Says a lot

[Khaem]

Hold onto the the thumbs up icon and copy link. Afterwards, paste the link onto a new tab and change the number on the end of the URL from 1 to lets say 3 for example (which is the laughing emoji). It will then ask you to confirm action and you just gotta press the confirm button.

Ik is a lot of steps but this is the only way I figured out how to do reactions on iphone.

Enjoy

Ain’t no way that actually worked appreciate it Walahi .
There is no way I’m doing all of that though for every posts this is crazy 🫩

 

[Khaem]

Welcome back walaal.

China is an absolute must of a case study.

You can also add they experienced waves of devastating floods and climate disasters, similar to Somalia with the El Niño effects in recent years.

1931 China floods - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

1975 Banqiao Dam failure - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

They still face floods and displacement to this day, but it’s less frequent and more contained, mostly limited to isolated towns, thanks to their extensive network of dams, embankments, and state managed infrastructure.

2020 China floods - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

They’ve even gone so far as to transform entire landscapes to reverse environmental degradation, reforesting and re-engineering massive areas to prevent desertification and erosion.




But what separates Somalia, I feel, from China is that China (and even Taiwan) remain low-trust societies, where social cohesion and cooperation depend heavily on centralized systems. They rely on top-down enforcement, strong bureaucracy, and state planning to make things function smoothly.


Somalis, on the other hand, operate in a high-trust, decentralized system where communal networks, and communal norms carry real weight. Our society doesn’t need a strong centralized state to maintain order or cooperation , we’ve historically thrived on social trust, reciprocity, and consensus.

In a way, China's rise would’ve been impossible without heavy state control. If they had left it to individual communities, without centralized direction, none of the massive reforms or coordinated efforts whether infrastructure, industrialization, or disaster management would’ve happened at the scale or speed we saw.

Somalis, by contrast, don’t need coercive structures to organize . Our challenge isn’t trust or cohesion, it’s often coordination and collective vision on a national level. We’re a people who trust each other, but lack the kind of state apparatus China depends on to turn that trust into unified, long-term action.

If we rebuild a unified civic identity and spark a grassroots civic movement, just imagine what would be possible.

With the level of social capital and resilience our communities already have, even a minimal but functional framework for coordination could unlock massive progress from development to environmental restoration to regional integration. It doesn’t take an authoritarian state it just takes vision, consistency, and the right platforms to connect local efforts into a broader national purpose.

Thanks walaal good to be back.
And yeah I agree heavily on the distinction between Chinese society and Somali society. You often see it in their diaspora as well Chinese and other East Asians have the constant need to compete with each other and be “ superior “ you see a lot of them complaining about this culture . But maybe I’ve just spent a lot of time on Asian forums lol.

in contrast Somalis help each other out for the sole reason of being Somali. Like I saw some uncle in one of my low paying jobs I started off wayy back and after a little conversation and he told me stories of how he came from down south to live in Djibouti for a bit such and such. He set me his phone number and I called him the next day and he lined me up a decent security job with way better pay than my previous . Just because we was Somali . The guy was 34 I was 18 back then lol.

 

[Khaem]

Welcome back sxb

China's industrialization is an interesting story but I wouldn't sugar coat it like that video does. Mao's reforms caused a massive amount of deaths and a major cultural shift in a way that is too artificial. With that said some of China's past woes do match with Somalia, especially when you see all the major foreign interferences China had to face during the Qing dynasty era or "century of humiliation". Ultimately I rather Somalia follow its own model of development that is appropriate for Somalis as Idiliina talks about above. A decentralized government is the best way forward.

Good to be back brother thanks

Yeah china did loose a lot of its culture during its revolution under mao. Many of the art works and other stuff was destroyed due to being seen as markers of the “upper class”. Taiwan actually kept a lot of the Chinese culture that was lost during Chinas cultural revolution. From what I read it’s definitely also eroded overtime there in its own way, due to east Asia’s westernisation. You can see the same in Korea and Japan.

Somalis are a unique race and culture, we’re kind of in this “ Middle Eastern” civilisation that stretches from Morocco to as far east as you define it. Some would say Iran some would also include Central Asia though personally I think it got Russified too much. But at the same time Somalis and other horners have their own cultural back bone so we need to really look into our own culture and history to find a solution for our race moving forward. Instead of copy pasting foreign stories.

 

[Idilinaa]

Welcome back sxb

China's industrialization is an interesting story but I wouldn't sugar coat it like that video does. Mao's reforms caused a massive amount of deaths and a major cultural shift in a way that is too artificial. With that said some of China's past woes do match with Somalia, especially when you see all the major foreign interferences China had to face during the Qing dynasty era or "century of humiliation". Ultimately I rather Somalia follow its own model of development that is appropriate for Somalis as Idiliina talks about above. A decentralized government is the best way forward.

Ngl the transition out of rigid caste/feudal structures was often violent and culturally destructive. If you look up every case even Japan , it was never some smooth walk in the park. The resistance to change was always massive, and the social restructuring came with a lot of chaos and pushback.

Ethiopia never really went through this kind of foundational shake-up, which is part of why it remains economically stagnant and socially rigid. It still plays the same role it has for the past century acting as a poverty hub that destabilizes its neighbors while surviving off foreign assistance and external military/political support.

Economic stagnation in Ethiopia, 14th-18th Centuries

The economic history of Ethiopia is one of the understudied themes of Ethiopian history. Although there are some invaluable studies on the economic ac…

www.sciencedirect.com

The failure of Ethiopian rulers was not in perpetuating the segregation of merchants and craftsmen but in never realizing that their [merchants' and craftsmen’s] welfare and prosperity was to their [the rulers'] advantage instead of giving them the necessary protection to prosper and pay fat taxes they [the rulers] kept them continuously poor and insecure by the unreasonable demands which they and their officials made on them.

The supplementary sectors – trade and handicraft – had also limited development. This stagnant economy of the period was further affected by natural and environmental calamities such as drought, famine, and locust invasions. This static nature of the Ethiopian economy and the factors hampering it has more or less continued to this day. Further investigation of the Ethiopian economy would deepen the understanding of economic stagnation in different period of Ethiopian history.

The amount of revenue generated from the existing territories did not seem to have been sufficient. This reality was confirmed by the Jesuit missionary, Manuel Almeida, who was in Ethiopia in the third quarter of the seventeenth century. It was also what Ludolf had learned from his tutor Abba Gregory in the second half of the seventeenth century. The accounts of these two Europeans have confirmed that the amount of revenue generated by the state was relatively small (Beckingham & Huntingford, 1954; Ludolf, 1961).

You can even see it on social media their engagement isn’t focused on economic development, business, or constructive dialogue. It’s just a wave of political burner accounts focused on disparaging neighbors and stirring tension. There's barely any space for internal reflection or productive discourse.

One thing that really stands out about China, though, is their willingness to approach their own history with honesty. They don’t sugarcoat it , they named an entire historical period ''The Century of Humiliation'', and now they’ve branded their national project as The Great Rejuvenation. They reference their imperial legacy (Middle Kingdom) not out of nostalgia, but as a framework to rebuild national identity and direction.

Most importantly they were ready to confront and restructure their own political systems and culture. They didn’t shy away from the hard parts. They studied their history, identified the causes of failure, and built new systems tailored to their own social realities like their low trust society, their environmental crises, and their fragmented local governance. That’s why they’re able to innovate: they design structures that match their conditions.

That's something we can learn a lot from.

 

[Idilinaa]

Thanks walaal good to be back.
And yeah I agree heavily on the distinction between Chinese society and Somali society. You often see it in their diaspora as well Chinese and other East Asians have the constant need to compete with each other and be “ superior “ you see a lot of them complaining about this culture . But maybe I’ve just spent a lot of time on Asian forums lol.

in contrast Somalis help each other out for the sole reason of being Somali. Like I saw some uncle in one of my low paying jobs I started off wayy back and after a little conversation and he told me stories of how he came from down south to live in Djibouti for a bit such and such. He set me his phone number and I called him the next day and he lined me up a decent security job with way better pay than my previous . Just because we was Somali . The guy was 34 I was 18 back then lol.

I don't think it's necessarily driven by being superior, it’s more about keeping up appearances. They come from image and status obsessed societies where perception is everything, and there’s a constant silent pressure to project success, even if it’s just surface level.

This also creates that “bamboo ceiling” you often hear about in the diaspora where despite being highly educated and qualified, many East Asians struggle to break into political leadership, executive roles, or managerial positions. It’s not about ability , it's more cultural. Leadership often requires breaking norms, assertiveness, and standing out, which clashes with the emphasis on conformity and quiet diligence in those cultures.

Somalis are very different. That’s why in the diaspora, you’ll often see Somalis stepping into political leadership roles, running departments, becoming executives, and taking on managerial positions in a way that's quite disproportionate to our numbers.

It’s because of our high interpersonal trust, confidence in social settings, and willingness to take initiative especially in systems where individual charisma and networking matter more than quietly ticking boxes.

But one thing that Somalis and East Asians do share is that early pattern of self-employment and small businesses especially in the first generation. They took whatever low-skilled jobs were available when they first arrived, whether it was restaurants, factories, or janitorial work and slowly transitioned into owning stores, laundromats, or other local businesses. That mirrors a lot of what Somalis have done more recently.

The difference, though, is in how the migration waves started. For East Asians, a lot of the earliest significant migration to the West came from low-income or rural communities seeking economic opportunity before the self-selection began.

It was the reverse for Somalis. The first significant wave especially in the 1970s and 80s was mostly made up of educated, highly skilled professionals. Many of them came on scholarships or work placements, and they entered directly into professional roles in public institutions, government agencies, and the private sector. So there was already a strong foundation.

You’re right about the fact that Somalis help each other. There’s a built in sense of responsibility and generosity people will go out of their way to help someone just because they’re Somali, no strings attached.

Chinese, by contrast, generally don’t help each other unless it’s a close family member. They’re similar to Ethiopians in that sense , there's often a sense of indifference toward strangers or even neighbors. They’re also among the least charitable people statistically.

There's a massive bystander problem too , someone could be injured or starving in public and people will just walk past without intervening. It’s not always out of cruelty, sometimes it’s fear of getting involved or a cultural norm of not intruding, but the effect is the same.

That’s partly why you don’t see child beggar gangs among Somalis like you sometimes see with Ethiopians or even in parts of China. Even when Somalis fall on hard times, they usually turn to their own community for support whether it's family, neighbors, or even local mosques or business owners. There’s a deep sense of social duty that holds the fabric together.

 

[Idilinaa]

Ngl the transition out of rigid caste/feudal structures was often violent and culturally destructive. If you look up every case even Japan , it was never some smooth walk in the park. The resistance to change was always massive, and the social restructuring came with a lot of chaos and pushback.

Ethiopia never really went through this kind of foundational shake-up, which is part of why it remains economically stagnant and socially rigid. It still plays the same role it has for the past century acting as a poverty hub that destabilizes its neighbors while surviving off foreign assistance and external military/political support.

Economic stagnation in Ethiopia, 14th-18th Centuries

The economic history of Ethiopia is one of the understudied themes of Ethiopian history. Although there are some invaluable studies on the economic ac…

www.sciencedirect.com

You can even see it on social media their engagement isn’t focused on economic development, business, or constructive dialogue. It’s just a wave of political burner accounts focused on disparaging neighbors and stirring tension. There's barely any space for internal reflection or productive discourse.

One thing that really stands out about China, though, is their willingness to approach their own history with honesty. They don’t sugarcoat it , they named an entire historical period ''The Century of Humiliation'', and now they’ve branded their national project as The Great Rejuvenation. They reference their imperial legacy (Middle Kingdom) not out of nostalgia, but as a framework to rebuild national identity and direction.

Most importantly they were ready to confront and restructure their own political systems and culture. They didn’t shy away from the hard parts. They studied their history, identified the causes of failure, and built new systems tailored to their own social realities like their low trust society, their environmental crises, and their fragmented local governance. That’s why they’re able to innovate: they design structures that match their conditions.

That's something we can learn a lot from.

This is also why I don’t take Western takes on China too seriously they expect every country to function like them. They can’t wrap their heads around the fact that China works because it was built around its own reality, not Western values.

They always think China’s gonna collapse because it doesn’t act like a Western democracy, but that’s never happened. Different societies need different tools. What looks extreme to the West like tight control or surveillance actually works for China because of how their society functions.