Oh God, oh shit, I said I wasn't going to do it. I said I wasn't going to start a China struggle session. Already getting flashbacks to the Discord.

But something just doesn't sit right with me and wanted to get some clarification here...

My question is this: why does China ban labor organizing/unions?

Is this yikes/intentional/actually a good thing?

(Yeah, I do know that labor unions are not always unequivocally good and sometimes they act more like middle management than as representatives of the workers... but democratizing the workplace seems like a no-brainer for any socialist project.)

Thoughts?

  • AllCatsAreBeautiful [he/him]
    12·
    4 years ago

    Oh shit oh fuck oh shit he said it he really said it he said the thing we're not supposed to say!

    China already embraced capitalism and the further it liberalizes the more that the singular state labour union will serve as a means for corrupt government officials to extract wealth from workers while separating them from the means of production and reward their efficient free-market-cronies. See also: Ba'athist Syria

    Xi uses the mantra of "fighting corruption" in the same way that Modi does, to garner public support while eliminating political opponents. Not to say that Xi doesn't remove plenty of corrupt officials, but there's plenty of corruption he accepts among his allies. I don't criticize the PRC out of disdain, I criticize it because as an anti-imperialist force it has so much potential if it would stop liberalizing its economy and giving in to global capitalism.

    • KiaKaha [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Xi uses the mantra of “fighting corruption” in the same way that Modi does, to garner public support while eliminating political opponents.

      The better of the Washington Thinktanks disagree with you.

      If you actually look into it, Xi’s anti-corruption campaign is creating governance structures for rooting out corruption, and it has demonstrable effect.

      Those particularly close to Xi seem to be somewhat isolated, but it’s far from just a populist excuse to purge rivals. It’s institutional change, to counteract the very kinds of problems you’ve highlighted.

    • anthm17 [he/him]
      6·
      4 years ago

      I don’t criticize the PRC out of disdain, I criticize it because as an anti-imperialist force it has so much potential if it would stop liberalizing its economy and giving in to global capitalism.

      oh china/the CCP is absolutely still our best hope by far. Just the revisionists are too powerful in my ill informed shitposter opinion.