Better Dead than Red
The Red Scare was the event of monumental public hysteria in the United States that shook the average American citizen’s trust in one another – where politicians and even a federal agency used it to disgrace political enemies. At the height of the Red Scare, a phrase was often tossed around. A rough translation of the German anti-Communist phrase “Lieber Tot als Rot,” “Better Dead than Red” was meant to establish a firm line in the sand that would develop over the course of the Cold War, as the two rival socio-economic systems of government competed in every adversarial aspect outside of organized open conflict. The United States of America, as well as the rest of the Western Nations, would rather die than subject themselves to Communism.
The last remaining “Big Red” is the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese Government, after a period of turmoil and economic strain, began to open its trade to companies from Capitalist countries. For almost fifty years, the wealth of China has only grown and, with it, the reliance of its lax regulations to provide cheap labor and a lack of environmental protection have made it a valuable trading partner. For the United States government, especially, it became an excellent partner to whom they could sell debt. Because of the world’s wealthiest elite’s business ties, the rampant and horrific human rights violations have largely gone ignored despite immense evidence of ongoing violations and massive propaganda campaigns with regular occurring censorship.
But that’s not why this article is being written. Nor is it about how, earlier this year, protests concerning an extradition bill began in Hong Kong. With the way the extradition bill was written, it would permit the deportation of Hong Kong citizens, which itself is an autonomous city-state, to mainland China. While the bill was formally withdrawn, this didn’t end the protests. Protesters are now calling for greater democratic reforms. These protests have been numbered in the hundreds of thousands to more than a million. The determination of the People of Hong Kong is to not just have their voices heard, but make sure their voices can’t be ignored. And they have been heard, especially by figures in the West – even those outside the political sphere.
This isn’t even about how the National Basketball Association, no stranger to business relations with China, is in between their own rock and a hard place. Basketball. It’s one of the most popular sports in both the United States and China and the NBA has created a multi-billion dollar revenue stream with the Communist country. No brand or team have taken advantage of this like the Houston Rockets. This is why when Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted small support for the Hong Kong protesters, it wasn’t very shocking to see him fired and his name dragged through the mud. He was a sacrificial lamb to the altar of Xi Jinping, willingly laid there by the likes of Golden State’s Steve Kerr and the famed L.A. Laker LeBron James.
The reason this is being mentioned here on our gaming website is because of the struggles Chung “Blitzchung” Ng Wai, a Professional Hearthstone Player has endured for speaking out. During an interview on a live stream the Hong Kong citizen wore a mask similar to those the protesters use to protect themselves from the police’s tear gas, and proudly declared support for the protests, calling it the “revolution of our age.” Blizzard, like the NBA, has intrinsic ties to the Chinese Government, a relationship dating back to the early days of expanding World of Warcraft to the nation. The punishment was swift and severe. Revocation of any prize money already won, revocation of exclusive ranking, and a ban for a full year. In reducing the ban and prize money decision, they created a wave of momentum. American University students Casey Chambers, Corwin Dark, and a third player only known by their handle TJammer, held up a sign that read “Free Hong Kong, Boycott Blizzard.” They received a six month ban, the same time as the reduced sentence for Chung.
The story might end here, as the red grip of the Pooh bear-shaped paw closes in on the attempt of a “single China” as the Chinese Mainland eliminates all freedoms from Hong Kong and Taiwan, the independent country China coerces companies and nations to refer to as “Chinese Taipei.” This would’ve remained another example as the corporate greed continues to feed the amorality of the modern monoliths like the NBA and Blizzard-Activision. Until a letter was sent out from Congress.
Not just any letter, but a letter of bipartisan condemnation from Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Marco Rubio of Florida, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mike Gallagher, and Tom Malinowski – to none other than Big Bad Daddy Kotick.
“Your company claims to stand by ‘one’s right to express individual thoughts and opinions’ yet many of your own employees believe that Activision-Blizzard’s decision to punish Mr. Chung runs counter to those values. Because your company is such a pillar of the gaming industry, your disappointing decision could have a chilling effect on gamers who seek to use their platform to promote human rights and basic freedoms. Indeed, many gamers around the world have taken notice of your company’s actions, understandably calling for boycotts of Activision Blizzard gaming sites.”
The truth is, this really will not do anything to move the needle. The efforts of the titan-like corporate behemoths move at slower paces to have knee jerk reactions that could jeopardize deals of the magnitude that Blizzard and the NBA have with China. Deals that took tens of thousands of man hours, millions of dollars of investment just to get a seat at the negotiating table, much less the deal itself. Even conscientious objectors like myself have limits. I have the Brooklyn Nets stats pulled up in another window, wondering how they are going to frame the team until the injuries on key players heal. My Twitter feed is flush with news of off-season trades going on in the Overwatch League, the eSports league owned and operated by Blizzard.
So what can be done about the lengths needed to go in order to not stay silent about the abuses of the current Chinese government? How long until Hong Kong become the next Tibet or Taiwan? China used to be a lucrative market brands dreamed of reaching. But only now are we seeing the chains of servitude tied to the market. In exchange for a new massive audience, and the money that comes with it, companies have exchanged autonomy and power. Even if our Big Bad Daddy Kotick wanted to speak out, he’d be fired before a syllable could leave his mouth. When the statements Morey made about Hong Kong were happening, NBA teams were in China for exhibition games. It’s not an exaggeration to say that their lives could be in danger. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time China detained Americans, nor is it likely to be the last. How many non-famous staffers might have gone “missing?” The same kind of “missing” that the Muslim and other religious minorities have dealt with in the past.
The world of politics, worldwide current events, and video games rarely intersect. However, with BlizzCon, the Blizzard run event hosting massive reveals of new projects and even as the battleground for the Overwatch World Cup, coming up – many are talking about going. To protest. The extent of the protest seems to be limited to planned peaceful protests outside of the Anaheim Convention Center on the first day, hosted by Fight for the Future, the organization behind worldwide protests of internet censorship laws and regulations. The protest is scheduled to launch with the opening ceremonies of BlizzCon on November 1.
Last year’s event was host to a “less than perfect” reaction to the announcement of Diablo Immortal, the upcoming mobile entry to the beloved Diablo franchise. The result was a 7% drop in stock prices for the parent company. With so much scrutiny under the social microscope, it will be a tightrope for Blizzard to try and walk this year. And if there is a figure wearing a gas mask and carrying an umbrella and a pair of scissors ready to cut it, they have no one to blame but themselves.
After all, better dead than red.
