this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2025
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[–] wuphysics87@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's worse than that. Amtrak gets government subsidies. Conservatives take that to be Communism, so even the "capitalist" solution, the only train we have, is constantly under threat.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Which is, as you hint at, an absurdity. Communism, Capitalism, and Socialism are not elements of society, but the overarching Mode of Production. That's why Bismark wasn't a Socialist despite nationalizing industries, what matters is the overall economy and the direction it's heading.

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago
[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

China isn't communist, but way kess stupid as the US, that is the main difference. It's something like a state capitalism, not depending on private lobbies as in the other capitalist systems. A real comunist state don't currently exist in the world (no, also not North Corea, it's a fascistic dictatorship, not so far from what will be the US with Trump in the near future)

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

China is a socialist state with a communist party in charge of it. This is an indisputable fact. The whole notion of state capitalism is a misnomer. The purpose of labor under actual capitalism is to produce capital for business owners. Capital accumulation is the driving mechanic of the system, hence the name. Meanwhile, the purpose of state owned enterprise is to provide social value such as building infrastructure, producing food and energy, providing healthcare, and so on.

Communism does not exist in the world because capitalism is still the dominant ideology. Socialist systems such as one in China are the first step towards communism.

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 month ago (2 children)

If communism is a complete lack of a state, do you believe communism is possible?

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

If we understand the state to be any and all administration, then no, but that's not the way Marx and Engels treated "statelessness." Engels in particular referred to stateless administration as "The Administration of Things" as contrasted with state society as "the Government of Persons" in Socialism: Utopian and Scientific. States are specific instruments of class oppression, without class, there's no need for a state in the Marxist sense.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm personally skeptical that a complete lack of states can be achieved in practice. Humanity is simply too diverse, and it's highly unlikely that everyone will agree on a single common system. Even if it was possible, lack of state would not mean lack of need for management and organization, so you would still have hierarchical structures in place to manage things.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's why Engels referred to the remnants left behind from a state that has withered away as the "Administration of Things." It ceases to be an instrument of class oppression in a classless society, but administration remains a useful tool for Communist production.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago
[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Japans rail system cooks china.

Edit: can't reply to any comments because disagreement is against the rules.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It doesn't. China's high speed rail absolutely dwarfs what Japan has.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

Go look up the size of Chinese high speed rail system and compare to Japan.

[–] IttihadChe@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

By what metric?

China has the world's largest HSR network at 45,000KM, 15x that of Japan's 3,000KM network.

Chinas fastest regular use line is 350KM/h. Japan's is 320KM/h.

(AFAIK) China is the only country with an operational maglev line (in Shanghai). A 30KM line at 430KM/h. While Japan's Maglev is still under construction.

So what are the metrics that Japan's rail system cooks China?

[–] DieserTypMatthias@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

China has the world's largest HSR network at 45,000KM, 15x that of Japan's 3,000KM network.

They're also way bigger than Japan.

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

Where does Japan sit on the political spectrum? (Between left and right)

[–] Dubois_arache@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 month ago
[–] Mangoholic@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 month ago (3 children)

China has state capitalism, far from Communism. Still a win for china tho.

[–] dessalines@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

China is not state capitalist, its a mixed economy with the planned socialist sector predominating. See here.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

No, China does not have state capitalism. Presumably, what you refer to as "state capitalism" is the fact that much of the economy is under state ownership. However, there is a fundamental difference between regular capitalism and what you refer to as state capitalism here. The purpose of labor under actual capitalism is to create capital for business owners. Capital accumulation is the driving mechanic of the system, hence the name. Meanwhile, the purpose of state owned enterprise is to provide social value such as building infrastructure, producing food and energy, providing healthcare, and so on.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 0 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago (28 children)

The PRC is Socialist, the overwhelming majority of large firms and key industries are publicly owned, and the CPC has "golden shares" for medium firms so even those it controls. The rest, everything else depends on the publicly owned key industries, so they have to work on the terms of the public sector to do business.

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[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

It's not, but I've learned that there's no point debating this topic with aggressively ignorant people.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

The PRC is a Socialist economy that is governed by a Communist party. "Communism" as an ideology is the guideline of the CPC, ergo the fact that the PRC has rapidly developed a massive and competent rail system can be seen as an achievement for Communism.

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