woodenghost

In another life, maybe a veterinary nurse or zookeeper, he might have been happier, who knows.

Please take care of yourself. Your work is greatly appreciated, but don't overstretch yourself and don't hesitate to take a brake if you need one.

Strawman argument. There is a whole spectrum of things China could do before literally going to war.

Thank you for your service!

100 % agree! I picked up those vibes too, like a vibe was building around justifying to not do anything. It used to be different, right? Everyone used to keep saying:"Get organized!"

And yes, everyone on hexbear who is physically and mentally able and has the necessary bare minimum of resources and time should at least try to get organized and/or contribute in some (not online only) way that fits them. There are so many unique, individual ways to participate. We just have to find ones that fit us long-term without getting burned out.

And of course moments like this should absolutely be used to agitate and to win more comrades and raise class consciousness and in the imperial core: to lower acceptance for imperialist wars. Even if the outcome is not revolution in the US, lowering acceptance for wars can harm hegemony enough to save literally millions of lives outside the imperial core. It worked for Vietnam.

Not American, but where I am, I often feel like, I've let things slide too. Only been to like two protests this year and not really active anymore in the orgs I'm in. I used to do more. I always feel guilty when I'm in a period where I do less politically and of course there are always good reasons. Point is, it's not about feeling guilty, it's about at least trying to go out there. Just this week I reconnected with a comrade and activated some friends and we'll go to some leftish/semi-lib Pro-Palestine protest soon and we'll see what we can do/who we can connect with.

Oh no, not the white people! Those are the ones with like real feelings that matter. /s

Instead of centering the ideological justifications, perhaps it's more useful to talk about the material effects on different classes within China: Chinese capitalists profit by trade. Chinese finance capital profits from investments. Capital being exported slows the overproduction crisis.

And for ideological effects: Since foreign relations are centered not on solidarity(like in Cuba), but on globalization, free trade and the neo-liberal world order, the Chinese working class is denied an opportunity to develop it's class consciousness further by building international solidarity with people from other countries effected by US imperialism.

Critique of nonviolent politics.

I didn't have time to read the whole thing yet, but he makes some good points in the chapter on common arguments for non-violence (arguing against them).

Yay! Go PSL!

China wants the Washington-led neoliberal consensus to persist. Both the US and China have benefited tremendously from such an arrangement at the expense of the entire world.

Hard truths. I'll always defend China against western imperialist propaganda, but your metaphor of a toxic relationship seems quite fitting.

I also don't enjoy reading again and again so many different and partially contradictory variations of the "China is playing the very long game" argument. There might be a lot of truth to that, sure, but we can't really know in every case what the rational is. It's also a very easy way to speculate and pull out of a hat new justifications for almost every concrete action. What a lucky coincidence for Chinese and US capitalist, that all the very different long term strategies China is said to pursue usually favour capital in the mid term.

Also long-term arguments can always be turned around to the past. The US empire wouldn't have survived this long if Nixon hadn't gone to China to make a deal. Global capitalism might not have survived the financial crisis of 2007/2008 without China jumping in with the biggest government spending program ever to prop up demand. Iran is forced to attack the harbor in Haifa, that China built. If rumors about Pakistan drawing a red line and threatening nuclear retaliation in case US/Israel escalate beyond a certain point, can have an effect, than just imagine how effortlessly a single short statement from China could have lessened Palestinian suffering.

That was a great read! Thanks for your effort in transcribing it.

Let's hope not, but it would fit. What's with the surprising accuracy of of food based predictions of the declining evil empires violent fits? First the pizza party at the pentagram before the attack on Iran. Now steaks predict a US escalation. What's the next headline? Burger orders to the White House signify WW3 is close? New Taco Tuesday at the Supreme Court cantina a sure sign of civil war? Do donut sales spike everytime before police commits atrocities? Run on chinese takeout just before Wallstreet crashes? Someone should write an entirely fast food based analysis of US policy. 🍕 🍩 🍔 🌮

Edit: *Pentagon, not pentagram, but I'll leave it since evil is summoned there too

Maybe that's because they got hit by defending missiles out of frame of the video and the wreckage parts are burning upon reentry in the atmosphere?