Why China and America are Creating the Same Ruling Class | Samo Burja

Today on Moment of Zen, Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja explore how China's elite universities are creating a ruling class similar to America's, with student activism and credentialism reshaping both nations' power structures.


Make sure to subscribe to Samo Burja's Bismarck Brief and the Live Players podcast to read analyses and briefs like this one:
Bismarck Brief: ⁠⁠https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/⁠⁠
Live Players: ⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/liveplayers⁠⁠
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:39) Parallel Evolution: US and China University Systems
(02:01) Historical Context: China's Revolutionary Leadership Education
(04:05) Chinese Elite Universities vs Harvard/MIT Selection
(06:28) Future Prediction: China Run by Lawyers Like America
(07:45) China as America's Mirror: Structural Similarities
(08:14) Chinese "Woke" vs Western "Woke": Student Activism
(11:33) Student Activism: From Democracy to Union Organizing
(14:28) Sponsors: Netsuite | Shopify
(17:49) US Student Activism Evolution: From Campus to Corporate
(20:06) America's Mirror: Identity Politics as Political Power
(24:12) Generational Warfare: Young vs Old Elites
(25:48) Gender Wars: China's Potential Future "Woke" Focus
(28:44) Abortion Politics: Different Approaches in China vs West
(33:23) Ideological Consistency as Social Technology
(35:47) Sponsor: Squad
(36:57) Elite Formation Evolution: Historical Perspective
(40:32) Credential Inflation and University Degree Devaluation
(44:23) Future of American University Power and Influence
(47:13) China's Future Changes: Positives and Negatives
(51:43) Chinese Harvard vs Chinese MIT: Word Cells vs Technical Knowledge
(52:26) China as Its Own Place: Learning from Differences
(54:28) Long-term Prediction: Potential Chinese Government Incompetence
(54:59) Wrap