Democracy vs. Plutocracy

American thinking is atomistic. Americans atomize people into individuals, believing that each person is an independent and autonomous being with an unalienable right to pursue happiness and is responsible only for their own interests. Consequently, competition with others is justified. American law promotes and protects this competition. Anyone may defeat another as long as the means are legal. The result is that a small number of individuals gradually defeated all others and established their dominance. These individuals argue that they have the right to form political parties to protect their interests. Conflicts of interest between various groups are irreconcilable, and each must be represented in the political decision-making process. For fairness' sake, political parties alternate in power through elections. One-party rule is considered undemocratic. Using money, lobbying, and media to influence elections and policy-making, on the other hand, is defined as freedom of speech. Consequently, the media is exploited to become a political instrument, making elections increasingly ideological. Those with the financial means to control the media control public opinion and political games, causing legislations and policies overwhelmingly favoring the wealthy. Since elections can be manipulated by money, misinformation, incitement, and slander, they become increasingly dirty. The elected politicians tend to be sensational and lack moral integrity and practical abilities. They serve their donors and their own re-election more than the interests of the people. The rotation of power between opposing parties causes policies to swing between extremes, making long-term planning impossible. Current administrations often engage in actions like overspending, over-borrowing, and excessive money printing to benefit their own tenure, leaving future administrations to handle the disastrous consequences. Partisan conflicts severely weaken the government’s ability to govern and cause deep divisions among the people. It is a highly corrupt, divisive, and inefficient system, yet Americans seem to believe that this is the only way to be a democracy.

In fact it is a partisan democracy rather than a people’s democracy. A growing number of researchers argue that the American political system has become alienated into a plutocracy controlled by capital and special interests, and is no longer a democracy. Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate economist, has famously stated that the United States is currently of the 1%, by the 1%, and for the 1%. The political elites funded by the special interests have no regard for the interests of the majority of the American people. This can be clearly seen from what they have done. America has the highest level of inequality in the world. Its Covid-19 death number is 170 times that of China, and infection number is 1,600 times that of China, the highest in the world. The nation’s finance has been so badly mismanaged that it has a debt of $30 trillion dollars and counting, much of the money went into the special interests in the form of government contracts and subsidies. It has severe racial conflict, human rights abuse, poverty, doping, gun proliferation, and public safety problems. Its prisoner population is the largest in the world although its total population is only one fourth of that in China and India. Its healthcare is the most expensive in the world that ordinary Americans cannot afford. It is among countries with the latest effective retirement age, a grief for its elderly population. (According to the US Life Insurance Guide, the average retirement age in the US is 67.9 for men and 66.5 for women. By contrast, the retirement age in China is 60 for male, 55 for female white-collar workers, and 50 for female blue-collar workers.) Its public education is broken and infrastructures crumble. It has been at war for 229 years in its 245-year history, constantly creates tensions and provokes conflicts around the world in order to maintain its global military presence, lucrative arms sales and massive military spendings to benefit the vested interests. These special interests are the loudest hawkers of the so-called American values, which is how they keep themselves in power and dominate the world. They call it a democracy, but the American people actually have very little say in matters that concern them.

By contrast, the Chinese thinking is holistic. Human rights as understood by the Chinese are the collective rights of the people. These rights include coexistence, equality, sharing, cooperation, and the well-being of society as a whole, as well as personal freedom. The Chinese regard people not as isolated, independent and autonomous individuals but interconnected and interdependent members of society who are born into relationships with roles and responsibilities to fulfil. The Confucian culture prioritizes community over individuality, encouraging people to seek common ground and set aside differences, put communal interests above personal interests, abide by the ethics established to maintain social harmony, and work together as a team. (See Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and Chinese-Style Modernization.)

Democracy as understood by the Chinese is people's democracy rather than partisan democracy. People have different personal interests and opinions; therefore, uniting them and governing the country according to the overall interests and common will of the vast majority of the people is the essence of democracy. Five-thousand years of governance experience have made the Chinese deeply aware of the harms of partisan politics and the importance of a unitary political organization, or "party" to borrow the Western term, that serves the interests of all people. This organization, the CCP, with nearly 100 million members, regards the interests of the nation as a whole as its highest mission, playing a pivotal role in uniting and leading the people. The country's decision-making body is elected every five years by the CCP's National Congress and the National People's Congress based on candidates' character, experiences and achievements rather than sensationalism, empty promises and ideological nonsense. Political decisions are made after carefully investigating and consulting the people and are carried out with the full participation and supervision of the people. These decisions address the common concerns of the people and long-term interests of the nation as a whole. Chinese government does not work for special interests. Its mission is to build an egalitarian and harmonious society for all and lead the Chinese people to common prosperity. The government ensures its purity and self-renewal through continuous improvement of various institutions and mechanisms such as collective decision making, age and term limits for officials, clean government, self-correction, anti-corruption, people's supervision of the government, reporting and petitioning system, disciplinary inspection, and impeachment procedures, etc., to ensure good governance and prevent dictatorship.

The differing understandings of human rights between Americans and Chinese are reflected in their attitudes toward various issues. For example, Americans view Covid-19 precautions as a personal matter, where individuals are responsible for their own well-being and do not require others to dictate their actions. They believe in the freedom to act according to what suits them personally. In contrast, Chinese see Covid-19 prevention as not only a personal responsibility but also a matter of public safety. Thus, some restrictions on personal freedom are considered necessary for the safety of the broader population. Americans see a gun ban as an infringement on individual rights. Chinese, on the other hand, believe that a safe living environment is a fundamental human right for the vast majority of the people, thus gun control is necessary. Americans view restrictions on private enterprises as aninfringement of the right to pursue wealth. Chinese, on the other hand, place a high value on equality as a core human right, supporting policies that limit practices that widen the wealth gap. Americans believe that individuals are entitled to their own inventions. They use patent barriers to prevent others from succeeding in the same field while they make huge profits for themselves. Chinese, on the other hand, see invention and innovation as ways to benefit society, showing greater willingness to share intellectual property, which explains China's extensive collaboration in research and development and rapid advancements in science and technology. Americans believe that individual rights are superior to sovereignty. The United States frequently uses human rights as a rationale to interfere in other countries' internal affairs and impose its own values on other nations. Chinese, on the other hand, view actions such as inciting color revolutions, waging wars under the pretext of democracy and freedom, and creating global instability and refugee crises as significant human rights violations.

As successful and powerful as the United States once was, a country that fails to mend its ideological, structural and institutional flaws will end in disaster. These ideological, structural and institutional flaws inevitably lead to the domination of a handful of special interests such as military-industrial complex, arms dealers and capital predators, and the failure of the vast majority of the people. The process of a democracy turning into a plutocracy and its doom, learning from the long history of China, will not exceed three hundred years (see The Vicious Circle of Regime Change). For this reason, Chinese culture stands for collectivism and egalitarianism against individualism. With the rise of China, Confucian values will also have a greater impact on the world. I believe that will be something to celebrate for the world. (See Pluralism vs. Monism.)

Cradle Effect

The comforting embrace, enchanting music, and rhythmic motion of the milonguero style of tango can lull a woman into a daydream-like state - akin to a baby swaying to sleep in her cradle - so deeply that when the tanda ends, she may not want to wake. I call this magical experience the “cradle effect” (see Tango Is a Feeling).

At the beginning of a tanda, a woman may try to keep some distance if she doesn’t know her partner well. However, an experienced leader knows how to help her relax, ease her resistance, and captivate her with the dance. Here are three ways to achieve this.

1. Create a Comfortable Embrace
The first is to offer a comfortable embrace, or to put it figuratively, provide her with a cozy cradle. You must embrace her gently, tenderly and affectionately so that she feels comfortable and safe, not coerced or confined. You should allow her the space she desires, but must do your best to lead her with your torso rather than your arms and hands. When she follows your torso instead of your arms and hands, she focuses more on the feelings rather than the steps, and her experience of the dance becomes more emotional than mechanical.

2. Engage Her with the Music
The second is to immerse her in the music, or figuratively speaking, hypnotize her with the music. You must dance the music and not the steps, so that her attention is tuned to the music rather than the steps. You have to let her resonate with the music and forget about the movements in order to enter the daydreaming state. To do so you need to present her with your own interpretation of the music. If you step to every beat mechanically without any interpretation, then she will do the same without actually listening to the music and enjoying the interaction with you. Here again, good music plays a crucial role, which, however, is in the hands of the DJ. Dancers can only use whatever music provided to them as much as possible (see My Two Cents on Music Selections).

3. Keep the Steps Simple
The third is to make the steps simple and easy so that she doesn't need to work hard on the movements and is able to give her full attention to the music and feelings. You should not make her do intricate, fancy steps because the goal here is to mesmerize her and not to impress. Difficult steps defeat that purpose. Generally speaking, natural, small, simple, and rhythmic movements make it easier for the woman to enter a state of surrender. When you feel her stop struggling and fully give herself over to the moment, she is in that state.

On her part, all she needs to do is relaxing her body and surrendering herself to the man (see Learning Tango: Two Perspectives). The woman must overcome her ego, independence and desire to act, focusing instead on the embrace, connection, music, feelings, synchronization and being one with the man. Women in general are more intuitive, emotional, and responsive to music and sensory hypnosis, which may explain tango’s particular allure for them.

That said, the “cradle effect” is not exclusive to women. Men, too, desire to be rocked to sleep in a woman's cozy embrace. When both partners know how to do it, the dance becomes mesmeric, intoxicating and unforgettable (see Tango Is a Relationship).

Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and Chinese-Style Modernization

Five thousand years ago, tribal alliances and city-states have emerged in the Yellow River Basin and Yangtze River Basin in eastern Asia. These civilizations gradually merged into one, known as China, and continued to expand until it encountered natural obstacles in every direction. To its northeast lay the cold and harsh Siberia, while the north was dominated by the desolate Mongolian Deserts. The west was composed of many mountain ranges with altitudes exceeding 5,000 meters, among them the highest Himalayas are 8,848 meters above sea level. The southwest featured the rugged terrain of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and dense tropical jungles, and to the southeast and east lay the vast Pacific Ocean. These formidable natural barriers, insurmountable in ancient times, effectively isolated China from the outside world. Protected by these natural barriers, the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins enjoy a temperate climate and abundant rainfall brought by the Pacific monsoon, making these regions suitable for agriculture. This unique geographical environment played a key role in shaping the distinct characteristics of the Chinese nation.

The Chinese civilization was able to develop its unique and remarkable culture, largely due to geographical barriers that prevented outside influence. These same barriers also provided protection against foreign aggression, allowing China to remain the only civilization to survive uninterrupted for five thousand years. Confined by geographical barriers the ancient Chinese thought that the land they lived in constituted the main body of the world, which they called tianxia, literally, "under heaven." The Yellow River and Yangtze River basins are located in the center of that world; thus China was named Zhongguo, or literally, "central country." Richly endowed by nature, China was much more developed than the surrounding uncivilized fringe lands. Chinese peasants who settled in kinship-based villages became attached to their fertile farmland and showed little interest in exploring the arid, barren areas beyond their borders. This fostered their peaceful and restrained temperament. Instead of expanding outward militarily, they built the Great Wall to protect themselves from the nomads of the north. This 21,000-kilometer wall, locates on the 400 mm isoprecipitation line and spanning from east to west, served as a dividing line between agrarian life and nomadic life. The nomads who entered the Great Wall were eventually assimilated by Chinese farming culture, becoming Chinese themselves. Therefore, Chinese civilization is a product of its geography, attesting the advantage of the sedentary, productive way of life over the nomadic, predatory way of life. The Chinese take great pride in their land, culture and lifestyle, as China has been the most developed, civilized, and prosperous country in the world until the Industrial Revolution.

Due to this closed geographical environment, the ancient Chinese formed their monistic worldview, believing that the world was an integrated whole rather than as fragmented parts. The Chinese world was not a pluralistic world composed of many sovereign countries, but a monist world with China being the only civilized empire in the center. The surrounding ethnic tribes were viewed as vassals in the Chinese tributary system, many of which were gradually sinicized and became part of China. In 221 BC, the state of Qin (pronounced chin) achieved the unification of China by defeating all other Chinese states. Qin established a unified empire with a centralized government, abolished enfeoffment, set up prefectures and counties, and standardized the law, writing system, currency, vehicle tracks, weights, and measures (see The Impact of Chinese Characters). Some researchers pointed out that the need to share water resources and carry out large-scale water conservancy and irrigation projects was an important reason why the ancient Chinese attached importance to unity, sharing, cooperation, and a collectivist and centralized system (see Understanding China: Yellow River and the Character of the Chinese Nation). Qin's system, inherited by all succeeding Chinese dynasties, laid the foundation for China's long-term unification, and had a profound impact on shaping the stability, sophistication and continuity of Chinese culture. In return, this culture has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for assimilation and integration. The Confucian notion of dayitong, or grand unity, reflected this holistic, consistent, and all-encompassing nature of Chinese culture. Its influence was so great that neighboring vassal states sought to emulate it. Throughout history, many ethnic groups who partially or entirely conquered China were eventually assimilated and integrated into Chinese culture. This process of sinicization, rather than military expansion, is responsible for the vast territory of China and stands as a testament to the strength of Chinese civilization.

Consistent with this monistic worldview is the Confucian outlook on society, which also is holistic. The 大同 (pronounced datong) society, the Confucian ideal of a harmonious society as spelled out in Confucian classics, is a society where people all care about its well-being as a whole, the wise and virtue are selected to govern, honest people live in harmony, the weak and sick are taken care of, and there is no evil and crime. Unlike in the West where individuals are deemed independent entities, accountable only to their own interests, and where the strong bully the weak is the norm, causing people to be egocentric and belligerent, Confucianism promotes a society that is like a large family wherein members cooperate, seek common ground, prioritize communal interests over personal interests, and work together as a team. In Confucianism, individuals are not seen as isolated and autonomous, but rather as members of society who are born into certain relationships with specific roles and responsibilities to fulfill. They follow etiquettes designed to maintain social harmony, just like tango dancers need to observe the milonga codes in the milongas. These etiquettes or proprieties were practiced before the time of Confucius by the people of the West Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-771 BC). Confucius (551 BC-479 BC) and his disciples were advocates and scholars of these ancient rites. In other words, Confucianism is rooted in an earlier Chinese tradition.

Confucianism values the harmonious relationships among people as a whole. It believes that for society to remain stable it must have a solid foundation, and that foundation is the people. A Confucian ruler is like the head of a large family whose authority is derived from the people and whose responsibility is to ensure the well-being of the people. Confucius said, "The ruler is the boat, and the people are the water. Water can carry the boat, and water can overturn the boat." Mencius (372 BC-289 BC), another Confucian sage, also emphasized the role of the people, stating that they are the most important, followed by the state, and the monarch is the least. Confucianism holds that the legitimacy of the ruler comes from the support or mandate of the people, and a ruler who is unrighteous will lose that mandate. In other words, Confucianism is a people-centered, rather than ruler-centered, God-centered, or capital-centered, collectivist humanism, as opposed to the individualistic humanism of the West. This collectivist humanism has had a profound impact on Chinese politics, including Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People, the CCP's aim of serving the people, and more recently Xi Jinping’s initiative on building a community with shared future for all mankind. (See Democracy vs. Plutocracy.)

Rooted in this collectivist humanism, Confucianism promotes the idea of benevolent governance. Confucius believed that benevolence is the essence of human nature that distinguishes humans from animals. Unlike Machiavelli who separated morality and politics, Confucius held that personal morality and the governance of the country are closely related. A ruler must be a saint at heart, a moral leader, and a role model, and only through self cultivation can he manage his family, govern his country, and bring peace to the world. Confucius attached great importance to the role of proprieties but maintained that proprieties are the external expression and must be grounded in benevolence in order to be authentic, or else they become nothing more than a facade of insincerity. His followers, however, split into two camps. The school that emphasized benevolence was later recognized as the orthodoxy of Confucianism. The school that prioritized proprieties later evolved into Legalism. Qin’s unification of China in 221 BC was achieved through the use of military power and severe penal laws under the influence of the Legalist school of thought. Due to its brutality, the Qin Dynasty survived with only two rulers before it was overthrown by widespread rebellions. Learned from this lesson, in 134 BC Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty accepted the advice of a Confucian scholar, Dong Zhongshu (179 BC-104 BC), to replace other schools of thought with Confucianism exclusively and practice benevolent rule. Since then Confucianism has become the official doctrine of China. Different from Christianity and Machiavellianism, which maintain that human nature is inherently evil, Confucianism believes that human nature is inherently good, therefore opposes the Legalist idea of using strict laws and harsh punishments as the main means of governing, and advocates ruling with virtue and education. This gave rise to the Chinese tradition of respecting morality and learning.

In 587 AD, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty established the imperial examination system, which combined education and official selection into one system. The imperial examination system played a key role in forming China's advanced and effective political bureaucracy. It further promoted Confucian learning, opened the way for talented people from all walks of life to enter politics, and gave rise to the scholar-official class. China's modern civil servant selection system is developed from the imperial examination system. Many researchers believe that compared with Western electoral democracy, China’s meritocratic system is more capable of producing leaders with moral integrity and practical knowledge and abilities, as attested by China's glorious history and its recent economic miracles. In the past, the imperial examination system failed to prevent dynastic cycles. Now the Chinese try to fix that by political reforms such as collective decision making, age and term limits for officials, clean government, self-correction, disciplinary inspection, anti-corruption, people's supervision of the government, reporting and petitioning system, and impeachment procedures, etc., to improve their system, ensure good governance, and prevent it from becoming an autocracy.

It is also from this people-centered collectivist humanism that Confucianism advocates for the equitable distribution of wealth, and denounces the practices of putting economic interests above morality, using unethical means to accumulate wealth, competing for monetary gain, and widening the discrepancy between rich and poor. Confucians argued that the ruler should disperse the nation's wealth among the people and not fight with the people for wealth. “Rulers should not worry about not having enough but inequality,” said Confucius. This moral view encouraged Chinese rulers through the ages to adopt more egalitarian policies and implement benevolent governance. On the other hand, this emphasis on morality over economic gain has led to a historical devaluation of merchants in traditional Chinese society, where they were ranked below scholars, farmers, and craftsmen. The early practices of the CCP after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 reflected this Confucian tendency, prioritizing morality and scholarship over business. However, during the reform and opening up era initiated by Deng Xiaoping, the government shifted its stance to encourage business and entrepreneurship, with the slogan of "letting some people get rich first." Subsequently, the Chinese government has also introduced policies aimed at poverty alleviation and anti-monopoly, upholding the Confucian tradition of egalitarianism, while recognizing the importance of economic development as the means to common prosperity. This emphasis on production over commerce has also resulted in China's physiocratic tradition, prioritizing agriculture and manufacturing instead of taking the path of profit-driven capitalism, mercantilism and financialism that may initially stimulate the growth of the economy but will umtimately lead to its hollowing out, corruption and failure (see Mammonism).

Another Confucian concept that has had a farreaching influence is the doctrine of the mean, which emphasizes the virtue of moderation and harmony. Confucius believed that harmony is the fundamental law of nature, while the Golden Mean is the way to achieve it, that extremism turns things into their opposite, that being excessive is as bad as being dificient, and that humility, politeness, impartiality, and avoiding extremes are qualities of a true gentleman. Deviation from the doctrine of the mean, Confucius believed, would lead to disastrous consequences for the country, as history has repeatedly shown (see Meeting in the Middle). It is worth noting that this Confucian proposition is incompatible with Western liberalism and individualism. Chinese people lack the arrogant, bigoted, extreme, domineering and aggressive spirit of many Westerners, Confucianism is the main reason. This emphasis on moderation, balance and harmony has prevented the Chinese from engaging in Western-style partisan politics, which tend to create division, conflict, hostility and polarity. While Western culture emphasizes partisanship and competition, Chinese culture prioritizes unity and cooperation. The Chinese tend to look at issues in a holistic, comprehensive and balanced manner. Today's Chinese leadership is acutely aware that both morality and personal freedom are important and an excessive focus on either one can be detrimental. Overemphasis on morality can stifle initiative and creativity, while overemphasis on individual liberty can worsen conflict and inequality. The balance, however, is not easy to achieve. Historically, Confucian morality has been transformed by Neo-Confucianists into a rigid ideology that restricted personal freedom. Western liberalism and individualism are the opposite extreme. The Chinese now strive to find a balance and build a society that respects both individual freedom and social morality (see Pluralism vs. Monism).

The peaceful life of the Chinese has finally come to an end. In 1840, Western powers used opium, warships and cannons to finally bombard China's door open, forcing the Qing Dynesty (1644-1911), the last Chinese dynesty, to sign a series of unequal treaties for ceding territories and indemnities. Facing the humiliating defeat and the gap between agricultural China and the then already industrialized West, the Chinese began to look for ways to save their country. In the next eight decades since the Opium War, they tried the Westernization Movement (1861-1895) that attempted to develop China's industry and modern armies and navies, the Reform Movement of 1898 that attempted to reform China's imperial system, and the Revolution of 1911 that overthrew the monarchy. All these failed to save China. The plunder of Western powers and the domestic warlords’ melee after the overthrow of the monarchy have drained China's resources, turning China from the richest country in the world into one of the poorest.

Some Chinese eventually concluded that the root of China's ills lay in its culture. In 1919, the radical May Fourth New Culture Movement broke out. Willing to try anything in a desperate situation, some Chinese intellectuals blamed Confucianism, especially Neo-Confucianism, for China's failure, accusing it of restricting individual freedom and social progress, and advocated bringing it down and replacing it with Western-style liberal democracy and capitalism. Other Chinese intellectuals were skeptical about Western liberalism and capitalism, turned to another Western ideology, Marxism, for help, believing that socialism is more in line with the Confucian ideal of a harmonious society. This led to the confrontation between the KMT and the CCP. In the end, the side with the support of the majority of the Chinese prevailed, and the loser, the KMT, fled to the Chinese island of Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait. In the first three decades after the founding of New China in 1949, the Chinese, while facing the blockade by Western powers, did many groundwork for its latter development, including land reform, women's liberation, universal free education and healthcare, and basic industrial infrastruture building, etc. Many lessons were learned from trial and error. In 1978, under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, the CCP re-examined the lessons learned from the previous thirty years, made the decision to reform and open up in an attempt to release people's initiative by introducing market mechanisms into the Chinese economy while maintaining the structural advantages of its socialist system.

We have all witnessed what happened afterwards. In just 40 years, China has been miraculously transformed from a poor and weak country into the world's second largest economy with a 42-fold increase in GDP, become the world’s largest manufacturing powerhouse, lifted 770 million people out of poverty, created a middle class of over 400 million people, with per capita income increased by 23 times, made the average life expectancy of its population now longer than that of the US, become the world's largest investment market, largest consumer market and largest trading partner with more than 130 countries, and is playing an increasing role in world economy and international affairs. Unlike some Western power that practices hegemonism, bullying, intervention, containment, subversion, and coercive diplomacy, China’s foreign policies stand fast to the five guiding principles of international relations, namely, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence, along with China's Belt and Road initiative for global common prosperity and the initiative for the establishment of a community with a shared future for mankind. These foreign policies have obvious Confucian influence and are supported by more and more countries in the world.

China has once again entered the most prosperous period in its history, and it did so not by aggressing, conquering and looting other peoples, but by leading its own people to work hard and cooperate with other countries for win-win results. This achievement restored the Chinese people's confidence in their own philosophy, culture, system, and path. The core values of Chinese civilization were established by Confucianism, without these values, socialism with Chinese characteristics and Chinese-style modernization - a different kind of modernization that emphasizes civilized values, equality, justice, green economy, common prosperity, peaceful development, and international cooperation - would not have been possible. Confucianism embodies the accumulated wisdom of the Chinese people, emphasizing the unity, balance and harmony between man and nature, individual and society, law and virtue, morality and economy, ruler and the people, and between individuals. With its holistic vision, magnanimity, idealism, and positive thinking, Confucianism has served as a unifying force and the source of strength for the Chinese people, encouraged them to continuously improve themselves and their country, and given China its competitive edge. While Confucianism must adapt to changing times, as it has always done in the past, it is deeply embedded in the language, culture, thinking, conducts and consciousness of the Chinese people. For more than two thousand years, Confucianism has been repeatedly tested, replenished and enriched by generations of Chinese. It will continue to have an impact on their quest for a better future. (See Darwinism and Confucianism.)

The Vicious Circle of Regime Change

The history of the United States is so short that most Americans are ignorant of regime cycles and blindly optimistic about the status quo. In fact, any regime or political system has a life span, which can be as short as a few years or as long as a few hundred years. It will eventually be replaced by another regime or system. (See America Is in Big Trouble.)

But with thousands of years of history the Chinese understood that well. China has gone through thirty-one dynasties since its unification under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC (Qin pronounced chin). Among them, the nine longest-lived dynasties that ruled all of China are the Western Han Dynasty, 231 years, the Eastern Han Dynasty, 195 years, the Tang Dynasty, 289 Years, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, 103 years, the Northern Song Dynasty, 167 years, the Southern Song Dynasty, 152 years, the Yuan Dynasty, 162 years, the Ming Dynasty, 276 years, and the Qing Dynasty, 295 years. The rest are all less than a hundred years.

Every dynasty at its inception achieved a balance acceptable to all interest groups and political factions through redistribution of power, land, and wealth. Over time, that balance would be broken. Land was annexed again by the landlord class, wealth was reconcentrated into the hands of a few, and political power was seized by the new wealthy to serve their interests. When most people lost the means of production, the economy lost vitality. At the same time the regime was depraved by corruption, weakened by factionalism and partisan strifes, alienated into oligarchy, plutocracy, dictatorship, tyranny, militarism, etc. Bad governance and mismanagement such as profligacy, corruption, militancy, overspending, excessive taxation, heavy debts, uncontrolled issuance of currency, etc., eventually led to political, economic and financial failures, which were intensified by natural disasters, plagues, foreign invasions, rebellions, etc., causing the regime to collapse. The life span of a dynasty might vary, but the regime would peril regardless. Three hundred years is the upper limit of how long it takes for a regime to decay. In China, no dynasty, even among the most successful ones, survived for more than three hundred years. (See Democracy vs. Plutocracy.)

From their long history the Chinese have learned many things that countries with a short history do not know. For example, a country with a short history often pursues a policy of plundering, exploiting and bullying the weak, but the Chinese understand that the ultimate winner must be the one with justice, fairness, moral integrity, and support from the people (see Understanding China: Geography, Confucianism, and Chinese-Style Modernization). Based on this knowledge the Chinese instituted their current government, the People’s Republic of China. It is a government that is truly of the people, by the people and for the people, aimed at the well-being and prosperity of all its citizens rather than a small number of landlords, industrial tycoons and bankers. History has also taught the Chinese that one major cause of regime cycles is land annexation. To forestall the gradual concentration of resources in the hands of a few, land in China has been nationalized and distributed to the people for use, but buy and sale of land is prohibited. The Chinese have also learned that the dominance of capital over politics is one of the main causes of regime change. The state must put capital under state supervision on behalf of the people and not allow capital to influence political decisions in favor of special interests. History has also taught the Chinese that equality and common prosperity are the foundations of social stability; therefore, the government provides people with policies, opportunities, projects, and financial and technical supports to help them be successful in all kinds of business ventures, but prohibits them to use competitive advantages to form monopoly and cut off other people’s opportunities. This approach harnesses individual initiative while maintaining state oversight of capital to safeguard the interests of all people. That way, China has eliminated poverty, become the world's largest manufacturing powerhouse, and created the world’s largest middle class population.

History has also taught the Chinese to prevent regime cycles through good governance, meritocracy, collective leadership and continuous reform. They have learned from many hard lessons the dangers of absolute power by an individual leader, whether hereditary or elected, and established mechanisms for collective decision-making and age and term limits on officials to ensure leadership renewal and peaceful transitions. They select officials based on their character, abilities, experiences and achievements, not their rhetoric, promises and ideological nonsense. They have continuously carried out reforms to address the shortcomings within the system. These reforms include clean government, self-correction, disciplinary inspections, anti-corruption, people's supervision of the government, whistle-blowing and petitioning systems, and impeachment procedures, etc. Political decisions are made by consensus through research, inquiry, consultation and discussion rather than partisan fight. Thousands of years of political experiences have made the Chinese deeply aware of the dangers of partisan politics. Parties only represent special interests. Partisan fights severely weaken the government’s ability to govern and cause deep divisions among the people. Rotation in power by opposing parties leads to incoherent policies and makes long-term planning impossible. Voters are not always well-informed and rational, and can be easily manipulated by empty promises, emotional incitement and misinformation. The elected politicians tend to be sensational and lack moral and practical experience in governing. They work more for their donors and their own re-election than the long-term interests of the people. The current administration often takes irresponsible actions such as overspending, over borrowing and overprinting of money to benefit its own tenure, leaving disastrous consequences to future administrations. Without continuous reforms, these myopic practices motivated by self-interest will make a regime impossible to escape its historical cycle. (See Pluralism vs. Monism.)

Internal Memo to Our Members

We have resumed our weekly milonga since this June, showing our determination to face the pandemic with a positive attitude, our confidence in coping with the situation, and our willingness to put trust in each other in the group. COVID-19 will continue to be a fact of life for a long time. We cannot let it stop us living and dancing. But in order to do that we must be vigilant and take precautions to protect ourselves from the virus.

Unfortunately, what we are dealing with is not just the virus, we are also dealing with the selfish and irresponsible attitude of many people in this country. They put their personal liberty above the safety of others, continue to travel, party, attend public events, and resist any precaution that may restrict their personal freedom, including wearing masks, social distancing, quarantine and vaccination. America is the richest country with the best medical facilities and best medical staff in the world, yet there have been more than 50 million confirmed cases and more than 800,000 confirmed deaths in this country already, the worst record in the world. While in China, a country of 1.4 billion people, the virus has been contained long ago, in the US, with only a quarter of China’s population, the number of confirmed cases still exceeds 200,000 per day. The Americans are clearly more victims of their own crazy ideologies than coronavirus.

While the pandemic is still so severe, many public tango events, including festivals, marathons and encuentros in this country, have already resumed or are preparing to resume. We do not think that is a good idea under the circumstance. Letting a large number of people who come from various places and don’t know each other packed in a room dance tango in close embrace increases the risk of spreading the virus. It takes only one carrier to infect the entire herd, who then will bring the virus to the hotels they stay, restaurants they eat, airplanes they fly back, and to their homes. We believe the best way to enjoy tango during the pandemic is to have small private milongas among dancers who know each other well and are taking precautions. Different groups should not interact with each other to avoid cross-infection.

Out of these considerations, this group has formulated the following rules for our gatherings during the pandemic:

1. We are temporarily closed to the public. Please do not bring outsiders to dance during this period.

2. Participants must complete the vaccinations including the booster shot.

3. Wear masks and sanitize hands frequently during the gathering.

4. Dance only at this group and not any other group to avoid cross-infection.

5. Take preventive measures and avoid risky activities in your daily life.

6. Quarantine yourself for 7 days if you have suspected symptoms or may cause risks to the group after attending social gatherings, traveling by plane, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, etc. You need to be tested negative before returning to the group.

7. Be a vigilant and responsible team player.