Wake up（382）

 

Chapter 66 Democracy

 

382

 

Retired professor of psychology Shen Zhirui said to his favorite students Nanyangsheng and Wanru, as well as former students Lin Beixue, Qin Xiling, and Shen Haidong in a chat: I have nothing to do recently, and I re-read "The Crowd-- The Chinese title of the book "Research on Mass Psychology" is derogatory. Its English translation is "The Crowd", which means a group, but it is actually a neutral word. In the book, Le Pen tells why groups are formed, and what factors lead individuals to join groups, and become crazy, impulsive and irrational, and finally change our society in an overwhelming way. "The Crowd" is hailed as the pioneering work in the study of crowd psychology. It has been translated into more than 20 languages and is popular in dozens of countries. The author, Gustave Le Bon, was a French social psychologist who lived from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. Many of Le Pen's conclusions in this book are of great reference value for us today to understand many current social phenomena and social events. I suggest you read it when you have time.

What exactly does the mob mean? Nanyangsheng and Wanru, Shen Zhirui's favorite students, have already read "The Crowd". They all know that the "rabble" described by Le Pen refers to a group of people who have something in common psychologically. Le Pen believes that a group of people gathered at the same time and in the same space, such as tourists in scenic spots, consumers in shopping malls, and people walking by the lake, are not considered mobs. But if there is an explosion or fire suddenly, and this group of people starts to flee crazily because of fear, this constitutes a group in the psychological sense, and it can be regarded as a mob.

Nan Yangsheng understood that the case must be placed in front of the public as a whole, and its source must be kept secret. A thousand petty crimes or incidents would not in the slightest strike the imagination of the masses, while one great crime or event would make a deep impression on them. Even if the harm caused by its consequences is infinitely less than a hundred petty crimes, a crowd, because it exaggerates its feelings, can only be moved by extreme sentiments.

Why did Professor Shen Zhirui suddenly talk about the book "The Crowd" to those students back then?

Nan Yangsheng, a doctor of group psychology, began to ponder the psychological changes of Professor Shen Zhirui. Based on his own guess, he asked the professor, "Professor Shen, have you heard about the graffiti in the East End of London by Chinese students?"

Professor Shen Zhirui smiled, he knew that Nan Yangsheng had guessed his thoughts.

Professor Shen Zhirui said: I saw overseas reports about this incident.

On Sunday (August 6), several Chinese students studying abroad stated on social media such as Xiaohongshu and Instagram that they wrote a 24-character government propaganda slogan that is common in China with red paint on a wall in London:

Prosperity, democracy, civilization, harmony,

liberty, equality, justice, the rule of law,

Patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendliness.

In the scene shot, part of the Red Brick Lane is a road about 100 meters long, both sides are painted white, and the 12 red Chinese characters are sprayed on the wall on one side.

Several Chinese students also said on the Internet: "We painted a wall in London." A blogger named "Don't Run Nuo La" wrote on Xiaohongshu, "Fully promote the core values ​​of socialism... Welcome everyone Check in!"

The planner of the event, "Yi Que" (screen name), a Chinese student at the Royal College of Art (Royal College of Art), told the BBC that he received a lot of accusations afterwards, but the ferment of the event was not what he "wanted to express". Nothing to do."

According to the videos posted by the participants, about 9 young people came here to participate in the spraying at night. They pasted the pre-prepared cutout cardboard with printed characters on the wall, and then sprayed red paint.

Located in East London, Red Brick Lane is the base camp of many Bangladeshi immigrants and one of London's trendy distribution centers. The area is known for graffiti, art boutiques, antiques and markets. The street belongs to Tower Hamlets (also known as Tower Village; London Borough of Tower Hamlets).

According to the district regulations, the municipality does not consent to any painting, writing or other markings on its property, including sidewalks, without express prior permission. Graffiti can be punished with a fixed penalty of £80 for minor offences.

But under a new policy to distinguish between "graffiti" and "street art" approved by the district council in 2019, law enforcement officers will "take a balanced view" of protecting fine mural creations while removing unsightly graffiti.

Through Google Street View, it can be found that both sides of the road where the incident occurred have been a venue for graffiti and paintings since 2017. According to reports, every few weeks, the paintings here will be updated again.

Tower Hamlets District Council has yet to respond to the BBC's request for comment. But a photo of the ticket shows that those Chinese students seem to have been fined £800 by law enforcement officers for "graffiti and random posters".

The planner of the event, "Yi Que", named their graffiti on Instagram "Anti-Zhe Dao Movement", with the purpose of "using the socialist construction method to oppose the false freedom of the colonial West".

He bluntly explained: "It is the freedom of London to highlight the cultural center of the West in the name of freedom and democracy." unequal rights and exploitation”.

"For me this piece is not too political, it's just a dress, and it's a discussion of the different environments themselves," he wrote on social media.

Chinese students studying in East London graffitied the core values of socialism. This incident quickly sparked discussion and controversy on Chinese social media. It quickly became a hot topic of discussion and sparked polarized debates.

Supporters believe that street art itself is unique, and the behavior of these young people is "creative freedom". Others claim that while the West spreads its own values, it should also allow the export of Chinese values.

But opponents said that this is an "invasion of authoritarian values" and "this is a high-level hacking of China." Someone else asked: "Do you dare to graffiti like this on the streets of Beijing?"

Some netizens praised "returning to China in one second" and "cultural export", but many netizens criticized "enhancing China's negative image" and "cultural invasion".

Some images were repainted with slogans by opponents. Someone added their own opinion to the scribbles. After the incident sparked controversy, some opponents went to the graffiti wall and sprayed other content on the "socialist core values" sprayed by these students in protest. For example, someone wrote "No freedom in China" under "Freedom," and someone posted a slogan against Xi Jinping.

In particular, many critics emphasized that they covered some exquisite creations, including what appeared to be a painting in tribute to the dead.

"They could have just used one wall that was already painted, but they were so greedy to cover up so much good work. That's the problem," criticizes London-based artist Susi Luard.

Previously, "Yimagpie" stated in a post that it regrets to cover up the works of many artists, but "maybe this is the price of freedom." He told the BBC that he believes that these 24 words are the common goal of the world, not just China, and he wants to "make a dialectical trigger on the environment itself."

"For me, this matter has now been raised to reflect (reflect) the value of individuals or groups, and it has nothing to do with what I want to express ()." He said.

He also said that he had become the target of cyber violence because of the incident: "More and more people are taking advantage of the issue and displaying malicious intent. This is not my original intention."

The "core socialist values" were first proposed by the Chinese authorities in the report of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.

Promoted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, these 24 characters have been used as propaganda slogans, spread all over China, including government agencies, streets, schools, shopping malls and parks, and also displayed on some buses and subways.

At the end of 2014, Wuhan, a city in central China that was applying for the title of "National Civilized City," required 10 million citizens to recite "Socialist Core Values," and even organized spot checks on their recitation.

Literally, the 12 words "prosperity, democracy, civilization, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendliness" are suitable for any country. But what needs to be understood is that these 24 characters are the "socialist core values" designated by the CCP. It is also the political slogan of the Communist Party to promote socialism. Although the UK advocates "democracy and freedom", will the government and people of this country agree to promote China's "core socialist values" in their own country?

Professor Shen Zhirui smiled and said to Nanyang students: Not long ago, a friend of mine sent me a WeChat message:

A student from the University of Political Science and Law asked while walking with a teacher: "What is the positive energy of greatness, light, and righteousness, and what is the negative energy of picking quarrels and provoking trouble?"

The teacher pointed to the sign on the side of the road that read "Democracy, Freedom, Equality, and the Rule of Law" and said, "This sign stands up here, which means greatness, light, and righteousness; but if you hold up the sign and walk on the street, you are picking quarrels and provoking trouble! "

The students laughed.

The judiciary is not independent, speech is not free, society is injustice, the people are not harmonious, and human rights are not guaranteed... Both the old and the young understand this truth and this phenomenon.

Professor Shen Zhirui added:

The socialist core values proposed during Hu Jintao’s time were relatively relaxed in the political environment at that time. I told the students in class: “Look in the toilets, there are written ‘come in a hurry, go in a hurry’, ‘move forward a little. One step, one big step for civilization'... It only shows that the society is not civilized to this extent, so it will be posted everywhere. Therefore, the current state of China is that all core values are preceded by the word "no". Democracy, uncivilization, and disharmony; no freedom, inequality, injustice, and no rule of law; no patriotism, no dedication, no integrity, and no friendliness. Ha, young people, you must not forget your original intention: the revolution has not yet succeeded, and students still need to effort!"

Professor Shen Zhirui said to the students: Le Pen once said that an orator who wants to move a group must speak impudently, swear exaggeratedly, speak convincingly, keep repeating, and never use reasoning to prove anything—these are all The oratorical technique of the orator at a public meeting has produced such a dangerous situation because the educational system is based on a false psychology.

Every party has its principles, but simply because of the fact that the individual is part of a crowd, they are always inclined to exaggerate the value of their principles, and must carry them through. The resulting result is that the parliament more seriously represents all kinds of extreme opinions. In the minds of the people, they always think that there are a group of fools living around them, which makes him tend to look for like-minded people in a wider range. Look for opinions that support your point of view.

So everyone began to trust the judgment of the public without restraint, as if the greater the number, the more intelligent people would be included in it, as if the truth always went hand in hand with the superiority of numbers. From the perspective of history, there are not many authoritative leaders who can lead the public opinion or surpass the times. In most cases, the group's final choice is just to conform to public opinion, but in this case, few people consider the consequences of this choice, and crazy behaviors and wrong decisions are produced in this process.

Professor Shen Zhirui said to the students: Why do I recommend everyone to read the book "The Crowd"? Because Le Pen's research on group psychology is very thorough. Those little pinks are also an ignorant little group among the mob.