this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2025
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Fuck Cars

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Yes I know China is also technically capitalist but you understand the idea

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[–] caboose2006@lemm.ee 17 points 1 day ago

We should also put "communism" in quotations too.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 33 points 2 days ago (3 children)

China is as communist as the vatican is good for kids

But sure let us be blinded by propaganda and ignore that the trains in china are held together by ducktape, rails are unsafe and got build with slave labor :)

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

nd ignore that the trains in china are held together by ducktape, rails are unsafe and got build with slave labor :)

?? I don't love china but ignoring the enormous amount of investment they've made is silly. that's what it is, investment. The amount of roads and rail in the last 20 years should give anyone pause, instead of discounting it.

[–] OrteilGenou@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

To be fair, they played a significant part in building American railroads too, so that original point is a bit off to begin with

[–] GoodOleAmerika@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Don't think u have travelled to china. Their rail system is fantastic. All out train in US looks like came from steel mill from Philadelphia. Boxy trash and slow af

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[–] nandeEbisu@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

The rails are good, but a bit rushed planning wise. Haven't been to China, but the biggest complaints I've heard are more "they stuck a station in a super inconvenient spot so they could show progress on the project"

The trains and track seem to have been well built though.

[–] fenpy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

USA, the biggest commies then, and now.

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 109 points 2 days ago (5 children)

right right... which part of China is communist again? is it the permanent oligarchy? the reeducation camps? the low-paying factory jobs that make the owner class rich?

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"Reeducation camps". You spelled concentration camps wrong. Greetings from germany

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 1 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

Potato, tomato...

Concentration camp is where you go when you really need to focus on learning to be a better ~~wage slave~~ ~~party member~~ ~~patriot~~ ~~nationalist lunatic~~ citizen.

[–] 52fighters@lemmy.sdf.org 33 points 2 days ago (1 children)

China is about a fascist as they come. One virtue doesn't eliminate 100 vices.

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 21 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Say what you want about the PRC, they make the trains run on time.

(the secret ingredient is slave labor!)

[–] regul@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The US has slave labor and all they do is pick cotton and staff call centers. If I'm living in a state with slave labor either way I'd probably take the one with the trains.

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago

(the secret ingredient is slave labor!)

Same as any colonizer.

[–] regul@lemm.ee 28 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Well we've got all that in the US already, so can we just do the version where we get trains in addition to the other stuff, instead of just the other stuff?

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 18 points 2 days ago

Ha ha, no. Petroleum lobby needs a new pair of shoes.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

China's nationwide passenger rail network doesn't really care if you have a valid point or not.

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 1 points 13 hours ago

Yes, comrade, we have the best trains. They are most efficient for getting workers to the labor camps. We must work hard to build the glorious future for ~~dear leader~~ our people!

[–] HappyFrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I was reading the post as a reply to republicans who are saying china is bad because of communism.

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 1 points 13 hours ago

republicans who are saying china is bad because of communism.

Yes, well, those are some very confused people who wouldn't know communism from a hole in the ground.

They're a lot like the people on .ml and hexbear, even some of the people on .world.

[–] Justas@sh.itjust.works 24 points 2 days ago

Spain is better at building high speed rail infrastructure than China is. The problem is not the economic system, it's what lobby groups are in charge.

[–] Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 days ago

Long term rule by a single party dedicated to improving infrastructure would do that. Let's not kid ourselves that the CCP is all sunshine and rainbows though.

[–] magic_lobster_party@fedia.io 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It’s more like American car centric culture vs rest of the world.

[–] callyral@pawb.social 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

well not the entire rest of the world... source: living in Brazil

[–] magic_lobster_party@fedia.io 2 points 1 day ago

I see Brazil the same way as an artist going on world tour

[–] bort@aussie.zone 20 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Now do Vietnam vs Japan or Switzerland

[–] Melonpoly@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (8 children)

I guess the rest of Asia and Europe don't count?

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[–] remon@ani.social 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Really, your example for the "free market" transportation in the US is Amtrack? ... in a car community?

This is just a tanky shitpost.

[–] destructdisc@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)

In an anti car community. Considering the US proudly proclaims itself the champion of the free market, yeah, it's only fitting to use Amtrak as the example.

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[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago (3 children)

And all the libertarians cry about is how it's not real free markets and that's why we don't have nice trains and public education etc. not understanding that it's government funding and regulations that's just barely keeping everything (pun intended) on the rails in the first place.

[–] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 27 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Libertarians are like house cats. Completely dependent on a system they neither understand nor appreciate and fiercely confident of their own independence.

fiercely confident of their own independence

In fairness, if you let the average cat out into nature it would be fine. Dump the average libertarian into nature and they wont last the night.

well if the govt didn't push cars so much, there would be more trains

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I've never heard any libertarian say the free market would provide trains. Maybe an ancap would go so far...

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[–] lemmy12369@midwest.social 15 points 2 days ago

I’d trade all parking spots for more trains in my city.

[–] TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

For some reason, people still act like capitalism and socialism (or communism) are mutually exclusive, that an economy must be one or the other. But if you look at essentially every national economy on the planet today, they are all some mix of the socialist mode of production (when the means of production are owned by the government, or a group of workers, or a community) and the capitalist mode of production (when the means of production are owned by a private individual or group of investors, operating for a profit). Almost no economy is exclusively one or the other.

It is true that in most countries with robust high speed rail, there is significant government involvement, like planning and building infrastructure, subsidies, or just providing rail travel as a public service. I definitely think that for a national rail service network to work, you need to do some planning. Here in the US, government and planning are bad words, but clearly they needn't be.

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Socialism and communism are not when the state does stuff.

Socialism/communism is workers owning the means of production. This is exceedingly rare and constantly attacked whenever it exists. Almost every state is overwhelmingly capitalist. That's a primary purpose of the state.

[–] tonytins@pawb.social 9 points 2 days ago (5 children)

As much as I love Amtrak, I have to agree.

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[–] demizerone@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

We haVe $100k+ SuVs!

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