[lbo-talk] Perfect symmetry on display at Chinese victory parade

[Marv Gandall]

Most people in capitalist societies conditioned to celebrate individualism and fear collectivism would not view these spectacular images as “a highly aesthetically pleasing event, with bright colors, sharp lines and perfect symmetry.” They would be more apt to reflexively react to them as the embodiment of a regimented totalitarian state. One need not be in contradiction to the other, though China’s one party state has retreated from many spheres of public life since restoring widespread private ownership and foreign investment in the economy. 

If China had a two-party system, it would more closely resemble other capitalist states where left- and right-centre parties alternate in government. Mass pressure for such political change has been blunted to date by China’s extraordinary economic growth and rising standard of living. If China’s growth were to slow precipitously and popular unrest rise proportionately, it’s conceivable that the state could provide for the formation of a competing pro-capitalist party and an electoral system functioning as a safety valve for mass discontent - the origin and outstanding characteristic of all modern parliamentary democracies.  

See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/china-world-war-ii-military-parade_55e843a6e4b0aec9f3561cb4?ir=World%253Fncid%253Dnewsltushpmg00000003