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The Future, Made in China

newyorker.com

111–112 of 112 posts

Re: The Future, Made in China

#111
post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I mean is that the ability of the domestic economy to produce, with automation, is constrained mainly by demand and raw materials. Producing plastic toys would not make a dent in the productive capacity of the US and in fact would increase it by bringing the supply chain and expertise back to the US. This is obvious to anyone who hasn't had the misfortune of studying economics or listening to people who have. (I…

> But of course, as I'm sure you recognize.. I do not. When you say, “what I mean is economic capacity is constrained by demand and raw materials” - that’s a significant deviation from your claim that economic capacity is infinite which is why I asked you about it. I’m not a mind reader. But even this claim makes no sense with your toy factory example. Building such a factory consumes no land, no construction workers…

lol yeah ok man

Re: The Future, Made in China

#112
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you say that?

It's an axiom that the modern Western mind is built upon.

The foundational failing I see in my countrymen is the notion that China can't innovate. Their economic reliance on exports is not untrue. Just like their reliance on energy imports is a fact (though one that we are seeing right now become more questionable.)

The average American will keep shouting over and over again that "China can't innovate" while they quietly and slowly tick off every box on their checklist of issues. It doesn't end well for us.

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