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> it’s easy to forget that many oppressed and subjugated people around the world still look to the U.S. with hope It's easy to forget because it's just a fairy

> it’s easy to forget that many oppressed and subjugated people around the world still look to the U.S. with hope It's easy to forget because it's just a fairy tale Americans tell themselves. Oppressed and subjugated people flee to the nearest country that isn't the one oppressing them. Often that country is in fact China (from North Korea). This article doesn't even pretend to be talking about saving oppressed and subjugated people though; it almost brags that the idea is for the US to cynically "benefit from the human capital that created [Hong Kong's] wealth". The people this article is talking about - the "financial and creative genius" - could walk into any country they wanted to, if they wanted to leave their home. They don't need the US.

rchaud 6y ago
Rich Western countries will for the most part, only accept the best and the brightest, refugee or not. People who under different circumstances, would still have been able to jump through the various hurdles to immigrate legally. I read plenty of stories about the million plus people that have been afforded entry to Europe in the last few years. Yet there is very little in the English-language press about the millions more that have made their homes, for better or for worse, in neighbouring countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
- sjg007 6y ago
  Best and brightest are wanted but that overlooks the millions of immigrants who are not so by qualifications and yet they still achieve success. So having these prequalifications is kind of silly. America's construction boom is fueled by immigrants as is most of Los Angeles restaurant scene.
Simulacra 6y ago
I'm curious, do you think the Chinese people have been so brainwashed that they are incapable of considering the U.S. as a beacon of hope? The only interest America has in Hong Kong is purely financial. We've not done much to support democracy and freedom over there.
- pmachinery 6y ago
  > I'm curious, do you think the Chinese people have been so brainwashed that they are incapable of considering the U.S. as a beacon of hope? I think Chinese people who think of free countries where they'd rather be are more likely to have in mind Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Japan or other Asian countries than the US. > The only interest America has in Hong Kong is purely financial. Yes. This article doesn't even refer to the people of Hong Kong as people, simply as assets for the US to exploit. > We've not done much to support democracy and freedom over there. I think there's a tendency for people to forget, or simply disregard, that Hong Kong is part of China. Should China be doing more to support democracy and freedom (independence) in, say, Puerto Rico?

rchaud 6y ago

Rich Western countries will for the most part, only accept the best and the brightest, refugee or not. People who under different circumstances, would still have been able to jump through the various hurdles to immigrate legally. I read plenty of stories about the million plus people that have been afforded entry to Europe in the last few years. Yet there is very little in the English-language press about the millions more that have made their homes, for better or for worse, in neighbouring countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

sjg007 6y ago
Best and brightest are wanted but that overlooks the millions of immigrants who are not so by qualifications and yet they still achieve success. So having these prequalifications is kind of silly. America's construction boom is fueled by immigrants as is most of Los Angeles restaurant scene.

Simulacra 6y ago

I'm curious, do you think the Chinese people have been so brainwashed that they are incapable of considering the U.S. as a beacon of hope? The only interest America has in Hong Kong is purely financial. We've not done much to support democracy and freedom over there.

pmachinery 6y ago
> I'm curious, do you think the Chinese people have been so brainwashed that they are incapable of considering the U.S. as a beacon of hope? I think Chinese people who think of free countries where they'd rather be are more likely to have in mind Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Japan or other Asian countries than the US. > The only interest America has in Hong Kong is purely financial. Yes. This article doesn't even refer to the people of Hong Kong as people, simply as assets for the US to exploit. > We've not done much to support democracy and freedom over there. I think there's a tendency for people to forget, or simply disregard, that Hong Kong is part of China. Should China be doing more to support democracy and freedom (independence) in, say, Puerto Rico?