China's Elite vs America's Elite

In this episode, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg discuss China as America’s mirror, how the prestige of American universities is waning while Chinese students are increasingly choosing to study within China, the role of gender in political divergence and what Chinese “woke” looks like, and how China’s leadership is shifting to academia from businessmen. If you need an ecommerce platform, check out our sponsor Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period. Live Players is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co -- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj --- We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: www.eriktorenberg.com --- SPONSORS: HARMONIC | SHOPIFY 🧲 Learn why Craft, Bedrock, NEA and 100s more trust Harmonic’s data to source deals. Harmonic is the most complete startup database, finding new companies as soon as they incorporate and tracking them through IPO. Head to https://bit.ly/harmonicturpentine and make sure to mention Turpentine VC during your demo. SHOPIFY: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/momentofzen — LINKS: Samo’s Bismarck Brief: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ The Growing Power of China’s Elite Universities: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/p/the-growing-power-of-chinas-elite — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:53) - Academia during The Cultural Revolution (00:08:36) - China’s “woke” (00:11:15) - How Xi wants China to not fail in the same way the Soviets did (00:15:00) - Rise of student activism in the US (00:17:02) - The translation of regional/ethnic inequalities into ideological ones (00:20:54) - The political ideological paradox generates an opportunity to organize young people (00:26:28) - Chinese feminism (00:32:51) - Sponsor: Shopify (00:36:21) - Materialist focused education in China vs legal focused education in US (00:41:53) - Will American universities have as much power in the next 10 years as they do now? (00:45:00) - What positive and negative changes will China see in the near future? (00:48:30) - Wrap This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].