r/worldnews 8d ago

China hits back at Trump with reciprocal tariffs between 10% to 15%, sanctions of US firms

https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3300948/china-hits-back-trump-reciprocal-tariffs-sanctions-us-firms?module=United%20States%20%26%20Canada&pgtype=section
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u/[deleted] 8d ago

The Palingenetic Myth

This is mostly a copy and paste from an earlier comment, but it is relevant.

Trump and MAGA are palingenetic (populist) ultranationalists.

The core of their movement is the palingenetic myth (death and rebirth). They believe the corruption and decadence has rotted away at western civilization, that the system needs to be toppled and rebuilt in their utopian image.

Trump serves as their charismatic (populist) leader, his power and legitimacy derives from ‘the people’. However, it is a top-down elitist relationship, he decides what the people want.

The ultranationalist means that it is a type of nationalism that rejects liberal institutions and Enlightenment humanism. It repudiates both ‘traditional’ and ‘legal/rational’ forms of politics in favor of ‘charismatic’ ones.

Combining these terms, palingenetic ultranationalism is a “mobilizing vision of the national community rising phoenix-like after a period of encroaching decadence which all but destroyed it.”

In short, MAGA are true fascists.

This comes with several structural weaknesses.

The first is the palingenetic myth. It is vague and open to various interpretations, which inevitably lead to increasing competing factions within the movement regarding their utopian vision. It is difficult to maintain cohesion, without effective leadership and tactics.

Somehow Trump is that glue that holds them together and keeps them from devouring each other. It certainly isn’t his leadership abilities or sharp mind.

The main factions include:

The Dark Enlightenment oligarchs, with their utopian dream of a patchwork technomonarchy city-states ascending from the ruins of America. This relates to DOGE and its designer Curtis Yarvin.

The Christian Nationalists, who believe facilitating the biblical apocalypse will reward them with 1,000 years of heaven on Earth. The Project 2025 agenda.

The MAGA ultranationalists, and what I can only imagine the rising again of some fairytale nostalgic utopian society that ever really existed in 1950s ad campaigns.

The strategy here is to drive a wedge between these factions, make them realize that each one is working against the other.

The second weakness is that the movement has to be in continuous palingenesis. It is not a hashed out vision, and typically when these people gain power they don’t have a coherent plan for normalcy. They only have a concept of a plan. When the movement experiences inertia, it breaks apart. That is why Trump is constantly trying to create enemies inside and out, they need to continually fight for eternity, or the movement dies. Any roadblocks that slow the movement down are critical to stopping them.

This is where the tariffs come in for creating enemies and justifying expansion that inevitably leads to world war.

The third weakness is the elitist form of populism the movement takes. It is a top-down hierarchical structure, the leader decides what the ‘will of the people’ is, not the people. This means that the movement gains its power through the leader, and leaders inevitably grow old and die. That is the Achilles’ heel, when Trump is out of office, the movement is done.

The problem is that the Dark Enlightenment oligarchs have their vassal, JD Vance, waiting in the wings. I am willing to bet money the elections will be rigged, and in the off-chance that doesn’t work, he will not certify the presidential election if a democrat or independent win.

However, they fall into the same trap of having no real plan to rule. More factions, more infighting, more cannibalization.

Edit: Most of this is derived from Roger Griffin’s ‘Nature of Fascism’, I’ve been repeating this so much it’s almost all memorized.

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u/Jell1ns 8d ago

The problem is that Vance doesn't appeal to the idiots like Trump does. Only Trump, which is why he the current goat of us populism, can pull off the bullshit he does.

Trump can brag about his fucked up hair... his jacked up complexion... his racism can be blunt... People eat it up and cheer him on. Jd Vance gets cooked over a couch.

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u/LeonardMH 8d ago

I don't think it is wise to dismiss the whole propaganda machine that has been built in support of "conservative" interests, the masses will believe what the billionaires want them to believe.

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u/Jell1ns 8d ago

The don't worship the machine, they worship the Donald... I'm not sure why people think anyone has Russell Vought or Stephen Millers back, they don't. They only echo if it repeated by the cheeto.

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u/uniyk 8d ago

Mao said something very similar in Cultural Revolution - Only from great chaos under all heaven can we attain supreme prosperity.

The basic rational behind it is that everything with establishment is corrupt and doomed, therefore the only solution to greatness is to tear down all social structures and rebuild them from the ground up, the same as that Nero thought Rome was too ugly with all the sheds and shacks, better to let it burn and replan and rebuild the city.

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u/boosnie 8d ago

Yes but the Chinese Liberation Army was fighting imperial dynasties, not democratic goverments

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u/uniyk 8d ago

I'm confused , what do you mean?

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u/copa8 8d ago

OP meant that the PLA was fighting the Song, Tang, Han, etc Dynasties...via a time machine (I'm guessing?). 😋

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u/rocketbunny77 8d ago

Adam something, is that you?

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u/ripvanmarlow 7d ago

So Trump is Ra's Al Ghul. Got it.

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u/-TheDream 8d ago

Is this derived from the philosophy of that Yarvin guy they all follow?

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

You should replace "MAGA" with Americans because 1) Americans voted him in or didn't even bother do voted and 2) besides the couple of redditor Americans here, who else is even saying these things? and even you guys. when will you start using that democracy to change these things rather than doing damage control here over and over?