“Angry China” is the cover story of the current (May 3rd) issue of The Economist, arguably the most respected international news magazine. The article provides very thoughtful analysis to support the highlighted opinion: The recent glimpses of a snarling China should scare the country's government as much as the world. And here is the reason:
“But the appeal to nationalism is a double-edged sword: while it provides a useful outlet for domestic discontents, it could easily turn on the government itself.”
China | Angry China | Economist.com
Senior Chinese government officials probably already sense the danger raised by this article. I hope they carefully consider their options before it is too late. There is no question that the rage of Chinese is genuine. Yet, there is no suitable “punishment” in sight for Chinese to vent the anger. Boycott to Carrefour will not be satisfying. CNN did not really apologize. Yielding to international pressure, Chinese officials are meeting with Dalai Lama’s representatives. How do the mass Chinese feel? Hence the danger: “Popular anger, once roused, can easily switch targets.” Ironically, Tiananmen Square incident had a similar flavor: strong popular anger, no action could calm the crowd, and switched targets. The outcome was very sad.
The CCP government is in an impossible position. They have to maintain order in order to host the Olympic. Yet, they don’t have good outlets to calm the crowd. As additional conflicts are surely to come during Olympic events, they will find themselves backed into a corner, having little room to maneuver. This is also a good opportunity for different factions within CCP to struggle for power!
In my opinion, appealing to nationalism was a big mistake. Rousing the popular anger without any clue how to calm them down was a bigger mistake. Anger is a negative human emotion which can’t be satisfied until something is destructed. I can only hope that Chinese are not the ones suffering the destruction. Next time, how about rousing the positive emotion of hope to build up a democratic society!
“But the appeal to nationalism is a double-edged sword: while it provides a useful outlet for domestic discontents, it could easily turn on the government itself.”
China | Angry China | Economist.com
Senior Chinese government officials probably already sense the danger raised by this article. I hope they carefully consider their options before it is too late. There is no question that the rage of Chinese is genuine. Yet, there is no suitable “punishment” in sight for Chinese to vent the anger. Boycott to Carrefour will not be satisfying. CNN did not really apologize. Yielding to international pressure, Chinese officials are meeting with Dalai Lama’s representatives. How do the mass Chinese feel? Hence the danger: “Popular anger, once roused, can easily switch targets.” Ironically, Tiananmen Square incident had a similar flavor: strong popular anger, no action could calm the crowd, and switched targets. The outcome was very sad.
The CCP government is in an impossible position. They have to maintain order in order to host the Olympic. Yet, they don’t have good outlets to calm the crowd. As additional conflicts are surely to come during Olympic events, they will find themselves backed into a corner, having little room to maneuver. This is also a good opportunity for different factions within CCP to struggle for power!
In my opinion, appealing to nationalism was a big mistake. Rousing the popular anger without any clue how to calm them down was a bigger mistake. Anger is a negative human emotion which can’t be satisfied until something is destructed. I can only hope that Chinese are not the ones suffering the destruction. Next time, how about rousing the positive emotion of hope to build up a democratic society!
Comment