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Author: Chandler Webster

  • The Chinese People Are Pushing Back Against Authoritarianism. They Deserve Our Support.

    The Chinese People Are Pushing Back Against Authoritarianism. They Deserve Our Support.

    Over the past several days, images and videos have come out of different parts of China showing what happens when you push people to their limits. Undeterred by censorship, the threat of arbitrary arrest and detention, and a host of other possible consequences, thousands of people marched through the streets of different cities to protest zero-COVID restrictions. With chants of “Freedom, freedom, freedom (自由，自由，自由),” “Fuck you, health code (操你妈，健康码),” and “Step down [Chinese Community Party] (戏台),” the protests provide some insight into the frustrations that many have begun to feel towards the government. 

    It’s difficult to express how significant these protests are. While distance and intense censorship make supporting those protesting a challenge, drawing international attention to what’s happening and offering our solidarity is the least we can do. 

    Rising Tensions

    China has kept its zero-COVID policy going for almost three years. While other countries like the United States have made living with COVID their official policy (with admittedly mixed results), China has held onto the idea of containing outbreaks before they can spread. Early on, this made sense, and while the draconian tactics employed were extreme, China did largely succeed in keeping COVID cases down, despite having the largest population in the world. However, as variants have become weaker yet more transmissible, numbers have climbed despite the measures, causing resentment to grow with them. 

    Reported COVID-19 cases in China, according to worldometers.info.

    In late March and April of this year, an outbreak in Shanghai caused the government to lock down several districts of the city. Residents were ordered to stay in their homes and weren’t allowed to leave for any reason, including to buy essentials. Many citizens experienced food shortages, while people who tested positive (including children) were taken to isolation centers. While this past spring represented a low point for public sentiment toward the restrictions, resentment has boiled over again in recent weeks in cities like Guangzhou and Beijing.

    Far from acknowledging this resentment, the government has doubled down on zero-COVID, further tightening restrictions in several cities as cases rise once again. In a government meeting earlier this month, Xi Jinping clarified that China will “unswervingly adhere” to its current policy. 

    The Powder Keg Blows

    On Thursday, November 24th, a fire broke out on the 15th floor of an apartment building in Urumqi, the capital city of China’s Xinjiang province. As the blaze spread to other floors, state media reported that it killed ten people, but local reports claim that as many as 40 people died. Images and videos appear to show locked fire exits and other barriers preventing people from vacating the building, exacerbating the severity of the crisis. At the same time, fire trucks were unable to get close enough to the building to extinguish the blaze, as fences and other obstructions had kept residents on a strict lockdown for months. 

    Fire trucks unable to reach the blaze in Urumqi.

    Xinjiang (pronounced Shin-jaang) is often in the news as it’s home to the Uyghur people, a Chinese ethnic minority. Uyghurs are culturally different from the Han majority, being primarily Muslim and speaking a Turkic language. Far from embracing this multiculturalism, the Chinese government has committed widespread human rights abuses against Uyghurs since separatist movements led to conflict in Xinjiang decades ago. Reports and testimonies indicate that the government has detained around one million Uyghurs in internment camps. They also point to other crimes, including slave labor, torture, separation of children from their parents, enforced sterilization, and disappearances. 

    Xinjiang, China’s northwesternmost province.

    On a personal level, I met an incredible Uyghur woman in Shanghai who has since managed to emigrate out of China. She told me that her dad works as a university professor and that he often has to stay in the dormitories for weeks at a time while students’ parents are at reeducation camps. She also said that her mom was arrested once in the middle of the night during a random raid and taken in for questioning. 

    After my friend decided to move to another city in China, police and party officials interrogated her weekly to test her loyalty and assess whether she was a threat. Likewise, a camera was also installed outside of her apartment door to monitor her, while her dream job of working with a foreign company fell through when someone spread rumors that she was a terrorist. To say that she’s had a difficult life would be an understatement. Sadly, her story and experiences seem to be representative of what many Uyghurs, particularly those unable to leave Xinjiang, go through. 

    Unsurprisingly, the Chinese government works hard to ensure that these sorts of stories and reports don’t make it out of Xinjiang. But while many Chinese might not be aware of what’s happening in the province, zero-COVID policies leading to deteriorating social conditions and unnecessary deaths are things they can understand clearly.

    What the Protests Look Like

    Since the fire broke out, protests and vigils have taken place in Urumqi, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chengdu, and presumably other cities and universities across the country. While some of the participants are there to commemorate those that died in the fire, others are going further, criticizing zero-COVID and the government, in general. In a society that doesn’t allow any form of political dissidence, this is remarkable. 

    Crowds of people protesting at Urumqi Road, Shanghai.

    In Shanghai, thousands gathered at Urumqi Road, just a couple of blocks away from where I lived. From ending censorship and holding those responsible for the Urumqi disaster accountable to demanding an end to dictatorships and Xi Jinping’s rule, the protests are of a magnitude that China hasn’t seen for decades. Some also sang revolutionary songs, including the Chinese National Anthem, “March of the Volunteers,” which goes as follows:

    Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!

    With our flesh and blood, let us build a new Great Wall!

    As China faces its greatest peril

    From each one the urgent call to action comes forth.

    Arise! Arise! Arise!

    Millions of but one heart

    Braving the enemies’ fire! March on!

    Braving the enemies’ fire! March on!

    March on! March, march on!

    (起来！不愿做奴隶的人们！

    把我们的血肉，筑成我们新的长城！

    中华民族到了最危险的时候，

    每个人被迫着发出最后的吼声。

    起来！起来！起来！

    我们万众一心，

    冒着敌人的炮火，前进！

    冒着敌人的炮火，前进！

    前进！前进！进!)

    While the protests have been peaceful, the state’s response to them hasn’t. In Shanghai, one video posted on social media shows police beating and dragging a protester away, while crowds of people try to save him. Another video posted on WeChat shows an officer striking a female protester across the face as she’s detained on a police bus while yelling “I just can’t stand the people [I serve] (我只是看不惯你们这些人民群众).” 

    Universities in Nanjing and other cities have begun to preemptively close in an effort to keep the protests from growing. Many in power fear that the current momentum will lead to another 1989 incident, which culminated in the student-led Tiananmen Square protest and led to the death of hundreds, if not thousands. As the current movement appears to be gaining momentum, the state’s crackdown on it will continue to increase. 

    Knowledge Is Power

    China is something of an enigma to many Americans, with Western media often painting it as a horrific place. While censorship, arbitrary detainment, and outright genocide showcase how inhumanely politicians can behave, it’s essential to distinguish between a country’s government and its people. In the three years I lived in China, I found the people to be some of the warmest and most welcoming in the world. They, like all ordinary people, desire the same basic things: health, happiness, and security for their loved ones. 

    When COVID-19 first broke out, the Chinese government arrested doctors who tried to bring attention to the crisis. The death of one of those doctors, Dr. Li Wenliang, galvanized people, causing them to begin demanding answers on Weibo, a Chinese platform similar to Twitter. On February 6th, 2020, after questioning what happened to Dr. Li, “Freedom of Speech (言论自由)” began to trend as well. While the government blocked the hashtag later that morning, there’s a powerful takeaway from that moment. While we can’t underestimate the lengths the Chinese government will take to hold onto power, we also can’t discount the rightful anger that the people feel and are capable of expressing. 

    Protesters holding white papers to symbolize an end to censorship in Beijing.

    We have a tendency to not concern ourselves with what goes on in other parts of the world. From distant wars and famine to climate disasters and elections, it’s easy to forget that what we watch on the news involves human lives, and ultimately, our own as well. In this case, I fear that while much of the world may learn about what’s happening in the streets of Shanghai and other Chinese cities, international action may not follow. 

    You won’t find a GoFundMe you can donate to, nor do I think there’ll ever be a trendy graphic you can add to your profile picture to show support à la the French flags that took over Facebook in 2015. But understanding what’s happening in China is the first step to helping change take place. This past August, after years of campaigning by human rights groups, the United Nations issued a report condemning China’s actions in Xinjiang. While that doesn’t magically resolve things, it does add fuel to the push to end the crimes against humanity taking place.

    Vigils have begun popping up for the victims of the Urumqi fire in New York, Tokyo, Paris, and other cities around the world. Short of attending one of these events in your area, staying informed and helping those around you understand what’s happening are the next best things you can do. Right now, the Chinese people need our unconditional support. As with any group pushing back against injustice, offering our support in the ways we can is the least we can do. 

  • The Shameful History of U.S Relations with Haiti

    The Shameful History of U.S Relations with Haiti

    As is the norm in the modern-day news cycle, there have been many unsettling images floating around as of late. From chaos in Afghanistan to wildfires tearing across the world, it’s easy to become numb to the events happening around us. However, if there’s one image that should stand out in everyone’s mind, it’s U.S. Border Patrol agents chasing Haitian migrants around on horses.  

    What makes this scene so unsettling isn’t the complete lack of empathy shown towards people escaping unimaginable horrors. Nor is it the depressing reality that the southern border is becoming increasingly militarized—often in ways that violate basic human rights.

    It’s the fact that the actions of the United States have led to the dire situation in Haiti today. And instead of accepting that and helping the men, women, and children in need of desperate and immediate assistance, the U.S. continues to treat them as inhumanely as possible. 

    The history of Haiti is full of tragedy, but it’s also full of hope. Through understanding it, it becomes clear that the U.S. shouldn’t just help the Haitian people. It owes them its support.

    Colonial Origins

    Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive on Hispaniola, the island that contains the present-day countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Upon arrival, he found a region occupied by advanced and complex native societies—societies which he, and others, quickly began to dismantle. 

    Through this destruction, Hispaniola became one of the first Spanish colonies in the Caribbean. During the 16th century, it even served as a staging point for expeditions to Mexico and other parts of the Americas. 

    Within a few decades, warfare, enslavement, and disease had killed nearly all native Taino people. This forced the Spanish to turn to a new labor source: African slaves. The first enslaved people reached the Americas via Hispaniola in 1502. The Atlantic slave trade would continue for hundreds of years after, condemning millions of people to a life in chains.

    French Occupation

    Towards the latter half of the 17th century, Spanish power and influence in the Americas began to wane. As other European forces began to grow stronger, Spain chose to relinquish part of Hispaniola to France. In 1659, the French founded the colony of Sainte-Domingue on the west side of the island. 

    Over the next century, the French colony became extraordinarily rich. Slave labor supplied European countries with coffee and sugar—delicacies that they couldn’t get enough of. By the end of the 18th century, around 500-700,000 slaves toiled away on French plantations.

    Slave rebellions had occurred throughout the 18th century, but it wasn’t until the French Revolution began in 1789 that slaves and free people of color launched the Haitian Revolution. More than a decade later in 1804, they finally achieved victory. They chose to name their new country Haiti, which meant mountainous in the indigenous language.

    Post-Colonial Legacy

    Unsurprisingly, the early years were difficult for the newly independent island nation. Internal strife threatened to tear the republic apart, and conflicts with the neighboring Dominican Republic persisted until the 1870s. On top of this domestic turmoil, the rest of the world continued to eye the riches of Haiti. To access them, they began vying for control over the country. 

    Through marriages, public development, and high-interest loans, Germany managed to gain an influential hold over Haiti in the late 19th century. Soon after, it began trying to exert influence over the rest of the Caribbean. 

    These power grabs angered the United States, which saw German influence as a threat to its economic activity in the Western Hemisphere. To protect American businesses, the U.S. bought out the Haitian national bank, then transferred the country’s gold reserves to the banks of American investors. To further protect its financial interests, the U.S. also helped Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam become president in 1915. 

    Sam, an army commander, quickly became a dictator, executing hundreds of political prisoners. His actions enraged the Haitian people, and in July of 1915, a mob rose in revolt. Despite seeking refuge in the French embassy, the rebels broke in and killed him.

    This incident served as the excuse the U.S. needed to take a more direct role in the island nation’s affairs.

    20th-Century Imperialism

    On July 25th, 1915, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sent 330 marines to seize control of Port-au-Prince. He also took measures to rewrite the Constitution in a way that protected U.S. financial control over the island.

    In response, several Haitian groups rose in revolt, plunging Haiti into a period known as the Caco Wars (Caco being the peasant militia that composed the majority of the rebellious bands). The skirmishes and battles the U.S. occupation brought to the island didn’t end until 1934, when the marines left. 

    In September of 1915, the U.S. created the Haitian-American Convention. This treaty gave the United States complete control over the security and economic wellbeing of the island. It also provided the U.S. government with veto power over all parts of the Haitian government, effectively converting the country into an American puppet. 

    Six weeks after the start of the occupation, U.S. forces also seized control of Haiti’s banks and treasuries. To further protect its economic interests, the U.S. mandated that 40% of Haiti’s national income went to repay American and French debts. This direct control over Haitian finances continued until 1947.

    Recent Developments

    Despite occurring less than a century ago, it’s tempting to sweep these atrocities under the rug and classify them as ancient history. Unfortunately, U.S. destabilization efforts have continued to this day.

    At the height of the Red Scare, the U.S. threw itself into two major conflicts: the Korean War in the early 1950s and the Vietnam War a decade later. However, in an effort to stop the spread of communism, the U.S. secretly funded anti-communist parties in dozens of countries, triggering coups and violent revolutions in countries as far apart as Chile and Iran. Haiti wasn’t spared. 

    In 1957, the U.S. chose to support a Haitian dictator: Francois Duvalier. He and his son ruled Haiti with a solid anti-communist stance until the 1990s, when uprisings ended their rule. Haiti then elected a democratic leader, Jean Bertrand-Aristide, but less than a year later, a coup toppled the newly-elected leader’s government. Unsurprisingly, leaders and insurgents received funding from the CIA. 

    In 2001, Aristide came to power once again, but soon after, another coup forced him out of office. After that, in 2010, the Obama Administration pressured a popular presidential candidate, Jude Celestin, to withdraw from the Haitian national election. 

    Since then, earthquakes and other natural disasters have further battered Haiti. In August of this year, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the country, killing thousands and causing over $1 billion in damage. That, along with another suspicious coup that occurred in July, caused the latest “migrant crisis.”

    The Viral Moment

    While the U.S. government may have been able to get away with atrocities in the past, times have changed. Today, modern technology makes it easier than ever to showcase horrors that would previously have occurred in secret, especially those happening inside the country. Anyone with a television or smartphone can now see how the United States treats people fleeing the devastation it has caused.

    It wasn’t all horses, however—many asylum-seeking Haitians also received a warm verbal welcome:

    “¡Vete a México!”

    “Hey! You use your women? This is why your country is shit, because you use your women for this.”

    In a video put out by Al Jazeera, a migrant named Nicolas explains that many migrants are trying to carry food, sanitary supplies, and medicine from Mexico to their families on the U.S. side of the border. He explains that they have absolutely nothing. He and the reporter also discuss how the U.S. is sending planes full of asylum-seekers back to Haiti. Nicolas explains:

    “What kills me about that is that everyone knows what we Haitians are going through. There’s no president. Crime is high. Students can’t go to school. There’s no work. The economy is down. People can’t put up with that.” 

    Would anyone be able to?

    Two Parties, One Approach

    If the 45th president of the United States was famous (or infamous) for anything, it was his harsh stance on immigration. 

    In 2018, the Trump Administration began the policy of separating children from their parents. In total, 4,368 children were taken and held in cages. There were no adult caretakers present, little to no nutritious food offered, and no opportunity to get clean clothes or bathe.

    In March of last year, the Trump Administration passed Title 42, a law that allows the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs to turn away people who pose a “health risk.” While that might sound like a fair call to make during a pandemic, immigrant rights groups have explained that Title 42 is nothing more than another attempt to block land entry for migrants. Health officials have also spoken out against it, clarifying that migrants are in no way driving a COVID-19 surge. 

    When these sorts of news stories broke (as they did quite often), Democratic leadership was rightfully losing its mind, as were human rights groups across the country and the world. Throughout 2020, Joe Biden and other presidential candidates spoke about how inhumane the Trump Administration’s immigration policy was and promised to go in a different direction once in office. 

    So you can imagine the horror felt by human rights groups worldwide when the Biden Administration didn’t end Title 42. To this day, they continue to use it to expel migrants at a faster rate than the Trump Administration ever did. So much for open borders. 

    Likewise, child jail cells have become “migrant facilities for children.” No matter how many disturbing photos find their way out of these centers, the Biden Administration continues to claim (with a straight face) that they care about immigrant wellbeing.

    The Modern Duopoly

    So what gives? How can Democratic politicians claim one thing, then act in a way that completely contradicts what they just said? 

    It’s because despite what the mainstream media might have you believe, there isn’t much difference between modern Democrats and Republicans. Both support a capitalist system that prioritizes corporate wants over constituent needs. Both seem oblivious to the imminent threat of climate change. And, as the viral videos over the past few weeks show, both continue to support a draconian immigration system that fundamentally contradicts the supposed values of the United States.

    While Republican politicians like Donald Trump, Greg Abbott, and Ron DeSantis give press briefings explaining how dirty migrants are bringing COVID, Democratic leadership operates a bit differently. Instead of linking immigrants to diseases and financial ruin, Press Secretary Jen Psaki promises a room full of concerned journalists that the administration will do better and that from this point on, local Border Patrol agents will no longer ride horses. Thank God! 

    Moments such as these highlight the absurdity of the current political duopoly. While Republican and Democratic politicians may disagree on decorum and surface-level details, their actions show that they’re largely the same. Both parties have a track record of raising a middle finger to Haitians and other immigrants for decades.

    What the Haitian People Need

    After centuries of foreign meddling, robbery, and outright slaughter, the Haitian migrants at the border deserve so much more than a one-way ticket back home. They deserve the same opportunities that people from other parts of the world have enjoyed for centuries.

    At the same time, leaders from the United States (and yes, other nations like Spain and France) need to take a serious look at how their actions have led to the situation in Haiti today. The Haitian people there need immediate assistance, and, as the United States is the wealthiest country on Earth, we can easily provide it to them.

    After everything the U.S. has done to the world’s oldest black republic, lending a helping hand is the least we can do.

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  • Circe: A Much-Needed Break from Reality

    Circe: A Much-Needed Break from Reality

    Over the past couple of years, I’ve been completely engrossed in nonfiction. Despite loving novels as a child, I discovered that I enjoy reading about politics, history, and prominent figures throughout history even more. It’s the best way to learn more about the world and an excellent way to lull yourself to sleep after a long day.

    However, recently I’ve been craving a break from reality. Maybe it was from reading too many heavy topics consecutively. Or, perhaps it was from obsessively following the news. Either way, I found myself looking for an escape.

    Despite not knowing too much about her story, Circe ended up providing me with just what I needed.

    Humble Origins

    As you might guess from the title, Circe tells the story of Circe—the daughter of the titan, Helios, and a naiad, Perse. While fans of Homer’s classic might remember her as a powerful enchantress, the start of the book paints Circe in a very different light. Unlike her parents and siblings, she’s not ethereal or powerful—she’s ordinary, unremarkable, and unattractive (at least by the gods’ standards). 

    Circe’s early life is lonely and challenging, but she begins to dabble in witchcraft as she grows older. Eventually, one of her spells goes wrong, and as punishment, Zeus banishes her to the island of Aiaia. Once there, she begins to hone her witchcraft and transform her island home. 

    Throughout the book, Circe has run-ins with many famous Greek heroes. She meets Daedalus and King Minos, Jason and his wife Medea, and, perhaps most importantly, Odysseus, King of Ithaca. She also meets several Olympians, most of whom despise her (she is a witchcraft-practicing titan, after all).  

    Character Development That Doesn’t Feel Phony

    One of the reasons Circe feels so realistic as a character is because she’s aware of her limitations. It takes her years to develop her abilities, and even once she does, she accepts that they’re no match for some of the more dangerous beings in the world. That understanding forces her to get creative, and reading through the solutions she devises makes Circe an absolute page-turner.  

    On top of sharing her world with dangerous beings, Circe also has to contend with the fact that she’s a woman living in a man’s world, no matter how divine she may be. Miller could have used Circe’s gender cheaply as an excuse to sprinkle Hollywood feminism into the novel, but thankfully, she refrains from doing that. She fleshes out an authentic, multi-dimensional female character that feels organic in every way.

    We see Circe begin as a quiet child, terrified to speak out against her father and the other figures in her life. We watch her handle the men who arrive on her island, often to do her harm. And by the book’s end, we see her stand up to some of the most powerful characters in the world. Circe’s character arc shows that stories don’t need girl bosses or warrior queens to be compelling feminist tales. Sometimes all it takes is an average character who grows confident and self-assured. 

    Circe is far from the only female character in the story, however. Miller also shows the reader how other women in the world manage to survive. In this sense, Circe is almost like Game of Thrones or Mad Men. Some female characters rely on their intellect to succeed, while others use their beauty and powers of seduction. Miller doesn’t say which tactic is right or wrong—she simply shows the reader how resourceful women in the past (and women today) have to be to succeed. 

    Circe: A Story Worthy of the Legends

    I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say that Miller manages to tie all the elements of the novel together in a satisfying and thoroughly unpredictable way. By the end of the book, I felt like I had embarked on my own Odyssey—one that took me around the ancient world that I’ve read so much about. 

    If reading about fierce and relatable witches doesn’t sound enjoyable, you might want to check out some of Miller’s other work. Her first novel, Song of Achilles, tells the love story between Achilles and Patroclus, heroes from the Trojan War. It’s intimate, tragic, and a fantastic modern retelling of a classic tale. 

    Miller does the same thing in Circe though, and because of that, it’s well worth picking up a copy of the book today.

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