The Global Times is the national English daily newspaper published by the Communist Party. Its Chinese counterpart and the other major party paper,
The People's Daily, provides official information on the policies and viewpoints of the government.
And this paper joined the likes of
TMZ.com and
People Magazine this week, by
writing about Charlie Sheen.
The Global Times' op-ed excoriates the actor, jumping at the case of his two girlfriends he lives with and asking, "Is he too poor to set up his wives and mistresses in different houses?" Like a good Chinese philanderer should.
It further points out "racism, spousal abuse, addiction, politics, mental illness, boasting about mistresses are all subjects best dealt with behind closed doors. It also suggests that Sheen "take a tip from the Chinese business community, and make visits to a KTV [karaoke] parlour".
If you're wondering whether this a joke -- it indeed is. But it also isn't.
The Global Times is not in the business of emulating
The Onion, the popular online spoof newspaper, but in the serious business of exercising Chinese soft power by providing its take on news around the world. Chief editor of the English paper, Hu Xijin, has said the paper reaches millions of readers and that readers "trust
The Global Timesand its representation of China's diverse society".
So what's with the Charlie Sheen?
The Global Times is run by Chinese -- but its staff of English-language writers include Chinese as well as foreign reporters. Clues in the op-ed show a wit who has seen The West Wing, which suggests someone who is not Chinese (Sorkin's series looking at drama inside the beltway has not been a successful crossover to Chinese viewers). It appears the mischievous staffer has gotten away with gold -- his Chinese editors unaware the op-ed ridicules Sheen as much as China.
It is fascinating that one of the hallmarks of authoritarian states is that they don't get the joke. Editors with no sense of humour just let it print. Having been born into the propaganda and having drunk the Kool-Aid all their lives, they're unable to see satire -- a frequent weapon used for social criticism throughout history, against clueless governments.
"[It] makes me think of Poe's Law," says Jeremy Goldkorn, editor and founder of popular China media website,
Danwei.org.
"Without a smiley or other blatant display of humour, it is impossible to create a parody of religious or ideological fundamentalism that someone won't mistake for the real thing."
Goldkorn points out the Sheen op-ed's byline is a pseudonym -- a Hao Leifeng, another poke alluding to China's best-known Communist model worker. But what Hao Leifeng writes, uncannily resembles the serious op-eds issued by the Party -- such as those of Li Hongmei's from the
People's Daily.
"Both could be parody, both could be genuine."
And so
The Global Times editors signed off on a piece ostensibly about Charlie Sheen, probably believed there was some merit to the argument for Eastern values, recognised the reality of how business and mistresses are dealt with in China -- and in doing so, published a piece that was also mocking
The Global Times itself.
Photo by EPA
"China is a stable society. Something like the Jasmine Revolution would not happen in China," explained the officer. Dozens of journalists have been called in this week to meet with China's Public Security Bureau and I was one of them, sitting in a room as officials videotaped the entire session.
To the officers' shock - and then satisfaction - I agreed wholeheartedly. I've posted on this website why a revolution is not likely to happen in China
(you can read it here).
But finishing up my meeting with these police officers, it was clear to me that this anonymous group calling for Jasmine Revolution protests in China is, in its own way, winning.
So far, they've shown themselves to be nothing but a few people with a computer and a website.
Yet, they have managed to turn China's security apparatus topsy turvy.
Thousands of police officers across the country have been working overtime the last two weeks to quell any potential Jasmine protests. Patrols have been stepped up. This past Sunday in Beijing alone, at the supposed site of the planned Jasmine protests, reporters saw hundreds of officers, hundreds more plainclothes officers, and dozens of police vehicles. Those behind the Jasmine Revolution are calling for meet ups in more some 35 cities in China at this point. And they are changing the location of these meet ups in response to police security.
This all adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, being spent on a ghost revolution. How many hours of manpower has been spent in meetings with journalists alone? How much longer can the government continue demanding its foot soldiers work overtime fighting an imaginary revolution? If this is guerilla warfare in the Internet age, the planners of the Jasmine Revolution have, for lack of a better word, completely psyched the Chinese authorities out.
Paranoia has taken hold of parts of the government. And that paranoia has not only wasted a tremendous amount of resources, but has given China bad press around the world. Journalists showing up to check out a ghost revolution ended up being physically assaulted by plainclothes police officers this past Sunday. And by asking reporters this week not to show up for another event, threatening some (including myself) of the revocation of our visas and press cards, this most certainly ensures more chatter about the Jasmine Revolution than would have ever taken place had the non-event been left alone.
What we're witnessing is the equivalent of an elephant being brought in to crush an ant. The excessive show of force and overreaction of officials suggests there are enough people in the bureaucracy so out of touch with the Chinese public they would indeed believe a Jasmine Revolution is probable - and must put a stop to it.
Opponents with meagre resources have launched psychological warfare against the Chinese government - and it appears the government has taken the bait.
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