China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline • Hacker News Board

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#221

Post by ramosu » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:28 PM UTC

thepasswordis wrote: post #71

It's because we stopped focusing on creating things, and instead started laser focusing on making sure that everybody gets exactly the same amount of everything all the time. It's ridiculous. We are trust fund children who don't understand where the money came from, and it will be our undoing. Twitter, NYT, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and the like have monetized dividing us, and they have a multi-billion dollar a year budge…

Most people agree with that, but only a few will expose themselves saying this.

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#222

Post by lamontcg » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:31 PM UTC

The US economy is led by people who mostly look to create window dressing on profits in order to bail out with a large parachute.

And the increasing economic inequality means that attempts to stabilize our economy are captured mostly by the rich, leading to asset bubbles.

The asset bubbles means that those in the shrinking middle class are being squeezed out of housing, and with the markets now all serving the upper class and permanently in bubble territory everyone is just chasing after lottery tickets in the economy.

Doing a good job and running a company well are naviely old-fashioned values. Everyone just needs to get rich from crypto and that'll save us...

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#223

Post by BigW1lly » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:32 PM UTC

thinker403 wrote: post #214

There's an imbalance with information here, just like there was with the USSR back in the day. The U.S. is an open book that anyone can peer into; China is the opposite. Complicating matters is that the main lens into the U.S. is through 24 hr news orgs that long ago abandoned objectivity for sensationalism. It's easy to conclude something is in decline if all you ever see is perpetual chaos. The reality is, mostly,…

The so called "mainstream" news organizations have completely abandoned objectivity, at least when it comes to politics. They are de facto the propaganda wing of the Democratic party. If you comb through the articles being written, most of them are worded in a way that conveys a favorable position for the Democratic party platform and its politicians.

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#224

Post by derivagral » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:36 PM UTC

newdude116 wrote: post #159

EdwinLarkin wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. At least it's drinkable and not poisoned like in China. 2. No it is not. Have not you seen the dystopian reality of Beijing from last month? 3. Chinese healthcare is hazard on its own. 4. I have. China is not attracting anyone on a comparable level like the EU or the US. Also you dont get to stay and work in China even if you married someone from there.

2.? Are you serious? This was a sandstorm, a very natural phenomenon. In fact, I love sandstorms since they remind me of my best times in Beijing. 3. They have clinics that would make most western clinics cry. Yes, they charge like western clinics too. But I have been for a minor thing in a normal Chinese hospital, a friend of mine had his appendix removed and another US friend of mine got a major surgery in a Chines…

Regarding #2, I was in Shanghai and Beijing in late 2019. I had a lot of discomfort first landing in Beijing; Shanghai's haze was not as bad but it still shows up in pictures. I imagine this is what the USA's coal country used to feel like when it was in active swing.

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#225

Post by inter_netuser » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:36 PM UTC

medium_burrito wrote: post #49

They have some massive negatives to deal with: - China is net food and energy importer. Look at last year for a preview of future food. The land they leased in Africa won't help in terms of climate shift, locusts, etc. Who is the number of one food and energy exporter? - China has an aeging population, and it's already a rapid shift. - China's infrastructure isn't as well built as other countries (see their most impo…

"US soon being able to just stack depleted uranium telephone poles in orbit to protect it's dependencies"

Rods from God is actually real? Thought it was a failed research project?

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#226

Post by benjohnson » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:36 PM UTC

justinzollars wrote: post #118

The West is in total decline. We are living through the complete collapse of the old order and the values of Western Civilization are being replaced before our very eyes. All of our advantages are being withered away and there is really nothing special about the West. China is confident and is executing a plan to grow very quickly. They have embraced markets and their people are growing wealthy. Personally I'm bettin…

I not bullish on the West - it’s being replaced by other cultures quicker than it can adapt.

However the West still has a lot to offer the world from mRNA to SpaceX to Seneca. Frankly, China’s success had come from copying western civilization and while the west may not survive, the spark will endure. Just elsewhere.

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#227

Post by BigW1lly » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:39 PM UTC

ceilingcorner wrote: post #77

On an optimistic note, I am not convinced that China is going to win any cultural wars. America, for all its problems, still is essentially a leader for much of the developing world, at least in terms of culture. People watch American shows, know American celebrities, listen to American music, etc. This is facilitated by the fact that these cultural elements are pretty diverse and are open to immigrants. As in, a guy…

I'd say Korea is actually winning the cultural war. K-pop has taken the world by storm. Hollywood is in decline, if you'll notice, good movies are harder to come by nowadays.

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#228

Post by benjohnson » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:39 PM UTC

centimeter wrote: post #80

Justsignedup wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. High poverty is directly linked to an increase in crime. High unemployment leads to that.

Poverty is actually a quite weak predictor of crime rates once you condition on demographic factors such as percent single-parent households.

Thank you. Some of the poorest people I know are deeply moral. Indeed a poorly run home is the largest predictor - and too little (or too much) money does magnify the problem, poverty isn’t synonymous with crime.

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#229

Post by gruez » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:42 PM UTC

Daho0n wrote: post #125

EdwinLarkin wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is factually true. Chinese have access to poisoned shitty water that everyone has to boil first and that's not only because of that chi bullshit. Meanwhile I have access to delicious spring water from Alps. China has achieved only superficial changes that will bite them in the ass in the future.

>Chinese have access to poisoned shitty water And the so-called top dog of the west have cities where people for years had to get bottled water because the whole city were poisoned and whole states are drying out. Not everyone in the west are as lucky as those of us with clean water. Definitely not the US.

>And the so-called top dog of the west have cities where people for years had to get bottled water because the whole city were poisoned and whole states are drying out.

The point remains. Tap water is by default not drinkable, whereas water in the US is (barring some exceptions).

Re: China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline

#230

Post by slowhand09 » Tue, Apr 13, 2021, 5:43 PM UTC

vict7 wrote: post #187

felle_realist wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem here is the definition of the term "progressive". If you take it to mean "forward-looking" then yes, being progressive is a sure strategy for success in the long run, even if such success may come at a price in the short term. This, however, is not what most current "progressive" ideologies do, instead of looking forward they often look backward in time in search for grievances in need of redress. This, i…

Identify politics has been on the rise for a long time. The right heavily contribute to identity politics. See: openly racist GQP leaders, transgender bathroom ban, mexican "caravans" conveniently appearing in the news around election time, satanic panic, homophobia, muslim ban, "Kung flu". In no way can you place the blame for the rise of identity politics squarely on progressives. I get the feeling that most people…

Seriously? "Mexican Caravans"? 18,000 UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN were "dumped" across the US-Mexico border in MARCH of 2021. And the current administration refuses to admit the "may" be a problem. Your selective ignorance is astounding.