We’ve all seen it in recent months, tik tok after tik tok, reel after reel of a white person talking about being at a very Chinese time in their life. This trend, whilst on the surface just a humorous meme, suggests a deeper development in the subconscious of Western youth.
There are plenty of examples out there, ranging from jokes about demonstrating how Chinese ones mind has become to ones that highlight genuine cultural trends within China and show these in a positive light. These jokes rarely poke fun at the Chinese but highlight parts of Chinese culture such as the food, societal connections and style. So if it isn’t playing on racist attitudes then what is the deeper meaning? Well firstly racism is never really out of the question, but for many of these creators, it is a rejection of Western capitalism and society.
As this fantastic video from @_glassmuseum explains (so good it almost makes reading this article redundant), “In the big 26’ people are fed up with the narrative of western supremacy, as people are living lives that directly contradict this ideal”. I recommend watching their video as they utilise the Marxist method brilliantly to analyse how the West’s anti-China propaganda no longer works, as people’s material economic conditions and their freedoms are worsening. This leads people to look to China, due to the fact it is on the rise and it is challenging America’s hegemonic position.
The West has long pushed the idea that China is a totalitarian regime in which peoples internet is restricted along with their freedom of expression. Whilst China certainly did clamp down on human rights, particualy after Xi Jinping saw what happened during the Arab Spring, this is a greatly exaggerated point by the West. Similarly, Western states have been attacking people’s rights more and more, locking up pro-Palestine protesters without trial and allowing federal agents to murder civilians in cold blood and restricting internet access, particularly for under-18s.
Anti-Chinese sentiment was manufactured as a way to deter people from looking towards socialism (even if China was always a deformed socialist state and is now capitalist). China’s rise challenges Western rule at a time when the crisis of capitalism shakes the world’s current powers. China has been utilising its Belt and Road Initiative to expand its soft power, particularly in developing nations in Africa and South America. This has led to a rise in tensions and was even a factor in America’s kidnapping of the Venezuelan President, Nicholas Maduro. In pushing anti-China sentiment onto the masses, the West is attempting to manufacture support for any increase in hostilities.
I do not need to write much to convince many people reading this that capitalism no longer works. It has not worked for nearly 100 years yet it has limped on, being temporarily resuscitated by World Wars and the outsourcing of industry to developing and unstable countries. Globalisation is the highest form of capitalism and Western globalisation is in crisis. It is of course natural for youth (those of us who have spent most of our lives in a post-financial-crash world) to turn to China, an alternative and traditional enemy of the West, for hope and as a protest.
China is now leading the world in innovation. It has long produced a lot for the global market but it now has had recent breakthroughs in humanoid robots, EV batteries and STEM research. It is rich in history and has a beautiful culture with very welcoming and friendly people. It makes complete sense for the Western youth to look to the country as a source of hope in what otherwise may be dire times. The Chinese model however is deeply flawed and is communist only in name. Liberation from the crisis of capitalism can only come with the overthrow of the ruling class and their system, which includes the Chinese ruling class also.
by n8n.
