Editor's note: Luo Qing is an international affairs watcher specializing in China-U.S. Relations. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Recently, the phrase "kill line" has gone viral on Chinese social media, igniting extensive discussions about economic vulnerability and systemic risks within American society. It began with videos of homeless people on American streets shared by the blogger "Lock A." The concept has since swept across Chinese websites and has also sparked considerable discussions on X.

What is the 'U.S. kill line?'

In video games, the "kill line" refers to the critical threshold at which a boss' health drops low enough to be finished off with a single blow. In American society, however, it marks the point at which an ordinary person's finances reach rock bottom and they are irreversibly constrained by the system. When your emergency savings fall below $400, medical bills, rent, and the credit system come at you in rapid succession like a combo attack, wiping out members of the middle class in an instant, while those at the bottom do not even get a chance to recover.

The line that has gone viral – "Today you're coding at Starbucks, tomorrow you're sleeping on a subway vent" – is a stark portrayal of how ordinary Americans are mercilessly crushed by the "kill line."

Who drew the 'kill line?'

The heated debate surrounding the "U.S. kill line" marks a moment of shattering for the American Dream. It reveals an irreversible systemic illness and deep-seated contradictions within American society that remain unresolved.

Inadequate social safety nets and widening inequality have exacerbated the struggles of the grassroots. Not just nations, but any system with a low tolerance for failure can easily be transformed into a harvester of people's livelihoods. The U.S. social safety net has limitations in responding to crises among low-income populations or sudden emergencies. While unemployment insurance, public medical assistance, and emergency social assistance systems provide some coverage, they remain insufficient for families who have lost all income. While wealthy American families enjoy booming consumption, the majority face downward mobility due to unemployment and high inflation. Over the past five years, U.S. financial markets have repeatedly hit record highs, with the S&P 500 surging nearly 86 percent. Yet Federal Reserve data show that the richest 10 percent hold 87.2 percent of stock wealth, while the poorest 50 percent hold only 1.1 percent.

The spread of Social Darwinism has been fueled by deepening societal divisions. Commenting on the "U.S. kill line" in a recent panel discussion on Sina Weibo, Chinese scholar Shen Yi, a professor at Fudan University, noted that "In the U.S., this is not a concealed phenomenon but a tacitly accepted one, embedded in the fundamental rules of American-style capitalism. The logic of social Darwinism – survival of the strongest – operates openly within the system. Yet for a long time, this underlying mechanism remained largely invisible. Only recently has this underlying logic of American capitalism entered public view." His observation holds true.

Far away from the "kill line"

No country is immune to uneven development, and some vulnerable groups will inevitably struggle to keep pace with social change. The key lies in building grounded, practical systems that ensure everyone's fundamental right to survival and development, thereby preventing extreme situations in which people are left with "no place to stand."

Looking back, China has achieved a comprehensive victory in poverty alleviation on its path toward modernization. Through eight years of hard work, China achieved the goal of eliminating extreme poverty by the end of 2020 – a key objective for the new era of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. All 98.99 million rural residents living below the poverty line have been lifted out of poverty, and all 128,000 impoverished villages and 832 designated poor counties have been removed from the poverty list. Behind China's success lies the people-centered philosophy that runs throughout and carries the greatest weight. The ultimate goal of national development should be to create a society far removed from the so-called "kill line," where all people can experience happiness, justice, and security.

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