Some 1,500 Chinese Americans protested outside CNN’s offices on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood - a similar demonstration also occurred at the cable news outfit’s Atlanta headquarters – demanding that commentator Jack Cafferty be fired over these comments he made on “The Situation Room” April 9th:
“We continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food and export … jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we’re buying from Wal-Mart. So I think our relationship with China has certainly changed. I think they’re basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they’ve been for the last 50 years.”
“It’s really unacceptable. It maliciously attacks all Chinese. This would not be accepted if it was directed at any other ethnic group,” John He, an activist told the Los Angeles Times. Said John Chen, another activist: “Most of these people are American citizens and legal resident aliens. We love China and we love America too. We should not be regarded as goons and thugs.”
In a statement, CNN explained that Cafferty’s comments were directed at the Beijing government:
Jack was offering his strongly held opinion of the Chinese government, not the Chinese people. It should be noted that over many years, Jack Cafferty has expressed critical comments on many governments, including the U.S. government and its leaders.
The Stiletto is no fan of Cafferty’s, but it is clear to any fair-minded person that he was talking about the country’s leadership and not its citizens.
That said, one could argue that the Chinese people themselves are intoxicated with nationalism and instead of leveraging international attention to bring about change from within, they either tacitly approve their government’s human rights abuses or are actively furthering them – despite the wishful claims of one Sue Meng, a Rhodes Scholar and Yale Law School student who writes in an op-ed published by The Washington Post:
[T]he Chinese government is one thing; 1.3 billion Chinese people are another.
It is important not to conflate China with the Chinese government. The Olympics have stirred an enormous outpouring of nationalism within China and among Chinese abroad. We should not dismiss Chinese nationalism as part and parcel of the Communist machine. Nationalism has forged civic engagement, cutting across groups normally divided by age, class and geography. This engagement leads to greater awareness of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Far from legitimizing an authoritarian regime, the Olympics foster the kind of nationalism that will help the Chinese carve out a civil society, which may be the best antidote.
Unfortunately, the facts on the ground tell a different story:
† Chinese hackers took down CNN’s Web site in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and mainland China, and its staff received threats as the network “appears to have become a proxy for what many Chinese see as Western media bias that villainizes China just as the country prepares to make a global splash through its hosting of the summer Olympic Games in Beijing,” reports The Wall Street Journal.
† The New York Times reports on grassroots efforts by Chinese students and others “stoking a popular backlash against Western support for Tibet” and organizing “a boycott campaign against French companies … [and] against American chains like McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken.” Indeed, “intensity of popular passion” is beginning to worry the government, which “lauded the boycott crusade” while admonishing “people not to complicate the government’s aim of encouraging foreign investment in China.”
† The Globe and Mail (Toronto, ON) reports that the Chinese government’s state-run news agency is hyping the anti-torch protests to create an “us against them” dynamic:
There is mounting evidence - in Internet chat rooms, on the streets and everywhere else where public opinion can be measured - that the Chinese Communist Party has gained popularity and strength as a result of the violence and chaos of the past month.
It might be facing an Olympic opening ceremony boycott and mounting criticism from abroad, but the government has largely succeeded in mobilizing its 1.3 -billion people into a unified force, giving it the domestic legitimacy it craves for its survival.
“Thanks to the protests, the Chinese Communists may have consolidated support by its citizens for years to come,” says Roland Soong, a shrewd observer of Chinese politics who runs a blog analyzing the Chinese media. …
“In a crisis, the nationalist card is one of the most potent that the government can play,” said Willy Lam, a long-time China watcher and political analyst based in Hong Kong.
“If you read the Chinese websites, there is a campaign of hatred against the Tibetans,” he said. “I think it works. It enables the leadership to divert attention from the mistakes that they have made.”
And for the record, those “tall, tough-looking young Chinese men in blue-and-white running gear” guarding the Olympic torch on its 130-day, 85,000-mile “Journey of Harmony” – paramiltary-trained volunteers from the People’s Armed Police – have been called “thugs” by the government of Japan, Sebastian Coe, and others. The Australian government has warned Chinese embassy officials that the guards will be arrested on the spot if they lay a hand on a single one of its citizens during the torch relay.
Note: The Stiletto writes about politics and other stuff at The Stiletto Blog, chosen an Official Honoree in the Political Blogs category by the judges of the 12th Annual Webby Awards (the Oscars of the online universe) along with CNN Political Ticker, Swampland (Time magazine) and The Caucus (The New York Times).
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22 users commented in " Can Cafferty, CNN: Chinese "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackCafferty is a trouble maker, he needs go.
He should not only be fired but CNN also need to apologize to the Ethnic Chinese worldwide. Having settled that, lets examine the issues. First of all, the scary thing is not so much what he said, it is how CNN and the rest of America reacted to it. Under the excuse of against totalitarianism, all sort of hate-based comments appeared in this blog. America appears to be politically sensitive and progressive on the surface, in reality, much racism lies just underneath. Century of Eurocentric racial and cultural superiority had imperceptibly affected even the ones who thought of themselves as very enlightened and progressive. Combined with the perceived decline of the American world influence, this not- so- subtle racism emerges every time this nation is under stress. Politicians, who helped to bring about the Iraq war, the twin deficits, the subprime and banking predatory practices, are more than glad to see other countries being the center of the attention and blame. So blame the Chinese for our low saving rate and our inability to stop spending. Blame the Mexicans for willing to work in the jobs that we think are beneath ourselves. Blame the Iraqis for not willing and able to stabilize the country after we have nearly destroyed it under false pretense. We can go on and on. The truth is until We Americans, as a people, realized that we don’t have any more god-given right than any other group of people on this earth to be entitled to a better life, and not until we become more informed about ourselves, our political system, and the role of our media, Jack Cafferty (speaking himself like a goon and thug) will find lots of audience. Furthermore don’t hold your breath waiting for CNN to fire Cafferty, The media in this country, like a corrupted doctor, is not incentivized to care for our gravely ill patient, which is our teetering democratic system. To be informed, you need to turn off CNN and go to your libraries where you will find the Tibet story is not as simple as our media portrays it.
It’s ironic that you are biased too. You should watch some video at anti-cnn.com to get some knowledge about how biased the western media is. And if you said Jack Cafferty’s comments are not targeted at Chinese people, you are excusing Jack Cafferty by all means. As Jack Cafferty said he was willing to apologize to all Chinese people who felt insulted, but most Chinese people felt insulted and he still did not come out to apologize sincerely. What a hypercritical guy.
Chinese government is far from perfect, but they are improving! And most important of all, most Chinese people are feeling proud of their nation. As to human rights, it’s going to getting better and better. It happened! It is happening! And it will happen!
On the other side, do you know that Tibetan have more human rights than majority Han Chinese? They are not forced to one-child policy, they have lower tax rate, and they have higher priority to get admitted to college?
Many western people think Chinese people are brainwashed. Well, they used to be, but not any more. Especially when you can get to internet through proxy easily. And people can say anything they want on street except not to publish some sensitive comments in public.
I have first experience of how biased (if not malicious) some wester media was back to June 1989. It was UGLY!
Having living in US for over ten years, I really believe that the media is biased and they tend to report one-side story. Do I think a lot western people brainwashed. I do think so to some degree. But those are mainly people who never go to China and less knowledgeable. Those people tend to take what the media and movies said. It’s bad, but it’s the case.
I surely hope, the torch incident is a lesson for the whole world, to remind people how biased people can easily get when they don’t collect all the fact.
Fascinating to watch. The Chinese have brain-washed their citizens and the Chinese are basically going crazy.
I think all the Chinese studying in America need to shut up and show a little gratitude. We let you come here and study, we even put up with all the spying you do. Stop acting like children.
Jim,
By your logic, native Indian can ask all you guys get out of this country! What a pathetic mind! What a pity that you have little to no knowledge about the history. And this is typical double standard.
Jack Cafferty may or may not be a racist, depending on whether he was indeed referring to the Chinese people. But Jim beautifully defines what a chauvinist zealot is. How pitiful and sad. America is great, thankfully, because not many people are like you, Jim.
How could anyone listening to what Jack Cafferty said and not concluding that he was referring to all Chinese as “goons and thugs”? Where in his rant is the context on the Chinese government?
Personally, I wouldn’t care too much about what Cafferty said per se. But CNN’s lame excuse and non-apology piss me off. Who do they think I am? Too stupid to be fooled around like that?
Jack Cafferty should be fired immediately, his comments about Chinese products and Chinese people are very vicious and racist, as a Chinese, I feel deeply insulted and am very angry at him.
“We continue to import their junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food and export … jobs to places where you can pay workers a dollar a month to turn out the stuff that we’re buying from Wal-Mart.” , his words viciously defamed all the exported Chinese products. America is the biggest capitalist country in the world, capitalism means free markets, this is what this country stands for, and capitalists are always driven by profits, whenever the profits are, whenever they go. This is why so many American companies moved their manufactures to China, they take advantage of cheap Chinese labor, make huge profits from it. If all the Chinese products are junks and poisoned, why US has such a big deficit with China, why people still keep buying Chinese products? Chinese didn’t enforce Americans to buy them. You shouldn’t blame Chinese people for all the problems your capitalist system caused.
The world is globalizing, there should be no border in the market, whoever provides cheaper, better products and labor, whoever win, this is the rule of the free market. Overall all the consumers in the world get the benefits, actually, American consumers are the luckiest people in the world, because all the suppliers in the world try to compete with each other to provide them the best, cheapest products they need.
Jack Cafferty, when you made your racist comments to all the Chinese products and all the Chinese people, you are actually one of the bunch of goons and thugs yourself.
Well, I’m Chinese-American and Cafferty’s comments didn’t bother me at all. The “thugs and goons” he was talking about are the Communists who run China, and who killed my grandparents, so he’s right. He wasn’t talking about the average Chinese person who has been oppressed by the murdering Communists.
Cafferty didn’t say anything racist at all. I’m Chinese, but I’m an American first. America welcomed my parents with open arms and has been a wonderful country for my family.
Anybody who is offended is just looking to be offended. Lighten up.
I don’t like Cafferty. But here’s a few ways that Chinese media have described foreigners who protest about Tibet this month: “scum”, “running dogs” “nazis” (yes, I am German, so I must be a Nazi). Does Chinese have a word for hypocrisy?
Joachim — you are only looking for words that hopefully will get you offended. It’s an easy tactic.
I assume you don’t read Chinese and can only get what the Chinese media “said” through non-Chinese sources. What you said was absolutely correct — though only partly. Unfortunately on this issue both the Chinese and non-Chinese are only looking for words that can be best used to get offended.
You are the only one saying that since you are a German you must be a Nazi - or show me the original Chinese source? Do not frame others’ thought — you simply do not have such an authority and, if you do, you are no better than the people you despise.
Lily’s passionate “being an American first” statement, unfortunately, is irrelevant to the Cafferty gaffe. No one was even questioning where you place your allegiance. Good for you for feeling great being an American, but irrelevant. And you are not THE authority on explaining what Cafferty meant for him.
This weblink is for Joachim, or for that matter, anyone who claims that he or she knows all about what the Chinese media are saying. The link was taken from China’s second biggest website. The fact is — Chinese media have said a lot of things, good or bad, radical or tolerant, crazy or sensible. Do not do cherry-picking. People living in democracy can afford better ways, or at least realize and admit they are only touching a part of the elephant.
http://news.sohu.com/s2008/daguoqidu/
Boy, China is copping a lot of attitude lately about how the rest of the world should behave and talk about China.
It begs the question of what China ultimately plans to do about it - attack us with its army?
They’ve trashed Pelosi, trashed Hillary, trashed the French, trashed everyone in the world for not towing their line. As if it is undiplomatic to fail to be complicit in China’s ignoring of dozens of obvious elephants in every room of China’s elaborate totalitarian lie.
Their factories export deadly heparin, cough syrup, pet food and even kid’s toys.
On state visits here in the US, China operatives painstakingly videotape protesters for hours on the street who line up along the leader’s motorcade routes, to make a record of every single individual along that route and we let them do it. We let them spy on us.
They are prepared to shoot any mountaineer who is pro tibet on Everest this year to “protect” their disastrous torch relay, according to a news article published today.
What is next?
There is probably an entry in the DSM for what China’s political personality is, some kind of Totalitarian Personality Disorder.
Giving the olympics to beijing, i think most agree now, was a big mistake. this olympics is already a bad memory. If I were an athlete, I think I would be tortured with the moral issues involved with going. It wasn’t fair to put athletes in a position to strain to the breaking point our belief in convening at the olympics at all costs.
Disgusting.
As for Cafferty’s speech, it is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. CNN lambasts President Bush too. It’s called free speech. It is the First of our amendments because it is the most dear to us.
TO ask Americans to give up the First Amendment is the deepest insult possible. We say what we like and libel laws grant remedies for speech that goes to far. Lambasting journalists gnawing on political leaders or political ideologies not only isn’t illegal under our libel laws, our laws go out of their way to protect that kind of speech over all other kinds.
To the Chinese boycotting McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken: THANK YOU from millions of Americans who are fed up with chain restaurants! You’re doing us a favor.
PS: Good luck on the lawsuit agsinst CNN in beijing - its a no-starter.
As for the hackers who took down a cnn website and sports network website, which possibly ran through servers here in the US, if you step onto American soil, you could face federal criminal charges and a nice long prison stay in our infamous, overcrowded prison system.
As for Sue Meng’s comments. She is another in a long tradition at Yale Law of looney-tuners with little interest in practicing law, never mind relevant law, who instead use the school as a platform to pursue overarching, unrealistic, idealized solutions to society’s problems. And this from a Soros fellow, when Soros, if nothing else, promotes piecemeal solutions for maintaining open societies.
The fact that Yale doesn’t have a philosphy department with the slightest hint if sanity doesn’t help the law school students either. I doubt the Soros fellows are even aware of the roots of his philosophy. It’s been obvious to me for years that the law school could benefit from a solid philosophy department to compliment studies. I mean, just look at the wackos on the 2nd Circuit.
Anyway, back to meng’s column,
Meng tries mightily in her column to get us to let China off the hook this time, and promises if we do, is dead sure that if we do, we will be nurturing the vulnerable young flower of Chinese democracy, or some form of more just and open society there. But that trajectory is simply a fantasy and in any case, is not likely to attract many converts. If it doesn’t make sence Now, it doesn’t make sense.
Asking that people choose a course of action of precluding action and speech is sweet but a no starter. Please wait just a second, hold your breath just a second, something good is coming. Not many are going to agree that giving up commentary in the nation that invented the First Amendment is the best way to get anywhere.
Latest from chinese misinformation machine, one of its lame news websites- see below
This web site is leading its readers to believe that this company has a chance under US libel laws of taking action agaisnt CNN. It will be thrown out.
Can we please, get out of hock to China and buy our goods elsewhere? I am sick of this pyschotic totalitarian bullying prattle. from china.org.cn:
http://www.china.org.cn/china/local/2008-04/21/content_14989063.htm
Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co required CNN anchor Jack Cafferty to look at its port machines installed at ports in the United States and said it would sue him should he repeat his anti-China remarks again.
The Shanghai-listed company publicized an open letter on its Website, becoming the first Chinese company to protest Cafferty’s prejudice towards China.
The company demanded Cafferty “take a look” at its products.
“The east coast and west coast of the United States have already purchased about 200 large container handling machines. The high efficiency of the machines enables trillions of US dollars worth of products to be imported and exported,” the letter said.
The letter repudiated the assertion that Chinese products were “junk,” adding that the “ignorance” of Cafferty infuriated the company’s 400 workers.
If Cafferty continues his hostility toward China, the company will “immediately hire a lawyer in the United States to sue him for libel,” the letter said.
wow! tpouw puts the blogger to shame for how shallow the tones in this blog.
I come to learn this that arguing with dummies make you a dummie.
Ultimately, the igorance in the grassroot leads to wars. Look at what happened with Iraq. I think CNN has blood in its hand.
I know both China and America. I don’t think China is any better than America in terms of basic human nature of the people and the politics of the government. Neither is America much better than China. Maybe China is not so free, but maybe in the US everything is controlled by the rich and powerful and lot of racial problems.
I agree with you hjz000, but it is difficult to shut up and let misinformation reign. What is not being pointed out in most of the blogs is the very important observation that should be apparent to all: The mainstream media’s glaring silence on the many issues that are much more immediately relevant to all Americans. Some of these issues are:
1. Why are we in Iraq?
2. Who are benefiting from our invasion of Iraq?
3. Who are paying for the Iraqi war?
4. Why aren’t the democrats who vowed to oppose Bush’s Iraq policy, being so timid to take on the Bush administration on the Iraq war?
5.Why are the media so glaringly ignoring the vast discrepancies that exist between the official 911 Commission report and the emerging evidence that point to the contrary?
I can go on and on, as you can see that we do not have a fair and balanced media! Instead of honestly dealing with the many problems that exist in our own political and financial systems, we have a media that is trying to shift the attention of our people away so our politicians and our money-hungry corporations gets off the hook and go on doing their things unnoticed.
Furthermore, most of the information on China and Tibet issues that are presented by the media are so shallow and superficial which does disservice to all people involved and history. I have a couple of links below that are more informative:
http://journeyeast.tripod.com/myth_and_reality.html
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/14/8287/
tpouw, thank you so much for writing back and for me to have a chance communicating with you. I think politics is so complicated it becomes mysterious even though we seem to feel it everyday.
First of all, I’m just curious, are you a professional in social science or just a seasoned amateur thinker or history lover? Myself, as a physicist, has a pastime interested in history and world politics. I also pay close attention to Chinese politics as a Chinese.
The reason I ask this question is because I start to believe that there will always be a substantial population, probably in any culture, that could not be rationally communicated. They are like a prize, in this country, sought after by the politicians (who have vastly more information, resources, and experience, and are also unfortunately smart) for their voting power.
In a sense, among the more “enlightened”, the answers are significantly clear, but they might not say it. They will use the “code word” to communicate among themselves.
For the “unenlightened”, your questions might look strange and unnecessary (who cares), so no answer either.
I don’t think most of Americans will be more informed with China or Tibet with this wave of protests/counter protests. Besides the notion of tainted toys or free Tibet, who cares about China.
Now I’m going to read you links. Do you have any blog yourself? I would not believe it if you said you don’t have one.
hjz000, Thank you for your interest and inquiry. I am a Chinese- American physician and not a professional in social science. However, I am very interested in anything pertaining to international politics, history and finance. I am definitely just an casual observer as I am not trained in those areas. I, through reading, have learned many things. One thing is that no matter how ideal a political system or government is, without the vigilant monitoring by an unbiased/uncorrupted media, it will not remain so. BTW, I do not have a blog.
tpouw,
I understand. I just read some of the links you provided. It has lot of information and I see the opinions of a lot of the “pregressive”. Too much that I probably only read 1%.
The problem is that we’re all so busy and our profession is not in politics, it is hard for us to get down to the bottom of the things.
I had some bias against American political system, but after I attend the 4-9 SF torch relay and talked to a lot of people with opposite views nicely/peacefully, I realized my bias and was able to correct a little bit. That is the power of doing thing in real rather than watch TV or movies.
Unfortunately again, most people have limited time and are bound to fall victim to corporate propaganda, without realizing it. (probably not that bad)
Talk to you tomorrow.
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