I see a lot of Americans begging China to “save” the US. With great power comes great responsibility, yeah, but China’s responsibility is to its people. It’s a developing nation with a much higher standard for what developed means than the standard we use. Even if it were to ho out and save other countries, we’d probably have to get in line because there are many other countries that we fucked over (and are closer geographically) that could use China’s help (which they are providing via BRI). I don’t deny that the US is a priority target to bring down. It’s the engine behind climate change which may kill all of us. But I see those of us calling for help, and I try to understand…
It’s inconsiderate, yeah. After everything China’s been through. And I think it speaks to our programming. A lot of people in the US seem fine with doing nothing for they think it’ll be alright when they’re dead. I’m an atheist and I admit I’m guilty. Not having to worry or care or know about anything anymore appeals to me. But we also live in a different world from long ago, with far more distractions. I think George Jackson mentioned the advent of this phenomenon when TVs killed revolutionary motivation among prisoners. Whether that’s a good or bad development, it’s a development. It was inevitable and it changed everything. Personally, I think it might be good. That as the US weakens, it’ll be much weaker by the time we get to the new breaking point where people can’t distract themselves anymore. Provided we don’t all die first.
And that’s the thing. This is also the country that allowed a disabling virus to run rampant. I’ve been very disabled even before COVID. Many of us are disabled. And we’re spread far apart by the country’s car-based geography. And the enemy is the US. We’ve got odds stacked against us, at least for now. In that sense, I can understand people asking for help. Communism has interdependent elements. Telling the intentionally gimped proletariat of Nazi Germany to take back their country unassissted would be a slap in the face to them.
But I’m thinking, another hurdle to action on my part is that I find even my ML comrades socially reactionary. This is not a new phenomenon. ML’s have never been immune to being reactionary. The ones I knew contributed to several patriarchal phenomena that has ended up getting even some kids I knew killed among many others. It’s not that I don’t understand. The primary focus is the primary contradiction. When people have guaranteed housing and healthcare and don’t have to be hypervigilant about the US, that may give them more mental bandwidth to progress. We’ve seen it happen. But I admit, I’m really fighting the urge to join many of my comrades abroad and fantasize about the US and everyone in it getting wiped off the map. Even if, again, it’s a slap in the face to our struggling proletariat. So yeah, these are just my shower thoughts. And my curiosity about what will end up happening. Sorry.
I also really understand why communists (and even a lot of non-ML leftists) say things like that. We are up against an empire that regularly imprisons and tortures whoever stands up against it, even (and sometimes especially) people who are US citizens. The desire to have an outside force save you from the hard fight ahead is very human and none of us should feel bad for having it sometimes.
But the reality of the situation we are in is that no one is coming to help us anytime soon. Whether or not it would be prudent or justified for China to directly intervene in the domestic US struggle, they have clearly chosen not to, and there isn’t another power that realistically could intervene. We have to plan to do this ourselves. The good thing is that we, as the proletariat, have the power to win if we can organize effectively.
That said, I very much understand people who feel they need to leave. At the end of everything, we each have only one life, and you need to live it the best way that you can. Many of my friends are trans (as am I), and many of them have talked about moving out of the US. If that’s what it takes to have a life worth living, I wish them the very best. And I know they will be doing the work where ever they end up. Just because it isn’t here, doesn’t mean they are giving up on their politics.
No one is coming to help us anytime soon. But we also may not be able to pull this off anytime soon. So by the time we are able to get things going, outside forces may be in a better position to assist.