ChinaGeeks translates a post by Xiao Han describing the various types of “Fifty Cent Party” members. From ChinaGeeks’ introduction:
Xiao Han, an outspoken intellectual at the Chinese Politics and Law University, wrote a piece which classifies China’s Fifty Cents Party into different types.
Fifty Cents Party is now a well-known satirical term for online commentators employed by the government to guide public opinion. In an article written last week, Xiao further classifies the Party into three types according to income and professional standing.
And from Xiao Han’s post, the first type:
Type 1: New-Rich Fifty Cents
This type of fifty cents usually appears university professors, experts (like legal experts and economists), researchers, media professionals and political commentators. They have good image and usually appear on TV, newspapers and headlines of official websites. Their arguments are full of concepts and seem logical, but with only one aim: to prove that the government actions are correct, legal or great, even though they are often unjust, unfair and inhuman. Their opinions enable them to get rich within the establishment; what they receive far exceed fifty cents per comment. Therefore they are the most expensive type of fifty cents; they are the new-rich. They can further be classified into two types: academic (represented by university professors), or popular (represented by political commentators and media professionals).
Read more about the Fifty Cent Party via CDT.
