freediver wrote on Apr 27^th, 2026 at 10:00am:


Meister have you been assuming it must all be attributable to the old saying because the influence of communism on China ceased the minute they let go of communism, but the saying remained?

freediver wrote on May 1^st, 2026 at 10:48am:

After the pills kick in, do some quick research on the cultural phenomenon of chabuduo... All Chinese are aware of it.

As for Marxist-Leninist communism in China, it was imposed in 1949 and began to decline after the death of Mao and the rise of Deng Xiaoping. It had vanished completely by the time China was admitted to the WTO in 2001. Given that Chinese culture is about 5000 years old, Chinese communism accounts for just 1% of that time.

The effects of communism in Europe after it collapsed (which had been imposed for roughly the same amount of time) had disappeared within 10 years.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Apr 30^th, 2026 at 12:37am:



That is debatable -
newer cars have much more lousy cheap plastic items
and too much high technology electronics that can fail.
I reckon 20 years ago they made tougher, better cars. 

Baronvonrort wrote on May 7^th, 2026 at 10:28pm:



yes - and air bags used to be optional extras but now they are compulsory.

Google AI:

effectively all new cars sold in Australia must have airbags. While airbags are officially classified as "supplementary safety equipment" rather than a standalone mandatory component, the Australian Design Rules (ADRs) require new passenger vehicles to meet strict occupant protection standards that necessitate their inclusion.

Regulatory Mandate: Under the ADRs and Motor Vehicle Standards, new passenger cars and light vehicles supplied since July 1, 2021, must meet comprehensive occupant protection standards.  These standards effectively mandate that frontal airbags (for driver and front passenger) are standard equipment to pass compliance.


Historical Context: Frontal airbags have been required for new models since the late 1990s (specifically following ADR 69/02 introduced in 1995/1999).  By the early 1990s, they had already become standard on most new cars due to regulatory pressure and consumer demand.


Older Vehicles: It is legal to drive older vehicles that were manufactured without airbags, provided they are roadworthy and registered.  There is no requirement to retrofit airbags into cars that did not originally come with them.


Current Standards: Today, most new vehicles in Australia come equipped with multiple airbags (often six or more), including side and curtain airbags, which are increasingly becoming standard or legally required for head protection in many jurisdictions.

MeisterEckhart wrote on May 7^th, 2026 at 7:07pm:

The roots of China’s recurring quality-control problems lie partly in its extremely rapid transition from a rural, craft-and-smallholder economy into mass industrial production.

Maoist industrialisation created heavy industry but not a mature culture of market-tested industrial quality.

Deng’s reforms succeeded in building vast manufacturing capacity, but often under conditions where reliance on slave labour, speed, low cost, subcontracting, and export volume mattered more than durability or long-term brand reputation.

The cultural idea of chabuduo (if it looks good, it is good) survived modernisation, and has severely damaged Chinese manufacturing, particularly where institutions, customers, regulators, and legal liability fail to punish it, and has infected every industry in China, with quality control being the least of Chinese manufacturers' concerns.

Chabuduo: 'If we run out of horses, cut off the antlers, stitch on a mane and a tail, and a deer is now a horse'.

Bobby. wrote on May 8^th, 2026 at 10:17am:

Major explosions at Chinese manufacturing plants are common across the country, with poor and sub-standard storage of explosive materials almost exclusively to blame.

MeisterEckhart wrote on May 8^th, 2026 at 10:40am:




Takata Corporation (タカタ株式会社, Takata Kabushiki Gaisha) was a Japanese automotive parts company.
The company had production facilities on four continents, with its European headquarters located in Germany.