“Can we trade our American communists with protestors of Hong Kong,” asked Allie Beth Stuckey at the end of her Relatable podcast episode, as she addressed the prevalence of Marxist ideologies in the United States. Like many conservative Americans, the Conservative Millennial has long critiqued Marxism, pointing out its devastating effects on the fundamental fabrics of society. Talking about the ratification of the Chinese National Security Law in Hong Kong, she implies that the Chinese Communist Party seized more control of the former British colony. As some Hong Kong protestors waved the star-spangled banner on the streets, conservative commentators, such as Stuckey, observed how other people look at America as the leading advocate for human rights and freedom, or as she would say, “People who want freedom.” Stuckey also proposed a voluntary exchange program for the protestors of Hong Kong with the Marxists in the United States, hoping Hong Kong protestors would provide insight into their lives under a communist regime, while also having young American Marxists experience life in a true Marxian society.
Despite how much the American Left would like me, a foreign national from Hong Kong, to differ with Stuckey and fellow conservatives, I actually agree with many of her criticisms of the Left. Traditional Asian values are very similar to American conservative values - one should work hard regardless of his or her wages. Throughout history, Asians persevered through hardships of oppressive governments and military invasions, such as the Siege of Japan in China and the Unequal Treaties. And these values are demonstrated in the economic and academic success of Asians in the United States, as most Asian immigrants persevere and work hard to achieve the “American Dream”. But perhaps seeing the Union Flag in the Hong Kong protests, American conservatives were too eager and blinded by its stars and stripes to recognize the distinct desires resting in the hearts of Hong Kong people.
A Fight for Democracy, or Something More?
Western media put a huge emphasis on the protests in Hong Kong as a matter of preserving democracy. After all, the official slogan for the protests was, “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution Now!” Contemporary American conservatism has its roots in its country’s independence - “Liberty and justice for all.” Freedom is a God-given right to man, and when it is stripped away from a tyrannical government, he ought to revolt. And being good Americans, why would conservatives not want to support the protests with seemingly identical ideas?
What Western media had failed to pick up, however, are the values that Hong Kong people truly pursue. For foreign nationals, Hong Kong is advertised as “Asia’s World City”. With its influence by Britain, article 5 of the Basic Law defines, “The socialist system and policies shall not be practiced in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the previous capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years.” But even with such a law, Hong Kong residents enjoy many government benefits that are by definition socialistic. For example, the Hong Kong government recently distributed to each of its permanent residents 10,000 Hong Kong Dollars; the goal was to stimulate the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another notable example is the Hong Kong government ensures universal healthcare for its permanent residents. Undeniably, both are classic policies of a socialist, or as conservative commentators would say, Marxian, society.
And American conservatives would say that Hong Kong’s current government is a great example of a failed democratic-socialist state. As Stuckey has said many times on her podcast, democracy and socialism do not mix. In order for its citizens to maintain autonomy, the state has to have very limited degrees of authority. Many conservatives would observe that while Hong Kong can maintain its socialistic benefits, its residents must waive their rights to allow for the government to expand its power. But conservatives cannot give up on their traditions - they must preserve people’s liberty and rights, and an authoritarian government cannot achieve that. Therefore they would urge Hong Kong residents to accept freedom and void their state-sponsored benefits. And, as Stuckey hopes, Hong Kong people would find it here in the “Land of the Free”.
But the residents in Asia’s World City are not ready to give up on these benefits anytime soon. For many Hong Kong people, freedom is piquant right now, but no one really wants to surrender the 10,000 HKD or healthcare from the government. In fact, many of my Hong Kong friends mock the United States for having limited social securities and not having universal healthcare despite being a first-world nation. On top of that, many Hong Kong residents rely on social welfare schemes from the government to make ends meet. To put it bluntly, Hong Kong residents desire a compromise between democracy and socialism. But this is exactly what American Marxists have argued for! Even though Stuckey expressed that America would really benefit from having Hong Kong protestors to provide their perspective, these voices already exist in America. And ironically, they are from American Marxists, as they loathe their own country for not providing for them!
“Freedom Plus”- Liberty in a Socialist State
Both Hong Kong protestors and American Socialists would want a democratic government, but both also want state-sponsored programs. Both want their voices to be heard, but both also want their social securities. Behind the slogan and dazzles for liberation, Hong Kong people, much like American Marxists, truly desire “Freedom Plus”. They desire a democratic government plus the social benefits of the state. They would much like to escape the tyranny of a big and authoritarian government but replace it with another big government with slightly more liberty. But conservatives have noted that this fundamental idea of Marxism - a democratic state with a socialist economy - is unattainable. So when the thoughts of the protestors are similar to the American Communists to begin with, what is there to exchange?