The ‘myth’ of Western-style democracy is losing its appeal even in the West (China Global Times editorial)

[Leclerc]

"The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas"

Democracy became ruling ideas because was the ideology of the richest part of planet in late 20th century.

Now that the West is in economic decline, democracy ideology is in decline too.

If someone doubles your income changing democracy for dictatorship, would you accept? A lot of people accept, e.g: all the Western expats in GCC.

Plausibly, I would. I am not terribly politically active anyway.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Every country that got rich was through two paths before becoming democracy:

West: Colonisation, genocide, slavery, extortion of resources then become democracy when rich


East: Singapore/Korea/Taiwan etc became dictatorships until the 70s (singapore still one) before becoming a democracy. Outlier is Japan but they were a vassal kingdom with a lot of support and help from USA so they were ruled basically by USA directly.

This is just parroting the propaganda pushed by the Chinese Government that the West illegitimately rose in power while China did it the "nice way"...that's why China took so long.

How do you fit Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, etc into that sweeping generalization bucket of yours?

Time to use China's own supa-dupa-unbiased-by-the-West AI against their own words....

 

[Master Chief]

How do you fit Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, etc into that sweeping generalization bucket of yours?

A variety of dictatorships and competing European imperial powers ran these regions in medieval and pre-industrial times. They variably made their wealth from (in no particular order) looting, pillaging, corrupt banking and hoarding of illicit wealth (post-industrial Switzerland was big on this one), papal favour, war financeering/profiteering, oil (post-industrial Norway) and simple feudalism. Their wealth and adoption of democratic process are not magically tied together (the latter is not some prerequisite for the former). Also please do note, in the post-industrial era, NEUTRALITY during other people's wars can be even more profitable (think - supplying BOTH sides with goods/weapons/loans/safe storage) than war itself.

True democracy keeps simpletons poor AND preoccupied with this grand illusion of grassroots influence being sold to them, when all they get is high taxes, red tape, bureaucracy, and an endless shouting contest. While 99% argue over whom the next popularity contest winner's sash should go to, 1% of oligarch elite laugh at "democracy" for the lie that it is and how well they sold it.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

A variety of dictatorships and competing European imperial powers ran these regions in medieval and pre-industrial times. They variably made their wealth from (in no particular order) looting, pillaging, corrupt banking and hoarding of illicit wealth (post-industrial Switzerland was big on this one), papal favour, war financeering/profiteering, oil (post-industrial Norway) and simple feudalism. Their wealth and adoption of democratic process are not magically tied together (the latter is not some prerequisite for the former). Also please do note, in the post-industrial era, NEUTRALITY during other people's wars can be even more profitable (think - supplying BOTH sides with goods/weapons/loans/safe storage) than war itself.

True democracy keeps simpletons poor AND preoccupied with this grand illusion of grassroots influence being sold to them, when all they get is high taxes, red tape, bureaucracy, and an endless shouting contest. While 99% argue over whom the next popularity contest winner's sash should go to, 1% of oligarch elite laugh at "democracy" for the lie that it is and how well they sold it.

Switzerland's history is not just about banking..it was wealthy WAY before it became synonymous with banking (which only happened the time around post WW1)

Switzerland was an early adopter of the Industrial Revolution...they are the ones known for making precision machinery/equipment...ie (Swiss watches)

This all has to to do with innovations happening quickly in Europe outside the view of most of the world (steam engine, train, cars, photography, radio, steel production, textile looms). They leveraged it as much as they could and made themselves wealthy. It then trickled down.