EastSouthWestNorth translates a piece by China Youth Daily, Liu Handing (刘汉鼎), detailing two extremist groups emerging on the internet, the Chinese left (pro-China) and right(anti-China). Using examples from the last couple of years, especially the Beijing Olympics, the author describes the internet battle between the two. They are described as frequently angry and irrational and though they are on opposing sides, they are similiar in their method of attack:
The people from these two extremist camps represent the people on the Internet with the greatest urge to express themselves. Their voices are extreme and acerbic in order to be more readily heard. Therefore, when these voices are magnified, they will overwhelm other more “varied” voices. The majority is accustomed to keeping silent and therefore they are directly ignored. When one segment is overwhelmed while another is ignored, the remaining public opinion may be just the “mobs” from the extreme right and left wings.
This is because these two extremist views may drive a nation towards the same dangerous goal. The extreme right welcomes the world to oppose China while the extreme left encourages China to oppose the world. The two goals end in the same place with the isolation of China in the world.
Each thought has its reason to exist. Perhaps, the value of these two extremist opinions from “angry young people” is to alert people to stay far away from them. When you act on the basis of “anger,” you are hurting the nation and its people and therefore you end up achieving the opposite of what you intend.
