commit 42c3b74c093f9e2662ca69561bae305ac49721ff
parent a64ddc489004bbf8d2bd85136cddc7ff713f712e
Author: Jake Bauer <jbauer@paritybit.ca>
Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2019 05:22:53 -0500
Blog post about China as inspired by Drew DeVault
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+## China
+
+[//]: # "Although I too would prefer to keep politics and world affairs out of my blog as well, I am in complete agreement in that it would also betray my personal beliefs and principles to remain publicly silent about what is taking place in China and in Hong Kong right now."
+
+[//]: # "base.min.css"
+
+[//]: #
+
+<b>Written By:</b> Jake Bauer |
+ <b>Posted:</b> 2019-11-23 |
+ <b>Last Updated:</b> 2019-11-23
+
+I have just finished reading [Drew DeVault's most recent blog
+post](https://drewdevault.com/2019/11/20/China.html) in which he writes about
+China.
+
+Although I too would prefer to keep politics and world affairs out of my blog, I
+am in complete agreement with him in that it would also betray my personal
+beliefs and principles to remain publicly silent about what is taking place in
+China and in Hong Kong right now.
+
+I strongly recommend that anyone who is reading this should read the blog post
+linked above in its entirety. Every word is important.
+
+I have already been boycotting Chinese products and the companies that have
+given in to China's ridiculous demands (e.g. Apple, Blizzard, Gap Inc., etc.) as
+much as I possibly can and I have encouraged my friend groups to do so as well.
+I have also written a letter to my member of Parliament (I encourage you to
+write physical letters as they are at least slightly harder to ignore than an
+email).
+
+I know it's not easy to boycott, especially if you are in the market for
+electronics, but I believe that it is our moral imperative to do as much as we
+possibly can to protest the actions of the Chinese government and to show our
+support for the citizens of Hong Kong in their fight for the same freedoms and
+democracy that we in the West take for granted.
+
+The excuse, "Boycotting/Writing to my representative/speaking up is useless, I
+am just one person.", is an old and tired one that people use so they can put
+the issues of the day at the back of their minds and keep living life as if
+thousands of people fighting for their freedom aren't being slaughtered like
+dogs. Don't be the kind of person who stands by and watches as this happens.
+
+If you're wondering, "What else can I do?", here are some links:
+
+[Band in China](https://caffeine-overload.github.io/bandinchina/) – A list of
+major countries and what can be done in each of them to support Hong Kong.
+
+[Company
+Blacklist](https://caffeine-overload.github.io/bandinchina/#blacklist)
+– A list of companies you should boycott for spinelessly complying with the
+demands of China.
+
+[Company Whitelist](https://caffeine-overload.github.io/bandinchina/#whitelist)
+– A list of companies that have stood up to China. These are companies/people
+you should support but some you should still keep a close eye on such as Epic
+Games who are partially owned by the Chinese company Tencent.
+
+If you have already written to your representative, boycotted companies, and
+spread the word about China's despicable actions then I sincerely thank you for
+being a good person and standing up for what you believe in. I also encourage
+you to take a look at some of the other protests that have been happening around
+the world in places like Spain, Lebanon, and Bolivia. Some similar to Hong Kong,
+others about things like climate change and income inequality. [Here is an
+article by the BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-50123743).
+
+To close out this post, I want to share one of my favourite quotes/poems:
+
+```
+First they came for the Communists
+And I did not speak out
+Because I was not a Communist
+
+Then they came for the Socialists
+And I did not speak out
+Because I was not a Socialist
+
+Then they came for the trade unionists
+And I did not speak out
+Because I was not a trade unionist
+
+Then they came for the Jews
+And I did not speak out
+Because I was not a Jew
+
+Then they came for me
+And there was no one left
+To speak out for me
+
+-- Martin Niemöller, 1946
+```
