• queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Exploitation of cheap labor and resources in the global south, which create artificially cheap commodities to subsidize their lifestyles.

    Exporting environmentally destructive resource extraction and production to the global south, allowing them to reap the benefits of plastics and meat without suffering the costs of massive amounts of pollution and hyper-exploitation of local workers.

    Being welcomed under the umbrella of America/NATO protection instead of being labeled as one of its enemies.

    Like, come on.

    • GoodEye8@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Exploitation of cheap labor and resources in the global south, which create artificially cheap commodities to subsidize their lifestyles.

      Exporting environmentally destructive resource extraction and production to the global south, allowing them to reap the benefits of plastics and meat without suffering the costs of massive amounts of pollution and hyper-exploitation of local workers.

      So, like every developed country in the world? Even post-soviet countries that never even existed before 1991 are imperialistic? Who would’ve thunk.

      Being welcomed under the umbrella of America/NATO protection instead of being labeled as one of its enemies.

      You do realize that countries technically speaking Sweden is not even in the NATO yet and a year ago neither Sweden or Finland were in NATO and had no intention to join NATO until Russia threatened them? They achieved their welfare states before they decided to join NATO. Does that retroactively turn them imperialistic?

      Like, come on.

      Yeah, come on. Use your brain for once and don’t just spew tankie bullshit.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        So, like every developed country in the world? Even post-soviet countries that never even existed before 1991 are imperialistic? Who would’ve thunk.

        Every first world country in the world. The second world (post-soviet countries) aren’t really allowed to benefit from imperialism.

        Surely you’ve noticed how much worse off they are? Do you think that’s just because the USSR ruined them and they still haven’t recovered? Do you not realize how much better things were before the West’s so-called “shock therapy” destroyed all of their social programs?

        You do realize that countries technically speaking Sweden is not even in the NATO yet and a year ago neither Sweden or Finland were in NATO and had no intention to join NATO until Russia threatened them? They achieved their welfare states before they decided to join NATO. Does that retroactively turn them imperialistic?

        Sweden still fell under the umbrella of protection! Do you really think if Russia invaded Sweden a year ago that the US would allow it?

        Use your brain.

        • GoodEye8@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Every first world country in the world. The second world (post-soviet countries) aren’t really allowed to benefit from imperialism.

          Lol, what? Do you think the products made from the resources from southern countries don’t end up in post-soviet countries? Do you think they still drive Ladas there? Those countries ABSOLUTELY have cheap commodities imported in to subsidize their developed country lifestyles. Not to the same extent as the big players, but we’ll get to why that is.

          Surely you’ve noticed how much worse off they are?

          Are they? They are worse, but depending on the region not by much. Take a look yourself, The same report that puts Nordic countries at the top has Czechia (formerly a part of Czechoslovakia) just a smidge below US and UK and actually above Belgium and France. Now you can argue “that’s a satellite state and not an actual USSR aligned country” but it’s not like Estonia is that far behind and according to the CCCP Estonia was hardcore in the CCCP, you know ECCP.

          Do you think that’s just because the USSR ruined them and they still haven’t recovered?

          Well, kinda. Most of those countries have issues with a Russian minority who refuse to integrate into the local culture. It creates tensions in their societies which then hinders their progress. It’s going to take at least another generation or two before that issue essentially “solves itself”. And remember, that’s an issue only because the CCCP did deliberate mass deportation of locals into foreign lands. You can still find some Baltic people in Siberia, not because they want to be there but because they were forced to be there.

          Do you not realize how much better things were before the West’s so-called “shock therapy” destroyed all of their social programs?

          Unlike you I actually know how thing were before and things were pretty shit before the collapse, it’s literally one of the reasons the Soviet union collapsed. Sure things right after the collapse were worse but guess what, in less than 10 years it was already better than the end of union. The “shock therapy” didn’t destroy all social programs, it restarted the economy and social programs got rebuilt. Overall a net positive.

          Sweden still fell under the umbrella of protection! Do you really think if Russia invaded Sweden a year ago that the US would allow it?

          The fuck kind of a stupid question is this? Obviously US wouldn’t allow it, but it’s not like the EU would allow it either. And it’s a stupid question because Sweden (and most neighbors of Russia) wouldn’t even need the umbrella of protection if Russia wasn’t such a fucking asshole towards its neighbors. Just to prove that point Finland and Russia had normal relations, until Putin decided to threaten them out of nowhere and now Finland is in NATO because Russia acted like an asshole. The umbrella of protection point has literally nothing to do with how well Nordic countries are doing. You could argue that the umbrella would mean they don’t have to spend that much on defense, but guess what else would make them spend less on defense? If Russia wasn’t such a fucking prick. Regardless they’re still doing well.

          • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            you think the products made from the resources from southern countries don’t end up in post-soviet countries?

            I think they don’t benefit from it. Products made from the resources from southern countries end up in southern countries too! That’s not the point.

            The benefit of superexploitation is being able to make commodities artificially cheap in the imperial core relative to wages in the imperial core. In post-soviet countries these products aren’t actually cheap relative to their own incomes, they have to pay a significant portion of their wages to afford them.

            The “shock therapy” didn’t destroy all social programs, it restarted the economy and social programs got rebuilt. Overall a net positive.

            I’m working my way through Red Hangover, and that really doesn’t seem to be the case. Maybe 1 in 10 people living in the post-soviet sphere have benefitted. Neoliberalism is nightmare.

            The fuck kind of a stupid question is this? Obviously US wouldn’t allow it, but it’s not like the EU would allow it either.

            So there you go. Sweden benefits from Western militarism.