Uproar in Hong Kong

Is America a symbol of hope? Some may say no and others may lead you to believe that America is no different than the UK or France, the only difference being that we have substantially higher mass shootings. However, despite everything that has unfolded over 243 years, ranging from the enslavement of African Americans, the internment of Japanese Americans, and everything above, America is still a country of hopes and dreams. 

 An excellent example of America’s image of hope to the world is the recent political clashes in Hong Kong, where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in a mass protest against the Chinese government. The movement began with the aim of withdrawing an extradition bill proposed by Hong Kong officials. If enacted, the bill would allow local authorities to arrest and extradite people who are wanted in territories that Hong Kong does not have extradition agreements with, including mainland China and Taiwan. This came with the fear that the bill would place Hong Kong citizens and visitors under mainland Chinese jurisdiction, undermining the autonomy of the region and people’s rights and freedom. This bill and many like it in China, are inherently fascist in nature, which is something not new to China’s long-term relationship with communism. 

 The poignant reality of the situation in Hong Kong, is that the Hong Kong citizens are desperate to preserve their freedom under the gun of people being kidnapped or disappearing. In order to rebel against such oppression, the protesters chose to wave the American flag and chant the Star-Spangled Banner as tear gas canisters are launched into the crowds. This should touch the hearts of all Americans and remind us when people look for freedom and are afraid of tyrannical oppression, when they strive to become the one thing that all great people have to be which is free, and all individuals want to be, they look to America for that symbol.  

 These protests are not the boiling point of decades of oppression, no. Throughout the entirety of the 20th century, China has been the victim and deliverer of tyranny. In 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army invaded China with overwhelming numbers and effectively launched an undeclared genocide against the Chinese, where an estimated 20 million people were slaughtered. After World War II, China was on the brink of collapse and revolution was on the rise. The result of which brought into the world the most destructive dictator known to man, even more so than Hitler and Stalin combined. Mao Zedong claimed the lives of over 100 million people, mostly through starvation, during his regime change from 1945 to 1950. 

 Revolts against such a force could be seen as ultimately futile considering that China is very much an isolated state and information there is easily concealed from reaching western media. Hong Kong should prove to Americans today that the rights guaranteed in the constitution should not be taken for granted in any way, because one day the events that are going on in Hong Kong could happen at home.