This too. I increasingly think that much of China Twitter and Weibo’s hypernationalist corners deserve each other. Sometimes one can’t take sides because there are compelling arguments on both sides, at other times, it’s simply because both sides are so intellectually revolting.
https://twitter.com/ulywang/status/1442003943991623687
E.g., thinking that social support for Meng is almost completely manufactured is every bit as stupid as thinking that it’s almost completely genuine. Reality is much more complicated. This should be obvious, and any side that can’t acknowledge it is intellectually worthless.
Just to basically illustrate: unless you willfully ignored everything that was going on on Chinese social media, there was no way a semi-rational observer could conclude that the initial explosion of joy at her return was completely manufactured. At the same time…
… Unless you willfully ignore the large amount of snark and sarcasm that began popping up on Chinese social media on day 2 (see attached screenshot), there was also no way a semi-rational observer could conclude that there was no significant social dissent, even disgust, on… 
… the over-the-top reception she got in Shenzhen and on state media. By this afternoon, Weibo censors had begun to clean up these posts, which further makes it impossible to rationally believe that social support for her was not at least in part manufactured. And yet…
… I’m willing to bet that much of China Twitter will resolutely stick to the “it’s almost all manufactured” position, whereas Chinese hypernationalists will resolutely stick to the “it’s almost all genuine” position, despite both being obviously proven false in a single day. …
… Not all two-sided disagreements justify equal amounts of (severe) disdain towards both sides, but this one really does. At some point, you just get sick of all the bullshit.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
