Hi, folks. This is not a typical weekly review, as I have exhausted my writing energy of the week for the article on the policy response to China’s venture capital crisis, published in Baiguan this Thursday. But I think I should say a thing or two about the stabbing incident in Suzhou.
As an American, I generally think that Chinese people have less freedom of speech than I would like, but hearing that xenophobic comments in support of the attack were removed made me think that that was a good application of, well, censorship. Similar sentiments would likely be banned in the US as well, although that would come directly from the social media networks themselves rather than the goverment.
To be honest though, many people think those comments are not censored heavily enough, which may have contributed to this kind of violence. I personally refrain from this kind of thinking (even though I absolutely don't agree with Xenophobia), as there is some kind of double standard involved here.
Why would the identity of Ms. Hu was not made public until after her death? Likewise, why would the identity of the Chinese man injured during the Jilin stabbing incident remains undisclosed until now?
I appreciate the thought. And I am with you, good acts should be commemorated. But there are all sorts of complications with disclosing the name for any good samaritan. For one thing: maybe they and their families don't want to be harassed. So yeah, there may be tens of thousands such kind of sacrifices, large or small, death or no death, performed each year in China, which usually have nothing to do with Japan, but there has never been a policy, or should it be, to disclose the identity of those people only when it's extremely necessary. In this case, the necessity is to make a strong stance against extreme nationalism.
And why wasn’t Ms. Wu praised for her heroic act until after she died? Likewise, why is the the Jilin man not praised as yet, besides remaining anonymous ?
What pisses me off is Japanese media says almost nothing about this incident. The Japanese embassy should express respect and gratitude to the victim who saved the lives of Japanese citizens. This is how low our government became.
Didn't you see the news? The Japanese Embassy in China has lowered its flag at half-mast in mourning, and both the Ambassador and the Foreign Minister have publicly expressed their condolences. Even the Chinese have seen the news.
But, nobody knows this in Japan. Maybe it’s not the government but mass media that is rotten. And that is why I love Substack. I can hear the voice of real people.
This is the article on Nikkei, one of the major newspapers in Japan. This is very minor article and not many people notice or talk about it. In fact, the biggest problem is ignorance of people about these issues.
I don't know much about Japanese media. I heard that Japanese people in Suzhou raised about $600,000 for the victim, but her family declined. I do believe that there are good people in both countries who do good things, regardless of politics and media.
As an American, I generally think that Chinese people have less freedom of speech than I would like, but hearing that xenophobic comments in support of the attack were removed made me think that that was a good application of, well, censorship. Similar sentiments would likely be banned in the US as well, although that would come directly from the social media networks themselves rather than the goverment.
To be honest though, many people think those comments are not censored heavily enough, which may have contributed to this kind of violence. I personally refrain from this kind of thinking (even though I absolutely don't agree with Xenophobia), as there is some kind of double standard involved here.
The US relies on private media to disseminate its propaganda and censor undesirable content.
China relies on government action. The outcome is the same.
Why would the identity of Ms. Hu was not made public until after her death? Likewise, why would the identity of the Chinese man injured during the Jilin stabbing incident remains undisclosed until now?
By this standard, all 见义勇为 people in china’s names should be disclosed.
她是見義勇為，沒錯。但所有的見義勇為難道不值得具名紀念嗎？更何況事發後，據說她已經是生命垂危，如果她保護的不是日本人，難道官媒對她的英勇事蹟不會馬上大書特書嗎？她作出的無以復加的犧牲，難道不值得馬上具名紀念嗎？
I appreciate the thought. And I am with you, good acts should be commemorated. But there are all sorts of complications with disclosing the name for any good samaritan. For one thing: maybe they and their families don't want to be harassed. So yeah, there may be tens of thousands such kind of sacrifices, large or small, death or no death, performed each year in China, which usually have nothing to do with Japan, but there has never been a policy, or should it be, to disclose the identity of those people only when it's extremely necessary. In this case, the necessity is to make a strong stance against extreme nationalism.
Let’s be real about official media’s customary tendency of “fostering stability 维稳” in similar incidents!
And why wasn’t Ms. Wu praised for her heroic act until after she died? Likewise, why is the the Jilin man not praised as yet, besides remaining anonymous ?
What pisses me off is Japanese media says almost nothing about this incident. The Japanese embassy should express respect and gratitude to the victim who saved the lives of Japanese citizens. This is how low our government became.
Didn't you see the news? The Japanese Embassy in China has lowered its flag at half-mast in mourning, and both the Ambassador and the Foreign Minister have publicly expressed their condolences. Even the Chinese have seen the news.
But, nobody knows this in Japan. Maybe it’s not the government but mass media that is rotten. And that is why I love Substack. I can hear the voice of real people.
This is the article on Nikkei, one of the major newspapers in Japan. This is very minor article and not many people notice or talk about it. In fact, the biggest problem is ignorance of people about these issues.
I don't know much about Japanese media. I heard that Japanese people in Suzhou raised about $600,000 for the victim, but her family declined. I do believe that there are good people in both countries who do good things, regardless of politics and media.
Agree. We should never lose our hope.
駐中国大使、中国人女性を哀悼 「勇気ある行動に敬意」：日本経済新聞
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOGM285EO0Y4A620C2000000/