As
we know,
countless thousands of pro-democracy protesters, known as
“Occupy Central,” have taken to the streets of Hong Kong, pushing
back against China’s unrepresentative control over the city’s
political leadership. In the middle of this fight wandered (ever so
briefly, he swears) an unlikely individual: Kenneth Gorelick,
a.k.a. Kenny G.
Yes, the smooth jazz saxophonist with funky hair walked right
into the heart of the protests on Wednesday and posted a picture of
himself on Twitter with the caption, “In Hong Kong at the sight
[sic] of the demonstration. I wish everyone a peaceful and positive
conclusion to this situation.” That sounds just as benign as his
music.
Within hours the Chinese government issued a
reprimand:
Kenny G’s musical works are widely popular in China, but China’s
position on the illegal Occupy Central activities in Hong
Kong is very clear. We hope that foreign governments and
individuals speak and act cautiously and not support Occupy Central
and other illegal activities in any form.
Indeed, Kenny G is
wildly popular throughout China and Hong Kong.
So, the offending Tweet disappeared, and Mr. G serenaded his
authoritarian fans with a slew of new tweets, which he also put
together in a Facebook
status:
I was not trying to defy government orders with my last post. I
was in Hong Kong as a stop on my way to perform at Mission Hills
and happened to walk by the protest area as I was walking around
Hong Kong as a tourist. Some fans took my picture and it’s unfair
that I am being used by anyone to say that I am showing support for
the demonstrators. I am not supporting the demonstrators as I don’t
really know anything about the situation and my impromptu visit to
the site was just part of an innocent walk around Hong Kong. I love
Hong Kong and always come here to perform when I’m asked to. I love
China and love coming here to perform for over 25 years. I only
wanted to share my wish for Peace for Hong Kong and for all of
China as I feel close to and care about China very much Please
don’t mistake my peace sign for any other sign than a sign for
Peace.
On Thursday The Atlantic published an interview
with Kenny. He denies
that he gave encouraging words about democracy to protesters,
insisting that he was just passing through and only hung around for
a few minutes, and that it was other people taking the pictures,
not him.
Is Kenny G some kind of Maoist commie? Probably not. Does he
like not being banned from China and thereby cut off from his
ridiculously huge fanbase and their money? Most likely.
Still, Kenny G waded into an international political affair, and
he disappointingly came out of it squarely neutral. Not really an
admirable stance when one side is composed of hopeful, educated
freedom fighters who demonstrate peacefully, speak politely, and
clean up the streets they occupy, whereas the other side is a
historically brutal, oppressive goverment currently using police to
gas and beat their counterparts.
Not that others have stepped up to the plate to robustly
criticize China. American universities regularly cave to the
nation’s censorship demands, and the Obama administration offered
the ultimate milquetoast finger-wag when it proclaimed that
both sides of the current unrest ought to show
“restraint.”
The
latest news on the situation is that proteste leaders “plan to
hold a spot referendum Sunday on whether to stay in the streets or
accept government offers for more talks and clear their protest
camps. The three main groups behind the demonstrations said
Thursday they would register public opinion at the main downtown
protest site, where thousands remain camped out,” reports NBC.
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