Facing down the dragon
Is China really as strong as we think?
When NBA veteran Enes Kanter started speaking out against human rights abuses in China, I thought two things: “good for him,” and, “whelp, his career is over.”
The Darrell Morey fiasco wasn’t that long ago, and with the NBA heavily reliant on the Chinese market - and the Chinese government not shy about retaliating when it feels insulted - I figured Kanter would have either backed down or been shipped off to a semi-pro league in a middle-income country somewhere. But while the league has been silent, Kanter has continued to stand his ground, even calling out Nike and Lebron Freaking James for what he sees as hypocrisy in going woke in America while ignoring genocide in China.
And he’s still on the Celtics, albeit in a relatively small role. There’s a lesson there.
Whether the bully is an authoritarian government, perennially outraged university students or a political party turned authoritarian cult, the absolute worst thing you can do is apologise and back down. Bullies thrive on weakness and will not be sated or appeased. When you’re going through Hell, keep on going.
The CCP has also turned its sights on Australia, but the Land Down Underᵀᴹ hasn’t backed down. And, according to Foreign Policy, the economic ramifications really haven’t been that bad:
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