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@mr_scientism

20 Jul

"Beijing was not happy last year when some big internet companies invested heavily in apps that sell vegetables to local residents. That’s because the apps could replace the mom-and-pop vegetable stands where many lower-income people make a living." Those... monsters...

https://twitter.com/LiYuan6/status/1416986500202258438

The article portrays regulation as corporations having their 'rights' violated by an 'authoritarians'.

https://twitter.com/LiYuan6/status/1416986500202258438

"For the companies, it’s helpful to know Beijing’s priorities. Domestically, that is to reduce inequality and promote what the party calls 'collective prosperity.'"

Horrifying. Why isn't the UN condemning this?

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scientism

@mr_scientism

17 Jul

Basically, liberal democracy is wholly inadequate for running an industrialized society, so in the early 20th century the American ruling elite built a new government out of a network privately-owned non-profits and that has been running things ever since.

There's no 'getting money out of politics' because you could never have a modern industrialized society that used America's formal institutions. They keep the lie going because it conceals where real power lies in America and it's incredibly useful for imperialist expansion.

If you wanted to move beyond the current system you'd have to nationalize the entire policy and opinion forming apparatus that's now privately owned, along with the commanding heights of the economy. This would create a system that looks just like... *drumroll* modern China.

Read 4 tweets

scientism

@mr_scientism

17 Jun

To understand the world, you just have to understand that capitalism is redundant. Industry would function just fine if there weren't any owners. Modern politics consists almost entirely of capitalists trying to maintain their position in the face of their own redundancy.

What capitalists fear is a world that runs without them, so they sabotage anything that might contribute to the formation of a pure technocracy - an industrialized society without private ownership - and promote anything that generates fear of such an eventuality.

Under the condition of the permanent war of capital against the formation of technocracy it's impossible to solve many problems, since one of the things they have to ensure is that the 'social sciences', particularly economics, remain impoverished, as does government itself.

Read 4 tweets

scientism

@mr_scientism

13 Jun

To understand liberal ideology, just look at it from the perspective of a developing country. You want modern technology, the source of the West's wealth and power, but the West wants you to control you. Liberal ideology aims to blur the boundaries between these two goals.

In order to develop technologically, you need compatible political and economic organization. The West's goal is to convince you that the only political and economic organization that can produce development is one that involves opening to Western trade, investment, media, etc.

Every component of liberal ideology, from free markets and free trade to free speech, free assembly, academic freedom, multiparty elections, and human rights is aimed eroding your sovereignty, so Western institutions can move in, gain control, and extract your wealth.

Read 6 tweets

scientism

@mr_scientism

2 Apr

The US uses ‘human rights’ primarily as a means to put pressure on allies. In each allied state there are institutions and individuals that are aligned with US interests. They use US material on ‘human rights’ to pressure their colleagues into taking actions the US wants.

Among US allies right now, it is US-funded think tanks, US-aligned media, US-aligned elected officials, and the military and intelligence services (who have a formal relationship with the US) using ’human rights’ discourse to coerce their colleagues into an anti-China position.

This is why ‘human rights’ enforcement is highly selective - i.e., only pursued where it aligns with US geopolitical interests and ignored or covered up otherwise. It’s primarily a way to put pressure on allies by publicly humiliating them. It wouldn’t work if it was consistent.

Read 8 tweets

scientism

@mr_scientism

7 Mar

If you look at the US 'empire' as a network of institutions, you can understand 'democratization' and 'state-building' through this lens. The goal is to create a political environment where US-affiliated institutions can gain entry and then to ensure that they set the agenda.

Liberal democracy requires a set of private institutions to function. These present themselves as 'independent' but actually form a network centered on a handful of unaccountable elites. The US seeks to 'spread democracy' because this is the ideal for spreading US influence.

Under liberal democracy, the goal is to create a 'vibrant civil society', which is just to gain entry for and establish the dominance of institutions that will represent US interests. These are either directly owned and controlled by the US or by US-friendly local elites.

Read 9 tweets

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