This is so much more reason that these tankies deserve tbh. I appreciate you taking the time to put it into words.
These people should actually try talking to foreigners, students and immigrants. The picture Ukrainian refugees and Taiwanese students paint is a lot less forgiving than the completely unsubstantiated, pseudo-intellectuslist “but that’s CIA propaganda” arguments these authoritarian “leftists” like to throw around. I’m sure such first-hand accounts would be as readily dismissed, mind you, because the goal is clearly not to have an honest discussion to begin with.
I have. I taught Chinese students at the same time as those Taiwanese ones, and having them in a room together was often a challenge. The brainwashed ideologies the Chinese students often held in the face of evidence was much like that of fervent MAGA supporters.
The only thing I can say with absolute certainty is that Nationalism is fucked, whether it’s the American or the Chinese brand.