Does Xia need to go to jail and martyr himself to be legit?

I feel like Patrick and the commenters, because they have a problem with conservative politic — they think it’s bad — so they’re using that to try to discredit these brave Chinese people. Would it be better if they went to work at CAP or something? I suspect that a place like CAP would not take people like this. The whole tone and concept behind the presentation here is just condescending and supercilious.

Not entirely convinced. These people don’t simply “say bad things about China”. I think it has much to do with the conservative mindset of most Chinese intellectuals. Those among them who attack the CCP from the “right” (so called “liberals”) do so from positions not dissimilar from those of the American right (pro-free market, pro-globalisation, pro-corporate, anti-regulation etc.). Secondly, many seem to disregard academic objectivity when it comes to fight their personal political war — “the CCP damaged me/my family, hence I will fight no holds barred to overthrow the CCP”. They also tend to go from one extreme to another (see: ex-red guard Jung Chang).

It might be a sense of utter impotence that pushes them towards the most extremist “allies” (as you write, “the impact they can have from the States is minimal”).