If you’ve ever wondered why the mainstream media has continuously decreased the amount of time they spend criticizing the evil committed by the Chinese Communist Party, I can explain it: Money.
China’s enormous population is finally growing into a massive economic force on the global scale, as consumers under the CCP have finally found themselves with disposable income.
But, given how much China has been forced to invest in keeping their human rights travesties a secret, the brutal regime has now taken to holding this purchasing power over the head of those who would criticize them.
This has led to the embarrassing realize that some of America’s largest corporations are always seeking to appease Beijing.
Boston Celtics big man Enes Freedom, formerly known as Enes Kanter, is one of the only NBA players willing to speak out against China’s “brutal dictator” Xi Jinping and the country’s continued human rights violations. His willingness to speak out when so many of his peers have stayed quiet has garnered him plenty of fanfare across the country.
But not everyone is pleased with his activism, including the NBA, which has a close partnership with China. Members of the association are apparently so upset with Freedom that they’ve even attacked his choice of footwear.
“Before the game at Madison Square Garden, two gentlemen from the NBA begged me to take the shoes off,” Freedom told the New York Post of his decision in November to wear custom shoes that say “Free Tibet.”
This was wildly confusing to the NBA star.
Freedom, who grew up in Turkey and who officially became a U.S. citizen late last month, refused to comply with the request, citing his citizenship notes which suggest he didn’t need to.
“I was confused. I was getting ready for my citizenship test, and I knew that the First Amendment is freedom of speech. Them telling me to take my shoes off went against my First Amendment rights. I said I would not take them off. I didn’t care if I got banned or fined,” Freedom told The Post. “During halftime I received a text message from my manager: All the Celtics games were suddenly banned in China.It took one half of a Celtics game, with me wearing these shoes, on the bench, for the games to get banned.”
China’s financial pressure has also forced several media companies to adjust their offerings in-country, including a number of instances in which television programs will routinely omit episodes dealing with Chinese topics.
