Nonetheless most Chinese are hopeful about their country not because we’re already the best country in the world, but that they believe, justifiably, China will develop into a better country than any of the Western ones.
I think this is really the main reason western leftists like myself look at China as a source of inspiration. Of course, as it currently stands the average person may be better off in certain western countries in terms of wages/work culture/etc. However, when looking decades into the future it seems like China is going to continue to improve while western countries decline.
While watching Up and Out of Poverty, I was constantly struck by how something like that could never occur in my country (USA). Even if there was political support behind poverty elimination (which there really isn’t), the government is simply not built to prioritize the interests of the poor over those of capital. Similarly, China was able to build tens of thousands of kilometers of high speed rail over the past decade while the USA failed to pass an infrastructure bill without severely gutting it.
It is obviously foolish to pin all hope on China, that’s not their responsibility nor should it be. However, as capitalism’s contradictions continue to sharpen, having China as an example that decline is not an inevitability is a much-needed source of hope. 中国加油！
I think this is really the main reason western leftists like myself look at China as a source of inspiration. Of course, as it currently stands the average person may be better off in certain western countries in terms of wages/work culture/etc. However, when looking decades into the future it seems like China is going to continue to improve while western countries decline.
While watching Up and Out of Poverty, I was constantly struck by how something like that could never occur in my country (USA). Even if there was political support behind poverty elimination (which there really isn’t), the government is simply not built to prioritize the interests of the poor over those of capital. Similarly, China was able to build tens of thousands of kilometers of high speed rail over the past decade while the USA failed to pass an infrastructure bill without severely gutting it.
It is obviously foolish to pin all hope on China, that’s not their responsibility nor should it be. However, as capitalism’s contradictions continue to sharpen, having China as an example that decline is not an inevitability is a much-needed source of hope. 中国加油！