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American exceptionalism is rooted in individual initiative. Americans have a cultural belief in self-determination. America is the place where people can make the best of themselves.
 
Over the past few decades, America’s can-do culture has been corroded by a sense of futility. The failures are clearly visible in institutional ineptitude—say, the inability to modernize infrastructure or to fix poor schools. But the cultural rot is more pernicious. Americans no longer believe we can make a difference, or build a better future. We feel disempowered. Watch what you say. Just follow the rules. Instead of striding towards our goals, Americans increasingly feel like rats in a maze. Many turn to MAGA.

China’s autocratic society comes to life in Breakneck, the new book by Dan Wang. Nothing gets in the way of public works. Subways go through buildings. High-speed rail lines are built seemingly overnight. Industrial dominance in solar panels and electric cars is the result of deliberate policy.
 
Breakage is common. Top-down mandates can’t adapt to unforeseen circumstances and market realities. Cities of apartment buildings remain empty. One provincial czar had a kind of genius for idiotic mega-projects, including a giant ski resort in a place without snow.
 
What’s most breathtaking, to me, is the state’s intrusion into personal lives.