{"id":186254,"date":"2015-08-18T14:12:50","date_gmt":"2015-08-18T21:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=186254"},"modified":"2015-08-19T06:15:33","modified_gmt":"2015-08-19T13:15:33","slug":"translation-normal-country-delusion-in-tianjin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2015\/08\/translation-normal-country-delusion-in-tianjin\/","title":{"rendered":"Translation: “Normal Country Delusion” in Tianjin"},"content":{"rendered":"
At least 114 people died in last week’s explosions in a warehouse in the Binhai area of Tianjin<\/a>, where over 700 tons of sodium cyanide were stored<\/a>. Hundreds of people have been displaced from homes built dangerously close to the warehouse, and have been petitioning the government<\/strong><\/a> for compensation. The Guardian’s Tom Phillips reports:<\/p>\n Dozens of protestors gathered outside a Tianjin hotel where media briefings are being held on Monday to demand compensation for their wrecked homes.<\/p>\n […] The South China Morning Post said protesters carried banners reading: \u201cWe want the truth!\u201d and \u201cWe love the party and the government, please buy back our apartments\u201d.<\/p>\n […]\u00a0\u201cThe fact that the authorities allow such dangerous warehouses to be built near residential blocks shows that they care about only their own interests rather than the wellbeing of the people,\u201d the Chinese activist said. \u201cThey are indifferent to people\u2019s lives and their most basic human rights as long as it suits their own interests.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just the migrant workers\u2019 lives that are worthless to them,\u201d she added. \u201cThey don\u2019t care about the lives of the middle class families either.\u201d [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n To Weibo user\u00a0Yuanliuqingnian\u00a0<\/em>(@\u6df5\u6d41\u9752\u5e74<\/span>), these Tianjiners are learning the hard way that being part of the middle class doesn’t guarantee a safety net, as it would in a “normal country.” CDT has translated his short essay, which is still available on Weibo<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n When disaster strikes, people have all sorts of things to say. Every kind of suggestion, from <\/span>lighting candles<\/span><\/a> to jeering at the “<\/span>mushroom festival<\/span><\/a>,” spreads left and right. I mean, before I could run and get a safety guide from the U.S. or Europe and see if there’s anything to translate about protecting yourself. But this thing, the pop science site <\/span>guokr.com<\/span><\/a> has that covered, so I won’t waste my time.<\/span><\/p>\n I think the difference between the current incident and <\/span>previous factory explosions<\/span><\/a> is that this one has blown apart the “normal country delusion” of the Chinese middle class.<\/span><\/p>\n Obviously, if you live in a nice house in Binhai with a BMW and a little dog, in your free time you twiddle your fancy worry beads, or else you go for a run and get your exercise in. You maintain a noble silence on any public incident you’re aware of. On the surface, you look no different from a middle class person in a normal country.<\/span><\/p>\n But this is a delusion. One explosion later, and the homeowners in Qihang Jiayuan and Harbor City discovered they’re the same as those petitioners they look down on, making the same moves: kneeling and unfurling banners, going before government officials and saying “we believe in the Party, we believe in the country.” This method has been used by countless petitioners\u2014people from the counties who make five- or six-hundred <\/span>yuan <\/span><\/em>a month and receive chemical fertilizer subsidies. The homeowners realize, much to their embarrassment, that after an accident there’s really #nodifference between us and them.<\/span><\/p>\n In<\/span> your country<\/span><\/a>, if you wait patiently and obey government plans, you’ll end up with a 6,000 <\/span>yuan<\/span><\/em> rent subsidy. You get angry, you\u2019ll burst with pent-up fury. What’s this worth? Is it enough for two months’ rent? Will I be able to live there afterwards? Is the area around it polluted? Who’s responsible? Who approved the construction of the warehouse? So you open your banner and cautiously try to make a stink about it and attract media attention. A government official promises to get in touch, then turns around and says “it’s all media hype.” You hope to get a scrap of favor from the government.<\/span><\/p>\n But, naturally, <\/span>the Ministry of Truth and wire services have shut out [the media]<\/span><\/a>, and homeowners have received notices that they aren’t allowed to make banners. For once the pro-government folks have been rather considerate online, holding back on criticism of petitioners\u2014but for the most part they’re just like the homeowners were before, maintaining a noble silence. And so the situation rapidly enters into the orbit of <\/span>stability maintenance<\/span><\/a>. I bet we won’t hear too many follow-up stories. Now that the government has pulled you into its most familiar tricks, it wouldn’t be strange at all if they drew on their rich experiences to defeat you. <\/span><\/p>\n What I’m trying to say in all these words can be summed up by this one image:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Now you know why I’m not surprised. [<\/span>Chinese<\/strong><\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
The Normal Country Delusion<\/h3>\n