Zhou Libo believes that everyone is familiar with it. Although the once smash hit talk show actor has faded out of the public eye in recent years, he still makes some eye-catching remarks from time to time.
A year ago, he angrily denounced the behavior of some people on Weibo, and was banned from the platform. Now that a year has passed, Zhou Libo ushered in the moment of unblocking, saying that "I don't regret what happened a year ago", which once again aroused heated discussions among netizens.
Zhou Libo angrily criticized the phenomenon of "flattering Russia".
Two days ago, a piece of news spread on the Internet, saying that Zhou Libo, a big name in Shanghai's art world, had his account unblocked! As soon as Senior Brother Zhou was unblocked, he made a headline.
In the headlines, Zhou Libo bluntly said that the biggest regret in his life is that he has never said that he regrets the post back then. He said that it was for that post that he said goodbye to everyone for a whole year, but he is still proud of it.
Seeing this, netizens are curious, what kind of post is this that can make Senior Brother Zhou stand up so much? Zhou Libo didn't sell it, and directly threw out the time: March 12 last year.
On March 12 last year, Zhou Libo posted a post full of righteous indignation on the headlines, directly bombarding the pro-Russian and flattering behavior of some people in China, and bluntly spoke.
As soon as these words came out, many netizens applauded, saying that he was a Chinese with a conscience, but some people felt that he was too explicit.
Zhou Libo's sharp remarks poked the sore spot of some Russian fans and exposed their hypocrisy of blindly touting Russia. These people talk about "fighting nations" and "Putin the Great" at every turn, as if Russia is their spiritual home.
As everyone knows, Tsarist Russia in those days defeated the Qing Dynasty and occupied 5 million square kilometers of our splendid rivers and mountains! Now, some people still treat others as guests.
Zhou Libo's words used the most simple language to express the hearts of many people of insight. In the current environment of public opinion, there are very few people who dare to outspokenly criticize flattering remarks. Although Zhou Libo is a talk show actor, he shows the responsibility and courage that an intellectual should have.
Of course, Zhou Libo's views are inevitably biased. After all, the situation between Russia and Ukraine is complicated, and it cannot be explained clearly in a few words. Some netizens pointed out that Zhou Libo's understanding of the domestic public opinion ecology may not be comprehensive and in-depth enough.
However, the way Zhou Libo asked the question may be more interesting. He didn't go into a long speech, but used simple and straightforward words to hit the nail on the head.
This unique language style of Shanghai-style Qingkou can often receive unexpected effects. As the so-called "horizontal eyebrows are cold to the thousands of people, bow their heads and be willing to be a son of a cow", Zhou Libo used his own strength to fight against the thousands of people, and he deserved to be a man!
It is worth mentioning that Zhou Libo was banned because of his remarks, which seems to be expected by him. The year before last, he was repeatedly suppressed for criticizing flattering Russia, but he still went his own way and did not repent.
This attitude of placing freedom of expression above all else is truly admirable. In this era of increasingly tightened rhetoric, Zhou Libo is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air.
Zhou Libo's "thorny" character
Zhou Libo's "thorny" character is well-known. Some netizens commented that he was a lone wolf who dared to howl at the sun, not afraid of the powerful, and dared to tell the truth. But as the so-called "gun shoots the first bird", his bold remarks often cause himself a lot of blood.
As early as 2015, Zhou Libo was scolded for Hanfu lovers in the show. was scolded by netizens for being bloody. What did he say then? He said that those who wore Hanfu were "like nerves" and only wore a fur that did not understand the essence.
As soon as these words came out, they immediately stabbed the hornet's nest, causing a group of Hanfu fans to tear up on the Internet.
If you want to talk about Zhou Libo's mouth, he really doesn't have a door, and he dares to say anything. Politics, history, and ethnicity, these are sensitive topics that others can't avoid, but the more frustrated he becomes, the more courageous he becomes. Two years ago, he said the "Ten Tortures of the Manchu Dynasty" in the program, but he was labeled as a "scandalizer of national heroes".
There are two sides to everything, although Zhou Libo often talks endlessly, but sometimes his views are really insightful. For example, a few years ago, he criticized the current evils of society on Weibo, and many netizens felt that he was an "iron man" who dared to tell the truth.
However, Zhou Libo always gives people a feeling of grandstanding and unconventionality. Some of his so-called "sharp remarks" are indeed to the point, but more of them are hot spots and eyeballs. Isn't it self-destruction to talk about sensitive topics at every turn?
January 2018. Zhou Libo was driving in New York at the time, but was stopped by the police because of "snake walking" and driving on his mobile phone. As soon as the police searched the car, good guy, there was contraband in the car! Zhou Libo was arrested on the spot, and an unlucky co-pilot was also arrested.
This next week, Libo will be a big deal. Prosecutors charged him with five counts, the most serious of which was enough to put him in prison for several years.
However, Zhou Libo is also an old fritter, he hired a lawyer, insisted that he didn't know how there was contraband in the car, and denied all the prosecution's accusations.
But Zhou Libo was also up and down in his heart, he was afraid that if he really went in, his reputation in China would be completely stinky. So, he came up with a clever plan to "sound the east and attack the west".
I saw him vigorously expressing his loyalty on Weibo, saying "patriotic" and "please believe me". Between the words, he looks like a hot-blooded man and the backbone of the nation.
But this trick obviously did not impress domestic netizens. Many people saw Zhou Libo's thoughts, and left messages sarcastically mocking him for "pretending to be deep" and "putting on a show", saying that he wanted to use patriotism to whitewash himself. Some people even exposed his old background, saying that it was not the first time he had been involved in drugs, and there was a scandal a few years ago.
Zhou Libo knew that he was at a loss, so he had to change his tone again, saying that he was all right in the United States, picking up his children to school every day, and living an ordinary life.
He also went berserk at those rumor-mongering websites, saying that they made up rumors like "Zhou Libo was sentenced to 41 years in the United States" for the sake of traffic, which caused his reputation in China to be ruined.
But no matter how Zhou Libo explains, his lawsuit in the United States cannot be avoided. It is said that the prosecution has conclusive evidence to prove that Zhou Libo did indeed hide guns and drugs. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
However, Zhou Libo's character is not bad, and it is said that he has sponsored many poor students in China. And his lawyer was clever enough to catch the loophole in the illegal police search process in court, and finally helped him clear most of the charges. It is reported that Zhou Libo was fined $150 for driving and using his mobile phone in the end, and all other charges were dropped.
Although Zhou Libo picked up a life, this turmoil caused a lot of damage to his career and reputation.
He was originally disliked by many people because of his open-mindedness and troublemaking in the show. This time, an unforgivable scandal broke out, which made him even more demoralized.
If he can be a little more restrained and express those insightful opinions well, maybe he can become a respected "famous mouth".
But now, Zhou Libo, a "thorny" character, is afraid that he will accompany him for a lifetime. And he himself seems to be enjoying it.
Looking at the phenomenon of "flattering Russia" from Zhou Libo
In recent years, with the warming of Sino-Russian relations, there have been a lot of remarks touting Russia in the domestic public opinion field, and some self-media have often portrayed Russia as a "just party", praised Russia's approach on the Ukraine issue, and even defended it.
This irrational and non-objective tendency to "flatter Russia" obviously runs counter to the demands of journalistic professionalism and rational patriotism.
Although China and Russia are strategic cooperative partners, we must also keep a clear head and not blindly praise each other. After all, there are no eternal friends between nations, only eternal interests. We should put our national interests first, view China-Russia relations objectively and rationally, and not be deceived by emotional remarks.
This trend of "flattering Russia" has not only distorted the public's perception of the international situation, but also fueled populist sentiment. Some people often label people with different views as "cents" and "traitors" and engage in "patriotic" business.
Moreover, such irrational "flattering Russia" remarks may affect national interests and diplomatic strategies. We should also note that some of Russia's practices in the international arena are not entirely in line with China's interests.
For example, on the Syrian issue, Russia's military involvement has objectively exacerbated regional instability and negatively impacted China's interests in the Middle East.
Therefore, when we look at Sino-Russian relations, we must have a sense of the overall situation, proceed from long-term interests, and make prudent decisions. The weapon of the country cannot be shown, some things do not have to be too full, and some things do not have to be done too much.
With regard to the question of "flattering Russia" raised by Zhou Libo, we should not blindly criticize his motives, but should understand the root cause of this phenomenon.
epilogue
Although Zhou Libo is an outlier, he has the courage to tell the truth. In the face of the erroneous guidance of public opinion, we must not follow the trend, but insist on independent thinking. Even if the price is to be "silenced", we must defend the rights and wrongs in our hearts.
Some people often label others and engage in "moral kidnapping." This practice is tantamount to "fighting." There are also some people who use "patriotism" as a cover at every turn to engage in "flattering Russia" business, but in fact they are misleading the public and have a negative impact on state policymaking.
Patriotism is not a slogan, but a down-to-earth contribution to the development of the country. We should look at international issues in a rational and objective manner, and promote our work in the process of building consensus.