• Warl0k3@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    Oh boy. Only have time for a top three, so in no particular order:

    Who considered the Russian Federation a bigger opponent than the PRC?

    … Literally everyone. China was aligned as a ‘follower’ of the Russian Federation’s geopolitical lead prior to russia’s utter stomping in Ukraine. Was it incorrect? Well, obviously. But the image of the great russian bear was the specter keeping the western world up at night.

    Looked in a mirror lately? The US just elected Trump

    A blatant whatabboutism but just to address it: The US will be fine (diminished geopolitcally no doubt, but still in a powerful position) after this all gets sorted out internally. We survived the last trump admin, we’ll come through this one too. This just isn’t the fall of the roman empire like oh so many people are claiming, politically it just doesn’t even resemble it.

    building hospitals and infrastructure for developing and middle-income countries - the things we won’t even build domestically.

    I… what? We opened half a dozen hospitals in my state alone last year. Additionally, you know the US has been the world’s largest source of charity and investment in developing nations for decades, right? Look you’re repeating lines from some seriously anti-china propaganda here and it’s a little weird. You know about trump canceling USAID and why that’s bad, right?

    There’s lots of things to criticize the US on (and it’s something I do all the time, lets be clear) but you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.

    (Okay, honorable mention because I just can't with this shit:)

    when it’s the reason we can’t have things like free healthcare or higher education.

    The reason we don’t have healthcare is fascism, not “military spending taking all the money”. We could 100% have free uni and healthcare without reducing a cent to the pentagon’s budget. In many states we even have (limited) free healthcare, entirely funded by state budgets. You’re just repeating bullshit right-wing talking points like they’re objective truth, but with a lefty spin on them.

    • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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      12 hours ago

      … Literally everyone.

      Really? I certainly didn’t. The PRC has a much larger economy and military and much greater diplomatic influence. To paint them as a “follower” of Russia at any point in history is ridiculous. I guess lib circles have been obsessing about “Russiagate” and whatnot but that’s not really serious analysis.

      A blatant whatabboutism

      “Whataboutism” isn’t a real thing and if it was, this isn’t one. We’re literally talking about whether the war is accelerating US decline, and now literally anything I say as supporting evidence is categorically ruled out by this absurdity.

      after this all gets sorted out internally.

      Hilarious that you think that will happen. But of course, Trump and what he represents is just a bump in the road, a strange anomaly that came out of nowhere and may disappear just as randomly. That is, if you have no understanding of where Trumpism came from. It’s here to stay, I’m afraid.

      Additionally, you know the US has been the world’s largest source of charity and investment in developing nations for decades, right?

      Lmao, do you have a source for that?

      The reason we don’t have healthcare is fascism, not “military spending taking all the money”

      Corporate wants you to find the difference between these pictures.

      • Warl0k3@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        Really? I certainly didn’t.

        The unspoken implication there was credible people. Generally one can assume things like that, if they’re discussing in good faith. It’s like how I didn’t point out you’re so unfamiliar with this topic that you can’t even spell realpolitik right - it’s a minor concession made to ease conversation that costs me nothing. “The benefit of the doubt”, as it were.

        “Whataboutism” isn’t a real thing and if it was, this isn’t one.

        Oh buddy, no. Just no.

        • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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          12 hours ago

          Affecting a condescending tone is not a substitute for having an argument or positions with any basis in reality.

          Oh buddy, no. Just no.

          Oh buddy, yes. Just yes.

          It’s literally made up, it has no logical basis and is just a tool to shut down people pointing out relevant and important context for the purpose of propaganda and controlling the conversation. Or in this case, it’s not even shutting down context, it’s shutting down points that are directly related to the topic of discussion, which is why I said, even if it were a thing, this isn’t it.

          I’ll take it you don’t have the source I requested, btw, meaning that you just made that claim up and it’s complete bullshit.

            • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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              12 hours ago

              Lmao you mean you were talking about donations from individuals? Now that’s a “whataboutism.” I thought we were talking about policy.

                • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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                  11 hours ago

                  No, I didn’t.

                  The first link is the only one that’s at all relevant. That data shows that the US spent more than China, but only in ODA (official development assistance) spending. As one of the sources for the China number notes, “the bulk of Chinese spending focused on other official flows (OOF), which is primarily intended for commercial projects, AidData said.” It seems that the numbers provided exclude the bulk of China’s massive BRI investments. Please note that you said, “Additionally, you know the US has been the world’s largest source of charity and investment in developing nations for decades, right?”

                  That source still shows the US ahead in the period from 2000 to 2014, but that data is pretty old at this point and the rate of China’s investments has been growing, if I’m not mistaken. Either way, even if the US is narrowly ahead, it’s a richer country and it’s a much smaller fraction of the military budget compared to the same numbers for China, so my characterization of their approaches is still broadly accurate.

                  I have no idea what the second link is supposed to be showing.

                  The third link, as I addressed, is completely irrelevant.

                  I have no idea what the fourth link is supposed to be showing.

                  • Warl0k3@lemmy.world
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                    11 hours ago

                    Do you notice when you’re doing that? Constantly shifting the conversation to a new topic when you’ve been batted down over the last one, rejecting things out of hand that might go counter to your position instead of trying to at least understand the intent with which they were shared? Remember when this was about Ukraine, Instead of what you’re trying to shift it to, the moral relativity betwixt China and the US?

                    All those links are highly relevant here (I admit #2 requires you to scroll a little, and #4 is a database frontend so maybe it was unfair to assume you’d be able to interact with it), arguably the third link most of all (it shows a ton of things in that very compact table, individual donations yes and it’s a fine example of how China’s restrictions on extraterritorial charity affect their potential impact.)

                    Look I get it, you’re pro-china, but you’re just assuming I’m opposed to you. It’s… I mean, it’s the stereotypical reason why so many people dislike .ml users, you’re constantly coming in here and intentionally provoking interactions that you comfortably know the dance steps to. You personally are persecuting yourself, and it’s kinda embarrassing. Gladhandedly dismissing the other party, focusing only on the things you support, never reflecting on anything that’s actually said in favor of attacking in kind.

                    even if the US is narrowly ahead, it’s a richer country and it’s a much smaller fraction of the military budget compared to the same numbers for China

                    (edit:) Look you did it again. “Even if you were right, it doesn’t matter and anyways I’m still right”

                    Anyways, here’s a fun hypothetical example: I do not support China because of their ongoing public genocide of the uyghur people.

                    Oh, you edited it:

                    That source still shows the US ahead in the period from 2000 to 2014, but that data is pretty old at this point

                    Which data on that time period wouldn’t be pretty old?

                    characterization of their approaches

                    That was never the topic of discussion, I was never arguing US vs China, but I’m a nice person so you’re free to claim your uncontested victory on this point.