Do Uighur Lives Matter? – Part Two: Do We Care?

In an earlier post I talked about why I thought saying “Uighur Lives Matter” could be problematic.  But beyond that, I don’t think “Uighurs Lives Matter” would carry the day in the United States, even if saying it wasn’t problematic.  Let me mention a couple of reasons.  First, a number of Americans just don’t care about what is going on elsewhere in the world.  It is part of their America First approach.  They feel we need to make economic deals with China.  We have to take care of ourselves; we can’t worry about the Uighurs.  This is certainly what former National Security Adviser John Bolton says that President Trump told President Xi Jinping. 

Second, lots of individual Americans and American companies are intimidated by China.  They see over a billion Chinese and decide sales and profits are more important than principles and doing what is right.

When Daryl Morey, the General Manager of the Houston Rockets, tweeted in support of protestors in Hong Kong a year ago, there was a firestorm.  Even though he deleted the tweet and profusely apologized, China cut off NBA television broadcasts in China.  Some in the NBA stood relatively firm on the right of Mr. Morey to say what he believed.  Others seemed more concerned about their commercial relations with China and selling products to Chinese consumers than what might be happening in Hong Kong.  Keeping on the right side of the Chinese government (and the ability to make money in China) was more important than any principles they claimed to have. 

Which is an interesting contrast with Black Lives Matter.  NBA players wear warm-up shirts that say Black Lives Matter, they play on courts with Black Lives Matter signs, and most of them refuse to stand for the Star-Spangled Banner.  They say they are standing for principle.  Which I understand.  But standing for principle is easier for when any economic consequences are minor, if there are any at all.  How much money are professional basketball players really risking by standing for Black Lives Matter?  My guess is none (or almost none) because most of their fans agree with them; i.e.., they are standing up for a principle their fans already agree with.  That doesn’t mean it’s not a principle to stand up for.  It just means it may not be that hard to do so.

Standing up for Uighur Lives Matter would another thing.  Doing that would make the Chinese government mad.  The NBA’s TV broadcasts in China telecasts would be banned again.  Products would be banned.  All of which would cost the NBA and NBA players a lot of money.  Antagonizing some part of the US market, many of which may not watch them anyway, isn’t a big deal.  Antagonizing the Chinese government is quite another.  As we have seen.