The Chinese toy scandal
In the United States there are plenty of reasons why American citizens may support a trade war. The question is what effect will a trade war actually have on US citizens, on bloggers on Steem, on the crypto community? A trade war between the US and China involving tariffs is something some people could make a case should have happened a long time ago. Several years ago there was a major scandal where Chinese toys were sold in the US which contained lead. These toys were marketed to children and were very unsafe.
So while US citizens in places like Flint may not be able to trust their local government after the disastrous water crisis in which lead was allowed to pollute the drinking water it is also a situation where US citizens cannot trust the Chinese government either. The lead scandal where Chinese toys were neurotoxic is a big deal if you know what lead poisoning does to the brains of children.
Lead has been shown in studies to produce reduced IQ in adulthood. IQ advocates often speak of "Race and IQ" and I've had debates with these individuals on Steemit. While I do not hold IQ in as high regard as some other people I will say that it is a proven fact that lead is neurotoxic and lowers IQ. If IQ is as important as people say it is then the lead toy scandal is a much bigger deal. It is a big deal not because science has confirmed massive lead poisoning occurred due to these toys (as this can be tested for) but it is the type of scandal which can be leveraged politically by people who want to justify a trade war and promote anti-Chinese sentiment.
Competition between low income workers in the United States and Chinese workers
Another agitator which could trigger tariffs against China is the fact that many low income workers in America are looking for a scapegoat to blame. It's very easy to pin the blame on the Chinese who have an economy which is growing while the average US worker seems to be getting a more difficult life. The US establishment by placing blame on a foreign threat can direct attention away from it's own internal policies. So in this way China is the easy boogyman to blame (just like how jews were easily blamed when Germany had a bad economy).
What is the impact of a trade war going to be for Steem and the crypto world?
This is a tougher question to answer which is why I ask it to the community. What do you think the impact of a trade war could be for people on Steemit and in crypto?