Yao Yao: Who are the black Chinese catering to by the epidemic?

Yao Yao

Recently, Jesse Waters, the host of Fox News in the United States, demanded that China apologize for the new crown pneumonia in the program, and said that the root cause of the epidemic was "because the Chinese is very hungry, the CCP cannot feed the people, so the people are desperate and eat uncooked unsafe food, which is the source of the new crown virus that scientists believe." ”。 This kind of strange theory, which is both contrary to reason and full of national prejudice and even racial discrimination, reflects both the ignorance and shamelessness of the host and some problems in American public opinion.

First of all, some people are talking nonsense in a serious way, reflecting the "news entertainment" cliché. Waters's rhetoric is not untargeted, and his Fox News station has been accused of establishing "untold" as a "winning weapon" to improve ratings. In some programs, the audience sees not the discussion of serious political issues, but the exaggerated presentation of "stereotypes" such as Asian ethnic groups, including Chinese, as well as ridicule of marginalized and vulnerable groups. However, a similar phenomenon not only exists in the highly market-oriented American media ecology, but also triggers many established media to follow suit. The more extreme the rhetoric, the more popular it is, and the Media Ecology in the United States has fueled the likes of Waters, which is also being torn apart by this ethos.

Second, it refers to the indiscriminate throwing of the pot by the mulberry, which is a pathology of "political populism." Waters not only attacked China, but also long-term support for xenophobic ultra-right populist ideologies, putting the so-called "super patriotism" completely above the authenticity of the news, rejecting multiculturalism, and the first thing that came to mind when a problem occurred was "throwing the pot", which is also becoming the mindset of some far-right populists in the United States. In the wave of globalization, many middle classes in the United States have not received corresponding benefits, and their living standards have declined. Induced by some politicians, some have begun to dissolve the sense of economic loss on cultural superiority, blaming immigrants, ethnic minorities and foreign governments for social problems and personal encounters, and hoping to gain psychological venting and solace in the populist discourse of xenophobia and throwing pots. In the social atmosphere of "group polarization", there are baseless accusations against China, and the frequency of extreme remarks against China is also increasing.

Third, the illogical black china reflects the embarrassment of some people's "spiritual hollowing-out." Different from the traditional "yellow peril theory", the anti-China remarks of some US media and politicians during the epidemic period have further reflected their certain uneasiness in the face of the world trend. The Wall Street Journal, also owned by Murdoch, published an article titled "China is the Real Sick Man of Asia," rather nostalgic for the era of Western power that has passed away with the notorious "insult label" in history. Former French Prime Minister Raffarin said objectively: In the face of the epidemic, the Chinese government has shown a strong and efficient ability to organize and mobilize, which is the advantage of the Chinese system. In fact, the United States' concern about China is not only the accumulation of material power, but also the institutional challenge that China poses to the so-called "free world order" led by the United States in the face of an increasingly complex global crisis.

All in all, the epidemic is like a mirror that reflects the demons of many people, and the absurd "Chinese apology theory" reflects the deep-seated problems in the soil of American public opinion. The virus is the common enemy of all mankind, and extremist rhetoric will not help the world to unite against the epidemic. American public opinion should now also think about how to better work with the world to fight the epidemic and respond to the crisis. (The writer is Director of the National Soft Power Research Center of the China Foreign Affairs University)

Editor-in-charge: Zhao Jiandong

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