GenZedong

So last year while I was in China, all my vpns were super busted, so I spent a long time watching bilibili. And I was able to soak up quite a bit of knowledge about the average user there by doomscrolling the comments.

Contrary to what one might think, the average Chinese person isn't actually an expert in Marxism-Leninism and dialectical materialism. Most people, as in the west, don't care much about coherent ideology and just go off vibes. And as anywhere, that can lead to some pretty wacky beliefs. In this tierlist, I'll go over some of the more common ones I've seen/heard about, and rank them based on their wackiness and stupidity, and place them in a tier. Keep in mind I'm approaching this mostly as an outsider, and apologize in advance for any mistakes or oversights, and welcome any corrections. With that being said, let's get into it.

F tier

First we have the conservative westhaters. As you might imagine, these people hate the west, which is good. They also hate gay people, trans people, feminism, etc., which is... not good. Despite the existence of the firewall they seem to have somehow gained access to jordan peterson, and proceeded to mental gymnastics themselves into a maga position, but from the standpoint that America is bad precisely because of 'wokeness'. Granted, they're not as hyperfixated on minorities as western rightoids are; it's more of a casual thing, but can still be annoying. They get a 7 in stupidity, and 1 in wackiness. Pretty basic stuff.

D tier

D tier is where things get a bit more interesting. We start off with a kind of lib that may be familiar to many of us, of the thermonuclear variety. Chinese ultras are every bit as insufferable as western ones, and pretty common. They cite statistics such as the top 2% in China owning 98% of the wealth, without ever giving a source. Quite convenient how 98 and 2 add up to 100 for the dramatic effect, doesn't it? In contrast to western ultras, these don't really fixate on Albania or Catalonia as much. Mostly they just bash China and talk about how shit it is for the poor farmers in the desert and how everything the government does is just self-interest of capital. I hate them so fucking much but they're pretty boring honestly. I give them an 8 in stupidity and 3 in wackiness.

Next we have western bootlickers. Now believe it or not these are actually quite rare; I've almost never seen one in the wild. These people are basically run-of-the-mill bootlickers who say that the west is great, china bad, in the most generic sense. They seemingly mostly died out a decade back and have never recovered since. Good riddance. 6 in stupidity, 0 in wackiness.

C tier

The first entry in C tier are mingcels. These people love history, kind of like western crusadebros. Similar to crusadebros, mingcels love the Ming empire and think it was the best thing ever, and they hate the Qing dynasty for ending it and, in their opinion, ruining China. Unable to let go of beef that's almost 400 years old, you can still find them angrily screeching in comment sections of any qing-related content to this day. 5 in stupidity, 7 in wackiness.

The second entry for C tier are professional Japan haters. In China, the public consciousness of the European holocaust and Japan's crimes are flipped, so while many understandably harbor a distaste for Japan given its history with China and refusal to offer any sort of apology, some take it a step further and essentially make hating Japan their entire personality. The closest analogy I can think of is professional pedophile haters. Obviously, pedophiles and japan are bad, but... dial it down a bit, geez. These people support showing nsfl war crime documentaries to children in order to ingrain hatred for Japan (and ptsd) into the next generation so they can nuke it to dust. I get the idea but the execution here is just... not great. Stupidity 5, wackiness 0.

B tier

Finally, B tier, where things really get going. All of these are super funny, so I had a hard time ranking, but I had to make a decision in the end.

First entry in B tier are the conspiracybros. While some conspiracies are mostly apolitical, such as brains being extraterrestrial parasites, others are significantly more out there. For instance, the existence of japanese technical schools in China is irrefutable evidence to these people that there's some sort of Japanese Great Replacement plan to... replace Chinese people with Japanese people? Yeah it doesn't make that much sense to me either. They also may believe that GMOs are a western plot to poison Chinese people. Honestly this is just generic conspiracyslop with an anti-west spin, and it's really just sad once you get past the novelty. 7 stupidity, 6 in wackiness.

Next we have han nationalists. While pretty rare, I have seen one in the wild. There are some truly bizarre flavors of ethnonationalism given the sheer volume of internet-using people in China, and these are perhaps exemplified by the very real belief that China should like, un-annex every territory that's not a han homeland. This is so unfathomably stupid I can't even put it into words. They don't seem to rag on about minorities as much as save europebros do, but they do really hate black people for some reason. 9 stupidity, 7 wackiness.

A tier

We start off A tier with one of my personal favorites, sarcasmbros. I've never really known a counterpart in the west to these people, and while they're pretty far from being an 'ideology' per se, they're definitely noteworthy enough to be included here. If I had to say, they're like personifications of the 'erm akshuwually' soyjak. I'm not even kidding, they talk exactly like the stereotype, but in Chinese. They also really love using the doge emoji, though not related to musk as far as I'm aware. They generally don't seem to like China very much, and they make this clear to everyone by sarcastically hinting at how China is actually terrible because of [insert nonissue here]. They're super super insufferable and have the most milquetoast ultra takes. It's like if anarchists spent way too long moderating discord and reddit and tried to model themselves after the strawman smugjack, I really don't know how else to describe it. They get an 8 in stupidity, and a 4 in wackiness.

S tier

Finally, S tier. We have the king of all wacky ideologies, the undisputed most moronic and absurd of them all: Chinese fascism.

Remember when I said in China, public consciousness of the Holocaust and Japanese atrocities are flipped compared to in the west? And you know how some people in the west will simp for imperial Japan and overlook or even glorify their crimes?

Yeah.

Chinese fascists, disturbingly common (though still very minute in quantity), slurp up 1930s German propaganda about price-inflating Jews in complete earnestness, and still believe the US is controlled by the Israeli Jewish shadow government. They also came up this bizarre fanfiction about Hitler where he was saved from drowning by a Chinese guy, and he then vowed to share the world with China after he finished conquering it because he loved Chinese people so much and owed them such a great debt. They actually believe this stuff, too, which is just...

Don't write wet dream fantasies about your favorite fascist dictators please...

They also think that Japan somehow loved Jews and wanted to make part of China into a Jewish homeland, which doesn't make sense even in the context of their ideology. Is the axis your brave anti-semitic vanguard or is it a Jewish shadow plot? And the answer is neither, because their entire worldview is just nazi fanfiction they made up in their head while gooning to fascist boat women in azur lane. Needless to say, these people get 10 in stupidity and 10 in wackiness as well.

That's all for this tier list. Again, please correct me if I've gotten anything wrong.

I have little doubt that we have all heard the line that transphobes use, that your gender is what you're born with, you can't change it, etc, and needless to say this is stupid, almost as stupid as the time I saw someone on reddit trying to convince someone diagnosed with NPD they didn't actually have it (the stigma surrounding that condition is absurd). But while I'm assured most of us know that this is wrong, I still think it's important to know why, and what better way to do this than by using the very same 'basic biology' these people try to uphold?

To begin with, it's quite easy to see that the very concepts of 'male' and 'female are vague when you get into the specifics. As I have mentioned several times in the past, 'maleness' as we usually think of it is not in fact determined by the entire y chromosome, but by only a segment of it. If that segment is lost, as it sometimes is, the person in question develops as female but is chromosomally 'male', by the definitions of transphobes. So are they actually male or not? Either way, their criteria are completely broken down. And this problem isn't just limited to the Y chromosome; what about XXY men? They bear some female secondary sexual characteristics, but they are undoubtedly recognizably developmentally male. And X, XXX, and XXX+ women do exist. What about them? Should XYY men be banned from sports as well due to their supposed heightened testosterone?

To make matters more complicated, development of sexual characteristics is more complicated than just one gene. If anything downstream malfunctions, someone can end up with both male and female reproductive structures, also known as intersex people. What about them? Are they supposed to play male sports half the time and female sports the other half?

Even ignoring all this, the very conclusion that the existence of trans people is 'unscientific' is false. The consensus in the scientific community is that sex and gender are indeed separate, and can be misaligned for an individual. If they're willing to deny what actual scientists are saying for their own ideology, they're free to do that, but they have no excuse to pretend to uphold science. How do I know what scientists agree on? My anatomy and physiology textbook. From 2006.

An entire decade before the whole wokemongering bullshit started. It's not as if the authors are particularly progressive either; several other textbooks I own from the early 2000s to a few years back agree on this.

I think it's quite clear that anything transphobes say isn't based in fact, but only their own delusions. They can't deny that they don't give a shit about biology at all, which is perfectly fine to me. However, they shouldn't go around masquerading as triumphant 'experts' when they don't understand what they're trying to use as a cudgel. The sad thing is, many uninformed people will see their rhetoric online and fall for their bad faith arguments, and I think it's the responsibility of those who know better to not only tell them not only that they are wrong, but also why they are wrong.

I apologize for the terrible structure and awkward phrasing.

https://xcancel.com/search?f=tweets&q=https%3A%2F%2Fchuffed.org%2Fproject%2F132142-urgent-for-gaza-help-hussein-and-his-friends-help-poor-families-in-the-gaza-strip

Modded Minecraft Java 1.21.5 server, at thecomm.apexmc.co. discord.gg/89UuZtZEpx to get the mods installed. Supports cracked clients and has instructions. Not my own server

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/8395648

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/8395647

I don't particularly care about the cost or the hoops I have to jump through, I primarily want the best and most effective VPN's.

I'm also a heavy gamer, so the ones that are most excellent and allow for the least minimal delay when playing online multiplayer/live-service games, would be what I'm looking for.

And while this last one is optional, I would prefer if the recommend VPN's are also usable in the U.S., so I could set them up before I move to Chengdu.

I'm aware I could likely change VPN's, but that could be a headache or a hassle, so I'd rather stick with one. Unless I would have to compromise on quality/ VPN effectiveness.

Also, the more cost efficient for the value, the better. But I primarily care about quality rather than cost effectiveness.

Not even small market share national banks are allowed in the american "rules based" regime.

Syria most notably and maybe Gaza and Iran, with the former being a genocide against Gazans that Hamas seems incapable of stopping, though there is a growing movement against volunteership and the draft in Israel right now, which may help a year or two from then, but do they even have that much time?

Iran closed the strait of Hormuz but got a recent high-stakes meeting bombed.

The Russian Federation doesn't want to give their advanced ballistic missile systems to Iran, or seems reluctant to do so, to remain in good standing with Israel and maybe Turkey and the Gulf States, hoping to court them.

I don't even know just how well they're doing in Ukraine; there was that "drone attack" by Ukraine that was launched into Russia, perhaps all across it, at military facilities, but I don't know. I was told that they're gaining 10 miles a day, I think? But I don't know where those miles or square miles are as Ukraine is still a big country with NATO behind its back.

I don't doubt that many geopolitical powers are arising and increasing bourgeois infighting, like between Musk and Trump, may result in, well, interesting results. Indeed, it may be that Saudi Arabia will one day turn against the West, but for now, it's gaining its strength and gaining power over the Western imperialist system, them and their Wahhabi allies. If they smell blood in the water, Iran's toast, at least maybe...

Don't get me wrong, I see many positives nowadays... but also many negatives and things are in flux.

It could be like the 1980s where everyone thought the Soviet Union was "winning" until it didn't (during the very late 80s, at least).

We'll see what happens.

And just as the ministers were leaving Qingdao, it was officially confirmed: Iran ditched the American GPS system for China’s Beidou. Talk about a sharp, bold move in the tech war chessboard. Next step: to snatch all those Su-35s and JC-10CEs.

Pepe downplays the contradictions between states in the SCO too much. It would be much more interesting if he didn't try to push his narrative. Still, this is a good article.

(Source:Han Suyin's The Crippled Tree)

https://youtu.be/3gh_IEAZkuo

Interesting, I really got the wrong impression from the last Twitter shitstorm Carl got backed into.

Carl Zha Speaks to Dr. David Oualaalou of @geopoliticaltrends about the aftermath of Iran Israel ceasefire, Trump's role in the bombing of Iran's nuclear facility, how Iran could use the ceasefire to rebuild its air force and air defense capability by working closely with China. China demonstrates its increasing importance on global stage

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/32470699

Today I’m talking to Joti Brar, one of the leaders of the Communist Party of Great Britain, the editor of the party’s publication, and the Spokesperson for the World Anti-Imerialist Platform.

Joti Brar of CPGB-ML is the daughter of the late Harpal Brar.

“Neutrality Studies” is some Swiss nonsense, but at least they’ll listen to communists and anti-imperialists.

What makes a man turn neutral? Lust for gold? Power?

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5404762

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5404751

Hey loves,

First, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has shared, donated, and sent love so far. Your support means more than words right now.

But things have gotten worse. We were attacked by people from the host community because of who we are. They burned our shelters, and two of my sisters were badly hurt as we ran for our lives. We got them to the only private hospital that would treat us, and thanks to you, we’ve been able to pay half the hospital bill.

We’re still struggling to cover the rest and find a safe place to recover. Here’s what we need urgently:

1.Hospital bills: $900 total / $675 raised / $225 still needed 2. Relocation somewhere safer: $350 3. Food, medicine, and basics to heal: $250 Total goal: $1,500 — still need $825 to reach safety.

Every share, kind word, or donation helps keep us alive. If you can, please share or donate .. it really makes a difference.

The mutual aid link is in my profile just tap my name.

Your love and support are holding us up. Thank you so much for being with us through this. I love you all. 💜🙏🏿