I wonder if “My Take” author Alex Lo understands the point himself. That he follows the "herd mentality" on the Gaza war. In which he has strongly opined, strongly following the herd.
The herd, right around the western world, the vast demonstrations in capitals like London, Paris, Washington, Sydney, who support Hamas, who parrot their genocidal chants, who call for the death of Israel, who yell for the death of America, who long, even, for the end of the West. The "colonial-settler" West. That herd. Which Lo himself is so cosy in.
Is there a herd mentality to the other side, the "I side with Israel" side?
No doubt. But it's much smaller. It's riven by internal debates and contradictions, the likes of which don't happen in the Alex Lo herd.
And yet it is ultimately more right, more just. One can say that. I do say that.
For in all disputes — yes, even in domestic ones — there's always one side that is more just, more ethical, more correct. And in the Gaza battle it's a society that stands for democracy, free speech, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, freedom to worship, freedom to live vs a society that is the opposite of every one of those freedoms, has in its Charter the specific, actual, written-down aim to kill the Jews, which worships death, which is a death cult. It says so: "we worship death more than you worship life". I'd say that's a pretty clear moral choice. Except to the other herd!
On the rather more mundane main issue in the article — China GDP vs U.S. GDP growth— neither Alex Lo nor the man he quotes, British economist John Ross, points out that academic studies on China's GDP throw shade on the reliability of their figures. If the incentive on local officials is to meet a growth target, bingo! they'll meet the growth target. (Not to mention the fact that Dr Ross is a Trotskyist, a supporter of the notorious "Red Ken" Livingstone, and thus pretty suss — at least to me, hater of socialism, as I am).
A better way to estimate China's GDP is by proxies. Like comparing detailed satellite imagery of China's nighttime lights over time, because GDP moves in line with electricity production. Or following train movements: more train movements, higher GDP. Numerous proxy studies have shown consistent over-estimates of official China GDP figures.
Meanwhile the United States seems to me set for renewed burst of growth, driven by Artificial Intelligence, robotics, space and electrification. It may have reached Peak Woke. Cross fingers.
Sent from my iPad
