I could not bring myself to read the whole thread, but did anyone point out that before the pandemic, employment in the USA was at close to record high levels? I don't think the Chinese are taking jobs from our people. That said, China is certainly not our friend, but that's a separate issue. Hand assembly of toys is not something that is going to be a solid career for most people, and cannot carry middle class salaries and benefits. There were plenty of similar jobs going begging before the pandemic. The weakening of unions in this country has more to do with income disparities, and that isn't due to China, however dishonest and politically offensive their political system is. If you want to protect Americans from poverty, advocating bringing all manufacturing back to the USA is neither practical nor likely to have benefits. Sounds good and patriotic, but isn't.
Economists tell us that international trade actually improves wealth and social conditions for both trading partners. Thus it is likely that patriotism is misplaced if it insists that a true patriot commits to "buying American" for everything. This sort of thinking could be harming your fellow citizens in subtle ways. And it's impossible to only "buy American" unless you avoid lithium polymer batteries, since lithium isn't available in the USA, to my knowledge. Sometimes things aren't as simple as we would like them to be. And patriotism is more complex than it would seem on this issue.
