China: One world, one dream, and one multi-front protest

Last week's Olympics “angel” Jin Jing is on the traitor [zh] list now, after she spoke out against the upcoming nation-wide anti-Carrefour [zh] protests set for May 1 [zh].

People can't wait [update: yeah, it's totally on now] to get out to those, it seems, just like Chinese hackers, having already gotten into Carrefour.com.cn, weren't willing to wait until the 19th for the planned CNN.com DDOS attack to begin, all this against the backdrop of millions of netizens finding ways to display their patriotism.

As if that weren't enough, Jack Cafferty's remarks even got the central government on the anti-CNN bandwagon.

So now Saturday is looking like Chinese anti-CNN day in a number of different places [zh] around the world [zh]

At least one related post at China.com has over 27,000 comments over nearly 500 pages. As Heike The Dark Visitor blogger points out, the April 19 protests will mostly be held in western Europe:

1. 1500-1800hrs, 19 April 2008, at the Bundestag, Platz der Republik, Berlin
2. 1300-1500hrs, 19 April 2008, two routes (from Talie – Hotel de Ville – Bastille) or (Republique – Bastille – Hotel de Ville –Bastille, Paris
3. 1100-1500hrs, 19 April 2008, Downing Street outside of Whitehall, England
4. (No time given) 19 April 2008, Amsterdam, Holland

The protests appear to be well organized, with the coordination of donations, banners, flags, T-shirts…etc. While it is of course impossible to tell how widespread the demonstrations will be, an online keyword search, using Chinese, did produce several hundred hits.

One link Heike provides emphasizes that the protesters are furious and promising demonstrations that will flood Europe in a sea of red flags:

574.jpg

On April 18, one of the earlier members of anti-CNN.com posted the address and fax number for CNN's office in Beijing, along with a sample letter for anyone to send:

致美国有线电视新闻网负责人:

美国东部时间4月9日晚6点,贵台主持人Jack Cafferty 在“时事观察室”节目中发表了侮辱全体中国人的种族歧视言论,令人甚感震惊。他说:“他们(中国人)基本上还是五十年来的那群恶棍和暴徒。”

全世界华人充分理解贵国一贯秉持的言论自由原则,并尊重Jack Cafferty的政治立场,但是作为一个公众人物,一个新闻从业者,Jack Cafferty所说的已经完全超越了言论自由的底线,相信任何一个有尊严的华人都不会接受这种对于华人整个族裔的谩骂。

To those responsible at America's Cable News Network:

At 6pm EST on the evening of April 9, your network's anchorperson Jack Cafferty, made racist remarks on the program The Situation Room that insulted and shocked the entirety of the Chinese people. He said, “(the Chinese) they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years.”

The Chinese people of the world fully understand that your country has always upheld the principle of free speech, and respect Jack Cafferty's political stance, but as a public persona and a news professional, what Jack Cafferty said has gone way beyond the line of freedom of speech, and [we] believe that any respectable Chinese person cannot accept this kind of invective towards the entire Chinese race.

贵台稍候在15日发表的简短声明中辩解称Jack Cafferty所说的恶棍暴徒指的是中国政府,这样避重就轻没有诚意的道歉声明更是令人难以接受。首先,在Jack Cafferty的言论中,他反复多次说到中国,中国人,丝毫没有提到中国政府的地方;再者,Jack Cafferty在说到“恶棍”与“暴徒”时,使用的是复数,其意思非常明确,他口中的“他们”指的就是整个华人族群;最后,贵台的声明把矛头转向中国政府,这样牵强的强辩实际上是对中华民族的二度伤害!难道攻击一个国家的政府就不会伤害该国人民的感情了吗?

为此我致函向CNN以及Jack Cafferty提出严正抗议和谴责!

中国向世界敞开大门只有短短20多年的时间,全世界华人都能够理解各国人民对中国这个遥远的东方国家尚存在许多的疑问及种种误解。但是这并不意味着某些人可以不负责任、口无遮拦地攻击中国以及中华民族。即使不了解中国,任何一个有良知的人也不应该对发生在自己身边的事实选择性失明。

In your station's brief statement made in defense shortly after on the 15th, it was said that what Jack Cafferty was referring to as goons and thugs was the Chinese government. Such trivialization of a major issue and lack of a sincere apology is even harder for one to accept. First of all, in Jack Cafferty's statements, he repeatedly said China and the Chinese people, and didn't at any time make the slightest mention of the Chinese government; secondly, when Jack Cafferty said “goons” and “thugs”, he spoke in the plural, so his meaning is exceptionally clear: the “they” he spoke of is the entire Chinese race; thirdly, this station's statement shifts the attack to the Chinese government, and a far-fetched argument maneuver like this was in fact a second-degree injury to the Chinese people! Did you think that attacking a country's government wouldn't hurt the feelings of that country's people?

It is for these reasons that I have written to sternly protest and condemn both CNN and Jack Cafferty!

China has only opened its doors to the world for a short twenty-something years, but Chinese people from around the world are all able to see that people from every country around the world still bear many doubts and various sorts of misunderstandings toward China, this country far off in the Orient. But this does not mean that certain people can be irresponsible, and freely make attacks against China and the Chinese people. Even if one doesn't understand China, no conscientious person ought to be selectively blind to facts which lay before them.

以美国为例,华人移民多少年来都是社会中最遵纪守法和最友善的一群人。Cafferty先生是否记得, 9.11事件发生后 ,布什总统向劫机事件中表现英勇的华裔空姐邓月薇家属颁发奖状,称她是“美国的英雄”,事件中另一名中国学生曾喆在世贸大厦现场不停救人最终英勇牺牲,被追赠纽约市“社区贡献奖”的曾喆是美国历史上获此殊荣的第二人;Cafferty先生又是否知道,去年震惊美国震惊世界的弗吉尼亚理工大学枪击案中,有一名华裔女教师挺身而出带领学生顶住大门阻止了枪手进入,从而保护了全班学生。从何时起,善良、本分、为世界和平默默做出贡献的华人竟然成为了Jack Cafferty口中的恶棍和暴徒?

我相信,身为一名资深政治评论员,Jack Cafferty决非无知,他更没有失忆,促使他公开侮辱中国人的根本原因是他对我华人的种族歧视!他的言论无疑是对整个中华民族,尤其是在美华人最无耻的伤害,更造成了非常恶劣的影响,严重损伤了中美两国人民的友谊。

Looking at America, the Chinese who have immigrated in the past years are the friendliest and most law-abiding group of people in society. I don't know if Mr. Cafferty remembers, but after the 9-11 incident took place, President Bush issued an award to the family of ethnic Chinese flight attendant Betty Deng, calling her “an American hero” for her brave display during the hijacking of one plane, and during the incident, Chinese student Zhe “Zack” Zeng continuously rescued people from the site of the World Trade Center, in the end bravely sacrificing himself; he was posthumously awarded the “Community Contribution Award” by the City of New York, making Zack Zeng the second person in America history to be granted this special honor. Does Mr. Cafferty not know that last year, in the Virginia Tech shootings that shocked America and shocked the world, there was one female ethnic Chinese teacher who stepped forward to lead students to push and keep the main door shut to stop the shooter from entering, and in that protecting an entire classroom of students? At which point did the friendly and dutiful ethnic Chinese contributing quietly to world peace in fact become the thugs and goons that Jack Cafferty speaks of?

I believe, that as a senior political commentator, Jack Cafferty is in no way ignorant, as much as I don't believe he has amnesia: the underlying reason which led him to publicly insult the Chinese people is his racism towards Chinese people! His words undoubtedly referred to the entire Chinese race, shamelessly hurting in particular those Chinese in America the most, but the most terrible impact this has had is the serious harm it has done to the friendship between the peoples of America and China.

贵台多年来一直标榜CNN在全球树立了很强的公信度和良好的声誉,而现如今Jack Cafferty信口开河恶意攻击中国人的言论无疑是CNN甚至全美传媒界的耻辱!试问一个赤裸裸发表种族歧视言论的人有何资格站在道德高点批评他人为恶棍暴徒?

希望CNN及Jack Cafferty收起傲慢与偏见,立即向全世界华人进行公开、正式的道歉!

如果贵台及Jack Cafferty本人迟迟不愿就辱华言论事件向全世界华人做出诚恳回应,全球华人定将依法提起集体诉讼,追究CNN及Jack Cafferty的诽谤侮辱责任和相关赔偿。

期待你们的答复!

一名普通中国人:

2008年4月18日

For years, CNN has prided itself on having established a reliable and positive reputation around the world, but Jack Cafferty's torrents of abuse toward the Chinese people at this point in time are without question a disgrace not just to CNN but to all American media! Allow me to ask: is someone who baldly expresses racist remarks qualified to take the moral high road in criticizing others for being goons and thugs?

I hope CNN and Jack Cafferty retract their arrogance and prejudice, and immediately issue a public and formal apology to the Chinese people of the world!

If this station and Jack Cafferty himself take their time in issuing a sincere response to the Chinese people of the world for this remark incident which has disgraced us Chinese, the Chinese of the world are firmly prepared to adhere to law and file a class-action lawsuit to look into CNN and Jack Cafferty's responsibility and appropriate compensation for this slanderous insult.

I await your response!

164 comments

  • I just checked out the video of the Cafferty comment. While there is no question he is being rude, there is also no question that he is talking in political terms – i.e. about the government of the PRC, and perhaps more generally the ‘system’ of the PRC. He talks of them having been thugs and goons “for the last 50 years”. Is this not a clear reference to the establishment of the PRC? He is just bashing communists.

    I am fed up with Chinese leaping up and down demanding apologies without having taken the time to understand what has actually been said.

    Any racial aspect to what Cafferty said was a subtext. The substance of Cafferty’s comments (if ‘substance’ is the right word to use to describe what comes out of his dumb mouth) were CLEARLY directed at the PRC government only.

    Why can the author of the above letter not see this? Why does the author of the letter have to make this a race issue when it clearly is not?

  • mao

    we chinese interprete that as racial attack, not buts, ifs ors about it.

  • Chinese people have been expecting Olympics in Beijing for many years. It’s you who should take some time understanding our feelings.

    PRC government is accepted and supported by most Chinese people, of course they’re not perfect. To varying degrees, they have so many things to improve. But what Chinese people really need for now is peace and prosperity. So insulting PRC government, especially now is equivalent to insulting Chinese peole.

  • Benny2

    Firstly I’s like to say that Cafferty is a moron.
    Nevertheless, the Chinese reaction is a waste of energy. If only the Chinese people were united on questions of corruption and pollution….
    I think this shows that China is not ready for democracy yet, the top tier of the PRC government (which contrary to Cafferty’s remark, are quite intelligent and constantly working for the betterment of China) know this and wisely delay the democratisation of China. This is a chance for Chinese people to learn to live with opposing opinions. There is no need to react violently whenever someone says “free Tibet”, it’s not a sign of strength but a sign of weakness. If China wants to be a successful superpower and not become a copy of the USA , they need to be more confident, allow more dialogue and criticism.
    The Chinese should notice that no government supports an independent Tibet or Xinjiang.
    I know many Chinese people who are boycotting Carrefour, none of them has even seen an evidence connecting Carrefour with the Tibetan separatist movement. Have you learned nothing from the American WMD experience in Iraq?

  • Jeff G

    Somebody help to translate this:

    李承鹏致CNN的一封信 送一盒“马应龙痔疮膏”

    倍可亲(backchina.com)  我的美国同行CNN及卡弗蒂你们好:

      春天来了,听说我的美国同行不小心患了口蹄疫,十分着急,贵国的性病一直是长在下半身,不知为何这次集体发作于口腔,望告知详情,切切。

      我英语一直不好,但从来没有把CNN念成WCNN,现在觉得也许WCNN更合适,因为在真正的垃圾眼中,世界的一切才会都是垃圾,只有真正的暴民和匪徒,才会断言另一个国家和族种50年来一直是暴民和匪徒,卡弗蒂不小心就暴露出他、CNN、及美国的头等机密,哦,卖糕的,是不是前总统的拉链没把CNN 及主持人的嘴锁好,美国拉链,原来美国人也生产垃圾产品。

      顺便打听一下莱温斯基可好。

      有点跑题?其实也不,我以前一直挺喜欢美国的,可后来看了莱温斯基的长相后暗自觉得贵国领袖品位很垃圾,他当着国民撒谎的样子很暴民,前段时间看薛涌写的你们很多州长、议员玩性游戏时却又玩疵了,觉得他们更很垃圾更暴民,但我一直没好意思说。这是因为我觉得自己只能用美国人的思路去理解美国人,这叫民主和自由,比如说你们从小就喜欢吃热狗,这是一种文化,所以我假装认为你们的长官只是在和女伴练习吞热狗的方法。我认为我这样的想法很文明,也接近西方的思路,“我可以不同意你的观点,但我用生命捍卫你发表观点的权利”——“我可以不同意你吃热狗的姿势,但我用生命捍卫你这种姿势表达出来的深喉态度”。

      注:我这封信需要找个精通汉语白化文写作的高手翻译,英语特别是美式英语玩不转,这一点你们是垃圾。

      过去中国人不太惜得嘞你们美国人那点破事,是因为建国只有二百年的你们就是一个还长青春痘的小屁孩,孩子因为青春躁动喜欢砸碎邻居家玻璃在街边管点闲事儿假装点酷哥是小节,但这次你们指鼻子骂中国人祖宗我可不干了,最近好多人要骂你们家祖宗十八代,我劝阻了,咳,他们哪儿有祖宗十八代,历史短得和兔子尾巴一样,要靠的话顶天了就靠到祖宗七八代,那还是杂种。

      就算要比谁更“垃圾”的话,我们家就算有垃圾这么几千来也修炼成了精,那叫马王堆文物,那叫孔夫子的夜壶,你们家有吗,是白宫吗,是打着激素冒充肌肉男的史泰隆吗,当你们每次派好莱坞讲故事说“LONG LONG AGO”的时候,我一考查,不对呀,那是人苏格兰的历史,那是人意大利的历史,那是人古巴比伦的历史,或者是非洲黑兄弟的历史。

      博物馆里倒是有,可那是偷来的,你们不说偷,说是帮中国人保管。多伟大的情操,美国人有好帮别人家保管财物的习惯,这一点都不暴民不匪徒。

      WCNN及卡弗蒂同行,有一些中国哥们这几天用知识份子的厚道态度跟你们讲道理,不像我,我是“混识份子”,就是我把很多知道不知道的东西混在一起形成武器的份子,我的意见是,跟美国人不用讲道理,跟丫玩板砖和挠痒痒。

      作为同行你们能告诉我吗,我一直不明白为什么美国人不准伊拉克伊朗朝鲜以及很多国家拥有核武,自己却天天加班加点生产着,这很像二愣子只许自个儿拥有弹弓却不许别人拥有,说是玩弹弓危险,其实是为了保全自己老大的地位,后来眼绷瞎了,我也不明白美国人每天生产出地球上最多的废气,却号称自己很环保很绿色,这如同放屁的人先跳出来骂放屁的。

      美刀现在是不太灵了,美国经济也在打摆子,我研究过很多版本的美国史,发现这些版本里有一最重要的共同点就是,美国人上世纪初还很穷,首都卫戍部队司令穷得来连喝杯红酒也是奢侈,老百姓更穷,饿着肚子跑到首都去示威却被士后到处驱赶,其实大家争来争去也就是为了一根红肠,打那时候起红肠就成为你们的最爱,直到莱温斯基时代,后来你们是通过打两次世界大战才发起来的,先假装热爱和平,就是不要,等到锅热了油爆了,你们才下手赚大发了。

      有钱就是硬道理,这条经验指引着你们,现在一缺钱就四处想打仗,说是维护世界和平,整顿世界秩序,开始我还觉得美国人就是有正义感,自己贴着差旅费出去调解别人家庭纠葛很不易,可是这些年来你们实在显得太忙了,人两口子吵架关你们美国人什么事,时间长了我就觉得你们有点可疑,因为你们总跑别人家去,别人到你们家去时,你们却特害怕。

      那年我去美国采访女足世界杯,在签证处碰一美国人不给我签,还问我一些问题,比如:

      一、你为什么不喜欢美国女足还要去美国采访女足世界杯?(当时我回答:我喜欢中国女足难道不够吗?“喜欢”不应是一个记者是否采访的原由)

      二、你为什么先去叙利亚再去美国?(我回答:先去叙利亚是因为先在那儿有中国国奥比赛后有美国女足世界杯)

      三、你能保证不滞留美国吗?(我笑了:求您能不能不借故把我滞留美国,那地儿太不好玩了)

      那签证官立马给我护照上盖了一个“永不签证”的拒绝章,我就说:“你以为女足世界杯在美国举办就是你们美国的比赛吗?这是国际足联委托你们美国人办的比赛,产权属于国际足联,相当于租你们几座城市给世界人民参加比赛,我是国际足联官方邀请的记者,你们美国人要做的是怎么保证我在美国期间的安全因为你们那地方太不安全,而不是因为我先去了叙利亚就拒绝我入境,你们不是号称新闻自由吗,你们不是不把体育和政治相关吗,我告诉你,你要是不改掉这个决定的话,明天我保证二十四小时内就让一百万中国人看到民主自由的美国是怎么回事。”

      见我这样,那哥们在新浪上搜索了一下我的中文名字,他识中文,发现面前这人果真挺横的,第二天就给我签了去美国的章。

      这条经验告诉我们,美国人的性格其实像螃蟹,壳子挺坚硬的,横行霸道,只要你掰开它的命门,立马就流汤。

      你们CNN来中国采访我们什么时候这样对待过你们,还得先问你喜不喜欢姚明才允以放行?这段时间中国人有点太惯你们了,有关方面太怀柔了,其实可以再狠点。

      听说CNN对于卡弗蒂的口蹄疫这样解释:“我们不认为这伤害了中国人民,如果中国人一定要这么认为的话,我们可以道歉”。之前我还只是怀疑卡弗蒂只是生病了,现在我可不可以认为整个美国都变态了,我会说:“美国一直由一群撒谎者、爱滋患者、SM性游戏爱好者、吸毒者、掮客组成,如果你觉得我这样伤害了美国总统议员州长和人民们的话,那我可以道歉”,或者就像美国媒体曝光总统因坚持晨跑脚上长了鸡眼,我就说:“美国总统其实根本不是一个人,我刚刚看了,他就是一个大鸡眼”。信不信,“大鸡眼”这三个汉字很快就会被演绎成其它很多说法,我有奖征文。

      CNN同行,其实我们之间根本用不着道歉,咱各玩各的,你们把一点都不垃圾的肯德基家乐福全及一切美资企业搬走吧,看谁更急,毛主席当年面对你们的威胁曾经说过:“封锁?打仗,核武器,大不了再打一次解放战争,我们有好几亿人,当今世界谁怕谁。”

      主席那会这么一说真就把你们吓着了,后来就派阿甘们来跟我们打乒乓球了,再就派福特通用肯德基跟我们做生意了,这不挺好的吗,大家和和气气赚钱花,非得把别人整成垃圾暴民你们才心理平衡?我研究过你们的宪法,卡弗蒂这么说很违宪。

      而且你们不是信上帝吗,要是你们最后去见上帝时,上帝问你们在尘世间干的最多的事情是什么,你们总那么牛逼哄哄地说我们干的最多的就是指责别人,管教别人,这就违背了上帝的旨意,骄傲、暴躁、贪婪……就是犯了七宗罪,下辈子就得下地狱。而我们信佛,佛问我们尘世间干的最多的事情是什么,中国人大多会说,哎,好多事情都没干好,佛想想,就说,那你们轮回再做人吧,把没干好的事情去做好。

      我们把你们国家的名字汉译得多好啊,美利坚,美好,胜利,坚强。这是垃圾能有的美德吗,这是暴民的审美情趣吗,我国大多数人都很善良,要是像CNN那样的路数,是不是就可汉译成“饿,埋了坑”“俺,卖给你啃”,还真是你们国家的真实写照。

      美国挺多优点,但那种螃蟹性格太招人烦,我这封信是附了邮资的,你们应该回复,我教你们学习怎么写骂人的文章,来来回回就“垃圾”“暴民”,太没技术含量。

      最后,出于同行之间的关心,我给卡弗蒂一个治口蹄疫的秘方,买一盒中国产的“马应龙痔疮膏”,每次上节目前抹一次,下节目后再抹一次。

  • Mao,

    If you interpret it as a racial attack you misinterpret it. It is very simple really.

    It is also worth emphasizing how illogical and (apparently) unable to understand simple English the author of the letter is. This is odd by the way because the English in his letter is not too bad. For example, he even says that because ‘goons’ was used in the plural then it must refer to the whole Chinese people. Why? How can somebody capable or writing such a long letter in English be unable to grasp how the plural works?

    If Chinese honestly interpret this as a racial attack they are being ridiculous.

  • wgj

    @Kiwi:

    What I am fed up with, is the great number of people like you suggesting that the Chinese have no right to feel insulted by attacks against the Chinese government. Because that implies either: (A) One should not feel insulted unless he himself is the target of an attack; or (B) No one who isn’t “brain dead” would feel mentally attached with their government.

    As to A: Would you feel insulted if someone is cursing your grandmother? Your best friend? Your favorite actor? Your most admired political leader? Where do you draw the line?

    As to B: If you considered a foregone conclusion that the Chinese government is so evil it should be detested by all free-thinking Chinese, then of course there is no need for any discussion any more.

  • Unfortunately for the Chinese people, in this country ,we can insult even our own government, it is allowed, as we have free speech. So, I’m not exactly sure why a the media making a very clear insult to the Chinese government is any different.(the government not the people – I too watched the tape and there was no racial attack)

    You must also remember that the middle and lower middle class here have had many of their jobs taken away – they feel they were taken away by the Chinese to the great detriment of middle class America and the great benefit of Corporate America.

    At this point in time I can’t see anyone here really caring too much about the hurt feelings of the Chinese people, because people here would like prosperity as well, but they feel the Chinese took it. So really the people who have not had the luxury of an education, are now without decent employment opportunities. (Walmart which imports most of it’s stuff from China pays a crappy wage, hardly a living wage, and their benefits stink)These people don’t care about the Olympics ,they don’t care about Chinese pride, they are angry and they just want to live a decent life.

    Someone in the media discussing China (the government ) in a politically derogatory way , to them, is justified.

  • Mick

    Marches like this aren’t going to “wake up” westerners and make them start listening to Chinese people’s concerns. If they look like the one in the photo they will just make people think Chinese are a bunch of fanatical nationalists.

    I think it’s a cultural difference between the Asian focus on the group and the western focus on the individual. The Chinese make the mistake of thinking westerners will be inpressed by large numbers of people, but no, they will be alienated by a faceless ranting mob.

    Westerners are more likely to respond to an articulate and sympathetic individual arguing their cause.

    Look at the South Africans during apartheid – they had people like Desmond Tutu. And of course that’s why the Dalai Lama has been so successful. Who have the Chinese got?

  • Saul

    I check out again what Cafferty has said, I still find what he said is ambiguous and can’t tell whether he refers to all my countrymen ou our government, maybe that is where the discord comes.
    The problem of corruption is recurrent and we have get used to it. It’s also dangerous when it’s becomes normal.
    I can expect that kind of reation to Cafferty. Maybe they are overreacting to it. Chinese’s national ego is easily stimulated, and I know well that it only show our weakness and insecurity. I hope that my country can be a really great one, not like American. And we really have a long way to go, to be more tolerant toward differant ideas.
    In Internet, it’s hard to reason. Slogans have more power,just like Gustave Le Bon have said. People get fanatical. We get stupid when a lot of people is toghether.
    And I think that our goverment should rethink about the publicity of Tibet. Maybe Dalai is telling lies, but his lies is more credible than the truth that the our goverment tells.

Join the conversation

Authors, please log in »

Guidelines

  • All comments are reviewed by a moderator. Do not submit your comment more than once or it may be identified as spam.
  • Please treat others with respect. Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.