Pity the Uighurs. Over three years after I wrote about the plight of China’s beleaguered Turkic minority, their predicament has only gotten worse. Not content to crack down on sporadic outbursts of Uighur rage, China — still too big and non-white to oppose — now insists on regulating all aspects of Uighur life; and the result is a surveillance state on steroids.
Granted, China is an authoritarian country, for Uighurs and Han Chinese alike. China is also like all other non-Western countries, which don’t countenance abrasive minorities. However, China’s suppression of Uighurs goes well beyond standard majoritarianism. Along with rigid religious and cultural restrictions, China physically and digitally monitors Uighurs’ every move. As if that weren’t enough, even Uighurs’ DNA and irises are now up for grabs. If such extreme surveillance spreads beyond the confines of Xinjiang and China, we may end up pining for the good old days of NSA spying.
Chinese officials, however, insist that Uighurs are living better than ever. After all, thanks to Han Chinese settlement and investment, Xinjiang is much more modern and prosperous than before. Sure, Uighurs can’t so much as burp without alerting Chinese authorities. Still, better to drive through multiple security checkpoints than to have no modern roads to drive on. Or is it?
Naturally, a significant number of Uighurs disagree. They rightly recognize that no amount of infrastructure is worth losing one’s heritage and being displaced by hostile aliens. Sadly, such recognition does little to ward off the Chinese behemoth.
If it’s any consolation, Uighurs aren’t the only ones being undermined by Chinese invaders in the name of progress. In ethnically Chinese Hong Kong, influxes of mainland “locusts” and capital are driving economic growth.
Unfortunately, such gains come at the expense of regular Hong Kongers, who face stratospheric housing prices, intense competition, and an increased strain on myriad goods; and to top it off, the mainland is cracking down on Hong Kong’s limited political independence. Small wonder growing numbers of Hong Kongers are becoming increasingly radicalized. Like Uighurs in Xinjiang, they instinctively know that GPD increases don’t justify a loss of sovereignty. They know that self-determination and social cohesion count for more than the dubious wisdom of Vox’s open borders wonks.
Perhaps one day, more whites will imbibe this Asian wisdom! Of course, whites aren’t in the same boat as Uighurs and Hong Kongers. Nor are we likely be be ruled by China anytime soon (if ever). I also recognize that comparing state-sponsored Chinese colonists to westbound refugees and economic migrants is a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, the Xinjiang and Hong Kong quagmires serve as warnings for white countries — particularly the Anglosphere — that have grown addicted to immigration-fueled economic growth.
Now, just to be clear, one shouldn’t discount the importance of prosperity and economic improvements. As a passionate economic populist who’s lauded the work of Michael Hudson and Dean Baker, I take economics very seriously. That said, being cognizant of economic inequality isn’t the same as embracing economic determinism; and no sacrosanct identity or culture should ever be sacrificed on the altar of “the economy.” Fortunately, unlike powerless subjects such as benighted Uighurs and surly Hong Kongers, whites can still choose to not make such sacrifices.
They can start by sparing a thought for recent victims of locust swarms.
Granted, China is an authoritarian country, for Uighurs and Han Chinese alike. China is also like all other non-Western countries, which don’t countenance abrasive minorities. However, China’s suppression of Uighurs goes well beyond standard majoritarianism. Along with rigid religious and cultural restrictions, China physically and digitally monitors Uighurs’ every move. As if that weren’t enough, even Uighurs’ DNA and irises are now up for grabs. If such extreme surveillance spreads beyond the confines of Xinjiang and China, we may end up pining for the good old days of NSA spying.
Chinese officials, however, insist that Uighurs are living better than ever. After all, thanks to Han Chinese settlement and investment, Xinjiang is much more modern and prosperous than before. Sure, Uighurs can’t so much as burp without alerting Chinese authorities. Still, better to drive through multiple security checkpoints than to have no modern roads to drive on. Or is it?
Naturally, a significant number of Uighurs disagree. They rightly recognize that no amount of infrastructure is worth losing one’s heritage and being displaced by hostile aliens. Sadly, such recognition does little to ward off the Chinese behemoth.
If it’s any consolation, Uighurs aren’t the only ones being undermined by Chinese invaders in the name of progress. In ethnically Chinese Hong Kong, influxes of mainland “locusts” and capital are driving economic growth.
Unfortunately, such gains come at the expense of regular Hong Kongers, who face stratospheric housing prices, intense competition, and an increased strain on myriad goods; and to top it off, the mainland is cracking down on Hong Kong’s limited political independence. Small wonder growing numbers of Hong Kongers are becoming increasingly radicalized. Like Uighurs in Xinjiang, they instinctively know that GPD increases don’t justify a loss of sovereignty. They know that self-determination and social cohesion count for more than the dubious wisdom of Vox’s open borders wonks.
Perhaps one day, more whites will imbibe this Asian wisdom! Of course, whites aren’t in the same boat as Uighurs and Hong Kongers. Nor are we likely be be ruled by China anytime soon (if ever). I also recognize that comparing state-sponsored Chinese colonists to westbound refugees and economic migrants is a bit of a stretch. Nevertheless, the Xinjiang and Hong Kong quagmires serve as warnings for white countries — particularly the Anglosphere — that have grown addicted to immigration-fueled economic growth.
Now, just to be clear, one shouldn’t discount the importance of prosperity and economic improvements. As a passionate economic populist who’s lauded the work of Michael Hudson and Dean Baker, I take economics very seriously. That said, being cognizant of economic inequality isn’t the same as embracing economic determinism; and no sacrosanct identity or culture should ever be sacrificed on the altar of “the economy.” Fortunately, unlike powerless subjects such as benighted Uighurs and surly Hong Kongers, whites can still choose to not make such sacrifices.
They can start by sparing a thought for recent victims of locust swarms.
