In a just world, Xi Jinping would be standing in front of the United Nations, trying to explain the origins of COVID-19 and why China unleashed a global pandemic on us all.

We do not live in a just world. We live in a world where Xi Jinping can get away with scolding the world for not helping them out with COVID-19. Nope, not kidding.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has repeatedly refused to let investigators determine whether COVID-19 originated in a Chinese lab, now wants worldwide cooperation to battle the pandemic, urging nations to reject “Cold War mentality” in a none-too-veiled attack on the US.”

“We need to discard ​​Cold War mentality and seek peaceful coexistence and win-win outcomes. Our world today is far from being tranquil,” said Xi in ​the address Monday to the ​annual ​World Economic Forum ​that usually takes place ​in Davos, Switzerland.”

The forum is taking place online this year because of safety concerns over the deadly pandemic.” ​

“Protectionism and unilateralism can protect no one. They ultimately hurt the interests of others as well as one’s own. Even worse are the practices of hegemony and bullying, which run counter to the tide of history​,” he said.” ​

“A zero-sum approach that enlarges one’s own gain at the expense of others will not help,” he added. “The right way forward for humanity is peaceful development and win-win cooperation.”​

As the New York Post editorial board rightly points out, this is an incredible amount of chutzpah on the part of Xi, considering, well, EVERYTHING that the Chinese Communist Party stands for.

Set aside China’s disgraceful COVID performance, such as shutting down internal flights to and from Wuhan but leaving international travel unimpeded when the virus first hit, its failure to share what it knew (like the bug’s human-to-human transmissibility) in those first weeks and its refusal to allow an outside probe of how the virus originated (quite possibly via state-run research).”

Beijing’s whole approach to the outside world is “we win, you lose.” It bullies its neighbors from Australia to Taiwan to India. It’s occupying Tibet and oppressing Hong Kong in violation of the agreement that restored its sovereignty over the island city.”

It manipulates its currency, steals intellectual property on a mass scale, employs aggressive hackers, exploits the Third World through its Belt and Road Initiative. It’s engaged in a massive arms buildup. Xi might as well have just repeated Humungus’ speech in “The Road Warrior”: “There has been too much violence, too much pain.”

Xi knows China is in trouble. Despite their big talk, they do not have a handle on COVID-19, as witnessed by the fact that they are reflexively locking people up in their own office buildings over ONE Omicron case, slaughtering hamsters in Hong Kong as “COVID carriers,” and deciding only now that not even Chinese spectators will be allowed to buy tickets for the Beijing Winter Olympics. The birth rate in China, despite the begging encouragement of the CCP, is collapsing.

But the reason that Xi Jinping can get away with all of it – avoiding questions about COVID-19 origins, the political takeover and control of Hong Kong, the oppression and ethnic cleansing of the Uyghurs, the threatening of Taiwan – is because the rich and powerful don’t actually care about any of that. After all, they are the rich and powerful. Remember, Biden loved doing business with China (via Hunter) until he became president and actually had to deal with the politics of it all. But nowhere is the attitude of the rich and powerful so obviously on display than with the example of Chamath Palihapitiya.

And you’re probably asking, who is Chamath Palihapitiya? He is the chairman of Virgin Galactic, a billionaire in his own right, and a minority co-owner of the Golden State Warriors. And since he is an NBA team co-owner, the comments he made about the Uyghurs on his podcast recently caught people’s attention. And when I say “comments,” I mean he inserted his foot into his mouth and shoved it all the way down out his ass.

During a 90-minute episode, Palihapitiya told co-host Jason Calacanis on their “All-In” podcast that he would be lying if he said that he cared about the Uyghurs, an ethnic Muslim minority in China’s northwest region of Xinjiang.”

“Every time I say that I care about the Uyghurs, I’m really just lying if I don’t really care. And so, I’d rather not lie to you and tell you the truth, it’s not a priority for me,” said Palihapitiya, a venture capitalist who reports say owns as much as 10% of the NBA team the Golden State Warriors.”

Ooooh, so edgy, so honest. Which means that it’s time for both Palihapitiya and the NBA to engage the damage control. The Golden State Warriors pleaded off with “he’s just a minority owner, everyone!” Wow, what warriors cowards they are.

Warriors statement re: Chamath Palihapitiya: pic.twitter.com/zUl6i9sOve

— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) January 17, 2022

Palihapitiya put out a weasel statement that doesn’t even mention the word “Uyghur” in it.

Important issues deserve nuanced discussions. Some clarifying comments: pic.twitter.com/St2jccsu05

— Chamath Palihapitiya (@chamath) January 18, 2022

Cue our favorite NBA player, Enes Kanter Freedom, who has no problem telling the hard truths about China.

When @NBA says we stand for justice, don’t forget there are those who sell their soul for money & business like @chamath the owner of @warriors,
who says “Nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs”

When genocides happen, it is people
like this that let it happen

Shame! pic.twitter.com/27j2GxGhCU

— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) January 17, 2022

But this, in a nutshell, is why Xi Jinping has the “chutzpah” that he does. If I boycott the NBA because of their cowardly stance on China, what do they care? What does China care? I am but one blogger (albeit one with kids that I am not raising as basketball fans in general) without the money and influence of Chamath Palihapitiya. And Chamath Palihapitiya, by his own admission, DOES NOT CARE WHAT CHINA DOES. He’s just sorry that he got caught showing everyone his rhetorical ass and came across as “lacking empathy.” Oh, you came off looking like you lack a whole lot more than empathy, dude. And sadly, his lack of empathy extends to many of the rich and powerful worldwide. If it doesn’t affect THEM directly, then why should they care? If China takes over Hong Kong, or attempts to pressure Taiwan, or wipes out an entire race of people, does that REALLY hurt their power and influence?

So Xi Jinping continues to scold the world and smile quietly to himself, because those who are actually in a position to hurt him are too weak, scared, or apathetic to do so – at least, until he sees Winnie the Pooh. Maybe Palihapitiya should start thinking of himself as Prince John from Robin Hood, so he can identify with a Disney cartoon character who showed an equal lack of empathy for those less fortunate.

Featured image: originial Victory Girls art by Darleen Click