The editorial lines of Fox News are completely different to CNN and PBS. Different subreddits are completely different. The idea that they're all part of some conspiracy run by the US government is very strange.
It’s only about blue jeans? It’s not about pissing Americans off so they are less productive and overall are less able to defend against additional attacks?
China is going for a Culture Victory after watching America land Culture Victory after Victory for the past better part of a century. America does not appreciate the challenge, not the least because it can't compete anymore.
Also, seeing as you took "blue jeans" quite literally I am going to assume you never played Civilization. For being a child-oriented game filled with memes it's actually very insightful about human psychology, I recommend playing it.
