The hurt feelings of the Chinese

One of the circumlocutions that one hears regularly in China is that some event or other has “hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”

It implies that somehow the Chinese nation is unified in its outlook and reaction, and prone to the same emotional reaction. We all know that this is a generalization. As time passes, Chinese are ever-more diverse in their opinions, and free to speak them.

So the circumlocution is used by anyone – often, but not always, within the government – to suggest that a preferred point of view has massive support.

This comes to mind with a story in the China Daily this morning about London Metropolitan University apparently apologizing for bestowing an honorary doctorate on the Dalai Lama in May for his role in “promoting peace globally.”

“Angered and offended by the move, Chinese students and Internet users at home and abroad called for a boycott the university, saying its conferment of honors on the Dalai Lama had hurt the feelings of the Chinese people,” the China Daily story said.

Hmm. I would guess most Chinese didn’t even know about this. I sure didn’t and it’s my job to read the papers. I guess people can have their feelings hurt without even knowing what caused them to be hurt.

In fact, a quick search through Nexis with the phrase “hurt the feelings of the Chinese people” came up with 88 hits over the past three months. That’s a lot of hurt feelings. Granted, the trouble-plagued Olympic torch relay gave Chinese much to be angry about. But it seems to me that there are hurt feelings over something or other just about every week.

April 13 – A Xinhua commentary calling U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a “disgusting figure” said she had conflated the Tibet issue with the Olympics and “seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”

April 15 – After the U.S. House passed a resolution on Tibet, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said: "We demand those few senators respect the facts, abandon prejudice and immediately stop wrongful remarks and deeds that hurt the feelings of Chinese people and harm China-US relations."

April 16 – Chinese embassy spokesman Tian Yuzhen in Ottawa warned MPs to “refrain from doing things that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and undermine bilateral relations.”

April 20 or so – The French retailer issues a statement denying it had links to Tibetan separatists and saying it would “never do anything to hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”

April 25 – President Hu Jintao told French envoys that disruptions in the torch relay “are not what we want to see, and have hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."

April 25 – NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo tells visiting French envoys that events during the torch relay “has hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and is something we do not wish to see.”

May 24 – Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang lambasted a trip to Britain by the Dalai Lama and said it “not only interferes in China's internal affairs but also seriously hurts the feelings of the Chinese people.”

June 4 – Actress Sharon Stone, who defended the Dalai Lama while at the Cannes film festival, was disinvited to the Shanghai film festival. A spokeswoman said “she hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.” 

It’s time to give this cliché a rest. Otherwise, my feelings will be hurt.

Comments

[A B]

Are all these complaints of hurt feelings of the Chinese people coming from the Official version, the reliable source(s), or informed source(s)?

Isn't rest breaks for cliches mandated by the Chinese constitution every afternoon, around 2pm or so?

[Wilbur Varela]

Being offended, attacked or insulted would hurt anyones feelings.
But if your feelings get hurt because Sharon Stone moves her lips, you need to move out of your parents house and get a life. China will have to adjust to being criticized if it wants to be a player. The front sled dog takes a lot of nips to the rear.

[Netizen]

Tim,

You've good timing. The Chinese are giving up that practice. At least the Chinese netizens are leading the Government on it.

For example, boycotting the French. The netizens didn't you French hurting my feeling. They just say, you boycott me? I boycott you first! President Sarzoky said he would come after all despite the Chinese online said he was not welcome and he was condemned as a coward by some group.

Sharon Stone, same story. LV hurried to bring down her ads in China. Shanghai International Film Festive banned her forever (?). Who is saying you hurt my feelings?

Tim, you have been in China how many years? You should know a bit of Chinese culture by now. Chinese often confront someone even they have means and ways. They give face to him as the first strategy.

They have a saying. I give you softness, you don't appreciate it; now I give you hardness, you take it.

[Netizen]

Correction: Chinese often DON'T confront someone even they have means and ways. They give face to him as the first strategy.

[A B]

@Net,

One of the best means to embarrass President Sarkozy may be to instruct everyone concerned to extend to him every possible courtesy, going beyond the customary and usual treatment for a French President.

That way, he would be embarrassed by how badly he treated China.....

Think Taoist.

[Stan]

Nice blog Tim.The only down side is that thin skinned Netizen did a brutal job on the english language in his party line response.

[Andy R]

Thanks for pointing this out. Just another example of a term cooked up by the CCP and fed into the media and blogosphere until it becomes the main defensive strategy of any nitwit who can't come up with an intelligent rebuttal to criticism of the Chinese government. When are people going to wake up and stop buying into the idea that because the government says everyone feels this way, I guess I do to. As much as we like to think of ourselves as independent people with independent thoughts and expressions, we certainly do latch onto and repeat these officially sanctioned "slogans" an awful lot.

[people search]

*********************
http://www.peepsearch.info people search and background check
**********************

[Bill]

"Isn't rest breaks for cliches mandated by the Chinese constitution every afternoon, around 2pm or so?"

Is there one single person on earth cares about compliance with the Chinese constitution, including people in the Chinese government ?

[MT]

@netizen,

Do you think the French or Sarkozy care about how a bunch of Chinese netizens say about or treat the French president? Being thin-skinned is part of the Chinese culture not the French one.

[MT]

Bill,

Didn't you know that the Constitution is just PR for foreigners? China has its netizens to interpret and enforce the law.

[Bill]

"Nice blog Tim.The only down side is that thin skinned Netizen did a brutal job on the english language in his party line response."

"brutal job on the english language" is the "party line response" Just read China Daily.

[Pffefer]

I wholeheartedly agree with MT here. The French/Germans/Americans/Brits etc. should do whatever they want, so should the Chinese. Nobody is hurting nobody's feelings, we are all grown-ups here. If the Chinese are so fed up with Sarkozy they should simply void the contract awarded to Sarkozy last year, which is worth over $15 billion USD. Whining does not work and will never work. Actions speak louder than words. Grow up, China!

[Netizen]

What are these stupid commenters with pedestrian anti-China comments?

Tim, I may be a bit harsh sometimes. But those frozen minds and every-minute-born suckers will diminish the quality of your blog.

Anyway it's your blog.

[MT]

Netizen,

Remember that China exports a lot more to France than France exports to China. Talk is cheap. Start a trade war and we will see how many jobs China loses vs France. The CCP, whatever their faults, know this very well. So they prompt to tamp down protests before it affects trade during the anti-French and anti-Japanese protests.

[MT]

Netizen,

Too bad you can't censor the internet in the West. There is a Western saying: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen"

PS: The previous post was addressed to Pffefer

[MT]

Pffefer,

Actually now that I think about it, all the protectionists in America and Europe should just go online and insult China, instead of lobbying their own politicians. If the Chinese netizens are as powerful as they say they are, then a trade war would ensue, and the result would be a rise in global protectionism (like what happened in the early 20th century). Of course the results wouldn't be pretty and I suspect not quite to the liking of either the Chinese netizens or the Western protectionists.

[Stan]

To Netizen...You really should go back to school.The year is 2008...Mao is dead yet you sound like some drone from 1958.Tim made some valid points with his critique.China
has a lot to offer the world however shallow clowns like you give the impression that China is producing a new version of idiot. Go back swimming in your limited gene pool and leave the space to more progressive fair minded people who can offer honest commentary.

[Realist]

I have often wondered what the original Chinese language is for "hurt the feelings of Chinese people". Maybe in Chinese it sounds acceptable, but they have no idea how stupid it sounds translated into English. If they did, they'd drop it immediately.

Where I grew up, the kid on the playground who always complained about his "feelings" was the one who got beat up every day.

[IC]

`Hurt feeling' is bad term. Better terms should be disrespect, insult, humiliate,ect.

Learn it from USA. I love the bumper sticker` USA, love it or leave it'

China should have similar bumber sticker too.

[IC]

Also `hurt feeling' sounds so wimpy. China looks so pussy and only invite more humiliation. Next time some one disrepects China. China should say `kiss my ass' or some thing equivalent.

Today Chinese are so different from their Han ancestors. Remember Han General Chen Tang's words?

"明犯强汉者，虽远必诛" from Chen Tang: "No matter how far away, who dares to offend mighty Han will be put to death".

Those are the words of superpower!!!!!

[Junhui]

@Stan, instead of making fun of his (Netizen) education and his command of English why not contemplate what he's trying to say?

If you understood Chinese, I'm pretty sure he'd write to you in Chinese, but you don't. In fact you should probably go back to school soon or else you'd get left behind.

Is any thought that is "pro-China" a thought coming from a propaganda machine as you say? Is he a government drone? NT has a lot of valid points and so does Tim however, I don't see any "points" in your comments rather than insults towards NT.

But yes Tim very interesting article. I have become a bit annoyed by the Chinese netizens myself on all the talk they have given but no action. We have said it again and again that actions speak louder than words.

I think China should either get hard like General Chen Tang or move the way of the Dao. Like all "bullies" if you give them attention they will come back seeking more.

If they know it effects us so, they will come time and time again. The Chinese need to stop saying "you hurt my feelings" and finally do something about it.

Either kick some butts or forget it. The Chinese shouldn't say anything at all. Leave it to the foolish to do all the talking. Eventually they will get tired of their own garbage.

What if one day, the Chinese just ignored everyone? No one likes being ignored.

Has China been the only one in the history of mankid to use the "you hurt our feelings" cliche? If you look at other countries, they are just as guilty.

[carryanne]

Great commentary,

This hurt the Chinese people's feelings...It is exactly what you said -So the circumlocution is used by anyone – often, but not always, within the government – to suggest that a preferred point of view has massive support.-

However, it is often true that what those officials say hurt the Chinese people's feelings is really accurate. In a sense the Chinese are really lumpen, they have been bred that way for some time. With carefully managed media (see my blog) the CCP has been able to create life from it's propaganda initiatives.

Granted there are a lot of Chinese people who don't fit perfectly into the mold but of course we don't hear about them unless some activist or groups takes the trouble to alert people or speak this kind of truth.

I believe that the CCP is using this lump of people as leverage for international coercion. If the CCP wields not only a big army for physical combat but also an army of consumers with easily manipulated opinions, then they can use those peoples brainwashed opinions in order to have them support the CCP directly and indirectly, through the trade leverage, the cheap labour factor etc. It is a question of businesses and governments selling out and the fact that the CCP wields a great big lump of consumers' minds gives the party a lot of leverage.

I don't doubt that when they say that hurt feelings thing that beneath it there is also the threat of war, otherwise why don't they just take it like a man and brush it off, they say it because they want you to change, if you don't change they threaten and manipulate (CCP, not meaning average Chinese people) In this sense, the term is basically the same as the threat of "hurt bilateral relations", ie, if you don't follow the party line, we will revoke this thing you want. In this case it is saying that it will sick the dogs on you if you don't get in line. Sorkozy knows this, I'm sure he does not want to go to the O ceremony, but he has a duty to his money grubbing French Businessmen who force him to sell out, it's all about money for Sarkozy and Bush, eventhough they probly would rather not sell out, well, theyre to much controlled by the mighty dollar.

[carryanne]

Ok, sorry I would like to make a correction to what I said.

The way I said it was as if the Chinese people were so easily manipulated, which would mean they are pretty stupid, but actually the CCP is not able to just make them think whatever the CCP wants, otherwise the CCP would not need to take so many drastic measures to make people think this or that. The CCP actually has to latch onto some notion that Chinese people already have, and that is the best way the CCP can achieve the support. Chinese people love China, so the CCP says there would be no China without CCP, these kind of tricks is how they latch on and become part of what the Chinese people support. Also lying is a huge factor, lying and hiding the truth are necessary components in guiding the public opinion. So actually the solution is in the problem. If the CCP was up front and open and people supported it, this might all end in war, BUT, I think that this is all just a big misunderstanding based on the CCP's tactics to make people think in certain ways, so I think if the firwall disappeared and free speech was introduced and officials transparency, justice were incorporated, we would definitely not have this scenario that we have now where so many Chinese people are blindly supporting a party that is so terrible.

[Netizen]

Who are these people, stupid. Of total deep frozen mind, unable to take in new information. Ignore or unaware facts on the ground.

I thought there were only a few of these fantasy ideologues in the US or else where (which led to Iaq distaster). Evidently I was wrong. There are several in this blog alone.

I'm telling you again, China is changing. Hurt feeling thing is become passe. Tougher actions are in store. Chinese Ambassador to France just said today there would be "serious consequences" if Sarkozy was going to meet Dalai Lama. I've no ill-will toward his holiness. But I think he has been badly adviced by his non-Tibetan advisors.