European and American fighters for press freedom have infiltrated the capital, Canadian-Tibetan activists have gone underground and blogged from around the country about what's been called the Darfur Olympics, the Gas Mask Olympics even the Coming Out Olympics, so basically now the Pick Your White Elephant Olympics.
But when one factors in language, the Great Firewall and over two billion USD in pride, is any of this resonating with actual Chinese citizens themselves?
Sina Blogs, the largest of China's blog portal websites for example, devoted its front and center coverage of the one year countdown party exclusively to what celebrities, mostly those who were up on stage in Tiananmen square singing the theme song We Are Ready (not to be confused with the rehearsal promo We Are Ready And Ready And Ready And Ready And Ready).
And how to evaluate Chinese popular opinion when some of the biggest names among China's progressive public intellectuals—several of whom blog—independently come up with their own demands for what kind of Olympics they want to see go down next summer? Or is it mainstream or public conscience when Bullog—a smaller blog portal part The Huffington Post, part Daily Kos in that it brings liberal mainstream media journalists and editors together with widely-read political bloggers from across the Chinese-speaking world—has a Beijing 2008 blog that starts off with a firm stance against supporting next year's summer games?
The as-yet unidentified blogger behind it poses an interesting question, put forth with no mention of the foreign protests held in Beijing this past week: why aren't people talking about opposing the Olympics?
北京奥运需要”不支持”者
2001年9月13日,北京申奥成功的那个晚上,我正和一帮荤男素女驾车赶夜路,心中向往着南戴河的海滩和螃蟹。经过一个大的集镇的时候,突然有几只微型礼花升空,四下里还有劈劈啪啪的声音。在革命电影里,此种场景通常意味着遭遇信号弹并伴随一场伏击。处于惊讶中的我们,纷纷接到北京朋友的电话,大意是申奥成功啦,北京high啦,时隔12年又出现街头狂欢的盛况啦。
我们没有折返回北京加入沸腾的人群,对于我们来说,海滩和螃蟹比群情激越更像真实的生活。如果说申奥成功对我们有什么影响,就是那天晚宴大家多碰了几次杯。
We didn't turn around to go join the reveling masses, the beach and the crabs seemed a lot more like real life to us than mass hysteria did. If the winning of the Olympic games could be said to have had any effect on us, it would be the extra few glasses everyone had during the feast that night.
那段时间,北京奥申委曾委托世界上知名的盖洛普(中国)咨询有限公司进行调查,显示北京民众的奥运支持率为94·9%,为有史以来最高(先别怀疑这个比例,国际奥委会委托欧洲一家公司搞的独立调查,北京的数据高达96%)。我看不清形势,态度暧昧,不知道是否也被算进那94.9%里面了。不过我得承认,看到绝大多数中国民众难得地拥有一个如此酣畅的夜晚,我的情绪也受到感染,虚荣心略有满足。那时候,偶尔可以看到一些不赞成北京奥运的言论,我也抱有一点忧虑,但不很强烈。
此后的差不多六年里,一些事情逐渐让我不安起来,这个今天就不一一赘言了。我只想说,在诸多不安中最强烈的一点,就是很难再听到对北京奥运的公开的质疑与反对意见。原来的那个5.1%是归零了,还是增减了?是被要求收声了,还是被忽略不计了?
从一些便于掌握宣传口径的媒体人那里了解到,那些不利于北京奥运会光辉形象的东西,一律要过滤掉。甚至与光辉形象有关的,比如那些恢弘的体育场馆,也被禁止予以关注。
我真的不知道有关方面到底怕什么,又何以怕到这个程度?连我们的党和政府,也一贯表示愿意接受群众监督,北京奥运怎么就拥有了无上的特权?
现代人类社会,应该是一个构成复杂的异质社会,一个包容各种价值观的多元社会。常识告诉我们,钱多总比钱少好,“多元”也肯定好过“一元”。多元没什么好担忧的,大家都秉持宽容之道,自然各得其所。也只有这样的生存环境,才更接近真正的和谐社会。
As I've come to understand from some media people for whom it is easy to come across propaganda slogans, things not beneficial to the Olympic Games’ radiant image are all being filtered out. So much in regards to this radiant image that, for example, even restoration to the sports stadiums has been forbidden to report on.
I really, really don't know what it is the authorities are afraid of, or to what extent they're afraid. Even our Party and government consistently express willingness to be subject to public scrutiny, so why do the Beijing Olympics have all-encompassing authority?
A modern human society ought to constitute a sophisticated and heterogeneous society, a pluralistic society which accepts various sorts of values. Common sense tells us that more money is always better than less, so ‘multifarious’ [多元 can be literally read as ‘many yuan‘] is definitely better than ‘unifarious’ [one yuan]. There's nothing to worry about in pluralism; if everyone were to uphold principles of tolerance, naturally it would be to the benefit of all. And only this kind of living environment will most closely resemble a truly harmonious society.
今天是八月八日,奥运倒计时一周年,《人民日报》的当日文章指出,“这是在党中央、国务院领导下,全国人民齐心协力,共圆民族梦想,共践世界承诺的6年。”
对于这类宏大叙事,我是比较惧怕的,如果是我,愿意这么描述北京奥运:一些民工修了一些体育场馆和路桥,一些人来比赛,一些人来围观,一些人赚了钱。
总觉得这才接近事实和本质。
而全民参与,举国欢腾,不是理性国家应有的作为。一个社会,假如到了万众一心的地步,下一步是不是就可以做到同仇敌忾了?
Such grand narrative as this makes me very afraid. If it were me, I'd describe the Beijing Olympics as: some migrant laborers repaired some sports stadiums, bridges and roads, some people will come to compete, some will come to watch, and some will make money off it all.
I feel this is much closer to reality and the nature of the Olympics.
And the whole country's participation, all the people's jubilation, this is not the proper conduct for a sensible nation. In society, when the masses all start walking the same walk, is it not possible that the next step will become shared hatred of a common enemy?
在过去的六年里,我没再看到关于北京奥运支持率的权威统计。只是在一家BBS上,看到有人谨慎地做了一个调查,分为强烈支持、支持、无所谓、反对、强烈反对五个级别,分别以12345代替,只许选数字,不许评论。结果173人表达了意见,选1和5的最多,各为21.97%和34.68%。
我不认为这种网络调查可以科学地集纳民意,但至少说明,“我不支持”还是一个客观存在的态度,而且并非凤毛麟角。
我们不是很渴望获得世界的了解和认同么,那么,让外界知道中国并不只有一种声音,对树立中国形象绝对是一个加分因素而非相反。
今天,我未经牛博网管理人员允许,擅自开了这个博客,叫做“北京奥运,我不支持”。
不支持,一种态度而已,没什么大不了。北京奥运会不可能因为哪个人的不支持而停办。
开这个博客,当然不是仅仅举起一块标语,我希望它包含一些思考和建设性。
如果说“我不支持”还是一种不得已而为之的暧昧态度,那么我也愿意明确地反对一些东西:
反对奥运会的过度政治化;
反对锦标主义;
反对个人利益为之做出牺牲;
反对对反对声音的限制。
I don't feel that these sorts of internet surveys can scientifically capture the will of the people, but they at least show that “I don't support it” is still an objective, existing attitude, and not just phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Aren't we eager to earn the world's understanding and recognition? Well, letting the world know that China doesn't only have just one voice would absolutely give the establishment of China's image bonus marks in that regard, and not the opposite.
Today, without permission from the Bullog webmasters, I've set up this blog, named ‘Beijing Olympics: I don't support it’.
Not supporting, it's an attitude and nothing more, nothing less. There's no way that just because someone doesn't support the Beijing Olympics that it will be called off.
Starting a blog, of course is not just the raising of a banner; I hope it also includes some thought and constructiveness.
If you insist that saying ‘I don't support it’ is a non-committal attitude borne of helplessness, I'd just like to point out the other things I'm willing to oppose:
-opposition to over-politicization of the Olympics;
-opposition to focusing only on winning medals;
-opposition to martyrdom for personal gain;
-opposition to opposition of restrictions on speech.
And the comments:
[匿名] qian [222.70.190.*] @ 2007-8-9 1:27:56
奥你妈的运
[匿名] 实习记者 [122.4.178.*] @ 2007-8-9 1:51:39
反对对反对声音的限制
支持你的不支持!
I support your non-support!
皮皮狼 [218.56.106.*] @ 2007-8-9 8:05:36
我很早就是这个观点:锻炼身体,远离奥运。
[匿名] 我本善良 [220.160.193.*] @ 2007-8-9 8:13:21
我支持奥运,我身边绝大多数人也支持。其实很多反对者反对的并不是中国举报奥运,而是在中国办奥运过程种一些不合理的现象。我们不能因噎废食,如果因为反对而反对,如果因为其他一些政治因素而反对,那就是真正意的粪青了。对于那些不合理的现象,需要的是揭露和监督,而不是因为这些去简单的反对奥运。
[匿名] 王子政 [61.173.234.*] @ 2007-8-9 8:23:42
神泣的土地
[匿名] 不扯淡了 [210.13.96.*] @ 2007-8-9 8:30:47
奥你妈的运◎!!
healsperm_ [60.210.143.*] @ 2007-8-9 8:42:41
支持你的理性态度
rexgocfa [221.217.187.*] @ 2007-8-9 8:46:28
支持——你!
奥你妈的运!
Fuck the Olympics!
[匿名] alfantor [222.191.247.*] @ 2007-8-9 9:07:00
我反对奥运期间北京限制外来人口进城。靠。
[匿名] niaocu [125.77.181.*] @ 2007-8-9 9:09:57
统计学的角度,网络调查是一种“自愿回应样本(voluntary response error)”,会造成有偏。因为持反对意见的人比其他人特别容易站出来表示意见。
[匿名] 奥运,压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。 [221.222.123.*] @ 2007-8-9 9:12:10
奥运,压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。
[匿名] daisy [58.60.221.*] @ 2007-8-9 9:23:59
顶,我是打心眼无所谓.奥运对我的唯一影响大概就是:蒙牛牛奶开始大规模促削,打折送杯子送娃娃,我买了一堆.
[匿名] 小朱 [219.143.82.*] @ 2007-8-9 9:43:34
我也反对,这么多年我还以为就我一个人反对呢,原来这么多,踏实了。
[匿名] abc [202.96.19.*] @ 2007-8-9 10:51:21
1, 奥运是中国经济发展勃起的一粒伟哥,待明年高潮过后,走势拭目以待。。。本人并没有小人心态,而是觉得泛奥运经济论如果过头,早晚自己要买单!
2,作为北京人,我家楼下确实被强制绿化了,我不得不说这很好,几十年雷打不动的脏乱差被铲除了,虽然干活的还是当年怠工的那老几位。。。但对我更大的影响是房价翻了2倍!!如未再05年前买房,仅又遇拆迁,那么幸福生活等于一下回到解放前。。。
3,奥运振奋民族士气不可否认,但如此夸张宣传,总觉得政府另有他意
4,过度沉迷办个奥运的兴奋,是不是反倒体现了民族深度自卑?!?
2. As a Beijinger, the area around the building I live in has definitely been forcibly ‘greened'; I can't help but say it's nice. The mess that even years of striking lightning couldn't move has all been taken away, although the ones doing the work are still the same, slow old few from before…but the biggest effect this has had on me is that housing prices have doubled!! If I hadn't bought my flat before 2005, I could have gotten evicted [to make way for construction] and it would have been like living pre-Liberation again…
3. That the Olympics have stirred up the dorkiness of our people is undeniable, but in promoting it as exaggeratedly as they are, I just feel the government's got other intentions
4. Excessive excitement with the hosting of the Olympics, doesn't that somehow just show inferiorly our nation sees itself?
[匿名] 小路 [222.129.117.*] @ 2007-8-9 10:54:34
我反对奥运!打着奥运名义,北京的胡同遭遇了建国以来规模最大的一次集中拆迁!前门外已经一片狼藉了!奥你妈的运!
[匿名] 就事论事 [210.72.234.*] @ 2007-8-9 11:14:26
奥运对提高民族凝聚力是好事。
但反感的是不合理的劳命伤财,一场盛事不知成就多少腐败!
奥运会期间对出行、交通还有诸多管制,肯定会给生活造成诸多不便。
最看不惯的一点是,什么都拿奥运说事,房价一定会在奥运之前一直涨,股市在奥运之前肯定不会大跌。奥运不过是一场体育盛事,干嘛什么都往上面靠阿!
对奥运本身,我是支持的,但对于中国将在2008年举办奥运会,我很担心。制度性的恶将在奥运事件中展示得一览无余。
But what irks me is the waste of money and people-power; who knows how much corruption the whole thing has given rise to.
[匿名] 吴妈好友 [125.34.162.*] @ 2007-8-9 13:27:24
不支持,不反对,不关我事.看来明年要出逃北京一段时间.
ProState in Flames blogger moogee reposted the open question on her blog, and received the following comments:
[匿名] 不平不谈 [218.247.244.*] @ 2007-8-8 19:42:30
我支持不支持奥运
[匿名] mybob [202.127.20.*] @ 2007-8-8 20:10:29
我支持,但是希望更透明的办,更从一个重视民生的政府的立场来办
[…a series of expletives…]
[匿名] 钱去了哪里 [61.158.136.*] @ 2007-8-9 0:21:49
盖体育馆的钱都是中国的开车人给凑的。
交强险的钱全被拿来用做盖场馆了。
All the money from the tight road taxes has all been used to build the roof.
[匿名] 狗脸岁月 [125.33.43.*] @ 2007-8-9 0:43:28
JC叔叔来我们小区逮大狗的时候,
也说是为了办好奥运会来着。
申奥宣传片里那只和小女孩亲嘴儿的大麦町估计也逮了杀了。
They say it's all for the good of hosting the Olympics
I bet even the dalmatian that girl in the Olympic committee poster kisses got killed too.
Later in the afternoon the author of the new Beijing Olympic blog on Bullog whose piece can be seen at the top of this post pasted a feature one interning Beijing journalist did recently which features the conversations the reporter had with fifty-seven imported laborers working on future Beijing Olympic venues, workers who many are speculating will be forced to leave the capital before the athletes and audience arrive. The post quickly brought in a few dozen comments, and here are some:
[匿名] xuxing [218.79.145.*] @ 2007-8-8 17:03:59
好!这工作应该多些人做!可惜,不是记者一走近,就被赶走,根本不让接触。
[匿名] 深蓝 [221.221.21.*] @ 2007-8-8 17:38:41
行了,
别撇了,
你难道到今天才知道中国是一个上下断裂的社会吗。
一直都是。
Come on
It's not like you just found out today that Chinese society is split between haves and have-nots, right?
It always has been.
[匿名] rock [59.49.19.*] @ 2007-8-8 22:52:54
做这种调查的记者比较让人尊重。
这才是关注民生嘛!
This is what looking out for the people looks like!
[匿名] 磊落青衫 [210.21.234.*] @ 2007-8-8 23:19:09
心酸的真实。
这个要发出去,一定会被和谐了的
If this were to get printed, they'd definitely get harmonized
laozious [219.132.235.*] @ 2007-8-9 0:54:20
奥运会就是老大中国在水里的那个倒影。自恋还可以,但是一触即溃。
[匿名] 圣人末尊 [124.114.180.*] @ 2007-8-9 2:30:56
奥你妈的运.
Also yesterday, moogee at ProState reposted the open letter mentioned above, receiving these comments:
[匿名] 2nd [61.48.43.*] @ 2007-8-8 19:49:18
顶!
[匿名] asdf [124.116.187.*] @ 2007-8-8 20:12:29
签名的都是敏感词
[匿名] 老碗 [219.153.130.*] @ 2007-8-8 20:23:53
很有勇气,但是实在不好意思,而且也很不希望说,没有任何用处。至少我个人对那些什么***先生已经不抱任何信心了。
[匿名] 。。。 [58.83.196.*] @ 2007-8-8 20:29:52
名单上的各位保重啊
[匿名] 大SB [121.10.148.*] @ 2007-8-8 20:48:18
真是一群大SB!广东人说:鸡同鸭讲。
有用吗?奥你妈的运!
Is this of any use? Fuck the Olympics!
[匿名] rock [59.49.19.*] @ 2007-8-8 21:05:48
[匿名] 老碗 [219.153.130.*] @ 2007-8-8 20:23:53
很有勇气,但是实在不好意思,而且也很不希望说,没有任何用处。至少我个人对那些什么***先生已经不抱任何信心了。
************
如果你认为没有用的话,那正好成全了官家。
肯定有用的,做和不做,显然是不同的。
践行量变,期待质变。
——if you think it's useless, you should go become a government official
Of course it's useful, there's an obvious difference between if they'd done this and if they hadn't.
[We must] implement quantitative change, hope for qualititive change.
[匿名] 支持 [210.72.218.*] @ 2007-8-8 21:10:08
终于在奥运中听到了人话,感受到还活在人间
什么都是要实际行动才能争取的,只停留在想和骂才是真的傻,和懦
Everything is only won through practical implementation; stopping merely at thinking and cursing is the real stupidity.
[匿名] js [60.187.235.*] @ 2007-8-8 22:02:21
开奥运会给共党脸上贴金。
[匿名] 二哥 [121.204.49.*] @ 2007-8-9 2:32:25
操你妈B,罗永浩,连岳为什么没签???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
[匿名] iamlifeiamlife [218.58.62.*] @ 2007-8-9 10:29:43
来人啊,坦克伺候!
[匿名] 圣人本尊 [211.101.49.*] @ 2007-8-9 10:43:21
如果找我签名,我绝对不签
我从来不参与这种活动,因为我从来就不对共匪抱任何幻想!
要想获得平等、自由和民主,
你不能靠共匪的怜悯
你只有日翻共匪才行,只有把他们这群劣质统治者赶下台才行
骂了个比的共匪
I never participate in these sorts of activities, because I've never harbored any fantasies whatsoever about the Commie bandits!
If you want to earn equality, freedom and democracy
You can't rely on sympathy from the Commie bandits
All you can do is overthrow them, get these twisted tyrants out of power
Bloody Commie bandits
41 comments
As a contrast, I am not aware of any foreign activism (grassroots or government-sponsored) that has affected America’s hosting of 2007 Junior Olympics.
Where’s the world’s outrage for transgressions committed by us Americans? Why should our “gold on face” go off without punishment, when we drop depleted uranium dirty bombs on innocent Iraqi children, and have the Native Americans under our boots?
Or the onslaught against 2008 Olympics perpetrated by us in the West is racist?
反对个人利益为之做出牺牲;
反对对反对声音的限制
The translations for those two phrases seem erroneous to me. I think a more faithful rendering can be:
Opposition to sacrifice of private interest for the Olympics;
Opposition to restrictions on the expression of dissenting views.
Screw the Olympics. Kiss My Chinese Commie Ass, and Have a Nice Day.
here is my piece in its entirety
http://bianxiangbianqiao.blogspot.com/
I think the American and Canadian student are being a little hipocritical. I mean don’t they realize there’s “Tibet” in their own backyard? (US-Native Americans, CA-First People)
The proverb goes “those live in a glass house should not throw stones.”
As capitalistic as China appears to be, there is still a Communist dictatorship behind the scenes who may one day develop world dominating aspirations as they become a more powerful military force. The sleeping dragon is waking up as the west weakens itself by spreading itself too thinly in global conflicts it cannot win and which will drain its economic advantage. There is still a great deal of repression and oppression in China and we cannot turn a blind eye to it in the name of Olympic goodwill.
Link to Sina Blogs should be:-
blog.sina.com.cn
Richard,
In that case, may I recommend that you:
Don’t watch the olympics.
Lobby your country to boycott it.
The IMF’s report this week stated that China has already advanced the US as the #1 global economic power player. The US will head towards a recession post-Presidential elections. With any business, the US has to become competitive while maintaining an ethical backbone. Some how post-Enron, I am not quite sure if both will hold will. I predict the US will try to get tight on imports from China and promote more nationalism as what’s ocurring in China with its next gen creative class. It’s going to be an interesting time in history. So snap on your seatbelts because we are headed for a doozy.
Thanks Silvano, I’d go with your translations there.
@Charles Liu, I think blogger critiques of the American government from many places around the world can be found with some time spent looking. I recommend GVO’s Bloglines lineup as a place to start, or the evolving world blog aggregator Mega.
@Richard, I’ve just read two blog posts (follow link there to the first) which make the same argument that you do, focusing more on the economic aspect, highly recommended reading (via ESWN). Documenting the many cases of repression and oppression in China isn’t strictly the focus even of pseudo-mainstream bloggers like the ones found on Bullog, but I’d hazard to guess that whoever is behind the Beijing Olympic blog I’ve mentioned above definitely had things like the still-unfolding brick kiln slave case, which has gripped and horrified the entire country, in mind.