There’s a word for this, the promotion of leaders based on merit instead of popularity - Technocracy. And it’s not a distinct ideology but a syncretic one that has been adopted by many groups with differing politics. The most prominent example would be the Technocratic faction of the People’s Republic of China, which was opposed to the Maoists back in the 50s and 60s; they argued for society to be led by experts instead of Democratically with a strong emphasis on Peasant participation (the standpoint of the Maoists). China today follows a moderate path taking from both factions.

In the West, however, Technocracy is mostly associated with Liberals; however, I would argue that the modern Liberal view of Technocracy is fundamentally flawed, since it relies on Capitalism distributing wealth meritocratically (which Socialists understand is not the case).

Lmao amazing

In my opinion, it’s far more likely for people to use AI as a weapon to kill people than for AI to “go rogue” and destroy humanity.

While humans are doing a fairly good job on their own of people psychopathic freaks, imagine a world where police robots are laying siege to neighborhoods, where corporations use AI to maximize efficiency without regard for human suffering.

The real danger of AI is the lack of liability. If a cop kills an innocent person, you can put him on trial. If a robot kills an innocent person, this will get written off as the unfortunate collateral of technological progress (and maybe the department will have to pay the family a fine, a fine that is just coming out of tax dollars anyways).

The problem isn’t as simple as “Spotify Bad”, you’re right.

It’s that the default contracts for artists are outdated, written for the world of cd and record sales. In the new world of streaming, artists need to bargain for greater rights to streaming proceeds in their contacts - and they’re working on it, but god knows the publishers don’t want to give anything up.

Spotify as a company barely makes money; I’ve heard they’re actually in the red. The villains are the labels, and Spotify and other streaming services are the weapon they are using to rip off their artists.

Removed by mod

It’s a little ironic to think that Trump twisting the arm of the more Hawkish party into a basically pro-Russia geopolitical position due to his personal business interests might be the only thing that saves the world from World War III.

Ecofascism

China has successfully reverted anything remotely socialist about the country over the last 40 years.

Again, I think the situation is more complicated than you give it credit for.

I am not a believer in Deng Xiaoping. I believe he was basically a Chinese Gorbachev, and attempted to destroy Socialism in China through Liberal reforms. The difference between the USSR and China is that, in China, they missed the “Yeltsin coups the government” step. They tried, in the June 4th Incident, and failed. And now that most of the grifters are dead or dying, we’re left with the principled Socialists who believe in Socialism with Chinese Characteristics; and it turns out that, so long as the Communist Party maintains its integrity (and, by and large, it has), the building of Productive Forces through a mixed-system economy is actually really great. It’s what Gorbachev wanted for the USSR before Yeltsin’s coup.

China is still in the early stages of their transition from a market system to a Socialist one, but they have made great strides in this regard. They’ve nationalized industries, they’re building trade infrastructure with other countries to rival the West, they actually enforce anti-corruption laws, they’ve completely eradicated extreme poverty. They’ve eliminated privatized schooling, they’re constantly modernizing rural life by moving villagers to apartment complexes and single-family suburban homes. Xi Jinping grew up in a cave sleeping on a stone bed - heated with a dung fire - with his entire extended family. Now these sorts of living arrangements are preserved to be toured by newer generations as “how your grandfather used to live”. This is the success of Socialism in China.

I think things are more nuanced in China than most people give credit for. The difference between the market system in China versus the market system in the United States is that in China, Business is subordinate to the Party, while in America, the Parties are subordinate to Business.

Communist Party leaders don’t need campaign donations from billionaires to win elections, and every business of substantial size has party officials stationed in their offices to check for compliance with State mandates. The same way Americans are taught the value of Liberal Democracy in schools by default, in China, children are given Marxist literature and treat Socialism as an obvious moral good. America is a cynical country, and because of this, we view all other countries with the same cynicism. China is not a cynical country. Chinese people actually believe in their government, and in Socialism. And Communist Party officials are people; most are middle-class (much less oligarchic than the millionaire-stuffed American Congress) and believe generally in Socialist ideals. Just like how in America bureaucrats need to believe that they are “doing the right thing” for the preservation of Liberal Democracy, in China, Chinese bureaucrats believe they are building Socialism. Ultimately, this belief is the only important thing; as long as the Chinese people do not become cynical, the Socialism is real. What Westerners on the internet think of it does not matter a bit.

You only need to look at how China deals with the super-rich. Despite only having a couple hundred of them, China has executed dozens of billionaires; further dozens have been murdered, committed suicide, or jailed. I can only find data from 2011 (72 dead, no data for prisoners), but they haven’t stopped, and I would be willing to bet the number is well over 100 by today. If Billionaires were truly in charge in China, don’t you think they would object to the government executing and imprisoning them?

Ultimately, while they deserve it, high inheritance taxes on the Petite Bourgeoisie are not the goal; it’s very high inheritance taxes on the super-rich. If a man with a billion dollars dies, 950 million (if not more) should go to the government.

Chinese Military Aircraft, Ships Make Provocative Passes Through Chinese Airspace/Waters