site banner

Small-Scale Question Sunday for February 9, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

1
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

You have to understand that atrocities committed by the CCP are only considered unique in their sheer scale and numbers due to their desire to centralize and manage power across such a large population. At that scale, what seem like minor screwups in policy and small errors can cause tsunami-like effects. And as usual, the Chinese Politburo makes American political squabbling look small and cute. The meme about political infighting in China causing millions dead every so often is unfortunately quite true, and it's also why Chinese tend to be very sensitive about political instability and will cling desperately to a bad regime for fear of change bringing worse.

Land Reform movement (post ww2) that was basically wholesale looting of land from "landlords", with "landlords" being loosely defined, of course, and the associated forced resettlement.

Four evils campaign that included sparrows (well-meaning, dumb, alongside crackpot wonk agricultural planning caused widespread famine 1959-1961 and approx 15-55 million deaths depending on how you count them).

Anti-rightist campaign is Chinese political infighting that caused the political persecution of around half a million to two million depending on how you count them (but it centralized one-party rule).

Cultural Revolution needs to be understood (as it is within China) as a power play by Mao to grab power within the party by weaponizing the youth. "Four Olds" destruction was a byproduct; Chinese scholars outside China will privately bemoan how the country put its own cultural heritage to the sword just so Mao could win a dick measuring contest within the CCP. Also worth reading about the "five black categories", politically motivated massacres, including the Guangxi Massacre (and attached cannibalism), etc.

I also recommend the book Seeing Like a State if you haven't already read it. The modern state of China can be seen as some kind of mass experiment in what happens when you "See Like a State" at Level 100 or something. They have achieved, and will continue to achieve, things that leave other governments in awe, terror and envy, but they will continue to do this at the expense of their own human capital.