#Boycott Mulan?

 

“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”                                                    Martin Luther King, Jr.

Follow the money! Periodically, some stateside politician is called a “Hitler.” Such labeling only reveals the vast ignorance of the “labeler.” Fortunately, because even with our flaws, Western Civilization is a culture where rule of law still has precedence and there is a justice system.

Perhaps because we didn’t go to war with China or lose half a million American lives, we don’t realize the brutality of Communist China. One is hard-pressed to name a single movie made about China’s atrocities under Mao. But it’s not history. It’s the daily news because it’s still taking place.

Just in Mao’s 1958 Great Leap Forward, 46 million died between 1958 and 1962. During his reign of terror some 80 million died. In contrast, Hitler was responsible for 20 million civilian deaths. An obvious question is: “Who’s the real Hitler?” China’s current “president” (that’s a nice word for dictator), Xi Jinping openly admires Mao, who committed the biggest genocide of the 20th century. Such admiration is repugnant. Imagine any Western Civilization leader openly praising Hitler?  

Yet somehow all of that didn’t stop Disney from whitewashing this evil empire. Their newest live-action movie, “Mulan,” had substantial portions filmed in China’s Xinjiang province, with the blessing and cooperation of the Chinese Communist government. Xinjiang is the home province of some 12 million Muslim Uighurs. Over one million of them have been moved to concentration camps where “they are starved, abused, tortured, electrocuted, raped and even killed.” Uighur women have been forcibly sterilized, and there have been reports of forced abortions and infanticide.

Not only did Disney choose the Xinjiang province, but in the closing credits, they thanked China’s Communist government and propaganda departments for their assistance. Disney has chosen to cozy up to the Chinese government for years. In 1997, a Disney film that cast the Dalai Lama in a positive light so upset Beijing, they “restricted the studio’s ability to work in China.” Disney’s then-CEO Michael Eisner quickly issued an apology and promised not to insult Disney’s “friends” in the future.  Appeased, Beijing opened the doors for Shanghai Disneyland.

But it’s not just Disney. There are a long list of companies who fill their coffers with little regard for China’s suffering population. Walmart, Boeing, Caterpillar, General Motors, Starbucks and Ford…to name a few. Many of these same companies lecture Americans for racism, but close their eyes to oppression and “crimes against humanity” just to increase their profit margin.

For example, recently the NBA canceled games in protest of racism. What a bunch of hypocrites! Because no one in the NBA dares to whisper criticism of Communist China or they quickly find themselves sentenced to a virtual bamboo gulag. A reported half a billion annual profits for the NBA from China buys a lot of silence. And where are all of the Hollywood stars who clamor to speak out on anything political? Have any of them said a word about the latest Disney-China connections? Crickets.

God’s Word is clear. Racism is evil. It’s an evil that must be repented of. Yet, racism is a worldwide evil. It’s disingenuous to speak against racism in the States, yet for financial gain, close one’s eyes to genocide.

How horrible are China’s acts of oppression? Just this week more than 150 human rights groups urged the International Olympic Committee to rethink holding the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. In a letter, the coalition said that since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China has built—quote, “an Orwellian surveillance network” in Tibet and incarcerated more than a million Uighurs.” It listed a litany of other abuses from Hong Kong to the Inner Mongolia region, as well as the intimidation of Taiwan.

Fortunately, not all American corporations are heartless to these crimes against humanity. Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nike and Google are looking to move production away from China. As we learned with the repudiation of Apartheid, dinging a company’s bottom line gets their attention.

Yet, companies like Walmart have helped cover that a product is made in China with their blanket “distributed from Bentonville, Arkansas” labeling. What does that mean? Zilch! It’s a cover. Those concerned about oppressed people groups and dictatorial governments want to make an informed consumer’s decision even if it cost us a little bit more. Walmart and companies like it have stripped us of that option.

Recently, Wisconsin’s Senator Tammy Baldwin proposed a bill that requires labeling for a product’s country of origin. I wrote her to thank her for the bill. While some products have multiple manufacturers, many do not, and often a high percentage is made in one nation. It’s the right thing to do to put economic choices back in the hands of consumers.

What can we do? The truth is that boycotts for the most part don’t work. Corporations and manufacturing companies are too intertwined. For example, Disney Corporation also owns or has part ownership in ABC, ESPN, Marvel, Lucasfilm, The History Channel and Pixar.

Do I believe you should boycott Mulan? That’s truly up to you and a matter of personal conscience. Yet, with all of the negative publicity about Disney’s supporting China’s oppression, taking a financial hit on this one might make them and other corporations think twice about supporting totalitarian governments in the future.

Then, I’d encourage you to communicate with our national leaders like Senators Baldwin, Johnson and Congressman Steil to support bills that put economic choice back in the hands of consumers by clear product labeling. Their government websites and local offices make it simple to communicate with them. Encourage your friends to do the same. If we do nothing, one thing is certain – nothing will change. We need to be part of encouraging justice.

Most importantly, we need to remember that the Church is not American or our particular sect or ethnicity. Our Lord’s Church is worldwide with a 2,000-year history. Please pray for the persecuted Church. Stay updated with how our brothers and sisters are suffering from organizations like Voice of the Martyrs. The most important action we can take is to pray.

The Imago Dei, freedom from oppression, the injustice of racism, the evil of genocide, freedom of religion are biblical values. It’s part of our Christian responsibility to be salt and light in a dark world. Instead of cursing the darkness, it’s time to light some candles. 

 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Greed Wins Again!

“Greed is the inventor of injustice as well as the current enforcer.”

Julian Casablancas

Earlier this month (October 8^th), a fan was kicked out of a basketball game for holding up a sign calling for freedom for Hong Kong and for yelling a freedom-for-Hong-Kong slogan. One of the teams on the court was a Chinese team from Guangzhou, the Loong Lions. But this game wasn’t being held in Beijing or Peking. It was in Philadelphia…the birthplace of American freedom. Just feet from where our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, Americans were told that they couldn’t show public support for basic human freedoms in China. This was right after the NBA forced an apology onto the Houston Rockets general manager for tweeting, “fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” Why? Greed!

  The NBA is poised to make $1.5 billion off its streaming agreement with Chinese media company, Tencent, over the next five years, so the NBA is willing to slam dunk basic human rights to increase their bottom line.

  Basketball is the most popular sport in the world’s most populous country. There are more NBA fans in China than there are people in the United States. The NBA is willingly being fiscally blackmailed by a repressive nation known for forced abortions, harvesting organs, and the abuse of religious minorities, like the Muslim Uighur community.

  That’s not to mention China’s recent blood-drenched history. Chinese Communists make the Nazis look like Boy Scouts. There’s a general consensus among historians that after Chairman Mao and the Communists came to power,  political purges caused the deaths of tens of millions.

  Today most have forgotten the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded. What’s ironic is how quickly the NBA was ready to boycott North Carolina over bathrooms a few years ago, but now kowtow to a brutal Chinese government…all for the love of money.

  Yet, the NBA is hardly exceptional. In recent years, American and European companies have made a regular habit of apologizing for their accidental contradictions of China’s Communist Party line. Last year, Marriott fired a social-media manager for liking a post complimenting the hotel chain for its (unintentional) endorsement of Tibetan independence. Around the same time, Mercedes-Benz issued an apology for quoting the Dalai Lama on Instagram. After learning that one of its t-shirts featured a map of China that didn’t include Taiwan or various disputed islands in the South China Sea, the Gap expressed its regrets and affirmed its respect for “China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Versace apologized for a similar offense last August, saying, “Versace reiterates that we love China deeply, and resolutely respect China’s territory and national sovereignty.”

  By itself, U.S. consumer brands’ disinterest in advocating for Tibetan independence or democracy in Hong Kong isn’t especially concerning. But capitulation on these largely symbolic issues (symbolic in the sense that Gap T-shirts won’t make or break the “Free Tibet” movement) clearly indicate that corporate America is virtually absent of a moral compass or compassion for the oppressed or brutalized. Greed massacres freedom!

  Christians have largely been concerned about Big Brother, and the oppression of biblical values but been oblivious to Big Business’s oppression of Christianity. But corporate America is no friend of grace or the people of God. Think about it. If corporations won’t support the defense of basic human rights by an oppressive regime like China, do we believe that religious freedom won’t also be sacrificed? Giant corporations like Google, Twitter, Facebook have been caught censoring Christian posts and organizations.

  Just consider the malicious media slandering and political blackballing of Chick-fil-a because their owners dare to espouse a biblical worldview. Yet, it’s common knowledge that Chick-fil-A serves, employs, pays, and offers benefits to people who consider themselves gay, queer, lesbian, bi, and any other sexually-specific identity a person wants to claim. They don’t discriminate or show partiality or prejudice. They simply sell chicken sandwiches in clean restaurants (except on Sundays).

  What infuriates those who hold a different worldview is that the owners of Chick-fil-A are Christians who personally hold to a belief in the biblical moral ethic. That’s it! They’re believers striving to honor God and live in obedience to His Word. That obedience means loving others, serving others, helping others and doing all things (even selling chicken sandwiches) as though they’re working for God Himself and not for man.

  Even an innocuous site like Pinterest censors and blocks certain Bible verses and Christian terms in its search engine. While a quick search makes it clear that some Bible verses are still allowed on Pinterest, one employee whistleblower revealed that the company’s auto-complete function was modified and there is hostility against some Christian beliefs. 

  Yet, none of this should surprise us. Jesus promised that, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). While in America we should defend our Constitutional rights while we can, just as the Apostle Paul defended his rights as a Roman citizen, we must also be known as the people of love and grace. We’re to turn the other cheek (Mt. 5:38-40), and love and pray for our enemies (Rom. 12:14-21).

  Most vocations are no longer exempt from the conflict between career and convictions. As Christians, we must develop a “theology of getting fired” and answer the tough questions before they’re forced on us: “What am I willing to take a stand for and get fired over?” God’s grace is sufficient. He has called us to live as His light in an increasingly darkening world. We’re not the first who’ve faced these dilemmas. As God has been faithful to all those who have come before us, He will be faithful to us!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.