Xi Jinping is set to be re-elected indefinitely. This is not called "dictatorship", it is called "people's democracy in the whole process"; a large number of people have been laid off and have no choice but to do odd jobs. Each of the 600 million people has an income of less than 1,000 yuan. This is not called "poverty and backwardness", but "all out of poverty and a well-off society in an all-round way."
"Everything is extremely absurd, but it's the reality of today's China," said the post-90s Chinese who called themselves "Wall Country Frog Clam" on Twitter.
Two years ago, he opened YouTube and Twitter accounts to post all kinds of magical realities inside the Great Firewall and "humiliating" works that mocked Xi Jinping, the top leader of the Communist Party of China.
"Shame" is a political meme that has been popular on the Internet for quite a while. In 2013, after Xi Jinping's "Qingfeng Baozipu" incident, some netizens used "buns" to ridicule Xi Jinping. In the nearly ten years since then, China's politics and economy have regressed in an all-round way, and the international environment has deteriorated unprecedentedly. Outside the wall, there are endless works that spoof, satirize, and insult Xi Jinping. In anti-thief circles, they are also called "milk (humiliation) products".
"In today's domestic public opinion environment, this is the only way to safely express one's dissatisfaction with public policy and against Xi Jinping," said Stephanie, a post-90s Chinese living in Canada.
She is one of the members of the overseas youth organization "Russo Club". Stephanie told VOA that their members are distributed all over the world and do not know each other in real life. The common feature is their love of "humiliation culture".
The political enlightenment of "Wall Country Frogs" came from the works of "Rutoshe" that I saw over the wall. "Dairy products" such as "Qingfeng Dialogue" and "The King of Poetry" subverted his three views of "Little Pink".
"In my impression, Xi Jinping is an amiable, approachable person with a fairly high level of education. But after watching the humiliating works of Rutuoshe, and at the same time searching and verifying outside the wall, I discovered that 'very delicate' , 'King Sager' and other typo stalks, and bragging stalks such as 'carrying 200 catties of wheat and walking ten miles of mountain road without changing shoulders' turned out to be from his own mouth. Instead," he told VOA.
Today's "Wall Country Frog Clam" claims to be an "accelerationist successor". He said that if the "Chief Accelerator" Xi Jinping insists on driving backwards and runs counter to the mainstream values of the world, he can also help him.
Like "humiliation", "accelerationism" is also a popular online term in the Chinese-speaking world in the past few years. The University of California, Berkeley Internet research project "China's Digital Age" summed up the logic behind it this way: "If the system problem is hopeless, then the senior process that promotes it will accelerate its demise rather than oppose it or patch its loopholes. s Choice".
Stephanie, a member of the "Rubber Agency", said that the theory of accelerationism is actually a thought generated by the dissatisfaction and despair of "rebels" with the current practice of Xi Jinping. "Wall Country Frog Clam" also said that behind the accelerationism is actually more helplessness.
"Because as Chinese, we don't have any political rights. Everything we do is left to the high-level officials. With Xi Jinping's accelerated rebellious actions, the resistance we can do is limited," he said.
Humor is a weapon for undermining authority
Robert Daly, a well-known "China Hand" in Washington and director of the Kissinger Institute for Chinese and American Studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in the United States, is the first to hear about the culture of humiliation. After watching some "dairy products", he said that although these videos are not of a high level in terms of music and visual production, they are piecing together news materials like children playfully, but he still encourages them to continue playing, Because "humor is sometimes a very good weapon".
Daibo told VOA that China's censorship department "can be a little thicker-skinned if you have real confidence. You don't have to be afraid of these things."
There are also supporters of "humiliation culture" who point out that, like the political jokes that swept the former Soviet Union, this is actually a very meaningful subculture under the turbulent political pressure. Human rights activist and former Tiananmen student movement leader Zhou Fengsuo was one of them.
"In this communist autocracy, using this parody to deconstruct the official narrative and dismantle his authority is a long-standing way of civil resistance," he said.
Zhou Fengsuo said that the authoritarian regime relies on violence and lies to subdue the people, and through all kinds of brainwashing, the people achieve a conscious servility and worship the supreme leader.
"The worship of Putin is very popular in China now, [and] the worship of Xi Jinping. Deconstructing this propaganda and brainwashing is a very meaningful work," he told VOA.
Zhou Fengsuo pays close attention to and appreciates these young people who have independent thoughts and dare to challenge authority, and hopes that more people will join their actions.
"The Wall State Frog Haha" said that if the "humiliation package" is just the self-exaggeration of the rebels for the sake of blackness, Beijing will not mobilize the force to suppress it. The reality is that the CCP has used a huge force to maintain stability on him. Nearly 10 members of his telegram group were drank tea by the local police and asked the group owner for information.
"When I was inside the wall, I was under enormous mental pressure every day, and I was afraid that I would be evaporated from the world at any time. For a while, I also had the intention to retire, reduced the frequency of updates, and planned to retire, but fortunately, in the end, many nobles With the help, I have now successfully left the wall country and can speak more safely," "Wall Country Frogs" told VOA.
Stephanie, a member of the "Rubber Club", also said that many of the authors who had contributed to them lost contact for unknown reasons, and they were deeply worried about the safety of these people. In addition, their YouTube channel has also been subject to constant infringement complaints, including the Chinese video-sharing site Bilibili. In February of this year, on the eve of the annual humiliation ceremony, the two YouTube channels of Rutuoshe were suddenly completely banned.
YouTube informed in an email that the accounts "violated YouTube's Terms of Service" and were terminated. The defense application submitted by the "Milk Club" ended in failure.
"We are very angry and very sad," Stephanie told VOA. "We are a little suspicious. Of course, we have no evidence. Could it be because Xi Jinping is about to be re-elected this year, so Guoan has invested all the money at all costs... Unscrupulously, it will clear the overseas noise for Xi Jinping's re-election."
Dai Bo, director of the Kissinger Institute for China and the United States, said he understands the disappointment of these young people being banned. He believes that there is no major problem with the content of the "humiliation package" works, which are no different from the works of the West mocking Trump and satirizing Biden. It is an inalienable right to publish these works.
"These are very normal political voices," he said.
For the members of "Wall Country Frog Haha" and "Rutuo Club", they initially embarked on the road of "humiliation" with a mentality of looking for fun. "They also felt that they had a sense of mission. Although they know that they are far from the mainstream among the 1.4 billion Chinese, the private messages of netizens from all over the world also make them feel that I am not alone.
Recently, another netizen sent a private letter "Wall Country Frog Haha":
"Brother Frog, I've been a pinkie for more than ten years, and I've finally changed my mind recently. The ridiculous 'dynamic clearing' policy has made me look sick... I don't understand why the whole country has to go down to prevent one now. Little cold. Now I understand, I'm acting for Pooh's face. For his own sake, he sacrificed the freedom and life of all the people of the country. This is a sick society, a society that can oppress the people just by pleasing to the superiors..."
There was also an audience inside the wall who said to the "Rutoshe" that the "humiliation bag" works are his spiritual pillar and the only source of happiness. Stephanie told VOA that these words moved them. No matter how difficult it is, "Rutuoshe" will persevere, hoping that these works can bring a touch of joy and hope to those who live under high pressure, and hold a candle for them.