Foreign Policy: Trade With China Has Turned Into Giving Away Our Values For Their Money

[ArmenianJohn]

Coerced does not imply a lack of choice it only implies intimidation with the threat of force or of some other damage to influence choice.

Well by your specialized definition coercion is not illegal and is in fact a valid part of free market business. Such as a boycott or other threat to take one's business elsewhere.

 

[grasping the after wind]

For example, the threat of a boycott?

Yep that is coercion. The IRS used coercion to get us to pay taxes. Your boss might use coercion to get you to do whatever that boss wishes you to do in the way that the boss wishes you to do it. China is using coercion on the NBA to get the NBA to silence their employees about the Hong Kong situation. The NBA still has the exact same choice of allowing its employees to speak freely or using coercion on their employees to get them to be quiet on the subject but it is still being coerced by the government of China to do what that government wants. The NBA must decide if loss of some income outweighs their desire to refrain from intimidating their employees. And the employees still retain all their choices but must decide if the NBA uses methods of coercion to silence them whether their wish to speak up is more important than their wish to comply with the NBA's wishes.

 

[grasping the after wind]

Well by your specialized definition coercion is not illegal and is in fact a valid part of free market business. Such as a boycott or other threat to take one's business elsewhere.

Coercion is illegal if it is done by illegal means.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Yep that is coercion. The IRS used coercion to get us to pay taxes. Your boss might use coercion to get you to do whatever that boss wishes you to do in the way that the boss wishes you to do it. China is using coercion on the NBA to get the NBA to silence their employees about the Hong Kong situation.

Fair enough... so what's the problem?

The NBA still has the exact same choice of allowing its employees to speak freely or using coercion on their employees to get them to be quiet on the subject but it is still being coerced by the government of China to do what that government wants.

Exactly -- and they've made their choice.

The NBA must decide if loss of some income outweighs their desire to refrain from intimidating their employees.

You'd be hard-pressed to find many corporations who would pass on the kind of money China brings to the table... telling a few employees to "zip it" is a minuscule price for doing business.

And the employees still retain all their choices but must decide if the NBA uses methods of coercion to silence them whether their wish to speak up is more important than their wish to comply with the NBA's wishes.

Realizing, as always, that their decision carries certain consequences... There are those who would accept getting fired in order to stand on their principles, and I respect the difficult choice they make...

...there are still others who realize that you can't pay your rent with "principles" -- and I respect the choice they make...

And then there are those who have plenty of money, few to no "principles" to speak of, and no problems with selling out for a quick buck... I disdain such people as sellouts, but that, too, is their choice to make...

 

[TLK Valentine]

Coercion is illegal if it is done by illegal means.

Well, nothing illegal was done to the NBA by China.