Shanghai Demonstrates How Lockdowns Have Always Been Deeply Authoritarian

OpinionSpencerFernando

For those who wonder why so many people in Canada and other nations were so opposed to lockdowns, consider that the end result of ‘zero-covid’ policy is the brutality we see in China.

A key debate in politics is whether the ‘slippery slope’ argument is a logical fallacy, or an accurate way of assessing future risk.

Are current actions isolated and contained in the present moment, or will they lead to further changes down the road?

The reality is that there is no way of being certain.

At times, governments may restrict freedom and then go no further. Other times, restrictions on freedom lead to further restrictions.

What is most beneficial then is to look at the trend.

Look at which direction a country appears to be moving.

Is it becoming freer?

Is it becoming more authoritarian?

Are individual rights protected?

When looking at the trend we can see where each event fits in a broader pattern.

Here in Canada, the lockdowns and restrictions that were imposed over the past two years must be looked at in the context of a country that has become less free over time. The Liberal government has been seeking to co-opt the media through taxpayer-funded bailouts, and has been seeking to increase state control over the internet. Thus, the direction of events in Canada has been pushing our country in a more authoritarian direction.

That’s not to say Canada is a fully authoritarian nation. Our elections are still free, fair and legitimate. We still have some room to speak our minds freely. The judicial system is still somewhat independent of state control. And there is an inherent check on the power of government due to our long history as a relatively free and democratic nation, meaning millions of Canadians have an inherent aversion to authoritarian/totalitarian thinking.

With that in mind, we still have every right to be concerned about the direction in which Canada is heading. A country doesn’t move from being free to being authoritarian in an instant, it happens in degrees.

So, when Canadians watched the federal government continue to use vaccination status as a tool to divide and demonize people, and when it invoked emergency powers – including the freezing of bank accounts – against protestors, we saw this in the context of an overall trend in which our country is headed.

And that trend isn’t a good one.

Another way to consider the slippery-slope argument is to ask what would happen if the proponents of a policy or set of policies had the total power to implement whatever they wanted.

For example, what would be the end result of the full implementation of ‘zero-covid,’ pro-lockdown thinking.

Well, for that we don’t need to use our imagination. We can look at what’s taking place in Shanghai, China.

The Chinese Communist Party has imposed an incredibly strict lockdown in Shanghai, with many residents unable to leave their homes/apartments since March 28th. In scenes reminiscent of a dystopian nightmare, drones are flying around telling people not to resist government efforts even as people risk running out of food:

“As seen on Weibo: Shanghai residents go to their balconies to sing & protest lack of supplies. A drone appears: “Please comply w covid restrictions. Control your soul’s desire for freedom. Do not open the window or sing.””

“What the?? This video taken yesterday in Shanghai, China, by the father of a close friend of mine. She verified its authenticity: People screaming out of their windows after a week of total lockdown, no leaving your apartment for any reason.”

https://twitter.com/patrickmadrid/status/1512600420610363394

“NEW – Shanghai’s inhuman “zero-COVID” lockdown leaves residents desperate for food and medicines.

Authorities now say they will ease restrictions after another mass test in China’s most populous city.”

“Lockdown in Shanghai, China

No child should ever be treated like this.”

https://twitter.com/JamesMelville/status/1512704404557860867

The end result of ‘zero-covid’ thinking

The brutal lockdown in Shanghai is the inevitable result of a country that is committed to a ‘zero-covid’ strategy.

Rather than accept that the world has to live with the virus, China continues to prioritize the elimination of the virus at all costs, despite the fact that those efforts continue to fail.

The reason China can ‘get away with this,’ despite what is clearly rising public anger, is that the country is a deeply authoritarian place.

Freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and democracy don’t exist in China.

There, the state is placed above all, and individual rights are severely curtailed.

This is why Canada became more and more authoritarian the more the government tried to impose restrictions.

Lockdowns and mandates are – at their ideological core – deeply authoritarian policies. Imposing them in a free and democratic country makes the country less free, and makes the government more authoritarian.

Look at how the rhetoric of the Trudeau government changed over time the longer lockdowns were imposed.

Short-term policies became long-term.

A refusal to demonize or divide based on vaccination status became an almost gleeful attempt to divide the nation for political gain.

And of course, the use of emergency powers and the freezing of bank accounts represented the ultimate in authoritarian moves – declare an emergency and demand new powers to restrict freedom.

Why there was such a strong reaction

When we see that people in China are pushing back against their lockdown nightmare, it shows that the desire for freedom exists within people across the world. China has been trying to suppress that desire and punish anyone who dissents for decades, and still it emerges.

So, it’s no surprise that in a country like Canada – where people have been relatively free for a long-time – there was growing pushback the more the government became authoritarian.

Remember, the country looked very different after the freedom convoy than before. There were far fewer restrictions, and politicians seemed to be quite aware that they had pushed people too far. Momentum shifted in favour of those who opposed lockdowns, and the ‘zero-covid’ crowd was put on the defensive – and remains there.

Lockdowns and other draconian policies go against the values and principles upon which Canada is based, and upon which – at our best – we have been an inspiration to people around the world.

At our core, Canadians are not an authoritarian people, and our belief in individual rights & freedoms will endure if we are willing to speak out and stand up for those beliefs.

Watching what’s happening in Shanghai is a clarifying moment, showing how ‘zero-covid’ and draconian lockdowns are policies that should never be implemented in this country and which go against fundamental human decency and human rights.

Spencer Fernando

Photo – Twitter

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