Who doesn't love us?

"El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First!" (lightningzone) 10/02/2014 at 15:52 • Filed to: None

4

11

.

Is motherfuckin' dead, because freedom and bacon and puppies and apple pie...

GhostZ > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/02/2014 at 15:58

1

I wonder if 100 years ago people in Britain made the same remark about themselves and how much of the world they controlled and influenced at the time.

EL_ULY > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/02/2014 at 16:02

0

whoooo! Murica \m/

Jayhawk Jake > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/02/2014 at 16:03

0

That bottom thing looks like a sticker.

IF it's a sticker, I need it

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > GhostZ 10/02/2014 at 16:04

1

I'm pretty sure some of them did, self irony is a part of the British humor, if I remember correctly.

dogisbadob > El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! 10/02/2014 at 16:06

0

circle tool cheat!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Jayhawk Jake 10/02/2014 at 16:08

0

It's a vector graphic on DeviantArt. I know, I had to go looking for it as well.

http://www.deviantart.com/art/AmericaBal…

To have a sticker, you'd actually have to get it made yourself.

El Relámpago(LZone) - Humanity First! > Jayhawk Jake 10/02/2014 at 16:14

0

Nope, just deviantART pictures , made to become stickers.

Still, you can always make your own stickers.

djmt1 > GhostZ 10/02/2014 at 16:22

1

Naturally of course, it was our turn after all. I guess it will be China's turn soon but they already got me with their food.

GhostZ > djmt1 10/02/2014 at 16:46

2

Being a World Hegemon requires 3 things:

1. Military strength to be able to determine conflicts between other countries

2. Cultural Influence to be able to dominate business and economics in other countries.

3. Technological (Academic and Economic) influence to sustain an advantageous position ahead of any other countries.

For China to have it's time, it would have to cripple the US military, build a much larger military of their own, and be able to produce goods worldwide that would leverage the economy solely on them.

China is well on its way to accomplishing #2, but the problem is that a vast majority of its exports are for US-based companies . It's largest export is computers, but there are no major Chinese computer manufacturers.

Just take a look at the top 50 companies in China, and try to guess which ones of them actually produce influencing products on other countries. Shockingly few, really, and those that do are in Hong Kong. this means that while they might have an economic chokehold on the labor market, they are not a world superpower in the sense that they can directly influence other economies with their advances in business, because their income is still directly tied to the income of the US-based businesses that control the financing behind the means of production. In other words, China is becoming far more "American" than America is becoming Chinese.

They're trying to gain an advantage in #1 through telecommunications systems and cryptography. Right now Chinese's invasion plan, should they have to repel or attack the US Western Coast, is to use grid-wide infiltration to cause misinformation and disuprtion long enough to delay the Aircraft carriers so that they can get the DF-21 missiles out and take out the few Aircraft carriers the US has left. This is why it's such a concern that the US is losing a few carriers in the near future (dropping from 11 to soon 9) because it means they would only have 2 targets, not 3, necessary to punch a hole through the US defense strategy. It's an interesting situation really that's just now unfolding in the last half a decade or so.

As for #3, China severely lacks the laboratory, educational, and technology investment to be able to compete technologically with the US. Our national laboratories (Argonne, Livermore, etc.) and government research is still top-notch, and the thinktanks at Boeing, Lockheed, and Northrop Grumman are cutting edge. China's economy can get as big as it wants, if they lack the institutional intelligence to be able to design, test, and build new things (such as clean energy, advanced weapons, efficiency social data systems, etc.) then they will always play catch-up. Which wouldn't be a problem if they were on an equal footing militarily (as they could 'out spend" the US) but they are so far behind in terms of military strength that an eceonomic gap likely isn't enough to really cover it.

In other, other words, China could usurp the US as the world hegemon, but it would take 50-100 years of US decline, not 20-40.

djmt1 > GhostZ 10/02/2014 at 17:05

0

Wow just wow.

I wasn't expecting an essay in response to the snark but I'm glad I got it.

Kudos to you good sir.

GhostZ > djmt1 10/02/2014 at 17:09

1

DO I LOOK LIKE A CASUAL COMMENTER?!

GET ON MY LEVEL!