As we get closer to the infamous date that many westerners would like to remember about tanks running around Tiananmen Square, I would like to remind why the events leading it in the first place. In case if you are brainwashed by western propaganda, the Chinese in early 1989 at the time saw rampant inflation and the Chinese government at the time weaning people out from the Iron Rice Bowl. Some people are simply disgusted how corrupt officials get rich while many other people suffer, especially academics. I rather not get into the details of this, but when the government doesn’t listen to the demands of its people, the government loses its legitimacy.
Fast forward today in America. America has been socialist for the Rich thanks to the bailout during the financial crisis, thanks to Obama. This snake oil salesman president also crushed the occupy wall street movement by the way. President Trump made it worse by giving rich people tax breaks. He bungled covid-19 response and gave the rich tax breaks and gave the poor the scraps. What stuck me to write this article is that the pro-business CNBC knows that this is happening.
Many Americans stuck at home, jobless, see their business evaporate, seeing many minorities die while the stock market went sky high, big businesses getting bigger. There is enough kindling out there to start the fire and the death of George Floyd is just the catalyst. If George Floyd was killed 6 months ago, the response will not be so intense.
Like what happened in early 1989 in China where its people questioned the legitimacy of its government, I think today many Americans have the same feeling. Do they care if some local stores get looted or burnt down? Probably not. Meanwhile, Trump floated the idea about sending out the military to quell the protests. Let’s hope that June 4th will not be an ominous day in America just like in China. Then again, president Trump, the elites and western media are blind thinking that these riots and protests are really about a racial problem and firing police officers and putting them in jail will solve the problem, I think they are wrong.
Charles Liu says
I for one was not aware of possible US involvement in Tiananmen protest until recent year. Seems TAM is actually Color Revolution 1.0: https://www.google.com/search?q=Colonel+Robert+Helvey+Hong+Kong+training+protesters
brandon apter says
tiananmen seemed like it was led by pro western, pro capitalist forces, but many of the people who joined the movement were actually against the capitalism associated with xiaoping, and drawn in by some of the democratic sounding slogans used by pro western capitalists. the west would of course spin it as the students wanting western style capitalism
ltlee1 says
At present, China is definitely more democratic than the US and some other European “democracies.” I don’t think another Tiananmen incident is likely.
However, I am surprised that China does not challenge the US on democracy. BTW, popular voting is not considered democratic during most of democratic history. There is as yet no evidence that popular voting is necessary and/or sufficient condition for democracy. Neither is multiparty necessary. As a matter of fact, two party system in the U.S. contribute to make the US less democratic.