I was just musing on the trajectory of decline in the old Soviet Union. After WW2, the populace was very proud that they had defeated the Nazis, and most pulled together to rebuild the USSR and make communism work. But by the end of the 1960s, it was clear that it wasn’t working at all. By the seventies, the rate of alcoholism in Russia was soaring. By the eighties, the rate of alcoholism in Soviet males was so alarmingly high that the Authorities tried to limit consumption of vodka (that policy didn’t go over well). The USSR had become a nation of dispirited, hopeless people who were mired in despair. And then the whole Soviet mess collapsed!
No matter how many economic statistics came out regarding wheat production or new factories built,the most telling statistic emerging from the USSR was the skyrocketing alcoholism rate. Any psychologist, sociologist, or man on the street could see it’s significance.
I believe a similar trajectory is happening in China now. We’ve seen the cultural trend of ‘lying flat’, then ‘let it rot’. Now the new cultural buzzword is ‘run’. Wow!
The Chinese government is trying to paint an optimistic picture, but there’s some qualitative data not being provided by the CCP. More people are traveling, albeit on a tight budget, but WHY? How many are traveling during the Lunar New Year because they fear that this year will be their last chance to visit relatives before they can no longer afford to do so, or will no longer be allowed to travel? How many are traveling to say permanent goodbyes to relatives because they are going to try to leave China? When people are driven by such emotional top priorities, they will see their beloved friends and relatives one last time even if they have to go into debt to do so.
Sure, some of this is anecdotal and biased against The CCP, but reports like these help to flesh out the picture of what’s actually happening in China. The larger data, as you have repeatedly shown us, Peter, indicates that China is in deep, long-term trouble.
I was just musing on the trajectory of decline in the old Soviet Union. After WW2, the populace was very proud that they had defeated the Nazis, and most pulled together to rebuild the USSR and make communism work. But by the end of the 1960s, it was clear that it wasn’t working at all. By the seventies, the rate of alcoholism in Russia was soaring. By the eighties, the rate of alcoholism in Soviet males was so alarmingly high that the Authorities tried to limit consumption of vodka (that policy didn’t go over well). The USSR had become a nation of dispirited, hopeless people who were mired in despair. And then the whole Soviet mess collapsed!
No matter how many economic statistics came out regarding wheat production or new factories built,the most telling statistic emerging from the USSR was the skyrocketing alcoholism rate. Any psychologist, sociologist, or man on the street could see it’s significance.
I believe a similar trajectory is happening in China now. We’ve seen the cultural trend of ‘lying flat’, then ‘let it rot’. Now the new cultural buzzword is ‘run’. Wow!
The Chinese government is trying to paint an optimistic picture, but there’s some qualitative data not being provided by the CCP. More people are traveling, albeit on a tight budget, but WHY? How many are traveling during the Lunar New Year because they fear that this year will be their last chance to visit relatives before they can no longer afford to do so, or will no longer be allowed to travel? How many are traveling to say permanent goodbyes to relatives because they are going to try to leave China? When people are driven by such emotional top priorities, they will see their beloved friends and relatives one last time even if they have to go into debt to do so.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/ccp-tightens-exit-controls-amid-sharp-increase-in-citizens-fleeing-china-5589479?utm_source=ref_share&utm_campaign=copy
https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/chinas-largest-ever-mortgage-rate-cut-may-not-matter-5591007?utm_source=ref_share&utm_campaign=copy
Sure, some of this is anecdotal and biased against The CCP, but reports like these help to flesh out the picture of what’s actually happening in China. The larger data, as you have repeatedly shown us, Peter, indicates that China is in deep, long-term trouble.