[warning: wall of text. the topic of this thread goes all over the place. it's pretty much a brain dump. arguments are full of holes. there are also graphic and disturbing images/footage (linked)]
While I agree the world should be critical of China's human rights record, you need to keep in mind they have a population of 1.3B people. America has 0.3B, four times less than China, and we have a fair number of issues ourselves (Katrina, overflowing prisons, health care). Since problems tend to grow exponentially, China's 4x population might bring them 16x the challenges.
Without a doubt China and India are significant sources of today's pollution, but you need to remember American and European industrialization is responsible for the current state of our planet. We've gotten past the initial dirty stages, when we pumped thick black smoke into the skies and exploited desperate workers. We're enjoying the fruits of that exploitation, while hypocritically telling other countries they can't rise to power in the same way we did.
(actually we're still pumping out black smoke and exploiting workers; just not in our own back yard. go go globalization!)
China's silently giving the West the middle finger, and I say good for them. I would like our planet to stay nice and clean, but I have my doubts, considering human behavior. We all know that smoking is bad for us, that we should exercise more and eat less processed foods, that we shouldn't carry a balance on our credit cards; but we don't change our behavior until we're diagnosed with lung cancer, suffer a heart attack, or have our homes foreclosed.
Someday Mother Nature is gonna spank us silly. If we survive, maybe we will grow up to be worthy of the power our sciences have given us. If not, no big deal. Mother Nature will have no problem carrying on without us. In fact, the notion that Mother Nature needs to be rescued is an indication of our delusion and self-centeredness. Sure we can sterilize the planet for millions of years, but life will return rich and vibrant as before. It's humanity that needs to be rescued, not the planet.
Anyways...
Hating on China is the first step towards mobilizing our citizens to war on China. Soldiers are conditioned to dehumanize and demonize the enemy; it makes killing easier. Weapon systems have become long ranged, removing soldiers from death and carnage (EXTREMELY graphic). TV and the Internet are long range technologies which manipulate citizens into believing they are there, that they understand what's going on, when they really don't.
Ridiculing the enemy is also another tool which enables soldiers to kill, and for citizens to let it happen. Watch this AC-130 gun camera footage (first rounds impact @ 1:28). Now watch the same footage with a soundtrack.
Incidentally, I've found infrared gun camera footage to be the closest thing to a snuff film you can find on YouTube (the explosion while the guys are running @ 0:22 is particularly difficult to watch, but the music also makes it "entertaining").
Three years ago my friend concluded Americans wouldn't bat an eye if we went to war with China. A bit exaggerated, but I can see what he was saying. Sure people will protest and handwave, like they're doing now, but we might let this one slide too, cuz everyone knows how evil China is and how noble we are and gosh darn the planet needs saving.
Heaven forbid China does something first (or America makes it look like they did). If China is made into a global villain, it might be a good idea to stay in Hawaii if you're Asian.
Anyways...
They say the next generation of young adults are enthusiastic about the upcoming presidential election, because they want to make a difference. That's nice.
In my fantasy world:
After invading Afghanistan,young Americans would want to speak Farsi. After invading Iraq, young Americans would want to read Arabic. After the Olympics, young Americans would want to learn Cantonese and Mandarin.
[I made a few comments about soldiers. I know a few ex-soldiers, and I've read a few military authors, but I can't claim to know the military well. I'm interested in hearing from military folks, especially if they think I've gotten the details wrong.]
While I agree the world should be critical of China's human rights record, you need to keep in mind they have a population of 1.3B people. America has 0.3B, four times less than China, and we have a fair number of issues ourselves (Katrina, overflowing prisons, health care). Since problems tend to grow exponentially, China's 4x population might bring them 16x the challenges.
Without a doubt China and India are significant sources of today's pollution, but you need to remember American and European industrialization is responsible for the current state of our planet. We've gotten past the initial dirty stages, when we pumped thick black smoke into the skies and exploited desperate workers. We're enjoying the fruits of that exploitation, while hypocritically telling other countries they can't rise to power in the same way we did.
(actually we're still pumping out black smoke and exploiting workers; just not in our own back yard. go go globalization!)
China's silently giving the West the middle finger, and I say good for them. I would like our planet to stay nice and clean, but I have my doubts, considering human behavior. We all know that smoking is bad for us, that we should exercise more and eat less processed foods, that we shouldn't carry a balance on our credit cards; but we don't change our behavior until we're diagnosed with lung cancer, suffer a heart attack, or have our homes foreclosed.
Someday Mother Nature is gonna spank us silly. If we survive, maybe we will grow up to be worthy of the power our sciences have given us. If not, no big deal. Mother Nature will have no problem carrying on without us. In fact, the notion that Mother Nature needs to be rescued is an indication of our delusion and self-centeredness. Sure we can sterilize the planet for millions of years, but life will return rich and vibrant as before. It's humanity that needs to be rescued, not the planet.
Anyways...
Hating on China is the first step towards mobilizing our citizens to war on China. Soldiers are conditioned to dehumanize and demonize the enemy; it makes killing easier. Weapon systems have become long ranged, removing soldiers from death and carnage (EXTREMELY graphic). TV and the Internet are long range technologies which manipulate citizens into believing they are there, that they understand what's going on, when they really don't.
Ridiculing the enemy is also another tool which enables soldiers to kill, and for citizens to let it happen. Watch this AC-130 gun camera footage (first rounds impact @ 1:28). Now watch the same footage with a soundtrack.
Incidentally, I've found infrared gun camera footage to be the closest thing to a snuff film you can find on YouTube (the explosion while the guys are running @ 0:22 is particularly difficult to watch, but the music also makes it "entertaining").
Three years ago my friend concluded Americans wouldn't bat an eye if we went to war with China. A bit exaggerated, but I can see what he was saying. Sure people will protest and handwave, like they're doing now, but we might let this one slide too, cuz everyone knows how evil China is and how noble we are and gosh darn the planet needs saving.
Heaven forbid China does something first (or America makes it look like they did). If China is made into a global villain, it might be a good idea to stay in Hawaii if you're Asian.
Anyways...
They say the next generation of young adults are enthusiastic about the upcoming presidential election, because they want to make a difference. That's nice.
In my fantasy world:
After invading Afghanistan,
[I made a few comments about soldiers. I know a few ex-soldiers, and I've read a few military authors, but I can't claim to know the military well. I'm interested in hearing from military folks, especially if they think I've gotten the details wrong.]
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