“On what basis do you presume to speak for everyone?”
On the basis that EVERYONE has a face planted in a cheap mobile phone surfing the net for the latest deal on a flat screen TV wearing a shirt that will be replaced next month for the princely sum of $20 and has bought into the wonders of free market neo liberal capitalism at its finest.
It’s ironic that you capitalised your most inaccurate overstatement.
I think the way we are slaves to capitalism in the west is fundamentally flawed and we are about to find out the hard way just how flawed. However the genie is out of the bottle, several generations have been grown up thinking debt based consumption and perpetual economic growth is the norm and they are not about to volunteer to step back to a hand me down lifestyle.
I agree.
“but at least China because it is a communist dictatorship and Chinese companies are ultimately the tools of a communist dictatorship.”
Most Chinese companies manufacture stuff for American and German and Australian companies and are no more or less subject to the diktats of the Government than companies in America, Germany and Australia are.
Really? So if the Australian government issued a ‘diktat’ to - say - Qantas - to identify and sack all Uyghur employees and all homosexual employees, ya reckon Qantas would comply? Really?
Some industries in ALL countries are closely controlled by their respective Governments, that much we can expect. My wife spent several years as an executive for a tech company here in silicon valley where it is widely understood that the big tech companies such as Google, Apple and Facebook are very closely tied to Washington, the DOD, DARPA, CIA etc.
No ****?
“China’s long term plans are not implemented for the benefit of Australians.”
And Australia’s long term plans are not implemented for the benefit of China. And America’s long term plans are not implemented for the benefit of Australians.
No ****?
“I will rejoice on the day that their oil runs out”
I will too and look forward to it with baited breath.
At least I know you’re a real pilot. It’s “bated”.
“Perhaps the standard of living of the average Australian would be better if, instead of being mature aged babies, they understood that throwing last year’s flat screen TV and other devices onto the ever-growing piles of e-waste at the rubbish tip is good for the likes of billionaires like Gerry Harvey and his counterparts in other countries, and few else. “
I tend to agree, see my comments above regarding the problems inherent with capitalism. But good luck convincing the average consumer that they should stop consuming.
I don’t have to convince anyone. They’ll be convinced by reality that’s thrust upon them.
“they also have the least similar culture or regard for anyone else's culture or even territorial rights.”
And the English did? The French? The Americans?
The English, French and Americans respect, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights and law of the sea rights, as does Australia theirs. The Chinese don’t. One of the reasons ‘the West’ has concerns about entering free trade agreements with China is that China does not respect intellectual property laws. All those Chinese student pilots in Australia will take back a copy of every piece of training material they can get their hands on. Slowly but steadily all those Australian flying training organisations will be replicated, to a lesser or greater extent, in China. They won’t get it anywhere near right the first time, but they are in it for the long game.
“YET our universities are (until recently) absolutely full of Asian students hankering for an "Australian" education.”
No, they are hankering for an education.
Google “CCP influence in Australian universities”.