emizeko

joined 4 years ago
[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 2 points 1 year ago

thought-terminating cliché says what

[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 37 points 1 year ago

Let us look at a specific example. A claim like “There’s cultural genocide of Uyghurs in Xinjiang” is simply unreal to most Westerners, close to pure gibberish. The words really refer to existing entities and geographies, but Westerners aren’t familiar with them. The actual content of the utterance as it spills out is no more complex or nuanced than “China Bad,” and the elementary mistakes people make when they write out statements of “solidarity” make that much clear. This is not a complaint that these people have not studied China enough — there’s no reason to expect them to study China, and retrospectively I think to some extent it was a mistake to personally have spent so much time trying to teach them. It’s instead an acknowledgment that they are eagerly wielding the accusation like a club, that they are in reality unconcerned with its truth-content, because it serves a social purpose.

What is this social purpose? Westerners want to believe that other places are worse off, exactly how Americans and Canadians perennially flatter themselves by attacking each others’ decaying health-care systems, or how a divorcee might fantasize that their ex-lover’s blooming love-life is secretly miserable. This kind of “crab mentality” is actually a sophisticated coping mechanism suitable for an environment in which no other course of action seems viable. Cognitive dissonance, the kind that eventually spurs one into becoming intolerant of the status quo and into action, is initially unpleasant and scary for everybody. In this way, we can begin to understand the benefit that “victims” of propaganda derive from carelessly “spreading awareness.” Their efforts feed an ambient propaganda haze of controversy and scandal and wariness that suffocates any painful optimism (or jealousy) and ensuing sense of duty one might otherwise feel from a casual glance at the amazing things happening elsewhere. People aren’t “falling” for atrocity propaganda; they’re eagerly seeking it out, like a soothing balm.

from https://redsails.org/masses-elites-and-rebels/

[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 41 points 1 year ago

You will deny this is true because it is crucial for your reality that it is false.

wonder-who-thats-for

[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 55 points 1 year ago

you say that, but have you considered that pee pee poo poo?

[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 60 points 1 year ago

every accusation a projection

[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That's just a text comment

EDIT: in case you wanted the story it's from here, it's not the one I was looking for where three taikonauts are holding up a CPC flag but it was the closest I could find

[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 2 points 1 year ago

the force projection understander has logged on

[–] emizeko@hexbear.net 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

"the USA, where neoliberal capitalism has hollowed out the defense contractors so much they can't produce anywhere near enough artillery shells, has bottomless supplies and can afford more aircraft carriers than China can afford hypersonic missiles, which the USA has not even been able to successfully test."

pathetic cope

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