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The CCP can move quickly and decisively to ban access to the world's 2nd largest market, and it uses that power to chill speech and force governments and compan
by dak1 7y ago
The CCP can move quickly and decisively to ban access to the world's 2nd largest market, and it uses that power to chill speech and force governments and companies to take actions it wants that are antithetical to a free society.
Small nations and individual companies cannot stand up to this coercion individually, and free, market economies lack the organization to respond in a cohesive way.
The optimistic belief that economic growth and market integration would liberalize authoritarian or totalitarian countries should by now be wholly debunked.
The CCP is responsible for some of the most horrific atrocities and violations of human rights today, and has largely managed to silence the world from even speaking out against its actions.
Individuals should do everything they can to express their opposition to this state of affairs, but the only viable response is for the governments of free peoples who care for and value these freedoms to jointly act in response.
If we value freedom over money, there must be economic consequences (including economic isolation) for China for its actions, and we should not be reluctant about promoting these freedoms globally, including within China.
The GATT and WTO rules in place today are not sufficient to counter the threat China represents. It's time to rewrite the rules of global trade to prevent the CCP from freely benefiting from trade while simultaneously using it as a hammer to blunt and distort the values that enabled the markets from which it benefits.
- LocalH 7y agoIt'd be really nice if the world pulled out of that market, which would decimate it and teach China that they don't own the world. That would never happen, anyway. That's the real power of money.
- jackcodes 7y agoDo you think a union would hold any power, almost like an ‘accredited travel agent’? Sign up and show you won’t bend you initial ethics to suit China.
- nordsieck 7y ago> Do you think a union would hold any power Power over whom? China? No. US Companies? It depends on the context: how damaging would a strike be, and how much of the important people can you get to join? In the context of pro gaming, I have serious doubts that any union is viable outside games with a franchise model. There are just too many hungry people and too few spots at the top to ever have a meaningful strike. Even with a franchise, the result of a Union forming may just be the dissolving of the franchise model (or the failure of the game as an esport) rather than the Union achieving political power.
- malloreon 7y agothe only freedom we value more than money is the freedom to make money. Blizzard, the NBA, all of these organizations know this and will find a way to make it right that doesn't turn off the money.
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- Circuits 7y agoI feel Activation should be held legally accountable for this decision. Perhaps, if they want to support the CCP, they should not be allowed to do business here in America.
- aliveupstairs 7y ago>The optimistic belief that economic growth and market integration would liberalize authoritarian or totalitarian countries should by now be wholly debunked. Yes, but the belief that the market/capitalism can enforce a set of values, good and bad, lives on.