Civilization
Dear N. S. Lyons, I urge you to take a look at the results rather than nitpick at things that grate against so-called American values. The results are that many millions of Chinese have been raised out of poverty by their system, in spite of its many flaws. They, the Chinese, may not like everything the government does, but they know damn well that their lives have improved dramatically in a relatively short period of time (a few decades). Meanwhile, back home in America, the quality of life for most Americans is getting dramatically worse, and our rights are being erased on an almost daily basis. The Chinese government takes into consideration the quality of life of all the people. It makes sure that they benefit as well. Ours does not. We are in the business of preserving the professional class at everyone else's expense. I started going back and forth to China in the very early 90s, and lived there off and on for years at a time, and I witnessed this incredible transformation at the same time that I was witnessing the disintegration of our quality of life (our democracy) here at home. It wasn't something Americans were willing to talk about or even consider. It's pretty hard to ignore now, and yet we would rather find something to complain about in China than honestly look at what we're doing to ourselves at home. I'm not a subscriber so I don't expect you to post these sentiments, which is fine with me. But I do hope you read this. I'm writing to you. If you want to know what's going on in any country, including your own, ask the people who live there. Don't ask the pundits, and don't ask the government. Our pundits and politicians have no idea what's going on in this country; they don't even know their own people. Why trust them on China, or Russia, or Missouri? You need only look at how China handled the pandemic compared to us. We utterly failed on every level, and continue to do so. China protected its people. America protected the institutions, the corporations, and the professional class. And yet we look to blame everyone except our own incompetent and craven leadership. Why? Cheers, R. P. Harris
"Or at least if you’re willing to open your heart to Xi Jinping and “the warmth of the Party and the government.”
It's not like the West doesn't do the same - they just have it privitized, and call it "the mainstream Press" and the modern "universities". But concerning agreeing to a party line and feedback loops with power centers, it's closer than ever.
I think it's a good idea. Movie nights? Visiting the Elderly? Face to face interaction with your neighbors? Self-reliance? America's version of social control is cold war era game theory and an iron cage of Bureaucratic administration which has led to a spiritless individualistic nihilism that China is trying to avoid! Good for them! It's worth a try.
Didn't the Chinese people have the qualities they are attempting to 'introduce' before all these destructive modernisation practices? I'm pretty sure they did, as did most traditional communities. As I keep saying to anyone who cares to listen, the only way forward now, is back.
Yawn. So they're trying to build churches for atheists. It's been tried before. Good luck to them.
What is fascinating to me is how obvious these truths are, and that we would be surprised by this.
to paraphrase: "A nation without string cultural traditions and ties is built on a weak foundation"
Which explains why the Chinese are taking a 2 pronged approach to this.
1) Build up their OWN cultural foundations
2) TEAR DOWN Our cultural foundations.
Just as they recognize the need to reinforce their own, they see the obverse, that our strength came from our strong cultural foundations in Liberty and Democracy, our story, with all it's warts, is still a great one.
Which is why they have moved heaven and earth to infiltrate and compromise our elites, funded the destruction of our norms etc..
Make no mistake. While many of the idiots attacking us from within THINK they are doing this of their own accord, the puppet strings (and their funding) come from outside the US.
Sounds like they’re also trying to troll the West. Pretend they have the moral high ground, unlike those of us in the decadent free world.
I would have thought that recent history on trying to create a new culture would have warned them off this rubbish.
Culture grows from peoples interactions with their environment and each other. I reckin living in concrete high rise boxes would slow that down a bit.
So I just read the Wang Huning piece NS wrote for Paladium . China is being ravaged by the same nihilistic forces destroying America. Authority is breaking down, a crisis of legitimacy is everywhere, cultural inheritance is discarded, we are alone to face the void, loneliness abounds.
Let me take my best shot: The medium is the message, electricity is an extension of the human nervous system and brain, our invention usurped time and space, infinite knowledge is in the palm of our hands. The universe at our fingertips, how can any old analogue culture compete with that, it savages our old understandings, but offers no replacement because infinity, all information at once is chaos and terrifying.
I studied under Eric McLuhan (Marshal’s son) at York University in Toronto. He and Professor Frank Zingroni used to get in trouble, at their joint lectures in the largest lecture theatre, 400 students, they would jovially describe the complete breakdown of meaning they foresaw. They were frightening the students and were told to tone it down: they often said they were glad they wouldn’t be around to see the collapse. We are going where are inventions take us. The Chinese attempt to stem the tide makes sense to me it is better than the progressive successor ideology and its abandonment of enlightenment rationalism.
On second thought, what do I know, I was stoned most of the time in University.
I give up. You got me, pal.
But for those of you who would rather read something a bit more nuanced, try this:
https://hbr.org/2021/05/what-the-west-gets-wrong-about-china
And if you're interested in how your opinions are formed for you, try this:
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2021/10/why-do-editors-seek-dark-sides-of-china.html
And this:
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/01/china-where-everything-vanishes.html
Cheers
Bad stuff but China is far away. I am more concerned with domestic madness.
Reminds me on Frank Buchman "Moral Re-Armament" of the 1950s