The screenshots of the game don’t look bad.
Certainly worth a try!

But that free international market argument applies to all (well, most of all…) countries, which is exactly my point. Modern China is as exploitative as any other highly developed modern country, independent of economic system.

Looking at the top 3 exports of China (by a wide margin before anything else):

Electrical, electronic equipment $1016.58B
Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers $603.82B
Vehicles other than railway, tramway $248.31B

That’s all high price stuff.

Combined with its huge trade surplus, this is a classical “Buy cheap resources - sell expensive highly processed commodities back” scheme, the same as e.g. the uprising European industrializing nations employed as a strategy during their colony exploiting times (and to some degree still do in a similar fashion as China).

No, there is nothing equal here.

Der Schatz im Silbersee

Why didn’t I know that there exists a Karl May computer game?
And it even seems to be still available as some grey-area abandanware download… :-D

Looking at the recent car designs that generally would fit well onto the streets of Cardassia Prime, the 2CV is peak elegant beauty…

China isn’t exploiting anyone.

Total Imports 2025 EU / China:

Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products $467.75B / $442.95B
Plastics $68.38B / $56.48B
Pearls, precious stones, metals, coins $56.12B / $118.02B
Articles of apparel, knit or crocheted $53.13B / $3.74B
Articles of apparel, not knit or crocheted $48.56B / $5.79B
Iron and steel $44.08B / $30.86B
Edible fruits, nuts, peel of citrus fruit, melons $31.17B / $20.69B
Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatics invertebrates $29.23B / $19.93B
Rubbers $26.46B / $20.57B
Footwear, gaiters and the like $26.30B / $5.70B
Copper $18.63B / $74.63B
Oil seed, oleagic fruits, grain, seed, fruits $18.63B / $57.02B
Pulp of wood, fibrous cellulosic material, waste $11.87B / $21.98B

So, looking at the absolute numbers, China is eploiting the world’s resources in a similar fashion as the old style European Union, so I have to disagree.

I won’t comment on the content of your provided reports and youtube videos (of which at least two look a little… juicy… at first glance), as me just providing you with a bunch of counter-reports and videos, whose reliability you would question in a similar way as I am questioning yours, won’t change anything.

That’s why I wrote “if done right”.
A truly social market economy also has to make sure that workers along the whole supply chain have to get similar rights and treatment as local workers.

Besides that, centrally planned economies (being the opposite to plain free market capitalism), also don’t really shy away from exploiting the resources of poorer countries.
(Looking e.g. at imperialistic China here).

I don’t even do that.

And maybe that’s something to be actually proud of.

Well, I wouldn’t call his view pathetic, but perhaps slightly concerning.

Schopenhauer wasn’t exactly a fan of democracy, and things like the stuff given in the extended quote might well have been used by him to foster a strong state with an absolute (monarchistic) leader, as he favored it.

Hope that price tag sticks and is more than a marketing price for a hypothetical base model lacking things like a radio, without having to also order something like the “advanced comfort package” for an additional 5000€, or something like that.

Ok, that’s a real shitpost.

Because Schopenhauer was not talking about ethnicity at all, but about national pride:

“Aber jeder erbärmliche Tropf, der nichts in der Welt hat, darauf er stolz sein könnte, ergreift das letzte Mittel, auf die Nation, der er gerade angehört, stolz zu sein.”

(“But every pathetic wretch who has nothing in the world to be proud of resorts to the last resort: taking pride in the nation to which he happens to belong.”)

Even more benefit from a social market economy, which might be an optimal sweet spot if done right.

Let’s hope they remember (other than their colleagues at VW) that a major core premise of the classic cars they are now trying to revive, was not only their distinct design, but also their affordability…

TBF, my response to someone stating “are we getting” would have been quite similar.

Whereas my response to the broken English one would not have been not quite so polite while the AI one even has a minuscule chance to having actually answered the guy’s intended question.

So… in reality win for the AI?

Is your gf a mushroom?

Interesting question!

Actually we do raise the arm, but then take special care to not show the whole palm of the hand, but raise only the index finger, basically like pointing at the ceiling with it, like in this picture:

Never thought about it, but I guess that’s different outside of Germany?

Well, excuse me for not doing the thing.

Living in Germany it would at least get me some raised eyebrows and at worst get me into prison.

So, I will just enjoy the start of the weekend without any compromising hand gestures!