Russia, China, and our Cultural Elites
Why the Double Standard?
There can be no excusing of the atrocities currently being committed by Putin’s minions against the Ukrainian people. Putin is — and always has been — a dictator, an emperor wannabe, and a cold-blooded murderer. There is no other way to describe him or his regime.
But forgive me if I see right through the duplicity of the collective outrage emanating from our cultural leaders (the media, the political class, the entertainment establishment, and business).
The immediate reactions
Below is a sampling of Russia boycotts emanating media outlets, business, sports, and entertainment:
- On February 28, the U.S. film industry (what we know of as “Hollywood”) put a pause on the release of any films in Russia.
- On March 2, the NBA suspended all business operations in Russia.
- On March 4, CNN announced it was suspending broadcast operations in Russia.
- On March 6, Mastercard and Visa announced the suspension of credit card operations in Russia.
And have I mentioned the entities that have not only boycotted Russia but have not blacklisted non-government individual Russians? Take a look at another sampling:
- On February 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended barring any and all Russian athletes from competing in international events.
- Also on February 28, FIFA suspended the Russian soccer team from the World Cup.
- In perhaps the most jarring statement to date, U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) proposed that all Russian students be kicked out of every U.S. university.
Indeed, the reaction has been swift and anonymous. It has also been stunning in its hypocrisy.
Does anyone remember Hong Kong?
In 2019, the Chinese government was taking sufficient steps to crack down on Hong Kong’s autonomy. In response, pro-democracy protests broke out. And at least one major figure (Daryl Morey, general manager of the NBA’s Houston Rockets) had the temerity to state his public support for the protestors in a series of tweets.
Enter the NBA. It quickly rebuked Morey. And its most recognizable face, Lebron James, stated that Morey was “misinformed and not educated” on the situation.
Since both the NBA and Lebron James have been vocal in their support of Black Lives Matter and the anti-police movement in the U.S., surely they are a barometer of morality in the world — right? Obviously, they knew something the rest of the world didn’t.
I’m also sure the NBA’s lucrative Chinese market had no influence whatsoever on their attitude toward Morey. And Lebron’s multi-million dollar deal with Nike in China? Just a coincidence!
Now the NBA is calling out Russian atrocity. How brave! How moral?
Chinese atrocities? Nothing to see here.
And then there’s Taiwan
The Chinese Communist Party also has an appetite for Taiwan — as in to gobble it up and do what it’s done to Hong Kong. Has there been even a whimper from the entertainment world?
On the contrary. In May of last year, actor John Cena, in an interview on Taiwanese television, described Taiwan as an autonomous country. In so doing, he apparently forgot some people — namely, his Chinese fans. After swift blowback, he issued an apology — an apology! That’s right: a Hollywood actor apologized for stating the truth about Taiwan! (And oh yes, he did so in Mandarin.)
Hollywood is taking a stand on behalf of Ukraine against its aggressor neighbor Russia. How virtuous! But when a Hollywood actor takes a stand for Taiwan, he’s forced to apologize to her aggressor neighbor China.
What about the Uyghurs?
This past December, an independent tribunal confirmed what anyone who’s been paying attention has known for years — namely, that China has been committing genocide against its Uyghur Muslim minority. Since 2017, the Chinese Communist Party has been detaining Uyghurs in “re-education camps.” Inside those camps, the detainees have been subject to political indoctrination, forced sterilization, torture, and death.
So what was the International Olympic Committee’s response? Why of course, it went ahead with its scheduled Beijing Winter Olympics!
This is the same IOC that is sanctimoniously sanctioning Russia. I guess they want brownie points for their morality.
And please let’s not forget…
From day one of the pandemic, we have been lectured and warned about “anti-Asian bigotry.” Our media and political establishment bent over backwards to make sure we didn’t punish individuals of Chinese descent over the virus that originated in Wuhan. And rightfully so.
Yet, now our powers-that-be think nothing of blacklisting Russians. We blacklist Russian athletes. And we have a U.S. representative suggesting that we evict all Russian university students. (This is the same representative who carried on a romantic relationship in years past with a Chinese spy.)
Where’s the outrage over “anti-Russian bigotry?”
Courage anyone?
Standing up for truth when you have (comparatively) is hardly courageous. But standing up for truth when it costs you everything? That’s a way different story.
China has one of the largest populations — and hence one of the largest consumer pools — in the technologically-advanced world. The U.S. has been heavily invested in China for at least the last 30 years. Almost all of our major corporations have a strong Chinese footprint.
Russia, on the other hand, has an economy smaller than that of South Korea.
All this brings to mind the words of a wise Jewish man named Paul the Apostle from centuries ago: “For the love of money is the root of all evil.”
To that, I would add that it is also the root of all duplicity.
And nowhere is that more obvious right now than with our cultural elites in business, entertainment, and government.
