一九九一年,当苏联解体时,持续从二战后就一直存在的冷战终于结束了。这在一定程度上说明了资本主义市场经济对社会主义计划经济的胜利。从那时起,美国作为西方阵营的领袖,也被人们视作改革的样板和模范。
然而,三十多年过去了,美国真的还是那个资本主义和自由市场经济的典范吗?最近的一件事情似乎给出了否定的答案。那就是抖音的海外版TikTok被美国国会要求出售给美国公司控制,否则就退出美国市场。这样的强制性条款,显然与自由市场经济的精神背道而驰。
类似的事件在过去也曾发生过。谷歌曾在中国遭遇类似的遭遇,最终选择退出中国市场。但TikTok的遭遇与谷歌有着本质的区别。谷歌退出是因为不愿意配合中国的法律要求,而TikTok则是没有触犯任何美国法律,却被直接要求退出或出售。这不仅戳穿了美国是自由市场经济的谎言,也暴露了美国政治体制的缺陷。
三权分立的制衡机制在这里似乎失灵了。即便TikTok向法院起诉,但因为国会通过的决议就是法律,法院也只能按照国会的决定来裁决,TikTok几乎没有胜算。这说明了美国政治体制中的一个致命缺点:当立法者任性时,三权分立的制衡机制并不完善。
当然,理论上美国总统可以否决国会的议案。但现实中的拜登似乎更像是左派势力的傀儡,很难对主流政策做出任何决定。而正在筹备参选的川普,态度则有些微妙。他曾表达过不希望TikTok退出美国的看法,原因很可能是希望拥有一个可以制衡被他的对手所控制的社交媒体的竞争对手。
总的来说,TikTok事件不仅戳穿了美国是自由市场经济的谎言,也暴露了美国政治体制的缺陷。美国主流意见越来越偏离真正的资本主义和资本主义竞争,这也说明了共产主义中国在资本主义层面打败了美国。而真正让美国人变得愚蠢的,正是他们的政客和主流媒体,而不是TikTok这样的短视频娱乐平台。
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Cold War, which had lasted since World War II, finally came to an end. To a certain extent, this demonstrates the victory of the capitalist market economy over the socialist planned economy. Since then, the United States, as the leader of the Western camp, has also been regarded as a model and model of reform.
But more than three decades later, is the United States really still the model of capitalism and free-market economics? A recent incident seems to suggest no. TikTok, the overseas version of TikTok, has been ordered by the US Congress to be sold to an American company or be withdrawn from the US market. Such mandatory provisions are clearly contrary to the spirit of a free market economy.
Similar incidents have occurred in the past. Google suffered a similar situation in China and eventually chose to withdraw from the market. But TikTok's experience is fundamentally different from Google's. Google pulled out because it was unwilling to comply with Chinese legal requirements, while TikTok, which has not violated any US laws, was directly asked to withdraw or sell. This not only debunks the myth that the US is a free-market economy, but also exposes the flaws in the US political system.
The checks and balances of the three powers seem to have failed here. Even if TikTok sues the court, because the resolution passed by Congress is the law, the court can only follow the decision of Congress,TikTok has little chance of winning. This illustrates a fatal flaw in the American political system: the checks and balances for the separation of powers are imperfect when legislators are capricious.
In theory, of course, the US President can veto a bill from Congress. But in reality, Biden seems to be more of a puppet of the left, and it is difficult to make any decisions about mainstream policy. Trump, who is preparing to run, is more nuanced. He has expressed the view that he does not want TikTok to leave the United States, most likely because he wants a rival that can counterbalance social media controlled by his opponents.
Overall, the TikTok incident not only debunked the myth that the United States is a free-market economy, but also exposed the flaws in the American political system. Mainstream opinion in the United States is increasingly deviating from real capitalism and capitalist competition, which also shows that communist China has defeated the United States at the capitalist level. It is their politicians and the mainstream media, not short-form video entertainment platforms like TikTok, that are making Americans stupid.
