Thread by @ArchiveAsshole

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg People think it's the government.

It's not (just) the government.

There are three layers here in China that work together in these circumstances.

(1/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg The first layer, of course, is actual central government: at national, provincial, and county/city levels. But they cannot make things happen. As large as China's government is (and it is ASTONISHINGLY large!), it's not large enough to rule over 1.4 billion unruly people.

(2/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg Don't think China's population is unruly? There was nearly a flat-out rebellion here in Wuhan when the government passed an ordinance saying outside food and drink couldn't be taken into restaurants. I've never seen a government ANYWHERE back down so quickly!

(3/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg So this introduces our second layer: the communities. These can be large, like the multi-huge-tower block community I'll be moving into soon, or they can be tiny, like the miniscule compound (I can walk end to end in under 2 minutes) I currently inhabit.

(4/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg While technically part of the government, in that the cadres are Party members, the vibe is completely different. They're like quasi-autonomous micro states in feel. The key is that the leadership are also resident in the community, so … they actually *know* the people.

(5/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg Back to that unruly thing: the WeChat community for my compound is amazing to watch. SO MUCH DRAGGING of the compounds leadership happens there. SO MUCH begging for forgiveness … leaders asking of residence. This is not what you'd expect based on western reportage.

(6/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg In times of crisis, the governmental levels set policy and goals. Community leadership enacts them. Each community enacts them differently (within constraints set by government) according to their specific situation. They're often enacted *WITH INPUT* from residents.

(7/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg Again this is not what you'd expect based on western reportage. (It came as a HUGE shock to me when I moved to China in 2001.)

And this brings us to the final layer. The people. As individuals Chinese people are frustrating to figure out.

(8/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg On the one hand they drive (at least in the cities I've lived in) like the rules of the road don't exist. Hell, half the time they drive like the laws of physics don't exist! To call the driving here "irresponsible" is like calling the Pacific Ocean "moist".

(9/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg But in times of crisis, and in matters of public interest, I have never seen people so community-minded in my life. And it is this third layer that makes the two higher layers work so efficiently in this pandemic.

(10/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg Are there maskholes? Yes. And they get TAKEN OUT TO THE TRASH by people when they invade public spaces. They don't remain maskholes for long. *LONG* before police will get involved, the local gangs of aunties with their viciously sharp tongues will slice you to ribbons!

(11/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg The same would apply to anybody who'd dare risk public health in a crisis. It's the *PEOPLE* who do the heavy lifting. (In at least one case here the police RESCUED THE MASKHOLE from a mob that was increasingly intent on rending the guy limb from limb.)

(12/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg So next time you ponder why China did so well in this pandemic, despite being ground zero for a viral nuke that was timed for the worst conceivable outbreak date, don't just babble about "authoritarian states". Because the authoritarian state is only the top level.

(13/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg Authoritarian states around the world (Russia and Kazakhstan, to name two at random) have utterly fucking botched the job, as badly as or worse than the west.

What's missing is the two layers below, most especially the PEOPLE.

(14/n)

@JiSeFish @RealSexyCyborg Instead of making excuses for why your states failed "because not authoritarianism", try looking at how the PEOPLE of China behave and consider how that might actually be far more important.

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