this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2026
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And what exactly is the difference between Western imperialism and other kinds of imperialism?
There really isn't anything comparable to western imperialism, and western imperialism is the single largest barrier to human progress around the world. What is it with whataboutism?
I know your question is rhetorical, because you always, always cape for the imperial core, but: Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism
“Western” is inaccurate. The fascist Japanese empire was a monopoly-stage capitalist empire much like the others, and Japan is still a junior partner today’s neocolonialism, but it’s never been “Western.”
This isn’t about cultures or genetics or location on the map, but about ownership of the means of production, international power dynamics, and sovereignty. It’s about imperialism vs anti-imperialism.
Star Wars Was A Vietnam War Allegory
So similiarly to Russia today? Is Russia also part of "western imperialism"?
One is an actual problem for the world and the other exists as a hypothetical?
So Chinese military presence in Africa is not imperialism?
Nope.
Is that what imperialism means to you? Can you show me this Chinese military presence? Because it doesn't fill me with confidence that you can't get any more specific than the name of the continent.
what do you think etcetera at lemmy dot ml might think about the subject?
Why would you think .ml users would be uncritical to China? We just like our western imperialism balanced by eastern imperialism, thank you.
Perfectly balanced. As all things should be. To much to one side... or the other...
I remember the time before I learned much 20th century history, I was saying dumb shit like this all the time
Like how, unironically? Wow :D
Depending on the context, it could just be who's doing it. Star Wars was originally specifically an allegory for the Vietnam War, which was a war of Western imperialism because the two countries making it a war rather than a country gaining its independence were France (who'd conquered Vietnam as part of their empire and weren't happy that the Vietnamese didn't want to be in their empire) and the US (who wanted to stop communists gaining power anywhere), both of which are Western countries. It was about that war in particular rather than imperialism in general because that war in particular was the one that was a big deal for the target audience at the time - if Lucas had been Japanese and making the film decades earlier, maybe he'd have made it an allegory for something else, but he wasn't, so he made the film he made.
"And what exactly" makes you sound offended.
Euro-imperial chauvinist brainworms.