Prefaces on the uses of translation (as public opinion warfare, as ambivalent commentary, as lens on the wider world) before Chinese impressions of French unrest
▧ preface ITEM 1 using translation in online public opinion warfare ▧【The Great Translation Movement only named itself last year, but this style of online warfare had existed already for a long time. The stated goal was to expose what the founders and participants viewed as a pervasive embrace of a Russian narrative about the invasion of Ukraine. State media, as you can imagine, did not embrace the same narrative of Ukraine freedom fighting that prevailed in the United States or its client states, but approval for Russian actions was only implied. The method, then, was to find comments on Chinese-language social media that expressed particular viewpoints, such as lack of sympathy for Ukrainian civilians, or the belief that the conflict was precipitated by Western interference, and then translate them. This helped to give the impression of rabid Chinese support for the Russian invasion. They had particularly success with the discovery of some young men discussing the possibility of marrying Ukrainian refugee women.】【In my own reading of Chinese opinion on the topic, I came away with the impression that there was not much heat around it. I contrast this with the English-language internet, where in certain right circles, there was the idea that Russia might be a champion for white, Christian culture, standing up against the morally degraded, multiracial American empire, and in certain left circles, Russia seemed to become the Soviet Union again, holding out against Western imperialism. These fantasmatic narratives did not take hold on the Chinese-language internet. There are complicated reasons for this, owing to the particular ideological makeup of fringe political circles in China. The simplest reasons is that nobody particularly cares about Russia. That’s not to say that they don’t understand it or its history, since many do. (In fact, I would argue that few see the United States purely as a threat, either. By which I mean that even if many would give the state media-approved line about American interference [in the South China Sea, in Taiwan politics, or with THAAD deployment in Korea], there is great admiration for the country that stood with China against the Soviet Union and helped to propel it to unimaginable wealth after 1978.) If I could guess, based on my own reading, where the majority of people sit on the issue, I would say it’s a sympathetic realist position.】【The position of Chinese social media users on the conflict did not, I judge, particularly matter to participants in the Great Translation Movement. The goal was to link China to a conflict that had shifted attention away from their dissident cause of overthrowing the Communist Party. (I will be more cruel in the parentheses. They also wanted to curry favor, as always, with their patrons, by which I mean not only think tanks and politicians but also citizens of Western countries.)】
▧ preface ITEM 2 a bit of self-reflection ▧【What the Great Translation Movement set out to do is something that I have done myself. I admit it. In my writing about online politics and my curation of translations, I am presenting a particular picture—and this has to come from my own online imaginary. It’s difficult to avoid this, even if I would like to. If I am pulling translations from, say, a pro-industrialization group or a internecine left-wing struggle, it’s difficult not to give the impression that the ideological currents involved are more prominent than they are.】【If I present to you Chinese viewpoints on unrest in France, it’s difficult to be honest. Should I tell you that most of the reporting and editorializing on the subject is fair? It is, after all. It’s just as dull as reporting and editorializing on the subject in English-language media. As well, like the situation with the Ukraine conflict, certain fantasmatic narratives present on the English-language internet are missing.】
▧ preface ITEM 3 translation as a lens ▧ 【I will admit to you that translations can be intended as a lens. Often the curation of translations is not meant to serve as lessons on China. This is not a core sample of public opinion. They are a way to talk about other things. They are a way to view the larger world. The choice to curate translations of, say, a critical theorist like Lu Xinghua writing about the city, or Jia Pingwa on gender relations, or Dai Jinhua on film—well, these can be taken numerous ways, but I also hope to communicate something about the wider topic: the fact that a Chinese art critic has turned to attacking the digital economy has lessons, I hope, for people to apply in their own critical practices, for example. And so, the choice to highlight a few Chinese impressions of French unrest should not be taken as an attempt to explain Chinese public opinion but to comment on the larger issue. The benefits of this method is that I do not need to explicitly state a position. It can be ambivalent.】
▧ preface ITEM 4 the problem of interpreting translations ▧ 【The final addition here is another warning with curating translations and reading curated translations. We have to be aware that writers will be writing in support or against of a piece of writing or an author, as much as they are tackling the issue itself. This is important to remember. Writers might also be speaking not about their concerns about a particular issue but about something else entirely. That is the case with the translations below, where the authors are, I would argue, not particularly concerned about French uprisings as much as they’re concerned about Chinese problems (industrialization vs. deindustrialization, national purity and ethnic policy, demographic collapse, etc.). And so, I am using translations about the French uprising to make a point about something else, while the writers are looking at something else entirely, if that makes sense. And the readers takes from it what they can.
▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧▧
▧ excerpt ITEM 1 "French Spring"? French Riots and European Deindustrialization “法国之春?”:法国大骚乱和欧洲去工业化 ▧ 【These are excerpts from an article posted yesterday by Meidiqi xiaoying 美第奇效应 (the account bears the same name as Frans Johansson's 2004 business book—The Medici Effect—which was popular in Chinese translation) and widely shared. Other articles addressing the unrest now refer back to it. The author argues that deindustrialization and the resulting decline in living standards, incomes, and employment numbers are the root cause of unrest.】
【These riots in France recall the Arab Spring. / On December 17th, 2010, twenty-six-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor brutalized by police, lit himself on fire, touching off a blaze that ripped through the entire Arab world, resulting in internal strife and riots, which led to the deaths of millions and economic losses in the billions. / Thirteen years later, another young man died as a result of police persecution, triggering upheaval in France. / On June 27th, 2023, a seventeen-year-old boy named Nahel was stopped by police in Paris for traffic violations. When he did not follow their commands and began to pull away, they shot him to death from close range. / After this incident, many major cities in France descended into several days of chaos. / Tens of thousands rushed into the streets in Paris and Marseille, beating, smashing, looting, and attacking police and authorities. More than a hundred French police were injured and fifty-eight of their stations attacked. Five hundred buildings have been torched. Smash-and-grab robbery incidents number in the thousands. There are innumerable burnt-out cars littering the streets. / This is according to official numbers. The French media puts the numbers even higher…】
【The fuse for this detonation was the shooting of the seventeen-year-old French boy, but the reasons that the reaction to violent police action caused such an uproar are less clear. / At first, French President Macron criticized video games for leading young people astray. The main force of the rioters was in fact young people that are likely to be addicted to video games. / To blame video games was a bit ridiculous, however. The explanation was not accepted by the public. / Some European right-wing politicians said that these riots were caused by the European Union open up the gates to mass immigration, bringing in a large number of North Africans and Eastern Europeans. These "bad immigrant elements" led to the serious break in public order. Some also said that the CIA stirred up the riots to punish France for turning to the East. / ... / These are certainly among the causes of the riots, but they have been around for a while without causing riots, and, so, must be considered as secondary factors. / The actual cause is the deindustrialization of Europe.】
【Europe has been in the process of deindustrialization since 2000. Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, that process has accelerated. / According to a report from the German Institute for Economic Research, the outflow of foreign direct investment could be as high as €125 billion. This is the highest FDI outflow in the country's history.】
【Germany has always been the engine of European industry. If Germany is failing, then there is no way for France and Spain not to be hollowed out. / European industry has been siphoned off by East Asia and the United States. The G2 [a combination of the American and Chinese economies] have left nothing behind. / This deindustrialization has produced a serious problem. Unlike the United States, they can't rely on dollar hegemony. They can't rely on printing money to feed their citizens. Once industry is gone, so is employment. / Although it appears that industry only accounts for a small portion of Europe's GDP, the majority is based on this foundation. If the car factory closes down, so do many other businesses. / Deindustrialization has already hit employment numbers in Western Europe. The unemployment rate for young people in France is 17%. These are official numbers issued by the government, but the rate could be as high as 30%. Without money or a job, there's no reason not to smash and loot. / Deindustrialization has also hit living standards. / Per capita meat consumption in Germany in 2022 was only fifty-two kilograms, which is nine kilograms lower than five years previous. This is the lowest number since the reunification of East and West Germany. You should know that Chinese meat consumption was above sixty-one kilograms in 2020. Germans must have meat to be satisfied with their lives, but reduced incomes and high inflation have brought consumption down below Chinese numbers. Which one of these is a developing nation? Deindustrialization has crushed the purchasing power and living standards of Western Europeans.】
【The main cause of the Arab Spring was a decline in employment and living standards. / As Western Europe continues down the path of deindustrialization, the same process is occuring. / As with the Arab Spring, this blaze will not be stopped by borders and could eventually scorch Western European society as a whole. / King and nobles, general and ministers—such men are made, not born! [This is a line spoken by Chen Sheng ahead of the Dazexiang uprisings, recorded in Records of the Grand Historian. I have borrowed Burton Watson's translation (Records of the Grand Historian of China, Translated from the Shih chi of Ssu-ma Ch'ien)]. Are Europeans granted the right to lay around and collect high salaries? Times are changing. Western Europe, which relied on industrialization to conquer the world, will see itself reversing that process, and being consumed by turmoil.】
▧ excerpt ITEM 2 The Population Bomb Behind the French Spring 法国之春背后的人口炸弹 ▧ 【These are excerpts from another article by Meidiqi xiaoying, posted today. It begins with an update on riots. Following that, it seems to partially deny the article a day before, claiming that deindustrialization is a short-term phenomenon, while the “population bomb” is the actual cause of unrest. What the author will describe is a decrease in population quality.】
【Bigger is not necessarily better with human populations. An increase in population numbers and a decrease in population quality can be even more destructive than underpopulation. / Romania was once led by a man named Ceausescu, who believed that a high population would lead to national strength. In 1966, he issued Decree 770 as a measure to increase population through state power. He banned contraception and abortion. Families with fewer than five children were penalized. ... The result was that the total fertility rate went through the roof. ... / What Ceausescu did not expect was that it would be impossible to provide high-quality education for these children, which led to a decline in the quality of the population. When this cohort of children born after Decree 770 reached adolescence in the 1980s, they turned into a massive group of unemployed youth. This led to social unrest that eventually ended with the overthrow of Ceasescu. He and his wife were shot after a brief trial. / This is what France is facing right now. / France presently has among the highest population growth in Western Europe. ... It might seem that France has at least avoided the problems faced by nations in East Asia, but a closer look reveals serious issues. / The birth rate in France is the lowest it has been since the Second World War. Most population growth comes from immigration from North Africa and the Middle East. / The composition of people born in France also presents a problem. / The number of children born out of wedlock is around 40%. (France has a legal arrangement for boyfriends and girlfriends living together, which means that they can get reductions in their taxes and increased welfare.) The number of Muslims and non-French racial groups giving birth is also extremely high. / ... / The seventeen-year-old that was shot by police is of Algerian and Moroccan descent. There is friction between this population and French Catholics. Even without the ongoing economic problems, conflict was likely to break out. Muslims and blacks have been hit harder by these economic troubles since they are at the bottom of society.】
【The number of people in a country does not matter as much as the quality of that population. / Poor population quality is worse than underpopulation. If having a massive population was an advantage, then Africa and India would have become powerful states. / In fact, poor population quality is detrimental to stability and development. / With the current emphasis on solving demographic issues, we can't only look at numbers but must pay attention to population quality.】
▧ excerpt ITEM 3 What are the real facts behind the French riots? 法国骚乱的真相? ▧ 【These are excerpts from an article posted yesterday by Xingkong yu Sikao 星空与思考 on a Weibo account that gained traction with provocative articles on the conflict in Uktraine. It’s quite inflammatory. It makes the claim that American intelligence operatives are stirring up trouble in France. This is a freer translation than used for the excerpts above, since the original writing is so incoherent.】
【The current riots in France are not only a protest by French citizens, but also a warning to and subversion of Macron and European strategic autonomy by Anglo-Saxon-Jewish forces. / In the past, I have advised relevant departments not to "directly translate" the tools deployed by the CIA, International Development Association, etc. to create chaos. I believe the term that we should use is "color riot," rather than "color revolution," if only to give it a derogatory meaning. But the direct translation of "color revolution" has captured the mainstream. / After I pointed out the the uproar in France is a "color riot," quite a few people messaged me to say that I shouldn't bother, and that us Chinese should reserve comment and sit back and enjoy the show. / It would be nice if it were all so simple. Who wouldn't want to simply chill out and take in the spectacle? / All color riots have objective factors, like economic downturns leading to high unemployment rates, a gap between rich and poor, and social polarization, with opportunistic reforms or significant social changes, which can then be exploited by the black hands of the Americans. / But color riots should be called color riots because, whether we are talking about black hands or local groups, the goal is chaos for the sake of chaos. Wherever color riots have occurred, the pace of local development and the increase in standards of living have slowed. The Arab Spring and the Ukraine color riot in particular plunged local people into a state of civil unrest and reduced quality of life. / Quite a few people say that the United States would never move against France and Macron. He's relatively pro-American and his backers are connected to Wall Street. ... / But this misses four points.】
【The first point is the advances in color riot technology (capability).】
【The second point is America's strategic goals (motive). Color riots do not have to overturn the regime to be a success. As long as they can toss their target into chaos, that's enough, since it means flushing talent and investment, and degrading assets.】
【The third point is the requirements of American strategic tasks (location).】
【The fourth point is global structural changes (timing). Macron returned triumphant from China. He also made many comments. He said that Europe would no longer be submissive to the United States and has the right to set its own agenda. ... / Before the color riot in France, Chinese officials had recently visited France and Germany. France declared an interest in attending BRICS meetings. / From the perspective of the Anglo-Saxon-Jewish oligarchs, the anti-American backbone is made up of China, Russia, and Europe (mostly France and Germany). China is the biggest challenge. Russia is the most realistic threat. Europe, and especially France and Germany, represents the piece that needs to be controlled to maintain a balance of power. / ... / This is the truth about the riots in France! Nothing demonstrates this better than the fact that the news is saying that the French police are being shot by American rifles from Ukraine.】