this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2025
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Fuck Cars

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Yes I know China is also technically capitalist but you understand the idea

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[–] caboose2006@lemm.ee 17 points 2 days ago

We should also put "communism" in quotations too.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 28 points 2 days ago (5 children)

China is as communist as the vatican is good for kids

But sure let us be blinded by propaganda and ignore that the trains in china are held together by ducktape, rails are unsafe and got build with slave labor :)

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

nd ignore that the trains in china are held together by ducktape, rails are unsafe and got build with slave labor :)

?? I don't love china but ignoring the enormous amount of investment they've made is silly. that's what it is, investment. The amount of roads and rail in the last 20 years should give anyone pause, instead of discounting it.

[–] OrteilGenou@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

To be fair, they played a significant part in building American railroads too, so that original point is a bit off to begin with

[–] GoodOleAmerika@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Don't think u have travelled to china. Their rail system is fantastic. All out train in US looks like came from steel mill from Philadelphia. Boxy trash and slow af

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[–] BrainInABox@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 days ago (2 children)

trains in china are held together by ducktape, rails are unsafe and got build with slave labor :)

Speaking of being blinded by propaganda...

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[–] nandeEbisu@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

The rails are good, but a bit rushed planning wise. Haven't been to China, but the biggest complaints I've heard are more "they stuck a station in a super inconvenient spot so they could show progress on the project"

The trains and track seem to have been well built though.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

China is a Socialist country run by a Communist party, which is why the overwhelming majority of major Communist orgs recognize it as such. The economy is dominated by the public sector, which controls the large majority of key industries and large firms. They aren't fully developed post-scarcity Communist yet, but they are developing through Socialism.

Further, Chinese infrastructure is good. The rails are safe and the trains aren't held together with duct tape, and they aren't made with slave labor. This is just chauvanism.

[–] will_steal_your_username@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

They are not socialist in the slightest. That requires the workers to own the means of production, which they do not.

Edit: To expand on this companies are organized the same way as in capitalism because they are capitalist. Workers at the bottom, management in the middle, and rich capitalists at the top.

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[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 107 points 3 days ago (6 children)

right right... which part of China is communist again? is it the permanent oligarchy? the reeducation camps? the low-paying factory jobs that make the owner class rich?

[–] regul@lemm.ee 31 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Well we've got all that in the US already, so can we just do the version where we get trains in addition to the other stuff, instead of just the other stuff?

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 19 points 3 days ago

Ha ha, no. Petroleum lobby needs a new pair of shoes.

[–] 52fighters@lemmy.sdf.org 29 points 3 days ago (2 children)

China is about a fascist as they come. One virtue doesn't eliminate 100 vices.

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 17 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Say what you want about the PRC, they make the trains run on time.

(the secret ingredient is slave labor!)

[–] regul@lemm.ee 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The US has slave labor and all they do is pick cotton and staff call centers. If I'm living in a state with slave labor either way I'd probably take the one with the trains.

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[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"Reeducation camps". You spelled concentration camps wrong. Greetings from germany

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Potato, tomato...

Concentration camp is where you go when you really need to focus on learning to be a better ~~wage slave~~ ~~party member~~ ~~patriot~~ ~~nationalist lunatic~~ citizen.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

China's nationwide passenger rail network doesn't really care if you have a valid point or not.

[–] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 1 points 1 day ago

Yes, comrade, we have the best trains. They are most efficient for getting workers to the labor camps. We must work hard to build the glorious future for ~~dear leader~~ our people!

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[–] fenpy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

USA, the biggest commies then, and now.

[–] Justas@sh.itjust.works 23 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Spain is better at building high speed rail infrastructure than China is. The problem is not the economic system, it's what lobby groups are in charge.

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[–] magic_lobster_party@fedia.io 18 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It’s more like American car centric culture vs rest of the world.

[–] callyral@pawb.social 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

well not the entire rest of the world... source: living in Brazil

[–] magic_lobster_party@fedia.io 2 points 2 days ago

I see Brazil the same way as an artist going on world tour

[–] bort@aussie.zone 20 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Now do Vietnam vs Japan or Switzerland

[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 22 points 3 days ago (5 children)

And all the libertarians cry about is how it's not real free markets and that's why we don't have nice trains and public education etc. not understanding that it's government funding and regulations that's just barely keeping everything (pun intended) on the rails in the first place.

[–] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Libertarians are like house cats. Completely dependent on a system they neither understand nor appreciate and fiercely confident of their own independence.

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[–] Melonpoly@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (10 children)

I guess the rest of Asia and Europe don't count?

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[–] remon@ani.social 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Really, your example for the "free market" transportation in the US is Amtrack? ... in a car community?

This is just a tanky shitpost.

[–] destructdisc@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

In an anti car community. Considering the US proudly proclaims itself the champion of the free market, yeah, it's only fitting to use Amtrak as the example.

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[–] Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 days ago

Long term rule by a single party dedicated to improving infrastructure would do that. Let's not kid ourselves that the CCP is all sunshine and rainbows though.

[–] lemmy12369@midwest.social 17 points 3 days ago

I’d trade all parking spots for more trains in my city.

[–] tonytins@pawb.social 10 points 3 days ago (5 children)

As much as I love Amtrak, I have to agree.

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[–] TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

For some reason, people still act like capitalism and socialism (or communism) are mutually exclusive, that an economy must be one or the other. But if you look at essentially every national economy on the planet today, they are all some mix of the socialist mode of production (when the means of production are owned by the government, or a group of workers, or a community) and the capitalist mode of production (when the means of production are owned by a private individual or group of investors, operating for a profit). Almost no economy is exclusively one or the other.

It is true that in most countries with robust high speed rail, there is significant government involvement, like planning and building infrastructure, subsidies, or just providing rail travel as a public service. I definitely think that for a national rail service network to work, you need to do some planning. Here in the US, government and planning are bad words, but clearly they needn't be.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 14 points 3 days ago (8 children)

Social programs are not Socialism. The government doing stuff is not Socialism. You cannot take aspects of a society out of their context and analyze them discretely. The United States does not have a "Socialist" millitary. Socialism is a mode of production determined by public ownership being the principle aspect of the economy, ie large firms and key industries being firmly public, as opposed to Capitalism where private ownership is the principle aspect.

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[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Socialism and communism are not when the state does stuff.

Socialism/communism is workers owning the means of production. This is exceedingly rare and constantly attacked whenever it exists. Almost every state is overwhelmingly capitalist. That's a primary purpose of the state.

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