I was initially annoyed by this take (because what is a "pop-leftist"?) — but I think there's accuracy to the observation that Americans tend to identify as consumers rather than workers.
This is basically Gramsci's observation that working class Americans identify with the castes above them.
This is basically Gramsci's observation that working class Americans identify with the castes above them.
Reposted from
Bill McKay
The RedNote discourse reveals that pop-leftists do not see themselves as workers, but as consumers, and their infatuation with China is out of a belief that their government socialistically provides everyone with treats that our companies and government callously withhold for a profit.
Comments
“He took our jerbs!!!!!”
One day I'll post on socials without error. But not this day!
Please tell me you know this.
This is the only thing I could find referring to Tencent and TikTok. Besides an article stating both tencent and bytedance are diversifying into Healthcare. https://www.33rdsquare.com/does-tencent-own-tiktok/
There is a non zero chance that said government has their fingers in that data.
This explains why many Americans prioritize consumption levels even when it conflicts with their financial interests.
The US government banned TikTok. That's the impetus.
I get that people are upset, but they're not self-reflective enough to wonder if they actually need TikTok or its potential replacement.
Time will tell if language and functionality barriers are too much for most to sustain a presence with RedNote.
Or to quote Steinbeck, "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires."
China actually *does* socialistically provide a lot of basic services that are withheld by our government.
People aren't stupid. They're aghast at their own government lurching towards a model where the only allowed social media apps are the government-sanctioned ones.
A lot of "China bad" sound hollow when we double down on the shit we're accusing China of.
What if your country didn't spend 80% of its resources trying to make sure you starved to death? 🤔
Feel free to take a gander at what America was up to during the same time period.
I believe a young Bernie Sanders was getting dragged away by the police for trying to stop segregation 👍
Both are unbalanced equations designed to ensure a small minority enjoy the fruits of the system, just by different methodologies, rather than necessarily different ideologies.
China provides these things to its citizens. The US government provides primary education and naught else.
I'm not saying that China's government isn't also doing authoritarian things. They are.
Literally, go to pharmacy, buy medicine. Walk upstairs to injection room, give guy with the syringe cash and medicine and get shot up with it.
OP misses that the "obsession with China" is as actively managed/constructed as the "cultural hegemony around consumption."
So there were very few ways Americans regardless of politics were going to engage Chinese platforms.
Fwiw… https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-feel-about-this-qoute-from-John-Steinbeck-Socialism-never-took-root-in-America-because-the-poor-see-themselves-not-as-the-exploited-proletariat-but-as-temporarily-embarrassed-millionaires?ch=17&oid=114831552&share=9aa11158&srid=hgSV2d&target_type=question
I'm not sure I've ever seen such an outpouring of rage from apparently average Americans. I immediately thought of that quote.
am i a pop leftist?