Congressman Calls Banning TikTok, Opposing China Racist

Far-left Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-New York) has emerged as one of the few defenders of the Chinese social media app TikTok. Bowman, a member of the far-left “Squad”, held a rally in defense of the app on Capitol Hill with TikTok creators and others.

Bowman had some strong words in defense of the app and in criticism of U.S. policy towards China in general.

From The Blaze:

Speaking outside the Capitol alongside TikTok creators, Bowman rejected the claim that TikTok poses a national security risk, establishing himself as one of the few politicians willing to defend the application. Many lawmakers believe TikTok is spyware for the Chinese Communist Party.

“Why the hysteria and panic and the targeting of TikTok? As we know, Republicans in particular have been sounding the alarm, creating a Red Scare around China,” Bowman said.

Without evidence, Bowman claimed that TikTok poses the “same threat” to Americans as American-owned social media platforms.

“So, let’s not marginalize and target TikTok,” Bowman said. “Let’s not have a dishonest conversation. Let’s not be racist towards China and express our xenophobia when it comes to TikTok, because American companies have done tremendous harm to American people.”

Bowman went on to claim that banning TikTok would do tremendous harm to American businesses and would raise First Amendment concerns. But banning TikTok is not a ban on speech because similar video apps already exist such as Instagram’s Reels. If you want to make the short videos that TikTok is famous for, there is nothing stopping you if TikTok is banned, as it should be.

Businesses who are currently reliant on TikTok for some reason can simply move to these competing apps. These apps already function similarly to TikTok with the added benefit of not having your personal data accessed by the Chinese Communist Party.

Playing the race card against those of us who take the threat China poses to our nation and our way of life seriously is unfortunately common. Back in May 2021, Politico ran a story that featured far-left activists and lawmakers questioning the what actions the Biden administration was taking to counter the rise of China. Among the lawmakers that were “concerned” about the rise of racism as a result of anti-China actions were “Squad” members.

My fiancee is Asian. Among the countries that China poses a threat to are Asian countries like Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and others. China is currently committing genocide against the Uyghurs who last time I checked were Asian. China is currently crushing Tibet, Hong Kong, and even their own people who are again overwhelmingly Asian.

It is not anti-Asian hate that motivates us to oppose China. It is the hatred of a genocidal regime that seeks to dominate the world and threatens our way of life. But when race hustling is such an important part of the “Squad”’s political arguments, it is no surprise that they will fall back on it. But it doesn’t it any less repulsive.

If we are too worried about “racism” when we stand up to China, then we might as well let the Chinese dictate terms of surrender at the White House.