I think it was Michael Parenti that said something like: "If the churches in the USSR were empty, this demonstrated that religion was suppressed, but if the churches were full, this meant the people were rejecting the regime’s atheistic ideology. If the workers went on strike, this was evidence of their alienation from the collectivist system. if they didn’t go on strike, this was because they were intimidated and lacked freedom. A scarcity of consumer goods demonstrated the failure of the economic system; an improvement in consumer supplies meant only that the leaders were attempting to placate a restive population and so maintain a firmer hold over them." These people will never be happy with anything that isn't full submission to the US.
Even if they completely capitulate to US control the media would still point at those exact things as criticism that they are doing it wrong or that there's just "too much corruption" in their "society*."
I think it was Michael Parenti that said something like: "If the churches in the USSR were empty, this demonstrated that religion was suppressed, but if the churches were full, this meant the people were rejecting the regime’s atheistic ideology. If the workers went on strike, this was evidence of their alienation from the collectivist system. if they didn’t go on strike, this was because they were intimidated and lacked freedom. A scarcity of consumer goods demonstrated the failure of the economic system; an improvement in consumer supplies meant only that the leaders were attempting to placate a restive population and so maintain a firmer hold over them." These people will never be happy with anything that isn't full submission to the US.
Even if they completely capitulate to US control the media would still point at those exact things as criticism that they are doing it wrong or that there's just "too much corruption" in their "society*."
*usually a dogwhistle for racism
Japan being treated the way it was in the 80s is proof of that