It's frightening to what degree China is able to censor people living well outside of their jurisdiction.
Indeed, at what time and place do we decide to draw a line? I feel that time and place is nearly here.
The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
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Re: The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
#42China is offended by him offering an opinion on something. So, that makes them right? I'm offended by his backpedaling. That makes me right, right? China really needs to get a grip and understand that with seven billion people in the world, not everyone is going to agree with everything it wants.
This is more representing the power of social media mob justice than what "China" wants. It's really not that different from how the left or the right boycott a business after any other tweet
Or how people talk about boycotting stuff from China due to their political issues. Even before the trade war tariffs, there were American consumers that made it a habit to not buy Chinese because of their political stances.
Re: The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
#43Are we all going to become chickenshits to earn Chinese money? The companies and people of the Western world need to stand up to authoritarian China ... or else, in 25 years our kids are all going to be tasting the boot heel of whatever god emperor China has on its throne at that time (probably still Xi). We are all underestimating how authoritarian China is and how much crime the Politburo members get away with.
indeed, the price of a cheap TV is becoming to high
Re: The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
#44China is offended by him offering an opinion on something. So, that makes them right? I'm offended by his backpedaling. That makes me right, right? China really needs to get a grip and understand that with seven billion people in the world, not everyone is going to agree with everything it wants.
This is more representing the power of social media mob justice than what "China" wants. It's really not that different from how the left or the right boycott a business after any other tweet
I disagree. This is exactly what the Chinese government wants. They're able to have this outsized influence on American companies because they've heavily invested in them. Going against the Chinese government means risking a significant piece of your business for many companies - it isn't about the "social media mob" at all.
Re: The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
#45China is offended by him offering an opinion on something. So, that makes them right? I'm offended by his backpedaling. That makes me right, right? China really needs to get a grip and understand that with seven billion people in the world, not everyone is going to agree with everything it wants.
This is more representing the power of social media mob justice than what "China" wants. It's really not that different from how the left or the right boycott a business after any other tweet
Sure it is. One represents free speech in response to market participants making decisions.
The other is an authoritarian government shutting down business ties based on one employee opinion.
How do people not see the difference in this? On twitter, people are to speak whatever they want and can choose to buy whatever they want.
In China. Not so much.
Re: The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
#46So many misunderstandings around this. For one, in the US we have free speech. That means that you can say anything you want, but you have to accept that you may lose customers for saying it. It doesn't matter if you believe that your customers shouldn't be pissed off. It's the Chinese in this case, but it could be any other relevant group. Second, perhaps because most Americans haven't been to China and cannot read…
> they gambled on the fact that they expected a very different future for China. Hong Kong was always going to return to China in 1997 due to a British-China deal. There's no way for HK to NOT return to China.
Isn't that up to the people of HK?
Re: The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
#47US companies are increasingly "owned" by the Chinese government through Chinese investment. None of them are willing to risk the financial backlash that would occur if they spoke out against the Chinese government - so they are willing to censor their own platforms and sacrifice their own stakeholders and users to please them.
This is an increasing factor in the US motion picture industry. Major studios are generally unwilling to produce movies that show China or the Chinese Communist Part in a negative light due to the need for financing and distribution.
Studios will absolutely modify screenplays, or else edit the films specifically for the China market to remove offensive or politically sensitive topics.
It’s worth a lot of money to them to make a product which sells well in the Chinese market.
Re: The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is more representing the power of social media mob justice than what "China" wants. It's really not that different from how the left or the right boycott a business after any other tweet
Sure it is. One represents free speech in response to market participants making decisions. The other is an authoritarian government shutting down business ties based on one employee opinion. How do people not see the difference in this? On twitter, people are to speak whatever they want and can choose to buy whatever they want. In China. Not so much.
If the NBA were big in Spain, and the guy had said "Fight for Freedom, Stand with Catalonia", I expect he would have had to apologize too. The government is more involved in China, because the government is more involved with everything in China, but there are few countries in the world where people don't get mad at foreigners wading into touchy political issues.
Re: The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can criticize China, but then you lose their dollars. So in the end, the thing that rules over you is actually money.
China's economic tactic is to convert their manipulated currency into dollars. China is desperate for dollars. No one trades in or trusts RMB.
Except when they need to buy anything from China. Or are all those factories an illusion as well?
Re: The NBA Feels a Backlash in China After a Tweet Supporting Hong Kong
#50Hong Kong is definitely heading in the direction of complete independence. Thankfully.
I agree completely that the angst in HK is caused by outsiders. It has to feel terrible for HK people having their representation grabbed by agents of Beijing. They should apologize and grant universal suffrage to all people born in HK.
Most important in this is HK establishing its own military service, intel service, constitution (not just the Basic law oath of fealty to PRC), and UN representation. These are the remaining things HK needs to be treated like any other nation.
Since the rule of law is what matters, it will be important that judges and lawyers have adequate time to adapt to the any changes in the legal process after transition is complete.
The thing that has yet to be decided is how the legislature in HK will be structured though. Maybe in /r/hongkong they can bring it up.
But most important will be China staying out of meddling in Hong Kong's internal affairs. This is about Hong Kong people planning new system separate from PRC. After that is complete PRC has the same right to establish treaties the same way as Japan, USA, etc.