[pm90]

I know this comment has been downvoted, but I think in light of current events it does deserve merit. China has managed to do a spectacular job of lifting its populace from abject poverty... while spectacularly abusing human rights and flagrantly violating rules of law and due process. But the American system, if it continues to be dominated by rich oligarchs...how does it work for the benefit of its weakest citizens? I really hope that it does not turn out that way, but you can't deny that it isn't a possibility, with the current US president calling the media "Enemy no.1", not having any respect for independent judiciary, attacking other religions etc.

[thablackbull]

I purposely came off rude in my comment - probably contributed to the down votes. But I do think it's a big worry for many people here in the west when an ideology that is diametrically opposed to what we are use to over here is not only succeeding but thriving. It feels like people here have already given up; on Reddit, the buzzword is now basic income (i.e., give me free stuff). Pew survey shows Americans are essentially expecting to regress while people in China are very optimistic.

"When children today grow up, will they be better off financially than their parents?" http://www.pewglobal.org/database/indicator/74/survey/17/res...

People want change, but they're unwilling to consider anything else - democracy, like all systems have pros and cons. Learning from the successes of China doesn't automatically mean adopting the full ideology.