Do the Chinese people deserve some blame with the current situation in China?

[Samof94]

The thing is that modern China is at its best point in comparative quality of life since the Ming dynasty. Chinese literature and cultural weight is expanding like never before, most people have ok access to modern amenities and are working with the chance to get beyond what their parents did—albeit with diminishing returns since the late 2000s—and China is actually a pretty free and open society legal and enforcement wise outside of political rights. Why change something that is not “that” bad compared to the alternatives—balkanization, insane fascists and worse privatizers coming into power, subservience into another century of humiliation—this is what the opposition most interact with want. In a lot of ways it is like the United States, in that most people don’t see things being that bad to change compared to the effects of doing so or even alternatives—if they care that is, which for the menial workers who are exhausted and drugged up they can’t even begin to be involved in politics.

The current Chinese system is filled with enough contradictions that collapse is certain, but most people either don’t have the opportunity to see it for all that it is, don’t want to change it as it benefits them, or don’t care enough to risk it. Its collapse is thus not eminent and needs an external embarrassment to really end things, and given the complete success of China’s pandemic response, they got a lot of good political capital to dole around.

For now. Their longer term future is awful economically when you think about it no matter who is in charge. Some nationalist strongman who has no ties to the CCP or a junta would probably be unable to fix their problems either.

[Samof94]

No, because China is not a democracy.

If enough of China’s population was willing, they could make it a democracy

Their government is a giant North Korea, it wouldn’t get very far.

[Samof94]

No, because China is not a democracy.

If enough of China’s population was willing, they could make it a democracy

Their government is a giant North Korea, it wouldn’t get very far.

No, no they are not. In no way could you compare the two states at all throughout their history given context. Especially not now.

China’s army and police is mostly for show and can barely extend across the entire country, they can barely operate currently in one front if they get to that point. The emergence of an angsty middle class born out of budget cuts and increased stratification is the main threat to china’s existence if some oligarch yahoo takes the reins. The emergence of an independent trade union movement connected to their New Left, like the Utopia-dwelling Jasic organizers, indicates they are just as vulnerable to collapse as we are—just with less money and security to show for it.

I didn’t mean literally but more that you couldn’t get democracy even if you tried. Of course, some strongman who called it something else and rejected Mao’s legacy could easily happen.

[Samof94]

There aren't too many people who fought against the National Revolutionary Army still alive today, so no.

True. Even back then, people only listened to Mao partially because of what Japan did there.

[Samof94]

There aren't too many people who fought against the National Revolutionary Army still alive today, so no.

True. Even back then, people only listened to Mao partially because of what Japan did there.

As bad as Mao got with the cruelty, Japan's plans for the country would have ended up worse and did end up worse. Remarkable really.

Indeed, Japan seemed to run by people who were obsessed with torturing people in the most brutal way possible. Unit 731 was run by a sociopath.