China lacked a 'zero Covid' exit strategy. Its people are paying the price

japantimes.co.jp

3 points·warning26··3 comments

This is the great danger of having a single person making all the decisions for everybody; decision-making has to be more spread out. The initial decision worked; but then assuming it always would and not going out and getting better vaccines for narcissistic reasons, that's going to greatly increase the death toll.

Nothing in Marx insists on dictatorship by one person. The (Marxist term) "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie" did not refer to tyranny by one person, so it's absurd to hold that the "dictatorship of the proletariate" implies this, or can even tolerate it.

Own goal.

Yes there's a standing committee of the politburo, but we're back to Mao-like dominance over it and all other power centers.

"not going out and getting better vaccines for narcissistic reasons"

Not narcissism but the loss of face, which also means a loss of power. Which is the only thing Communists care about; compared to that the loss of a few million lives is nothing unless that also brings about a loss of power.

Narcissism is caring about how you appear (to others)- remember he's looking at himself reflected in the lake? It's caring about appearances and others opinions. That's face, precisely.

Selfishness is a different word entirely.

Also, Chinese culture has always cared immensely about face; the CCP not only didn't invent that, they've toned it down a bit (not much.)

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