Calling someone with a Ph.D in political science "not a historian" when referring to the political situation of Tibet/China is... interesting.
The rest of your argument may indeed be persuasive to someone who actually cares about maintaining the dreadful political situation inside of Tibet but that's not me. I dont care that in some rural village there wasnt slavery or whatever. I dont care that the weirdo psycho Lamas lost their power. Fuck all versions of aristocracy, but especially fuck ones that still allowed slavery in the 1950s. A world in which the Chinese dont liberate Tibet is a much worse world.
Does he a PhD in political science in China? I've a PhD in Chinese History. Should I be writing a book about the French Revolution as an expert? Again, Parenti's work isn't bad but it relies on the work other historians did. I say 'did', because the scholarship has evolved a lot since then.
So you basically reveal that you are pretty much a chauvinist - that a backward people should be made to be destroyed and progress regardless of the costs. You would've fit well amongst the progressives of the British Empire, begging to destroy the cruelties of the caste system in India.
Yes, and again...all of Tibet didn't have slavery, and Tibetans themselves were fighting against it before the CCP entered the picture. The logic you are using, and I am sorry if it is rude, is pretty much the same logic of British reformers seeking to civilize the barbarian 'Hindoos'. I don't really see how one can deny that. Would you advocate that the US goes into Mauritania to liberate the pockets of slavery that exist there as well?
Communists can surely do bad things. Unsure how that even remotely relates to what I said though. My example would very explicitly be communists doing a "good thing" (liberating slaves).
The reason I support a communist doing it rather than an imperialist capitalist empire should be pretty self-evident on a leftist board.
I'm against the idea that communists cannot do imperialism. The Lenininst definition that basically excludes communists from doing imperialism is dumb to me.
If overthrowing a monarchist slave state and then investing into it to combat poverty is imperialism then line me up against the wall baby I'm an imperialist.
...And so you wouldn't advocate that the Mauritanians have any say in how it goes? Or that they should do it? Or that, maybe at best, China, Vietnam etc. should just encourage those reformers to do their own work? Why is it that in your mind slavery can only be abolished by an outside progressive force?
If the reformers have not succeeded in abolishing slavery in 2020 then yes absolutely 100% I support someone else (that isnt doing it to steal their oil) doing it for them. I'm sorry if you think this is a controversial take but once again - slavery = bad.
So, should China invade Iran and Saudi Arabia to stop punishing adultery, homosexuality, etc? What is the farthest extent of this logic that you are willing to pursue? Any social change is worth squashing local sovereignty by an outside force?
Do you think that communists need to somehow hold a referendum before starting a revolution or do you think there's something inherently better about people from the same "nation state" unilaterally making decisions for other people of that nation state than if people from a different nation state did it?
Do you think the Red Army should have pulled all the way back to the borders of the Russian Empire the moment Berlin fell?
If you would be open to it an AMA regarding your thoughts and knowledge on Chinese history, especially post communist revolution, would be super interesting.
I took one history course during my B.A Chinese poetry studies but it was long ago.
I would be open to it, but tbh I sometimes find talking about it here a little exhausting. It is not that I think people have bad intentions, but there is often just a lot of bad faith interpretations of China from both demsoc AND tankie positions that navigating all the fraught politics of all and arguing with everyone becomes really tiring. But I'll think about it!
Calling someone with a Ph.D in political science "not a historian" when referring to the political situation of Tibet/China is... interesting.
The rest of your argument may indeed be persuasive to someone who actually cares about maintaining the dreadful political situation inside of Tibet but that's not me. I dont care that in some rural village there wasnt slavery or whatever. I dont care that the weirdo psycho Lamas lost their power. Fuck all versions of aristocracy, but especially fuck ones that still allowed slavery in the 1950s. A world in which the Chinese dont liberate Tibet is a much worse world.
Does he a PhD in political science in China? I've a PhD in Chinese History. Should I be writing a book about the French Revolution as an expert? Again, Parenti's work isn't bad but it relies on the work other historians did. I say 'did', because the scholarship has evolved a lot since then.
So you basically reveal that you are pretty much a chauvinist - that a backward people should be made to be destroyed and progress regardless of the costs. You would've fit well amongst the progressives of the British Empire, begging to destroy the cruelties of the caste system in India.
sorry bud but slavery is bad.
calling me british (extremely rude) will not change this fact.
Yes, and again...all of Tibet didn't have slavery, and Tibetans themselves were fighting against it before the CCP entered the picture. The logic you are using, and I am sorry if it is rude, is pretty much the same logic of British reformers seeking to civilize the barbarian 'Hindoos'. I don't really see how one can deny that. Would you advocate that the US goes into Mauritania to liberate the pockets of slavery that exist there as well?
no, I advocate that the american empire explode into a million pieces.
I would advocate the Chinese do it though. Same with Vietnamese or Cubans.
This "communists cannot do bad things" mentality is starting to seem a bit cultish to me.
Communists can surely do bad things. Unsure how that even remotely relates to what I said though. My example would very explicitly be communists doing a "good thing" (liberating slaves).
The reason I support a communist doing it rather than an imperialist capitalist empire should be pretty self-evident on a leftist board.
I'm against the idea that communists cannot do imperialism. The Lenininst definition that basically excludes communists from doing imperialism is dumb to me.
If overthrowing a monarchist slave state and then investing into it to combat poverty is imperialism then line me up against the wall baby I'm an imperialist.
...And so you wouldn't advocate that the Mauritanians have any say in how it goes? Or that they should do it? Or that, maybe at best, China, Vietnam etc. should just encourage those reformers to do their own work? Why is it that in your mind slavery can only be abolished by an outside progressive force?
If the reformers have not succeeded in abolishing slavery in 2020 then yes absolutely 100% I support someone else (that isnt doing it to steal their oil) doing it for them. I'm sorry if you think this is a controversial take but once again - slavery = bad.
So, should China invade Iran and Saudi Arabia to stop punishing adultery, homosexuality, etc? What is the farthest extent of this logic that you are willing to pursue? Any social change is worth squashing local sovereignty by an outside force?
slavery = BAD
Yes :yes-chad:
Are you coming out against vanguardism here?
Do you think that communists need to somehow hold a referendum before starting a revolution or do you think there's something inherently better about people from the same "nation state" unilaterally making decisions for other people of that nation state than if people from a different nation state did it?
Do you think the Red Army should have pulled all the way back to the borders of the Russian Empire the moment Berlin fell?
:yes-chad:
deleted by creator
My apologies. I was just somewhat taken aback.
deleted by creator
If you would be open to it an AMA regarding your thoughts and knowledge on Chinese history, especially post communist revolution, would be super interesting.
I took one history course during my B.A Chinese poetry studies but it was long ago.
I would be open to it, but tbh I sometimes find talking about it here a little exhausting. It is not that I think people have bad intentions, but there is often just a lot of bad faith interpretations of China from both demsoc AND tankie positions that navigating all the fraught politics of all and arguing with everyone becomes really tiring. But I'll think about it!
Yea for sure you gotta prioritize your emotional/mental energy, I just like learning and appretiate your perspective.