or·i·gin/ˈôrəjən/nounThe point or place where something begins, arises, or is derived.For this article and the next (soon to be published), I decided to borrow a hallmark from Nonprophet and Modern Adversary, of selecting and defining a particular word that encapsulates the endeavor. Although, the words I have chosen do not inspire action, they harp on two key moments that require analysis during any crisis.
With the economy shut down and most parts of the country under quarantine, it has been difficult for people to adjust to the new standard of living. When people find themselves in the middle of a crisis, they often look for a scapegoat. They look for someone to blame. While the left points to Trump, and the right points to previous administrations, the truth is that it isn’t the fault of either side. It’s very easy to play Monday morning quarterback and say you would have handled things differently. But, the truth is you weren’t playing, and you’re not helping. More often than not, moments like these are never one person’s fault. There is always a culmination of decisions and practices over the span of years that lead up to a tragedy like the one which we’re experiencing.
Over the last three months, it has become clear to me that globalization is actually the root cause of this virus. While it is desirable for governments and economies to operate on an international scale, there are pitfalls. Morally, there is nothing wrong with globalization. However, in order for true globalism to be achieved, everyone needs to have the same intentions. There must be a leveled cooperation between everyone that partakes. The free markets work beautifully provided you have principled people. As stated in my last article, it is the populace being principled that makes a society work. When you boil it down, you have people in the world with good intentions and people in the world with bad intentions. The well-intentioned people get together to keep the poor-intentioned people in their place. This is what has happened on the global stage for decades since World War II, and the effort has mostly been lead by the United States of America.
The threat of communism and the desire to protect freedom and free market societies immediately led to the Cold War, following WWII. The ideological differences between the United States and the Soviet Union made conflict inevitable. The Cold War lasted from 1947 to 1991, with an estimated 8 trillion dollars spent by the United States to keep the Soviet Union contained. In 1972, President Richard Nixon traveled to China in an effort to drive a wedge between the Soviet Union and it’s neighboring communist nation. Although, Nixon’s visit and subsequent agreements with China succeeded in shifting the balance of the Cold War, it also opened China to the world economy. With Nixon’s decision to eliminate the gold standard, trade with China also provided tremendous economic opportunities. Re-establishing relations with the West allowed China to learn western business. They learned western management, marketing, and manufacturing. While I can understand the desire to neutralize a two pronged communist axis, this relationship legitimized the Chinese economy and allowed an unprincipled state to participate on the world stage.
The hope of opening China to the West, was that increased wealth and prosperity would lead them to see the value of democratic principles. It is safe to say this hasn’t happened and it is unlikely to happen as long as the Communist Party of China remains in control. Today, most large US companies are entirely dependent on Chinese manufacturing. Since the United States is China’s largest trading partner, they remain equally dependent on the US economy. In spite of this dependency, the ideological conflict continues. The enemy remains the same. Communism. Like the Soviet Union, China is trying to be better for itself. If there is anything a communist state hates more, it is to fail publicly. This pandemic has highlighted this insecurity spectacularly. It has become clear that China has lied about their knowledge of Covid-19. To maintain domestic and economic stability, they attempted to keep news and information on the virus contained. Like the Soviet Union, China’s image of prosperity mustn’t be blemished. As long as it looks good, it is good.
China is not living up to the moral standard. And, the proper response to this is patriotism. We must cut out the bad actor and solidify the base. It is evident that as a nation, we are suffering from the malaise of our success. As China looks to diminish their dependency on the United States, we have to start thinking about our security as a multidimensional objective. When and why did outsourcing vital industries to an adversarial state become a plausible idea? We are in a new Cold War. We need to understand this and make changes now. There must be a cohesive effort at a governmental level and at a societal level. We all must do our part. We must realize that we have over stretched our free market principles. Evidently, the “biggest bang for your buck” isn’t always the best way to go. Free market principles must be more nuanced. The free market may, in fact, be more free if it’s not always marching for the greatest profit margin. So, if you can afford it, buy goods made in the USA. Buy goods from our friends in Canada, Europe, and Japan. As this pandemic plays out, don’t get distracted by the politics. While I understand Trump’s intention in calling this the Chinese Flu, his aim is poor. Aim higher. This isn’t the Wuhan Flu or the China Flu.
This is a Communist Flu. Repeat as necessary.
“We would rather be ruined than changed. We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and see our illusions die.”
- W. H. Auden