Genocide and the Math of Emerging Markets

While at the rally in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, something caught my eye because it seemed out of place. A recorded message played on a tired megaphone while rally-goers passed by and read the banner before continuing on towards the capitol. Written on the banner was the headline: “Stop the Chinese Government from Harvesting Live Organs from the Falun Gong.” I had no idea what it meant, either.

Some quick research on the web educated me that the Falun Gong are a religious group centered around meditation and were forbidden from practicing their religion in 1999 by the Chinese government on suspicion they were engaged in subversive rebellions. While Chinese officials deny the atrocious horrors, many Falun Gong in America and around the world claim that the government is rounding up Chinese Falun Gong, holding them in concentration camps, and removing their organs while they are still alive. The organs are then sold and the empty cavities cremated.

I’m not educated enough on this situation to know all sides of the story, the plight of the victims, or the lasting ramifications around the world. However, if this is going on, people need to know about it, and it needs to be stopped at once. But why were these people holding a banner, playing a message, and distributing literature at a rally against genocide in Darfur?

At first, I thought they were brilliant opportunists. Perhaps they had read their newspapers that morning, seen that thousands would be on foot on the mall, and decided there was no better place on a Sunday to get their message to the masses. Perhaps they do such a thing whenever there is a rally, whether 100 or 100,000 gather to voice their opinions in the nation’s capital.

But then I was reminded by a quote from Dr. King: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Therefore, perhaps those telling the stories that need telling on behalf of the Falun Gong were hoping they could find a connection and a resonance with those who were assembling to protest another injustice. Maybe those motivated to rally on behalf of displaced Sudanese would do the same on the behalf of the displaced Chinese. Even more similar was the fact that both situations could be labeled as genocide, seeing as how both governments were targeting individuals based on ethnicity, race or belief.

I began to connect the dots even more. On the surface, both violations were apparently similar in scope and method. But, below the surface, economic interests were orchestrating a devilish, multinational tango.

As I wrote a week ago, the Chinese and the Russians heavily opposed sanctions against 4 Sudanese officials (these sanctions were later approved, however). These two countries, especially China, had to tiptoe lightly regarding this decision. China didn’t want to upset those in Khartoum who allow them access to Sudanese oil. While China wanted to seem sympathetic to the offenses committed against the Dafur people, it also wanted to make sure they had enough fuel to keep their economy of a billion people humming without a glitch.

And so it goes this day in age. It is clear that international corporations hold the reins on most governments, but in China, where the two are very closely aligned, things can get trickier. In America, you can complain about gas prices all you want, but a free market economy allows oil companies to charge what they feel the market can bear. And unless you were creative enough to buy stock in BP, Exxon or any oil transportation company, then you’re really feeling it at the pump. Expect more of the same unless you want a stronger and bigger government to raise automobile standards or subsidize alternative energy production.

But it’s not only oil that enslaves us. Even if we could truly harness the sun’s energy to power our lives, large corporate conglomerates would still rule our lives. Unless you live in Hippie Hollow and eat what you and your commune friends grow on your collective farm and share clothes like they were recipes, then you, too, by default, grease the oppressive wheels that run over the less fortunate.

And, with China as the world largest emerging market, American companies can’t help but get involved. Wal-Mart has opened stores in China by the handful. After all, if you can sell just $1 worth of stuff to 1% of the population, that’s a top line revenue of $3.65 billion dollars a year. Money like that speaks much louder than a dusty megaphone sitting on the grass in D.C.

So, what’s left to do other than walking to work, moving to a field in Oregon or rescuing the Falun Gong one by one? Genocide happens for only a few reasons, one of them being abject hatred, and genocide continues only for one reason: silence. This is why stories need to be told and why awareness must be raised. Until everyone hears of the atrocities that occur on a daily basis, genocide, organ harvesting, and injustice persist everywhere. What is needed is a change in mindset.

The handful of Chinese on the mall Sunday wanted to change some mindsets and tell some stories. By doing so, they hoped to motivate and educate on behalf of their brothers and sisters. We may boycott some stores or carpool once a week, and while admirable, these activities need a force larger than economics. Dr. King helped topple a mountain of racism and oppression by mobilizing all who would listen. Likewise, he wrote a letter to 8 influential individuals, appealing to a higher consciousness, so that they might use their influence to advocate on behalf of those less fortunate. The same must happen today.

The influence of Christians across the world may have never been greater than it is right now. Many are eager to give and serve. What must be consolidated is their passion and generosity so that worlds can be changed. The dots can easily be connected from your gas station to Sudan to China and back again. What is needed is someone to draw a completely new outline.

We don’t need socialism; we need more benevolent capitalists. We don’t need more democrats to advocate social programming; we need nicer democrats, republicans and otherwise to stand in the gap for the least of these. We don’t need a higher minimum wage; we need sympathetic executives who pay a living wage to begin with. We need more people to prevent injustice now so it doesn’t have to be fought later.