Well, I personally think that many European countries, from what I heard and read, is closer to what a Communist society than the actual Communist countries. I also think for a developing communist country, it'll inevitably have to borrow things from capitalist countries, so that to achieve socialism, degrees of capitalism is unavoidable. One last point is that I doubt that in a country ruled by dictatorship, where there is no balance of power and no way of checking the power, socialism can really be realised since the system would fail to be effient enough to produce enough science and technology to produce effectively to sustain a high quality of living for people.

If a socialist country is a country where the means of production and distribution are owned and controlled by the people and values economic equality, then I can't say that China fit in the descriptions very well. I don't know how China can manage to reduce economical inequality which is quite enormous currently. In terms of universal healthcare and education, China indeed has them but the quality of healthcare and education still has a long way ahead. As for other social services, I think the public transpotation system is very good as well as the digital payment. Delivery servies are very good as well, though it exploits may workers.

I agree. It sounds politically incorrect; rape is by no means trivial, but it's true that more is at stake here.

Top reason is, I'm not ready for Americas first dictator, and him trying to wrest the election out of the hands of the voters clearly indicates that that's exactly what he wants to be. — flannel jesus

That might be valid. I just can't take sides here for I'm unable to relate to it. It never occured to me that you could see it from this angle, given my lack of cultural exposure. I don't know how Americans, living in the US with Trump, might feel on this. For me, living and raised in China, I think it takes a lot more to become a dictator. Do you think he can really be a dictator? Is dictatorship even possible in America under your political system?

You were trying to rationalize rape, and doing so very poorly. — praxis

How come? Nothing can rationalize rape. Rape is rape. Do you think seeing murder or war crime or other terrible stuff as awful as or even worse than rape is an action of rationalization?

Do you dislike women? — praxis

No.

Is rape, or we shall say, possible rape, the only thing you consider when choosing a president? Trump, suspected rapist, Pass. Biden, possibly not a rapist, Yes! Is this how your system work? Do you agree that it makes sense for people who are not sure whether Trump is a rapist and have other considerations when choosing president to support Trump over Biden?

I'm not defending anyone's behavior or possible crime. I'm just pointing out that you got limited choices and that few of your most powerful political figures, such as your presidents, are innocent and morally unimpeachable. Can you say that Biden has done nothing worse than rape? You're just stuck with them. That's your dilemma.

Assuming that past presidents were rapists or worse in order to justify Trump’s crimes is what we call rationalizing in the US. — praxis

Thank you for your education on rationalization. But does it occur to you that I'm justfying a crime he might have carried. I'm merely saying that when given two awaful candidates, where one might be a rapist and has said a whole lot of stupid things, whereas the other may be corrupt and is definitely pro-war, you got to decide what is your red line to exclude one for your vote.

I don't know whether he is a rapist or not. But surely your past and present presidents were capable of other terrible things if not worse than rape.

I've covered one-third of the book. Harrowing indeed. But the storytelling is very inviting. It's hard to put it down. You should try it.

Thank you for what you brought us there, very thought-provoking. It reminds me of a speech Chimamanda Ngozi Aldichie gave, the Freedom of Speech, in the Reith Lecture, where she stressed the importance of allowing ourselves to say something wrong and warned people of the danger of self-censorship. Apart from arguing that people, especially youngsters should engage more in conversations, she also pointed out the damage that cancel culture would do to the society, which would all impair transparency of arguments and hinder the freedom of speech. To seek truth, we should avoid getting emotional and argue for the sake of persuading the other side, instead, we should be open-minded and unbiased and use logic to fully dissect the issue at hand, where neither concealing our own ignorance nor keeping silent to avoid conflicts would do anything good.

haha, that's true.

Sure, I will :)

Yeah, I wonder how we choose them... People don't know about these representative candidates because there is no tradition that they would publicly talk about their political views. In the end, who will be elected is predetermined, thus people don't really have a say in it.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

What about political families? Even with finace reform, the family network and polotical heritage are still there.

You're right. In this sense, the US and China share something in common. We also choose representives to goven.

I think perhaps Biden is more pro-communist than some of you but is still far from being a communist for real communists.

Fatanstic, I'll look into it. Thank you :)

I see what you're getting at here. It is a fair point. Biden is supposed to be aware of the philosophies beneath his views and actions. Maybe be agrees with some of the maxism philosophies.

Maybe missing something, no offense meant. — Merkwurdichliebe

Thank you for pointing it out. I appreciate it.

The real question is, given his position on many issues, how can it be shown that Biden isn't highly sympathic towards communism/neomarxism. — Merkwurdichliebe

Should you also analyze aspects of him that is anti-communism, then compare both the pro- and anti-communism part of Biden before drawing the conclusion that he is a communist? Don't we all believe in things that belong to different ideologies?

Speaking of your examples, what is wrong for critical pedagogy? In China, the education in critical thinking is sorely lacking and we admire that in American education. Chinese consider critiacl thinking as part of the explaination of the prosperity of America, expecially its advancement in science and technology.

There are a few reasons Biden might be considered a communist or neomarxist. — Merkwurdichliebe

Is it possible that this stems from the similarities between communism and democracy? I myself have such speculations because I see some of the goals overlap here. So I ask an AI bot and here is its answer:

Yes, there is some common ground between communism and democracy.

Both systems are based on the idea of equality. In communism, this is achieved through the abolition of private property and the means of production being owned by the state. In democracy, this is achieved through the principle of one person, one vote.

Both systems emphasize the importance of the collective. In communism, this is seen in the emphasis on the common good and the importance of working together for the benefit of society. In democracy, this is seen in the importance of civic participation and the idea that the government should be accountable to the people.

Both systems can be used to promote social justice. In communism, this is seen in the emphasis on equality and the redistribution of wealth. In democracy, this is seen in the protection of human rights and the rule of law.

However, there are also some important differences between communism and democracy.

Communism is a centrally planned economy, while democracy is a market economy. This means that in communism, the government controls the production and distribution of goods and services, while in democracy, the economy is largely controlled by private individuals and businesses.

Communism is a one-party state, while democracy is a multi-party state. This means that in communism, there is only one political party that is allowed to exist, while in democracy, there are multiple political parties that can compete for power.

Communism is often associated with totalitarianism, while democracy is often associated with freedom and individual rights. This is because communism has often been implemented in authoritarian regimes that restrict individual freedoms.

However, it is important to note that not all communist regimes are totalitarian, and there are also democratic communist movements.

Ultimately, whether communism and democracy are compatible depends on how they are implemented. In theory, they could be combined to create a system that is both egalitarian and democratic. However, in practice, this has proven to be difficult to achieve.

I then asked about ideologies of the Republican and Democratic party, and it says:

Here are some of the key differences between the ideologies of the Democratic and Republican parties:

Economic policy: The Democratic Party generally supports a more interventionist role for the government in the economy, while the Republican Party generally supports a more limited role for the government. Democrats tend to favor policies that redistribute wealth, such as social welfare programs and progressive taxation. Republicans tend to favor policies that promote economic growth, such as tax cuts and deregulation.

Social policy: The Democratic Party generally supports social programs that promote equality and opportunity, such as affirmative action and same-sex marriage. Republicans tend to favor social programs that promote traditional values, such as school choice and opposition to abortion.

Foreign policy: The Democratic Party generally supports a more interventionist foreign policy, while the Republican Party generally supports a more isolationist foreign policy. Democrats tend to favor policies that promote democracy and human rights around the world. Republicans tend to favor policies that protect American interests, such as military intervention and trade protectionism.

Environmental policy: The Democratic Party generally supports environmental protection policies, such as regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy initiatives. Republicans tend to favor policies that promote economic development, such as deregulation of the energy industry.

These are just some of the key differences between the ideologies of the Democratic and Republican parties. There are many other issues on which the two parties disagree, and the specific policies that they support can vary depending on the specific issue and the political climate.

Don't you agree that ideologies of the Democratic party resemble some of the views of socialism? Maybe those bullets can help you think through whether Biden is more pro- or anti-communism or is just demoncratic.

But it is important that you also point out that Chinese society doesn't see Biden that way because some media and Trump supporters consider Biden a communist as well as Pol Pot. — javi2541997

It seemed odd to me because why would he be? Is there evidence or is that most things people spread nowadays misinformation?

No, you were right. I would trust your own thoughts long before any acolyte of Western intelligentsia. — NOS4A2

The only thing I can see clearly is that Trump has surely stepped into many people's ways. No wonder they want him removed and indicted him for so many times. It's just that he himself is far from a perfect victim. I also believe that news and media had their impact on people, at least subconsciously. Though people may get certain things right, but are they right about the big picture? As someone from China, I'm fully aware of the possibility that I may be misinformed and brainwashed into what I belief, but do westerners realize that they may be as well? More importantly, what is the likelihood that we're using emotions and feelings to rule our head that we continue to find evidence to support our feelings but ignore the opposing evidence that may suggest otherwise. I guess we all fall for this.

No one in China thinks that socialism or communism is good? — praxis

Many Chinese think socialism is good. But no Chinese would think Biden is a communist. There were people once called Trump a communist. Surprise, surprise. The discrepancy between our views are interesting and thought-provoking.

f anything it seems like they would favor Biden because Biden is supposed to be more socialist. — praxis

Why is this? No one in China thinks this way.

You didn't answer my question about why the Chinese government would favor Trump — praxis

Chinese government never officially express their preference, so there is no way of knowing.

What happens when you click on the link? Is it blocked somehow? — praxis

Another thing you should notice is that most Chinese are not good at English. So we heavily rely on domestc news, which can be biased. Also, knowledge presented in Chinese often suck. Plus the most famous search engine in China is a piece of ... I'm sure that most Chinese agree with me on this. It is even difficult for AI language models to generate good output in Chinese because the input materials are very lacking. Sad story. Is there anything else you'd like to know..

Unfortunately, it is blocked. Also, Google doesn't work in China, as well as ChatGPT. But there is a very small proportion of Chinese who use the so-called ladder to have access to the wide world. It is not allowed if it is for commercial use, however, if you use it personally and if you don't do something against the government, then you should be fine, though it may occasionally fail to connect.

Haha, I see. Thanks.

Just out of curiosity, how does the Chinese government selectively block internet access to information that puts Trump in a bad light? And any thoughts on why they do that? — praxis

This is the interesting part. I suspect that they do. Since we don't have much direct infomation about your present or previous president, I'm thinking that maybe the algrithms are to blame. Once I clicked a video that pictured Trump in a good light, the platform began to feed me with similar stuff. One thing I must point out is that though both of them looked stupid from time to time (or most of the time), Trump at least appeared to be able to talk logically and at length. Biden, on the other hand, seems too old to even speak, let alone to walk. Plus he looks extra gross when he was with kidds. So another possibility of why Chinese prefer Trump is that given they are both awful, whereas you can find evidence that suggest Trump still functions as a person, you can't find evidence that Biden is still capable of thinking on his own. Sorry to put it this way but I'm being honest, from my perspective here in China.

He demonstrated bullying tactics throughout his life, and with every country that he dealt with as president. — Metaphysician Undercover

You're probably right. Perhaps I should not comment so much on Trump since I have only very limited knowledge of him, unlike most of you.

Thank you for your encouragement and support :D. BTW, I followed your advice on reading and it does bring me peace and fulfillment. I'm wondering if you could recommend me a forum for books, hopefully as active and wonderful as this one :). Thank you in advance!

What do you think it means that Trump is made fun of by a large majority as a complete idiot and liar in the European Union when you contrast that with your own views? — Benkei

Of couse I'm aware of this. Chinese are also entertained by him in many occasions. Yes, he made fun of himself. But let's remember that neither of Trump and Biden is good. But besides the many stupid things Trump said and did, I think his views on American economy and foreign policy would benefit America and the rest of the world. The best thing about him is that he is anti-war. For Americans, I don't think Biden will do much for Americans who are not wealthy because he himself belongs to the elite group. For Trump, he at least cares for the numbers and statistics such as inflation and unemployment rate and want them to look good. Isn't this the reason why Trump has so many supporters?

To what extent are your views a representation of the average Chinese person? — Benkei

I don't think my views are representative of average Chinese. In China, some people don't care about politics at all, some know very little about them both, others want Trump get elected so that the US will get more divided and American policies become more discontinued. Also, people enjoy the fun Trump brought.

Or is China simply too big to be really concerned with foreign counties and their politicians? — Benkei

You should know that in many countries politics is not a big part of people's lives.

Hilarious, I didn’t know Chinese biophysicists were so funny. — praxis

I'll take it as a well-intentioned compliment. BTW, I myself is not a biophysicst. It's just the name of a broad field.

I have. I watched his lectures in human behavior. They are fatanstic :D

Yes, he delivered in my filtered view. But again, I just occasionally read or watch something about American politics so my perception about his accomplishments come from very limited sources such as the economic statistics referenced in his interviews or some videos in comparison to Biden's.

And I'd go further to note that I couldn't answer the question for you -- how do you know I'm not from the government, spreading false beliefs about believing your senses first? — Moliere

Exactly, in fact, just as you mentioned, if I doubt the info I got from the Chinese media, then how can I know that westerners are not molded into their belief systems by their country. I can't help but think that, in China, we have lots of misinformation about life in the west, then similarly, you could have loads of misinformation about China given that the news your media spread may be more ideology-based rather than truth-based. So now I feel that I can't believe both parties for what they were saying; I can't know what is true anymore. To give you an example, the western countries claim that the Chinese govenment violates human rights in centain areas, which of course, is not the story our govenment would tell. Indeed, Chinese govenment traditionally lacks transparency in these issues, but if I draw conclusion simply based on that, then I'm not being fair.

Looks like I'll spend more time in the library :D. I guess literature is not required since high school because students are under too much pressure for Gaokao, the college entrance exame in China. Plus, students/people are deluged with fragmented info from their social media.

By the age when you begin to notice discrepancies between what you are told and what you see or experience, your basic value system is established, and you tend to judge every new datum according to that standard. It is at this stage - say age 9-12 - that children should be encouraged to read widely, from and about other cultures, other time periods, other ways of life and of thought. It is therefore, exactly at this stage that closed, jealous, insecure cultures most fiercely protect their young from outside influences. In those environments, it becomes much more difficult to educate yourself and exercise judgment. — Vera Mont

So true. This is the stage where these cultures do harm to people. But there are so many people, conforming to these restraints, are at peace inside. They would not be challenged especially not by themselves and they are just happy and content with their circumstance. For others, such discrepancies led to confusion, struggle, disbelief, and pain.

Vera, are you a writer yourself?

The safest way forward - besides anonymous forums, some of which do become adversarial at times - is by way of books. I don't mean how-to books about logical thinking; I mean good novels, that let you into the minds of fictional people - and indirectly, the author. — Vera Mont

Thank you, you are both kind and wise. Interestingly, this is exactly what I thought I might lack (in an effort to trying to think a step ahead of myself)! Reading too much nonfiction and too little fiction and novels, not to mention that I have very limited life experience, I'm totally foolish and ignorant about the human condition. Good books can be part of the solution. Thank you for your guidance.

What I really want to do is go back in time and prevent all suffering, inequality, injustice, and deaths and make all living things forever happy but I can't do it. I am doing things I don't want to do. I can't do what I want to do. So, how can I have free will? — Truth Seeker

Free will is relative. No one, since born, can be truly free. We are molded into what we are so we will forever carry things in our bone and blood. They can also be our prison. So I assume free will is what you choose to believe and do in combat with the restraints posed by your own history.

Perhaps we do not live in the same world. I'm glad for you based on what you said.

Really appreciate what you said.

Having friends who argue without personal animus are hugely helpful in sorting out what you believe and why you believe it. — Vera Mont

To me, this forum is like the friends you were refering to. In the wild world, this sort of calm discussion is rare. People often overreact and get straight defensive which is utterly uncondusive to sorting things out. Speaking of freedom, living and raised in a country not generally considered as free, I lately began to ponder on how much unfree my mind is on top of my self-percieved open-mindedness. It's sometimes scary and helpless when you find yourself contrary to what you believe you are.