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, HollandThe 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:
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。
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。
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。
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
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
Benny2,
I agree that China is not ready for democracy (the western system) yet (I’m not even sure China will ever take the western road of democracy, but it’s another question).
However, your comment “so easily swayed you are by your own media” is not ture. No Chinese trusts CCTV and Xinhua, period.
As to your two examples:
1. There are two facts: “Chinese media say Dalai Lama is behind 3/14” and “Chinese people believe Dalai Lama is behind 3/14”. You haven’t proved that the former is the cause of the latter, have you? I can’t say for all Chinese on this matter, but for me I have read many materials and my conclusion is drawn from my readings, not just the media.
As to whether the media’s claim is unfounded, I think the media are citing the Chinese government (and police), which say they have evidences. I have not been following this so I don’t know whether they have disclosed those evidences yet. I don’t really care anyway.
2. You didn’t get the point. Carrefour is the scapegoat, it doesn’t matter whether they have dealings with Tibetan separatists (even if they have, as claimed, I don’t think they are really that “guilty” and “deserve” a boycott). However, we don’t need a formal reason to decide not to shop there anyway.
Well said, XniteMan. I think people in China hold a more critical view towards the media than westerners, who wrongly believe freedom of expression = unbiased media. As a result, westerners are more ready to accept whatever the media feeds them, unlike the Chinese.
Kai,
I think you misunderstood, what I have said in my previous posts were aimed to help the westerners here better understand why things are going on like this, by describing what I think is the popular opinion among Chinese people right now, and it doesn’t necessarily represent my own views.
If millions of people have decided to express their anger by marching or boycotting a company, your arguement that they shouldn’t do so doesn’t solve any problem. A better approach is to respect their decisions and figure out what’s best to do next.
As to which method is more effective for communication, well, do you have a better one? What do you expect the average Chinese to do? Learn English and argue here? Communication between societies is different from that between individuals, I think what happened in the last weeks is good for the communication between Chinese and the westerners.
BTW, if Dalai Lama consistently advocates peaceful means, what has he done? The TYC was permitted to be organized by himself and he was there when the organization was founded. Why doesn’t he demand TYC to abandon violent means? Why doesn’t he denouce the TYC for their terrorist remarks? The spokesman of the Tibetan Government in Exile said beating up Han Chinese on the street is non-violent, as only killing is violent by Tibentans, and that the Han Chinese girls burned to death can only blame themselves because they failed to run away, was he not speaking on behalf of Dalai Lama, the head of the exiled government? If not, why doesn’t Dalai Lama condemn his remarks? Why is that Dalai Lama claims that he doesn’t seek independence, yet on the webpages of the exiled government independence claims are everywhere? The list goes on and on…
To clarify my points, marching is meant to be used to express the voice, anger, or demand of a group of people anyway. It’s impossible for two groups of people to argue directly, as individuals do, and the existence and importance of marching in modern societies is enough to prove that they are useful in communication. That’s why I argued Chinese students in western cities chose marching as a way to express their anger and show their unity, yet the result of the marching can well benefit the communication and mutual understanding between them and the western society.
Westerners feels threaten by the rise of China and have repeatedly insulted and abused the Chinese people. Making sly excuses when confronted. It is time for Chinese people and government, as represeantative of the people, to act firmly and send a message that they will no longer take these abuse.
Couple counter observations:
– anti-cnn has also been hacked
– anti-China activists have been posting address/phone # of Chinese embassy, local governmetn for years.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?
At least they are doing is grassroot.
Compare that with what Canadian Freya Putt of Team Tibet is doing – taking NED/CIA money, attending Friedrich Naumann Foundation conference to take orders from US State Department’s “global torch protest” agenda.
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/56145
John, according to your Google link, first page of the comments are all pro-Jin Jin, opposit of what you are trying to insinuate:
“Jin Jin does not support Carfore boycott”
“If Jin Jin can be labeled HJ, who can’t?”
“Why call Jin Jin HJ?”
“Nationalist “Boxers” call Jin Jin HJ”
“Shocked to see Jin Jin labeled HJ”
“Jin Jin’s one sentence turning her into HJ, sending chill up readers spin”
These are all in fact not supportive of the minority voices in China blogsphere.
This is yet another evidence of GVO’s “cherry picking” mentality.
“Unfortunately for you our average IQ is higher than yours, so you probably can’t understnd what I say.”
Then possibly you should be able to articulate what you say better than stupid me,so that stupid me can understand it.
dmac: Many Westerners are fully aware that their media is biased AND owned by corporations who have sold their jobs to China. Most westerners only listen to media they know ahead of time they are going to agree with. If they hear something they do not like they turn to another media outlet more to their liking.
Most westerners also do not believe much of what comes out of China, because they think it is all propaganda. They are not quite clear on how much freedom the Chinese people have to to say truth online ..write online for instance.
留法学生李洹在巴黎游行集会上的演讲全文
女士们，先生们，亲爱的中法朋友们，你们好！
我想首先感谢巴黎人民和巴黎市警察局给了我们今天这次机会让我们聚集于此。这是罕见的一次，也是欧洲和法国历史上最大的华人集会。
我想代表从别的城市，乘坐大巴、火车和汽车，从几百公里以外自费赶来的朋友们说几句话。很多朋友没有能与我们相聚于此，但是我想替他们表达他们与我们一样的对中国、对法国、对法国人民，以及对中法友谊的关注。
在这次对中国的妖魔化的扭曲报道事件中，我们，全世界的中国留学生，我们感觉很痛，我们的感情受到了伤害，但是我们不怪法国人民，因为造成这样结果的责任人不是你们，而是一些不负责任的媒体和职业煽动家。
像所有行业一样，记者和媒体有自己要遵守的职业道德。媒体要求公正，客观，对所报道内容的核实，以及评论的适中。无论如何，也不能诽谤和诬蔑，没有证据地责难，扭曲事实。
在对最近发生的事情报道中，一些记者超出了他们原本的报道角色，完全变成了自认为拥有绝对真理的批判家，甚至把事件可笑地简单化。一个弱小而善良的受害者和一个巨大而残忍的暴徒。他们的角色从一开始就这样人为地被分配好了。
然后，记者们找寻各种方式和手段来证明这两个角色。比如说，选择性的阐述历史，认为中国的革命对中国不可分割的一部分是“侵略”，而故意不说95%受煎熬的藏人的黑暗的政教合一，把尼泊尔的警察当成是中国警察，用几十年前的照片来说今天的事情，传播根本没有验证的信息，比如根本没有可信度的所谓死亡人数，以及选用一些别有用心的人的口述。
那些外国游客的描述，和他们拍到的视频让我们看到暴徒对无故路人进行令人发指的暴力，没有一个媒体说这是对无辜者的施暴。更有甚者，一些不负责任的媒体制造并强迫人们接受一个根本没有任何可信和公正证据的“血腥镇压”的假设。
媒体很少邀请中国人在节目中阐述他们的观点，即使有也是把他放在被告的位置上，而另一方的则是在数量上几倍于他的“法官”。是，你可以批评中国政府在一段时间里不允许记者入藏，但是不能捏造不知道的事情。
这种处理西藏暴乱信息的方式，是一种媒体暴力，一种意识形态的欺骗行为，一种话语权的霸权，一种扭曲事实的宣传，一种无耻的欺骗。
首先受害者是法国人民，他们是多么的具有怜悯心和博爱，他们相信媒体，可不幸的是，他们被操纵和欺骗了。
西方的信息模式本来还是人们的一种效仿模式，它现在不再是了。没有人有权力操纵大众舆论，不能在中国，也不能在世界上任何地方。这是在所谓言论自由模式中的另一种压制言论自由的方式。
还有一些作为法国精英的政客的思维惰性，让我们无比震惊。
所谓人权，对某些人来说是圣战的号角，和一切有政治目的不负责任的煽动的盾牌，比如说对于罗伯特·梅纳尔（“无疆界记者”组织主席）。为什么此人在官塔那摩监狱里的酷刑不断重复，在伊拉克人被美军士兵侮辱的时候消失了？ 这是不是一种选择性的失明呢？
联合国教科文组织终止了对“无疆界记者”的支持，在一份公告中，联合国教科文组织解释说，无疆界记者多次在无客观所言地报道某些国家的过程中丧失了记者职业道德。
为什么呢？
从互联网上，同时也是我们的罗伯特先生承认的信息中，我们了解到“无疆界记者”的财政支持是源于一些与美国中央情报关系密切的组织。
我们，海外的中国学生，我们很心痛，我们的感情受到了伤害，但是我们并不怨恨法国人。
我们是两个截然不同的世界之间经验与信息交换的桥梁，我们也是这场文化、思想，尤其是政治冲突最先的受害者。
在国内的中国人非常相信我们这些留学生对国外的见解。他们对于国外的认识和印象取决于这个留学生群体的感觉。
面对捏造或者说传递虚假消息的西方媒体的指责，我们这些学生中的很多人开始反击，在互联网上辩论并呼唤报道的真实性。我们都注意到，被某些媒体 “喂饱了” 的有些法国人对于中国有着很深的偏见。
在抵制奥运，抵制中国，所谓自由西藏的叫喊声中，中国人民对西方世界的审视和不信任正在增长。中国政府的努力还远没有达到尽善尽美的地步，说它是世界上最完善的和说它是世界上最差的同样可笑。但我们这一代，我们这些20岁到30岁的年轻人，从我们年幼时起，我们就一直生活在中国生活水平不断提高及自由度不断开放的环境中。
我们很惊讶，在这一切都向好的方面发展的时刻，在这个我们生活比以前更好的时候，国外才有越来越多的人想把我们从所谓的“世界上最大的独裁”中“拯救”出来！ 我想问，你们以前在哪儿？我们这些在西方求学的中国人，我们对未来充满了自信。的确，中国还有很多事情要做，而我们，我们中国人，更是对这些进步的实现有着前所未有的信心。
中国有另一种文化，另一种历史，另一个体积。社会学不是一种像数学精确的科学。在这方面，要成为一种 “普遍的典范” 有太多的变数。
来中国吧！来看看一个真实的，完整的中国，一个很多西方媒体不会展现给你们的中国，来西藏吧！用你们的眼睛来见证那个所谓的“文化灭绝”，是否这种灭绝真的存在，是否藏语正在“消失”，那些喇嘛们是不是可以自由的信仰他们的宗教，西藏人是不是比在达赖的神权统治下过得更好！和那些上了年纪的西藏人聊聊，谈谈他们永远无法忘记的“佛教天堂”。我们需要直接的交流，更多的知识交换，我们会继续对此作出贡献！
我们中国留学生支持奥运，支持奥运在中国举行，这个占人类五分之一人口的国家有资格承办奥运会。
奥运是属于谁的？奥运是属于您的，属于我的，属于我们的，属于我们大家，属于全世界的人民。这不是一场政治游戏。亲爱的政客们，反对中国的那些政治势力的走卒们，请停止你们对于奥运的污染。
中国作为东道主国家，想为全世界人民送上一份最好的礼物。成千上万的中国人呕心沥血多年，就是为了这一天。他们正敞开怀抱欢迎世界各国的人们。
当奥运圣火在世界各地传递的时候，所传达的是同一条信息，那就是欢迎你们的到来，中国人民期待和你们一起庆祝这个充满人性关爱的盛会。
当有些媒体提到，这次圣火传递失败是给中国的一记耳光。当代表着爱与和平的圣火，受到一些专门抗议者的侮辱行径时，我认为这确实是一记耳光，但不是给中国的，而是给中国人民的，给法国人民的，给全世界所有热爱奥运的人民的。
很多法国人似乎对中国有一种恐惧，这种恐惧来自于对中国的无知。这也是为什么我们希望你们可以直接和我们沟通，通过我们，热爱并希望巩固中法友谊的桥梁，来进一步了解中国。
中国和她的文化注定了我们爱好和平的本质。自秦朝统一六国后，中国从此结束了原来分裂的状态，成为一个完整独立的国家。我们便属于一个大家庭。
我认为这是一个具有5000年历史的文化的高度。这会令人担忧？但是文化是鲜活的具有生命力的。当你们在中国饭店使用筷子的时候，中国文化正向你们充分地展开它的怀抱。
妖魔化中国只会让中国人愈发远离西方世界，只会加剧人民间的距离。
请让我们好好沟通！
我们想给你们其他一个信息。我们中国留学生，非常诚恳地希望中法人民之间不要有敌对情绪，因为不管怎样这都是不理性的，也是没用的。了解两种不同文化的我们，希望成为这两国人民的一座桥梁，一个信息沟通点。我们向你们诉说的是中国人民的真实想法和感受，我们同时也会传达法国人民对中国善意的关注。请相信我，这座桥，将会前所未有的坚固，特别是在这种极度令人遗憾的现状下。
我亲爱的法国朋友们，我们热烈欢迎你们所有人的到来，甚至那些想“在北京制造混乱”（一个欧洲议会议员的言论）的人。我们将会帮助他们找到一个好的保险公司，为他们提供一种包括所有民事责任的保险。
让我们北京见吧，亲爱的朋友们！
谢谢，非常感谢！
John, page 2 of your google link, again, show Chinese bloggers not agreeing with the traitor label against Jin Jin:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%E9%87%91%E6%99%B6+%E6%B1%89%E5%A5%B8&hl=en&safe=off&start=10&sa=N
“Calling Jin Jing HJ is the first sign of the world gone wrong.”
“Jin Jin from hero to zero(HJ) – a Chinese farce”
“defaming [Jin Jin] is not patriotism”
“Jin Jin from hero to zero – patriotism has lost its wit”