Liki Du

What’s the headline and hottest topic of this week throughout China? Boycotting the Carrefour and LVHM will be the top one and with fulmination from commentator of CNN on the heels. All of a sudden, unprecedented patriotism blows over our country. Without saying that dozens of duplicated mails spammed my mail box summoning every Chinese stop going to Carrefour or buying LV luxuries. The overall reactions remind me what happened after that incident around 9 years ago, if any one could still recall it: our embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia was bombed by NATO. Our citizens were pissed off by U.S severely at that time, also with lots of protests followed up. And this time, we were hurt again. Exactly like what we had suffered times before. But again, what they planned to show their loyalties of this country is very kind of self delusion. Even quoted by some of my colleagues was “cheap patriotism”. Like some one suggested to abandon the shopping cart with full of ice creams near a warm place to waste them by melting, such a naive and stupid statement!

Normal citizens are everlasting toys and pieces on the chess-board in eyes of politicians. I do believe this was not the first time that so what we called “western media” maliciously attack China. But why this special time our government jumped out in a fury and keep lodging representations for those insults? As nowadays, voices of dissatisfaction to government’s policies on controlling the inflation, dropping of the stock prices are getting louder and louder. The government needs to find a channel for releasing the potentially dangerous emotions to itself which will finally lead to a power to overthrow the regime. Especially in China, as so many dynasties were vanquished by their own people instead of invasions. No matter CNN or Carrefour they are only imaginary enemies can be made use of. Then our people will zero in on the “western enemies” together with the anger of disruption of Olympic Torch Relay.

Recently I read Bo Yang’s masterpiece “The Ugly Chinaman“. He noted that there was a priest concluding the very slowness of Chinese revitalization after the World War II. He pointed out its a vicious circle between the Chinese government and its citizens. The government was constantly busying on levying. It only served for a small group of potentates. They didn’t really care about most rest of Chinese. Normal chinese people were exploited and can hardly dispute. All of these were miserable but repeated again and again.

Definitely we shall at least love our country, that’s the very first prerequisite as a Chinese. There are lots of ways to show the faith. Just keeping ourselves away from mouthpieces if we need to think independently and take right judgements is probably one important step to get closer.