Distracted by Mr. Potato Head while Rome burns

While our culture is in division and we are distracted with first world issues like canceling Mr. Potato Head, Pepe LePew and Dr. Suess, it is interesting to me the juxtaposition of having one of our top award shows, the Grammys, almost simultaneously showcasing women entertainers rolling all over on the floor while singing a song with words we can’t even print because it would be considered pornographic.

While we are being ridiculous, creating race wars and infecting our children with critical race theory, opening our borders while our businesses, schools and churches are locked down and in the middle of it all we have a leader who doesn’t seem able to hold a news conference. And the rest of the world is watching us implode.

China took advantage of our cultural turmoil and racial division this week during the first set of talks with the new administration.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken rightly voiced concern with China’s authoritarian measures, including human rights issues; Muslim Uyghur reeducation camps, which are concentration camps for Muslims who are being punished for practicing their faith or for expressing differing political views; the diminishing autonomy of Hong Kong, Taiwan, The Belt and Road Initiative, providing funding and building infrastructure for countries which mortgages their future in exchange for control of their ports which gives China economic control of those countries and access to their valuable resources, mining, grain, etc.

While each side was supposed to stick with a two-minute time limit, Yang Jiechi, foreign affairs chief of Chinese Communist Party, launched into a diatribe that was over 15 minutes long which seemed preplanned. He was speaking with authority, and it was clearly a show of power to the world. Blinkin was visibly irritated and rightfully so.

The gist of it was that China accused the U.S. of “slaughtering Black people and said Americans have little faith in democracy” as talk tensions flared.

Certainly, they don’t really believe that the government is sanctioning the death of Black people, but they are using our weaknesses and the tensions that have escalated in the U.S. and the narrative and rhetoric that the media, Democrats and groups like Black Lives Matter have promoted.

I think this powerplay is also the reason a group of our diplomats sent by the Biden administration to China were forcefully subjected to anal swab COVID-19 checks, which China later apologized for. They are showing the world who is boss. Would that have happened during Trump? I don’t think so.

When Trump went to China, there was a huge welcoming ceremony and celebration of the U.S. president meeting on Chinese soil. His policies were tough, even though Xi and Trump were so friendly. It was all part of the negotiations. Trump put tough tariffs on China, and they were being cordial to try and get those removed. There was symbolism and substance.

China sees and exploits our weaknesses and hyper polarization while they use their authoritarian power to accomplish their goals. They don’t need troops on our soil. They are using fourth and fifth generational warfare with the media, political warfare, cultural warfare and cyber warfare.

As for us, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

We better get our act together and stop sowing division, class and racial hatred and figure it out because we are just creating opportunity for authoritarian rule not only in our own country but from outside as well.

Julie Reeder can be reached by email at [email protected].

KEYWORDS: Opinion, China, Culture, Division,