TechnoMaoist

https://archive.ph/cSCCh

White House press brief: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/designating-fentanyl-as-a-weapon-of-mass-destruction/

I hereby designate illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

https://archive.ph/ZNWG1

The married couples filed into a federal building in San Diego last week for green card interviews that they believed would secure their future together in the United States. Half of each pair was American. Stephen Paul came with his British wife and their 4-month-old baby. Audrey Hestmark arrived with her German husband, days before their first wedding anniversary. Jason Cordero accompanied his Mexican wife.

It was supposed to be a celebratory milestone, the final step in the process to obtain U.S. permanent residency. Instead, as each interview with an immigration officer wrapped up, federal agents swooped in, handcuffed the foreign spouse and took him or her away.

It's happening to white people too!?

Green-card applicants’ temporary visas often lapse while their “adjustment-of-status” proceeds over several months or longer.

An immigration statute passed by Congress in 1986 allows a spouse who entered the country lawfully to be eligible for a green card through marriage even if the person’s visa has expired.

This is a good example of the difference between state and government, and how the two collude to produce the most reactionary outcome.

Mr. Paul said the agents had told him that they disagreed with the directive to arrest Ms. Paul but that they had to follow orders.

[...]

After Mr. Paul learned from his wife that the authorities were threatening to deport her without a hearing, he said, their lawyer filed a lawsuit in federal court in San Diego to halt her removal and secure her release.

In response, the government approved Ms. Paul’s green card on Tuesday and freed her.

Enjoy your stay

I read through an article[^1] on American tech and China business dealings, especially around surveillance. The article itself focuses on a family who is having their land taken via eminent domain by the local/provincial government.

I am unfamiliar with this area. I spotted the usual suspects (eg. Xinjiang, Falun Gong), but I have no knowledge about the other aspects. If anyone has any information, I would greatly appreciate it.

[^1]: https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-silicon-valley-uyghurs-tech-xinjiang-8e000601dadb6aea230f18170ed54e88 and https://apnews.com/article/chinese-surveillance-silicon-valley-uyghurs-tech-xinjiang-60df0358dff99e326c16c9ea48dae82c

This video argues that American farmers who voted for Trump with the full knowledge of its potential effects. Trump would escalate the trade war and tank the farm commodities market. Yet, these farmers are all petit bourgeois, and they expected Trump's policies to benefit them overall. (ie. lower taxes, fewer regulations, continued bailouts)

As one of the comments puts it, American farmers are "farm owners" and not "farm workers". Any and all bailouts will ultimately benefit the petite and haute bourgeois who own these farms. And that's the way they like it.

My partner has been onboard the K-pop train for several years. As much as they enjoy their groups, we've discussed several aspects that are connected to the global American capitalist hegemony. Keep in mind that these are two people's experiences rather than a scientific consensus.

The List

1. As K-pop has become more mainstream, songs have begun to incorporate more and more non-Korean lyrics, particularly English.

   The K-pop industry is large enough such that it attracts international artists, almost all of whom appear Eastern/SE Asian. Exo from the 2010's is one group who had eight South Korean and eight Chinese members, and they released songs in Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese. (Exo slowly lost its Chinese members due to mistreatment, but that's a different story).

   Nevertheless, Exo is more of the exception. Many groups sing exclusively in Korean and English. And whereas in the past, Korean would be the predominant lyrics with a sprinkle of English, many newer songs are the exact opposite with Korean as the minority.[^1] Perhaps this is the price paid for going global.

2. Girl groups in k-pop face very different treatment from boy groups.

   My impression of the industry is that "typical" K-pop idols start training young, break out as part of a boy/girl group, and finally dive into a solo careers as singers, actors, etc. Not everyone makes it past each step, and some idols come from other media industries.

   Girl groups deal with additional complications. Several girl groups have debuted with minors amongst their members[^2], and they have been getting progressively younger. When you consider that idols train can train for several years, this means a 16-year old member probably starting training at 13-14 years old.

   In addition, girl groups are generally shorter lived than boy groups. A large part of the blame goes to the record labels. A new girl group may debut with a label, and they'll get all the attention, publicity, and studio backing they could ask for. A couple years later, a new girl group will debut with the same label, and the previous one will be neglected. I've been told that girl groups live and die by what is trendy in the moment, and this constant churn is one way to chase it.

   Generally speaking, boy groups do not face those same pressures.

3. Sexualization of idols

   Sexualization of K-pop idols exists. It's a thing. It exists among both girl groups and boy groups, but in different ways. Girl groups face the more well known sexualization we see in our society. Boy groups face aggressive homoerotic 'shipping' among their fans.

   In fact, the industry plays into it. One of the common stipulations in an idol's contract is that they will neither date nor enter romantic relationships for a period of time. This can range from a few years to the length of their contract. The implication being that the idols are single and available for you, the consumer. Coupled with the number of underage idols and prevalence of Asian fetishization in the West, this sexualization is particularly gross.

Conclusion

Next time someone speaks about the cultural exports of K-pop, you can ask "but at what cost??" and mention the above.

[^1]: For example, As If It's Your Last by Blackpink in 2017 vs. Shutdown in 2022

[^2]: For example, Ive debuted in 2021, which means Wonyoung and Liz were 17, and Leeseo was 15. Similarly, NewJeans debuted in 2022. Their youngest member, Hyein, was 14.#