agree with thread

one note on the racism&xenophobia. i was accused of sinophobia last week. which is fine, i'm a big fan of master kong and it isn't a coincidence that we put our kids in chinese immersion school. i'm a fan of chinese culture

BUT, that's not the PRC-state https://twitter.com/mbeisen/status/1350537135141523457

i think many americans are still habituated to thinking of the PRC as a 3rd-world nation, that went through a century of humiliation. and there is grinding poverty in rural anhui, etc.

but the PRC-state has shown itself to be fearsome and competent this year. it's not 2nd-rate

it's fearsome and competent at crushing covid-19. and fearsome and competent at dampening internal dissent and fearsome and competent at taking advantage of geopolitics re: hong kong

criticizing it isn't "punching down." it's a peer

we americans need to 'update' our understanding of the world. the PRC-state is not our friend. it's a frenemy at best. it's out to win. we can't assume we'll win because we always do

all americans are complicit in the rise of china. 'chimerica' we created our great rival

this is definitely true in science. the rise of china has been good for science and scientists. there has been a lot of good getting ppl out of poverty and into value-add intellectual work

BUT, a lot of americans, including lots of scientists, r surely thinking about complicity

the right has a nasty reflexive streak of xenophobia which clouds thinking

but the left needs to get beyond the idea that all nonwhites are benighted and in need of kid-glove treatment