I agree with you. But I think a lot of people feel like talking/posting on the internet is like shouting into the void. In some cases it is, but it’s important to know when it isn’t. 

Pointing out the errors in what you said is in no way asserting that you can’t assert your opinion. You said you weren’t batting for anyone, I clarified that on several points you have in fact supported Blizzard’s decision in banning Blitzchung, which is batting for Blizzard in this case.

I’m not batting for anyone or anything. I don’t even play blizzard games or care for them.

Again, organized support of a movement at a remove rarely, if ever, takes the form of direct action against an offending party. More often than not, support comes through indirect action such as pressuring corporations to support movements, which leads to corporations pressuring governments. Being involved with the…

you’re actually expecting blizzard to do in this case is to lose millions of dollar in revenue and fire countless employees just so a dude can show his support for a political movement during their event.

Blizzard has shown their hand as a reactive capitulating entity. If anything they’ve demonstrated that boycotts and social backlash from their player base will create change just as it has for the NBA and other brands that entertain the Chinese market.

Nobody expected Blizzard to do the right thing. They just didn’t expect Blizzard to proactively do the wrong thing on behalf of the Chinese government. It’s a line too far as far as I’m concerned. 

For those who can access, I encourage you to read Jerry Brewer’s column on WaPo about the very parallel issue the NBA wrestled with.

Well said. This is far more than simply “company policy”. Blizzard was acting on the Chinese government’s behalf and their actions have single handedly created this political issue.

I love the constant “They’ll go bankrupt!” refrain that anyone who just wants this to go away throws up. It’s just not accurate. Activision Blizzard is a GIANT of a company, and they wouldn’t go bankrupt at all by issuing a lighter punishment instead of the incredibly severe hammer they laid out. Nor was there a…

“I can’t see anything I do making a difference, so I’ll do nothing.” The lazy, nihilistic answer to the question of what we should do in the face of circumstances we find objectionable.

The point you touch on by saying ‘developers insist their games are apolitical’: nothing on this planet is apolitical, and to insist otherwise is to show ignorance and privilege.

Blizzard is not obligated to fire anyone for being prevented by the Chinese government from doing their jobs in any way, except for the parasitic expectations of investors to maximize profits regardless of who suffers in the process.

Way to suck up to a corporation, weighing their employees and the “MILLIONS OF DOLLARS” versus the literal population of Uygurs being held in concentration camps or the millions of Hong Kong citizens having their rights being thrown down in a barrel.

First, yes, I do expect an American company to choose human rights over profit. That’s actually not an unreasonable expectation, and I affirm it by taking my business elsewhere. Also, the notion that company’s must primarily act in their shareholder’s interests above all else is actually quite recent (mid-20th…

I will always champion the cause of the informed consumer. It’s our money after all.

There have been many times where people and companies have made stands against laws they have felt were unjust.  Standing up against unjust laws is how change comes about in the first place.

Yes. Just like we’d expect them to not throw in with the slave or weapons trade because they’re profitable.

Correct, yes, they should not be operating in China if China requires them to be complicit in totalitarianism.

Ultimately, everything is political. I forget who actually said it, but the aphorism that we do not have to take an interest in politics for politics to take an interest in us is absolutely true—and it’s of vital importance to the present situation.

More importantly, Acti-Blizz (and the NBA, and South Park) took a…