alt Hacker NewsEven if China begins to take over much of the world's economic power, I don't think the rest of the world will accept Chinese culture in the face of Western social values.
The wave of fascism is already rising in Europe, but it is still very much under control. Like the AfD political party in Germany.
Under control how?
France has Macron siding with Le Pen to keep Melanchon out of power. The AfD's power is growing and we'll see if there exists a coalition that can form a government without them after the next election. Many expect Nigel Farrage to be the next Prime Minister of the UK.
This is why people say fascism is capitalism in crisis. All of these countries are choosing fascism rather than any socialist movement or even saying "maybe the wealthy could loot slightly less from the public purse". The rise of fascism is paved by centrist neoliberals siding with fascists to crush any leftist momentum.
People are increasingly seeing what life is like in China. Affordable housing, affordable food and public infrastructure like extensive metros and high speed trains. That's the real problem with Tiktok (from the administration's perspective). People asking "why can't we have that?" is incredibly dangerous to the system we have. IMHO there's no unringing that bell however.
"Western social values" are a luxury easily abandoned when you can't afford your rent. Populist fascism is rising because people are increasingly desperate and there's no alternative because the centrists are united with the fascists to crush any leftist momentum.
The president ran on having Gestapo in the streets and having concentration camps. How loyal really are voters to "Western social values"? And what are prominent Democratic politicians doing? Suggesting more funding for ICE [1].
A populist party that ran on giving people healthcare and guaranteeing a roof over their heads and having enough to eat would win in a landslide. Every level of our political system is designed to make sure such a person can't rise to prominence.
Don't believe me? Look at the 2024 election results and see how progressive voter initiatives did compared to the Democratic Party. Missouri, a deep red state, had a majority vote for raising the minimum wage, outperforming the Democratic Party by more than 20 points.
[1]: https://www.newsweek.com/cory-booker-ice-proposal-progressiv...