I don't see people discussing this enough. But in my opinion this is big, and needs to be amplified.
The Chinese are by and large irreligious, and yet they are trying to send money to the Islamic Republic to the point that the embassy in Beijing had to release a statement saying basically 'thank you but we're not seeking donations at this time'.
Meanwhile western 'marxists' can't help but preface whatever they have to say about Iran with "but remember guys it's a theocratic fascistic regime". To their 10,000 twitter followers who all hail from Langley, Virginia, because that will surely change the tide.
Now, where did these netizens get the idea from that they support Iran? It doesn't come out of nowhere. People who live/have been to China will be able to say more on this and how world politics are represented in Chinese media, but we see that even as the PRC takes a step back so to speak on the world stage (at least publicly), the masses in China still know what's what. Nobody in the west wants to send money to the Islamic Republic right now, I can tell you that much (not that we could, it's illegal in most western countries.)
China is very diplomatic in how they talk. They trade with 'Israel', because they will trade with anyone (and the Chinese will be quick to point out that trading is a neutral act). And conversely, the PRC is not very public about what they do behind the scenes. During this war, we have seen Chinese satellite imagery of the strikes against US bases. What's interesting is that these were released publicly, likely as a flex to say "FYI if you were thinking of attacking us this is some of what we can do."
This has led some to speculate that China is helping Iran in some ways, but that's the thing: they're not flashy about it. The White House publicizes every strike they make because they want to strike fear in your hearts, while China works diligently at the desk. That's the difference. That's why we think everything is resolved through bombs and guns - that's just what we grew on.
When Yemen announced a blocus through the Gulf of Aden, Chinese and Russian ships were the only ones they allowed through. It has been reported that it is the same situation in Hormuz but the situation is still foggy so don't jump to conclusions too quickly. IR mission to the UN denied that Iran blocked the Strait just earlier.
Still this doesn't prevent the ever-so-righteous western communists from saying 'but China does nothing, but China is not helping'.
First of all: a- did Yemen and Iran even ask China to participate in the war? No, they did not. And b- why should China help and not you? Is it because you don't want to be on the receiving end of a bombing run? Well neither do the Chinese. So why should they die on your western word?
Frankly at this point anyone in the west that still follows the routine is not worth listening to anymore. They have become utterly irrelevant, just like that. Western marxism will not save us, it never has. It's never produced anything other than, well, nothing. If your opinions begin with "well Iran is not great but-" I don't wanna hear it. Everything that you say will be nonsense.
This goes for those highly-theoretical communists that think China is revisionist or dogmato-liberal-scato-whatever too. You have become completely irrelevant, just living in a very peculiar niche of "I think I'm helping!" but also "how come we can never rally more than 10 people who want to form a cult before exploding??"
Meanwhile the people in China know exactly what's going on. Do you think they receive top-class political education in school? No, like every other student in the world, they just coast by until the exam and then promptly forget the material. And yet they still arrive at the correct conclusion.
If you want to be a marxist in the west, become an eastern marxist. that's what 'western marxism' means: the ineffectual, CIA-approved ant mill that keeps you running in circles until you die of exhaustion.
Oh and this goes for ignorantly believing whatever western media prints about China too when it fits your preconceptions and stereotypes.
Do you mean ML or something more nuanced? Always want to hear more about this from ya.
It just means be the opposite of a western Marxist, because clearly whatever western Marxists have been doing has not been working. We need to stop doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Enough of this chauvinism, this dogmatism and this purity testing nonsense that has infected western Marxism. We should look at successful revolutionary examples, and we should be pragmatic. Take inspiration from what works instead of remaining stuck on this century old treadmill of ideological and political dead ends.
And rather than constantly preaching to the global south how they are "doing communism wrong" or "doing anti-imperialism wrong", rather than assuming that we always know better and are purer in our Marxism than everyone else, more civilized, more "enlightened", maybe it's time to embrace some humility and start learning from the global south and their successes. Whether that's success in communist revolutions and building socialism or just in anti-imperialist revolt and charting their own sovereign path free of colonial domination (like Iran or Afghanistan), even if that path is very culturally alien to us.
Our arrogance is our worst trait as western Marxists. It prevents us from learning not just from our own mistakes but from the successes of others.
(And by the way, there are also communists in the global south who are essentially "western Marxists", because unfortunately the West's culturally hegemonic position has also led to the spread of western attitudes toward political ideology, whether that's on the right or the left. So the way i see it it's more of a way of thinking than a geographic designation. Anyone can fall into this trap, especially if their material conditions are relatively more privileged - that's why it's so prevalent in academia! - or if their only exposure to Marxism has been through the western lens.)
haha yes basically what we are on lemmygrad, MLs. Losurdo coined it and I think it kinda captures it better (though he may have used it differently than I did here). I see it not so much as making a differentiation between east and west as a point of struggle but the unity of thought in following the same line, where giving it a unique name removes all ambiguity. We know MLism as the marxism that wins, and so is "eastern marxism", but it's a bit more 'precise' I guess. It also sets the record straight instantly in comparison to thinking of ourselves as westerners and I think some people need to hear it lol