Comments on: China At Sixty https://barelyablog.com/china-at-sixty/ by ilana mercer Wed, 02 Apr 2025 19:29:09 +0000 hourly 1 By: Myron Pauli https://barelyablog.com/china-at-sixty/comment-page-1/#comment-7325 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:28:51 +0000 http://barelyablog.com/?p=14852#comment-7325 China has made a smooth transition from totalitarian socialist to authoritarian fascist. Of course, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore have made even MORE progress. China does have problems with pollution, corruption, aging-demographics, and authoritarianism that will eventually limit its growth.

Sadly, in the USA, the trends are looking more downward rather than upward – both in terms of finances and liberty – and the two societies may cross paths. Meanwhile, it is up to the Chinese THEMSELVES to solve their own problems of pollution, human rights, etc.

The XENOPHOBIA of the neocons is not ethnic or national but rather an inability to comprehend that people may not appreciate their way of thinking. Nevertheless, it is their crusading zeal itself, rather than their cultural values, that constitutes the real danger that the “let’s liberate the whole planet” neocon crowd pose.

[Synophobic is not necessarily xenophobic.]

]]> By: Bob Harrison https://barelyablog.com/china-at-sixty/comment-page-1/#comment-7319 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:51:45 +0000 http://barelyablog.com/?p=14852#comment-7319 It’s hard to know what to make of China today. Its clearly an authoritarian regime but its just as clear that it is not Marxist. The trajectory of their society seems to be in the direction of more freedom, as opposed to some other societies that will remain unnamed.
What amuses me is the vilification by leftists (the same ones who loved the USSR) of the modern Chinese regime. Its almost as if they feel betrayed. If only Mao killed a few tens of millions more they would have achieved a communist paradise! Luckily for China, Mao died and Deng Xiaoping took his place, albeit ruling from behind the scenes.
Deng famously said “The color of the cat does not matter so long as it catches mice.” These are not the words of a Marxist ideologue but of a pragmatic nationalist who is willing to embrace aspects of capitalism if they demonstrably improve the wealth and power of the nation. Only time will show if their new system works I suppose. In the meantime leftists will whine and complain about “human rights” in China while ignoring the more wretched regimes in Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba, etc etc.

[Neocons are also synophobic.]

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