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0 sats \ 10 replies \ @OT 6h \ parent \ on: China Hardens Military Stance Against U.S. With Nuclear Weapons and Tough Talk econ
You might want to spend some time there to get a better insight. Maybe its related to culture but they seem to value the appearance of something over quality or substance. I'll give you a few examples. There was an Italian restaurant where they hired a European to dress like a chef to greet guests and give the customers the impression that it was a genuine Italian restaurant. What I found is that this kind of stuff happens not only on a micro level but also on a macro. When there is a slum of old housing they build a nice looking wall to block its sight.
Now of course the military is a different animal and it's true that everything is still all made in China. I just would take what I read about China with a grain of salt.
I am well aware of the Chinese and Asian culture of 'face'.
That cultural difference to the west, is as you must be aware if you did spend more than a decade in China, just one of many significant differences in the Chinese world view which can lead to misunderstanding and error on the part of westerners looking at China.
I traded extensively with Chinese merchants and businesses for over a decade and learned some of the differences in culture which it seems very few westerners understand.
But none of these differences lessen the potential threat China poses- quite the opposite- they often obscure and cloud the view mist in the west have of China to one of ignorance, misunderstanding and fear.
The Yellow Peril hysteria of more than a century ago is just one example.
And certainly the culture of 'face' extends to Chinese media coverage and portrayal- but I rely almost entirely upon the views and reports of western media and westerners who have experience in China such as those I have given above already.
Another excellent source I would refer to is Peter Hesslers books on China written during his time living there from the mid 1990s until the mid 2000s. Though now maybe a little dated they do nothing to refute my thesis.
In fact since Hessler left China and Xi rose to power the direction of Chinas advance has become significantly more aggressive, overt and direct as a challenge to the west.
I have already provided several up to date and contemporary warnings - from people who have lived in China and who have verifiable credentials and who are warning us of what they see as a credible and real threat and challenge coming from China today...you have refuted nothing of the substance what they have said...you have not even acknowledged it.
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那你最好开始学习中文 'Then you'd better start learning Chinese.'
Just the sort of flippant Trumpian answer I have come to expect.
Typical of the inability to acknowledge and respond to this issue in a reasonable considered way that exercises the constructive potential of freedom of speech and contest of ideas.
Instead of acknowledging the facts and issues raised you avoid them via parody.
You thereby concede defeat in terms of a contest of ideas, by defaulting to trollery.
Your inability to respond in a credible reasoned manner is just further evidence of the problem I have raised.
Again you do exactly what a CCP Bot might logically be expected to do - to disrupt any attempt to discuss and raise awareness of these issues.
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Nah man you're just repetitive.
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'As Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute put it in his book “American Covenant” (2024),
“The breakdown of political culture in our day is not a function of our having forgotten how to agree with each other but of our having forgotten how to disagree constructively.”
Disagreeing constructively requires that you first consider the arguments with which you purport to disagree.'
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Yes because almost exclusively the response is denial and evasion of any serious discussion of the issue.
That motivates me and indicates to me that there is a real problem here.
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Lol, it's not like you ever post any solutions to what you believe. The reason I personally don't make bold claims is because I honestly don't know how this is going to play out. There are too many moving parts in fields that I know little about. So best to be humble and do what I can.
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Not here to propose solutions.
Here to raise the issue and gauge the response...so far it is almost exclusively the sort of inane evasion and denial you have shown.
Have not made any claims you have demonstrated to be 'bold' and so you again make false assertions.
It is absurd to say the field is too complex for us to discuss and debate- that is just another form of evasion- a complete and utter cop out.
Have not claimed to know how this will play out either (yet another misrepresentation that you infer) - just that it is an issue that deserves serious consideration and discussion and debate.
I would say with some confidence that denial that there is a problem when there clearly is one is one hell of a good way to allow that problem to grow bigger rather than finding any possible logical responses and solutions. The first step toward solving most problems is acknowledging they exist!
One advantage the west has is presumably freedom of speech, and thought- though the response to date - you could have fooled me!
This is an existential challenge to the wests hegemony, wealth and power- and you dismiss it as 'too complex' to discuss. Absurd and again outright evasion.
Rather ironically given your references to Chinese cultures 'saving face' tendency, you appear to exhibit very much a similar pride and inability to face up to what is a humbling challenge we face.
Perhaps the west is blinded by its arrogance accumulated over 500 years of global hegemony?
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Have not made any claims you have demonstrated to be 'bold' and so you again make false assertions.
You literally say "China has won the trade war" in every post. You even say it in comments on posts that aren't about the topic.
Not sure what kind of refute you expect from stackers. It's primarily a discussion on Bitcoin right? That's what I'm generally here for, not to argue about topics and issues I have no expertise in.
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I have supported that claim multiple times with facts- none of those supporting arguments have ever been refuted.
Do you even know what my supporting arguments are?
If you can refute them credibly I would be most impressed...otherwise you perhaps have not even considered them...in your haste to dismiss this perhaps frightening topic.
China dominating global trade in manufactured goods and commodities is not relevant to Bitcoin or SN more generally? Really? I would not agree. SNs as a Bitcoin based and strongly Libertarian forum is imo an ideal place to raise the issue of Chinas economic and global rise. It raises many interesting, relevant and challenging issues for Libertarians and Bitcoiners.
'As Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute put it in his book “American Covenant” (2024),
“The breakdown of political culture in our day is not a function of our having forgotten how to agree with each other but of our having forgotten how to disagree constructively.”
Disagreeing constructively requires that you first consider the arguments with which you purport to disagree.'
You have claimed first up that you lived in China for 15 years - so that is a substantial amount of first hand experience, if true. None of your subsequent comments evidence any direct and detailed personal experience or knowledge of modern China so maybe it was a false claim.
However since when exactly do we need to be experts to discuss any topic???
Is freedom of speech and the contest of ideas it enables not still operative???
I welcome any constructive contribution to this debate - but am constantly amazed and disappointed that almost none has occurred, but still remain optimistic and a believer in the power of freedom of speech to both raise issues and increase knowledge and understanding and ultimately potentially lead to solutions.
Already I believe it has been established there is a huge chasm of denial and fear around this topic and that in itself motivates me to raise it more, rather than be silenced by people demanding silence and ignorance.
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