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How Apple, Blizzard, Disney, the NBA, and Others Turned on American Values for China

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Website screenshot showing Leaf and Core is not blocked

Leaf and Core isn’t blocked in China. Let’s change that!

For some time now, I’ve run under the impression that if Leaf and Core had more readers, we’d be banned in China. I’ve spoken against censorship in the country for some time. I came out in favor of global Huawei bans, against the treatment and pay of their workers, and I stand firmly against the country for their extremist anti-LGBTQ views. I support Muslims all over the world, against any regime that would do them harm. But, hell, I’d likely get banned from China just for being a gay woman.

Unfortunately, for my ego’s sake, Leaf and Core is not banned in China. Fortunately, that means this post will make it to mainland China, where it can counter the propaganda the Chinese government shoves down every citizen’s throats.

Also, here’s a photo of Tank Man, from the Tienanmen Square Massacre.

The "Tank Man" photograph. A lone man stands down a long line of tanks outside of Tianamen Square

One man against a nation. Photo: Jeff Widener, Associated Press

 

So why are we talking about China, specifically Chinese censorship? Protests in Hong Kong have, despite lack of action from our governments, gained worldwide attention. They don’t make China look very good. As a result, China is cracking down on any positive description of Hong Kong, its protestors, or democracy. But they’re not just attacking their own citizens. American businesses have caved to pressure from China, resulting in Americans having their free speech revoked by a foreign power. Now, Americans and lawmakers are taking notice. But what happened in the past week to spur this?

Hong Kong and China

The flag of Hong Kong, a flower with five petals and stars inside the petals. Hong Kong was owned by the British government. It enjoyed the freedom of a British colony, despite its imperialistic beginnings. Free speech, elections, you get the picture. Then Britain gave Hong Kong back to China. They did so with the promise that people living in Hong Kong, while they would now be Chinese citizens, would enjoy the freedoms of living in Hong Kong. They’d get 50 years of capitalism and freedom, separate from China.

The Protests

Now, China has decided that’s too long. They begun carving away Hong Kong citizens’ freedoms, and pushed to strengthen mainland China’s ability to extradite “criminals” from Hong Kong. I use criminals in quotes because this blog post would be a crime in China, one that would send me to a forced labor camp to have my organs carved out. Obviously, the free people of Hong Kong did not like the idea. There were protests. The bill was withdrawn, but they never got the promise that mainland China wouldn’t try this again. Protestors wanted more guarantees of their freedoms. They have 5 core demands:

  1. The complete withdrawal of the extradition bill that started the protests
  2. Hong Kong and China must rescind their characterization of the protests as a “riot.”
  3. Release protesters who were arrested for exercising their rights to free speech. This goes along with #2. These were protestors, not rioters.
  4. Investigate the police. Hong Kong’s police force has reacted with extreme violence, and there are some theories that point to direct Chinese involvement.
  5. Resignation of Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong who attempted to give mainland China more control over Hong Kong.

These are five small yet simple demands. However, mainland China will not allow them to go through. As a result, Hong Kong is in a constant state of protest, and police are executing greater levels of violence. Protesters have been beaten on camera, as have journalists. At least one woman had her eye shot out. A video surfaced of police intentionally breaking a man’s arm. The sheer brutality is unquestionably horrific and reprehensible. But Hong Kong enjoys the protection of China, who seems to be dictating the violence. As such, there has been no global condemnation.

China’s Hong Kong Control

China doesn’t want international attention. They don’t want people talking about Hong Kong, the atrocities being committed there at their request, and the terrors of their own country. People in China face extreme censorship, discrimination, low wages, constant surveillance with facial recognition, and the threat of extreme penalties if they speak out. It’s an authoritarian regime, and they’re exerting their might over a small free holdout, Hong Kong. It stands against everything most of the western world holds dear.

But we’ve been silent. Because China demands it.

China owns much of the west’s debt. They’re a center of business for many western countries. The fact is, they have an extreme hold over world economies, so governments haven’t said much. But now corporations, artists, actors, and other people are falling in line. Apple, Blizzard, Disney, the NBA, and many other organizations have censored their employees, stores, players, and movies in order to appease the oppressive government of China. Finally, people  are taking notice, and we aren’t happy.

Blizzard’s Ban

While Blizzard wasn’t the first company to take pro-China actions, they did take one of the most drastic stances. Because of that, it started a snowball effect. Suddenly, the small relinquishments of these companies were indicative of a much larger problem.

Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai is a professional Hearthstone player from Hong Kong. After winning a tournament, he said during a broadcast, “Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution of our age!” These are the slogans of the Hong Kong protestors. Blizzard, taking a page out of China’s handbook, reacted swiftly and unapologetically.

They gave him a one year ban, withheld prize money for his tournament winnings, and fired the commentators who he was speaking with. The commentators who had nothing to do with his statement. They cited a rule that essentially allows them to ban someone for any reason. After the incredibly lashing they received from both the public and even American lawmakers, Blizzard halved their bans and relinquished the prize money Blitzchung earned. Still, this is a 6 month ban, enough to end a career, for two sentences. Free speech. And the commentators didn’t even say the phrase!

Mei from Overwatch carrying an umbrella with "Free Hong Kong" and "Democracy Now" written on it.

Artist: Yuumei, via Reddit

As a result, Overwatch players have made memes of the characters supporting Hong Kong, to get the game banned in China. They’ve deleted their World of Warcraft accounts, pulled out of Hearthstone tournaments, and have shunned every game Blizzard makes, from Diablo and beyond.

Blizzard was once the company that featured a lesbian as their main character. They once had her say, “The world could always use more heroes.” Then, much like the characters in their lore, Blizzard became the bad guys, siding with a country that would arrest a number of their characters.

Apple’s Apps

A man on the left shows something on an iPad to Apple CEO Tim Cook, center with arms crossed, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right.

It’s not the first time Apple has sided with an authoritarian regime for money. Photo: Saudi Embassy USA/Twitter

Apple briefly allowed an app, HKMap, that aided Hong Kong protestors into the App Store. Apple then caved to Chinese demands and remove the app. They claim to have done so at the request of “Hong Kong Police” and “concerned citizens.” It coincided with the takedown of the Quartz media app—which has been covering the Hong Kong protests—at China’s request, and after the Chinese government’s news asked if Apple was “an accomplice to the rioters.” Of course, this mischaracterization of the protesters as rioters is common in pro-China media sources. The timing suggests it was China, not Hong Kong, who pressured Apple into removing the app.

Tim Cook claims Hong Kong police asked them to take down the app because it allows protestors to “target police.” However, the purpose of the app was to avoid police or refrain from protest activities where police are reported. The Hong Kong police are armed with rubber bullets, tear gas, riot gear, batons, and shields. The protestors of Hong Kong do not want to clash with them, they want to avoid them or be careful around them. It’s no different from Waze in the U.S.

Apple has been moving their manufacturing out of China, partially to avoid Trump’s trade war, but also to reduce costs and better control factory conditions. One plant has been building the Mac Pro here in the United States, and other manufacturing plants are popping up in India. Basically? Apple is one of the most valuable countries in the world. China needs them more than they need China, and the country may have overplayed its hand here.

NBA, Disney, Vans, Tiffany, and More!

This isn’t just an issue for tech companies. Disney has censored their movies for China, most clearly by removing all references to LGBTQ people. Characters who are LGBTQ in Marvel comics, for example, had scenes cut from the films, either to appease American homophobes or, more likely, the homophobic Chinese government. Vans is running a custom sneaker design contest, but is deleting entries that feature Hong Kong inspired designs.

Hong Kong protestors carry a banner of a painted woman with blood sroked violently out of her right eye.

Photo: SCMP/Felix Wong

Tiffany canceled an ad because the model was covering her right eye, which, since Hong Kong police shot out a young woman’s right eye, the Chinese government and its supporters looking for social credit claimed it was a comment about the Hong Kong protests. Again, the Chinese government’s censorship reached American businesses.

Deleted tweet from Tiffany & Co showing a model showing off her rings by putting her hand in front of her eye.

The photos for this ad campaign were shot long before Hong Kong police shot out a woman’s eye.

Perhaps the worst is an American NBA General Manager. Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted support of Hong Kong protesters. He quickly deleted it. Still, the Chinese government took notice. On their state-ran China Central Television, they claimed Morey had no “right to freedom of expression,” and suspended NBA broadcasts. The NBA sided with China, but that hasn’t been enough for the country’s government.

None of these companies are alone. Mashable has a long and growing list of companies that have caved to pressure from China and censored their products, marketing, or workers in some way.

Americans Take Notice

Many Americans have been upset over the treatment of the Hong Kong protestors and their rights at the hands of what appears to be a mainland China-backed effort to squash the protests with extreme violence. However, for lack of a better concept, those protests haven’t “hit home.” There’s a sad fact of the world. While we’re at our most peaceful era in human history, we also have a long ways to go. Modern media delivers every tragedy to our homes, but until you can feel those tragedies affecting you, they’re something you can forget about. Perhaps it’s the only coping mechanism we have, as empathetic people. Still, when an American company started supporting the censorship China inflicts on their citizens daily, people took note.

Americans are okay with very few limitations on free speech. You can’t make violent threats, you can’t incite violence, and, while some of the country isn’t behind this, most agree that hate speech is okay to censor. After all, it incites violence. But censoring political opinions, especially pro-democracy opinions, at the behest of an authoritarian regime? That’s enough to get every American upset. China’s censorship came to our shores.

Lawmakers React

“Blizzard shows it is willing to humiliate itself to please the Chinese Communist Party”

– Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)

“Recognize what’s happening here. People who don’t live in China must either self censor or face dismissal & suspensions”

– Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)

We may have found an issue that actually unites our parties in America. Both Democrats and Republicans have spoken out against Blizzard and Apple. Of Apple, Senator Wyden pointed out that Apple effectively sided against protestors in their fight against an authoritarian regime. Senator Josh Hawley (R-OH) asked, “Who is really running Apple? Tim Cook or Beijing?”

While the frustration with companies willing to abandon free speech and democracy so quickly in favor of money and cheap labor crosses party lines, lawmakers have not introduced bills or set up inquiry panels. Yet. In the coming weeks, if anger over these decisions does not subside, elected officials will likely take action against these companies. At the very least, this will put their mistakes in the public eye, and could hurt stock prices and brand imaging.

What About You?

What can you do? You can ask more of your representatives and the American companies supporting China’s authoritarianism. Announce boycotts on Twitter and other social networks. Spread the word and ensure your friends know what’s happening in Hong Kong, and how vile these companies are for taking China’s side. Write to or call your lawmakers, or just @ them on Twitter, and ask them what they’re doing about American companies empowering an anti-democracy authoritarian regime. If you’re in the area, consider joining a protest of BlizzCon, Blizzard’s now unfortunately timed convention. Unless companies and lawmakers realize that inaction on Hong Kong could carry financial burdens, they’ll continue to side with China. The most you can do is ensure they know this is unacceptable and that it’ll hurt their business or chances of being reelected.

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