They’re probably just milking the market.

Oof.

It’s about that, too.

This is exactly how my meth head sister raised my nephew.

Freak out and punish him, assign him chores to “get out of it,” and then let him off the hook when she wanted to fight with her husband. But always kept the threat of punishment looming.

Cool.

I think some of you guys are reading way too much into this.

Trump is having a dick measuring contest while Xi is letting him fuck himself.

We rely on China more than they rely on us. Think about how obsessed we are with low prices. Trade with China brings our average prices on goods way down. China also trades with the rest of the world, and they know they can weather a trade war with the US.

China is the next world leader unless the West can somehow right the ship. WW3 is going to be about who becomes the next Economy and de-facto world leader.

For anyone who needs to hear it: Authoritarian states do not think like people, they think like empires. If you were an empire, would you take advantage of the current climate?

Disclaimer: Both China and the US are authoritarian states, strictly speaking. But the State is not unified under Trump currently, so we’re seeing a combination of thinking like a state and thinking like a person coming from the US, depending on the source.

This is a general reply to most of your replies in this post…

Everything isn’t trauma. Trauma is relative.

You keep minimizing things, saying stuff like “One joke” or “A bruise.”

You are disregarding the context of repetition and time.

Imagine getting 15 quarter size bruises a day over the course of several years. Is that not trauma?

I don’t know why this is such a pain-point for you, but a little empathy would probably help.

juSt Be yOUrSeLF

Your mom’s a coward!

…and that’s exactly what a bot would SAY!

I thought it made Zelenskyy look good.

He was pleading for his people’s protection, while calling the US out on it’s bullshit.

Trump and co just looked like a bunch of dick heads.

One has money.

If I recall correctly, it’s about destabilizing the Dollar and making their (China and Russia’s) financial system become the world standard…

It all comes down to money. It always does.

I like to pull back a little and see my life from a 3rd person every now and then, while trying to keep a logical and optimistic mindset.

It’s gotten me through a lot in the last 5+ years.

It’s a proxy war, and the US is “mask off” authoritarian now, so neither side gives a fcuk what Ukraine thinks.