American “Revolution”: The “Black Hole” of American Electioneering and the Lessons China Must Draw — Qiao Collective
www.qiaocollective.com
The assumption that the US political system is "perfect" prevents systemic critiques of American liberalism and individualism, Chinese blogger Tu Zhuxi argues.

Everyone outside the imperial core is subjected to the American/European outside observer, the least you can do is return the favor.

Maybe it'll stop some people from going "China bad this. China bad that" when they haven't read a single letter from someone who lives there.

  • Mardoniush [she/her]
    1·
    4 years ago

    As someone from a non-American Western Anglosphere nation, the analysis reflects many of our criticisms of the US left. (It also hits a little close to home in places.) Even in other Anglosphere settler-colonial states, the thought of "wiping the slate clean" in terms of political and cultural change is far more acceptable. (in fact, I'd say it's pretty acceptable in Europe to deny "race, blood, and land". Even in Liberal circles there's Pan-European cultural movements.)

    That said, not doing much to assuage my fears of the over-dominance of Chinese Nationalism in current Chinese thought (I accept of course that Nationalism and the revival or culture had its critical place in the anti-colonial struggle.)

    But that's not the point of the article, which is a much needed view, even if I quibble with a lot of it.

    • GVAGUY3 [he/him]
      9·
      4 years ago

      The nationalism is a good thing to be used right now especially with our complete COVID failure and the new cold war. However as China gets more powerful, it could be a problem. Still, it was interesting seeing a Chinese Communist perspective.

      • hirsute [comrade/them]
        4·
        4 years ago

        A caveat is that Chinese nationalism tends towards ethnonationalism centered around being Han Chinese. I think that’s where most of the problems arise.

        • GVAGUY3 [he/him]
          3·
          4 years ago

          Yeah. Qiao Collective has said that the CPC doesn't promote Han Chauvinism, but it needs to really be talked about it more in China itself.

            • GVAGUY3 [he/him]
              ·
              4 years ago

              I'm very well aware of that the as long as the west is shit, nationalism will be a response to it.

              I'm also aware that Chinese nationalism is a response to western imperialism.

              Western leftist are uncomfortable with nationalism because the nationalism we experience is far right.

          • hirsute [comrade/them]
            1·
            4 years ago

            I'm sure you've read Mao's comments on Han Chauvinism, so let's put to bed any suggestion that that's not a thing.

            From that starting point, there's nothing crazy about acknowledging there's a tension between a national identity based upon the linguistic and cultural assimilation and respecting the inherent dignity of ethnic, linguistic, and cultural minorities (e.g. the 55 recognized minzu) within the territory.

            Minority languages and traditions certainly have influenced the dominant culture; Mandarin and Chinese culture have changed with the times (hence all those cool words from Mongolian and Manchu). And the flexibility of Chinese culture allowed it to persist through, for example, Manchurian rule.

            However, there is a tightrope to be walked here. In my post above I specifically was being critical of the tendency towards ethnonationalism. And unfortunately, I think in Party policy we can see those tendencies.

              • hirsute [comrade/them]
                ·
                4 years ago

                That only supports my point that it’s not a problem since any deviation is acknowledged from the very top.

                I'm convinced.

          • skollontai [any]
            4·
            4 years ago

            Hate-crimes against Chinese people are spiking all over western regimes like Canada and people here think that Chinese nationalism is a problem instead of a perfectly understandable reaction to your brutal supremacism?

            Take a look at this cool trick:

            -Hate crimes against Chinese people... bad -Chinese nationalism... also bad

            Crazy, right? We can fight against both at the same time! Let's try it again:

            -U.S... bad -China... bad

            -Jeff Bezos... bad -Jack Ma... bad

            It's almost as if the problem was capitalism all along! And the solution is left internationalism! Rosa Luxemburg, for example, was both an ardent internationalist and one of the only people to support the anticolonial uprisings of her day. :thinking face: :thinking face: :thinking face:

              • StevenPinkerton [he/him]
                1·
                4 years ago

                Is nationalism in African countries bad? most communist nations embraced nationalism as resistance to imperialism.

                Made me think of this

                [African] nationalism was itself born, nurtured, encouraged and shaped by colonialism. Although Europe was "the home of nationalism" according to Macmillan, Africans were encouraged to think of it as genuine indigenous expression. Even though the African nations espousing it were born out of the 1884 Berlin Conference and African nationalist leaders were the products of colonial schools and European universities, African nationalism was still cast as the antidote to colonialism rather than an outgrowth of it.

                Further, as described by the late Kenyan professor, Ali Mazrui, "African nationalism seeks to achieve and to maintain equality with Europe." Eurafrica gave African elites the opportunity to prance around the international stage pretending to be the equals of the colonial masters whose bidding they were doing.

              • skollontai [any]
                4·
                4 years ago

                Is nationalism in African countries bad?

                Literally asking me to assess a wide-ranging ideology across an entire continent, lol.

                If you're asking if I unequivocally support all nationalism in every colonized country, the answer is fuck no. Do I support some left-wing nationalist movements? Hell yes. Do I critically support others? Yes. Are there some were I think nationalism is the wrong answer? Definitely. And that includes China, one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world, where nationalism may have served a purpose in the past, but in my view no longer does. My view on the matter is nicely captured in Rosa Luxemburg's writing on the Polish Question, if you have any further questions.

                You're right that my viewpoint is more nuanced than yours--I suspect that I am substantially older than you and (no offense), more deeply read on most of the subjects we have discussed tonight. Perhaps I am wrong, but that's my impression from your breathless approach to posting and the many tweets you use as citations.

                Nonetheless, it's good to see your enthusiasm! Building solidarity in person is hard work, and it's good to get the ranting and insults out of the way online before you start attempting real-world praxis.

      • Mardoniush [she/her]
        ·
        4 years ago

        I'm not sure it's a good thing, it may well be a needed thing, and no one can blame them for embracing it after a century of western chauvinism in culture.

        But the cost is going to be pretty heavy when it comes due and I hope those ideologically committed comrades in the CCP are ready to deal with it when the time comes to support a more internationalist perspective and a hopefully leading role for China in the building of an international Socialist world..