One-party autocracy certainly has its drawbacks. But when it is led by a reasonably enlightened group of people, as China is today, it can also have great advantages. That one party can just impose the politically difficult but critically important policies needed to move a society forward in the 21st century.WHAT???
"Drawbacks"? Political prisoners (see this from LAST WEEK), brutal repression (*cough* Tibet! Tiananmen Square! *cough*), threat of force (*cough* Taiwan! *cough*), widespread censorship, no press freedom, no religious freedom (*cough* Falun Gong! The underground Christian church! *cough*) . . . Are these just "drawbacks" and piffling downsides? Friedman is a FOOL. Worse, he's a useful idiot.
Now read this furious takedown, which ends with this: "What’s next for the New York Times? A tribute to Benito Mussolini and running the trains on time as a fair exchange for personal and political liberty?"
Just so. There isn't a dictator on earth, alive or dead, that the Left will not embrace.
More commentary, with the delightful title of "Tom Friedman, for one, welcomes our new Chinese creditor overlords."
See this and this, which calls Friedman's piece what it is: "despicable."
6 comments:
Friedman's point of view is not left, but postmodern nihilism. Oh, how much I looove those parachute journalists. Friedman's India pieces are full of the same drivel.
But make no mistake: His notion is widespread, especially among business elites. Couple of months ago, I attended a meeting of big shots from the German industry. It was basically 2 hrs of Merkel bashing - and praise for Putin and Hu Jintao.
Perhaps, next time Friedman's parachute will go down in a laogai instead of Sheraton Shanghai - or on the North Korean side of the NK/China border. Then, it would be "Bill to the rescue, part 2".
I see your point, though I'm also seeing leftists supporting Chavez and loving Castro and Che...
Anyway, yes, Friedman's drivel is bad, but I had not thought it was going to be THIS bad.
Friedman is an idiot. How anybody can get a reputation for being a deep thinker with his head so far up his--whoa, this is a family blog.
My contempt for the man knows no bounds.
Maybe the "family blog" nature of the comment thread will still allow us to call Friedman a tool...
MM,
the Chavéz fan boys belong to a different camp. They are really, um, stoned.
Wow, I guess they really ARE stoned!
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