Yellow Fever

A video for Dr. Zhang Jiehai. Check it out.

The Discussion: 25 Comments

Is this blogger white guy actually doing anything illegal, or is Dr. Zhang Jiehai just that insecure that he can’t stand to see a white man getting with his Chinese women while he sits in his lab and researches why he can’t get any action?

September 2, 2006 @ 8:34 pm | Comment

Oh god. Please, nobody respond to the above comment.

This…bullshit…has…to…stop.

Please, please just, just, just stop.

September 2, 2006 @ 9:28 pm | Comment

I think we’ve exhausted that topic already. The video, however, is worth watching and commenting on.

September 2, 2006 @ 9:40 pm | Comment

“Oh god. Please, nobody respond to the above comment.

This…bullshit…has…to…stop.

Please, please just, just, just stop.”

What? What did I do? Is it not a legitimate question?

“I think we’ve exhausted that topic already.”

What was the final conclusion? Illegal or not Illegal?

The video is indeed funny.

September 2, 2006 @ 10:42 pm | Comment

I think Ivan is just tired of the topic of the sex blogger. See the earlier threads to see how it’s been discussed to death already. As to the illegality – I don’t think I’ve heard anyone claim what the blogger did was illegal, but what’s the difference?

September 2, 2006 @ 11:04 pm | Comment

The video is fine. Carrying on about the sex-blogger story which was blown all out of proportion by (among others) ESWN/Roland, is not fine.

Nothing personal, Darin, but as Richard said, it’s been beaten to death on other threads and it never should have gotten so much attention in the first place.

September 2, 2006 @ 11:20 pm | Comment

well, i liked the video – cheesie as anything, but hey – at least it proves that this issue is most worthy of discussion with college students. not bored professors with a crap understanding of socialogy.

anyway, check this out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alv120454wk

September 2, 2006 @ 11:41 pm | Comment

@Ivan: “This…bullshit…has…to…stop.

Please, please just, just, just stop.”

Couldn’t agree more! I posted the video because I thought it was funny and it takes the air of the whole issue – that basically this is something to be made light of, not to declare a new Boxer Rebellion over or conduct “research” the focus of which really belongs in a comic student film, not academia. Or write AP articles about. Or, I’m sorry guys, have 111 comments blowing out of proportion the fact that the issue is blown out of proportion. So yes, stop.

The other reason I posted it is I really am interested in the answer to the question I posed at the end of the post, and I’d rather talk about that: why don’t Mainlanders ever consult their overseas brothers and sisters on these issues? Or vice versa? I see a huge gap in communication there, and I was hoping some of PKD’s commenters might share some ideas. There’s the Pan-Asian angle too – look at the film, a Chinese American guy is talking about the issue involving all Asians, not just the Chinese nation. The music was done by some Japanese students. I think I saw some Koreans in the credits too, though I didn’t check that thoroughly. Not quite how it would go down on the Mainland, is it?

September 3, 2006 @ 1:21 am | Comment

I also have a question, if the perjorative term for a person of European or American descent who dates exclusively people from Asia is “Yellow Fever,” would the corresponding ‘diagnosis’ for an Asian who dates a lot of white people be 白血病? Just curious.

September 3, 2006 @ 2:56 am | Comment

The video is fun. Went around the college circles a few months ago.

September 3, 2006 @ 1:51 pm | Comment

I commented on your blog, Dave, but I’ll comment here too – I liked it! Just very good-spirited and kind-hearted about the whole thing. Made me laugh too.

September 3, 2006 @ 7:09 pm | Comment

About Zhang, I don’t think there’s any need to completely stop discussing him, and I don’t think there’s any need to regret that the discussion generated so many comments. Sure, it hasn’t been a new Boxer Rebellion, or even the equivalent of the Japanese protests we saw last year, but this guy Zhang Jiehai certainly brought up an interesting topic (and expressed it in quite an interesting way) that has generated thousands upon thousands of comments on his blog. Clearly what he had to say resonated with some people.
As someone interested in the issue of racism, China’s relationship with foreigners, people’s conceptions of what foreigners “are” and how they behave, I think this whole thing’s been a great learning experience.

September 3, 2006 @ 7:28 pm | Comment

Um, Kevin, with all due respect: That’s called “being so open minded that your brains fall out.”

I mean, if you’re “interested in the issue of racism” and you want to see examples of it on the internet, all you have to do is google a few phrases like “kill Jews” or “all niggers must die”, and you’ll probably find thousands of blogs devoted to those topics.

But they’re really not worth linking to or discussing in detail on intelligent blogs like this one.

September 3, 2006 @ 7:40 pm | Comment

I’m not sure, Ivan. Despite the overheated rhetoric and storm-in-a teacup aspects of this story, I still think some good came out in the discussion about it. It’s a great case study of how spinmasters work in China – both in the English and Chinese languages. I don’t have a problem with it being discussed. If you think about it, just about every topic in every thread on the Internet has been discussed to death, whether it’s CCP tyranny or sports or anti-aging skin creams.

I mean, if you’re “interested in the issue of racism” and you want to see examples of it on the internet, all you have to do is google a few phrases like “kill Jews” or “all niggers must die”, and you’ll probably find thousands of blogs devoted to those topics.

The same will happen if you google “human rights” + “China.” Does that mean we shouldn’t discuss it anymore? I completely understand how one might get fed up and bored with a thread topic. In which case, I’d recommend the reader skip that thread and go to another.

September 3, 2006 @ 7:57 pm | Comment

There’s a categorical difference between promoting discussion of Human Rights and promoting and spreading discussion of racial hatred. That really ought to be obvious, and so should the edverse effects of spreading and expanding discussions of personal racial animosities versus the beneficial effects of spreading and expanding discussions of human rights.

September 3, 2006 @ 8:04 pm | Comment

I see what you mean, but I think there’s much more to the discussion of Dr. Zhang than simply racial hatred, which is tired, old news. For me, the story was originally noteworthy as a case study of Internet-generated hysteria. As it evolved, it became even more noteworthy as an example of how agenda-bound muckrakers can manipulate the regional and even international media with a high degree of duplicity. There are lots of important lessons to the story. And I suspect it’s not over yet: no one knows who or where Chinabounder is, so I’m guessing this story will continue to have life.

September 3, 2006 @ 8:16 pm | Comment

Yeah, I guess I could use google. It’s not like I’ve never heard of it. I was just surprised to leave here on Friday and come back on Monday to find such violent reactions to any discussion of what I considered an interesting topic.

September 3, 2006 @ 8:58 pm | Comment

Richard, I’m another reader who is uncomfortable with how discussions surrounding the Chinabounder vs Dr Zhang saga is developing here at TPD. I live as an ethnic minority in a multicultural society. I know the danger of racial stereotypes and how damaging they can be to social harmony. I could quote you many examples of how a few high profile criminal cases here committed by ethnic minority groups had made me feel unsafe and vulnerable because of how sensational and excessive media coverage of these cases had sparkled discussions about other ethnic issues.

What I mean is that internet blogs like TPD IS a part of this phenomenon called the mass media. This medium carries with it both power and responsibility. We can, though our discussions, promote racial harmony. We can also promote racial stereotypes. My experience of living in a multicultural society make me realise that social harmony is achieved through members of a community accepting and tolerating differences. Reinforcing racial stereotypes goes against this effort of promoting tolerance.

September 3, 2006 @ 9:05 pm | Comment

Fat Cat, we are not in disagreement with one another. Look around – I closed all the threads on the subject. If I feel things head in an overheated direction here, I’ll do the same, though I don’t see evidence for that (yet). When I see vulgar and inciteful racial stereotyping of the Chinese and other ethnicities I call it out and make it clear it’s not tolerated.

The story is still an interesting one, and I would like to think we’re smart enough to discuss it without enforcing racial sterotypes and encouraging intolerance.

September 3, 2006 @ 9:30 pm | Comment

alabama mawn!

see – racial steriotypes are everywhere. The chinabounder – Dr Zhang saga just highlights the use of racial steriotypes within China. The Govt capitalises the best it can on reenforcing a sence of ‘chineseness’ within China, best done by comparing it to an evil outsider.

This comes through strongest in the politically charged environment of the chinese teritary sector, in which party control is paramount.

As for mob justice, from a CCP perspective, perhaps it is better to have it aimed at a jackass, and paint him as the evils of foreign society.

September 4, 2006 @ 1:05 am | Comment

What, using racial stereotype to reinforce a sense nationality? Is it the same way as how Hitler vilified the Jews in order to justify his invasions of nations? Now I understand what you mean.

There is no such thing as “mob justice”. Only “mob violence”. And you better pray that you are never going to be on the receiving end. ‘Cause I can tell you loud and clear, you won’t be making the same argument if you do.

September 4, 2006 @ 2:05 am | Comment

Good points, as always Fat Cat.

September 4, 2006 @ 2:07 am | Comment

of course i wouldn’t – it was never my intention to defend mob action.

Comparing this mob action to the Holocaust is not exactly the best analogy – what i meant was it is indicitive of an us and them mentality.
A nation inherent of the Qing Empire obviously has many internal issues, especially in the current world political climate of self-determination and the definite paradigm shift from empires to states on ethno-cultural lines. And when you add the bonus of a pathetic public health and education system, unemployment, migrant workers, corruption = a lot of pissed of people. I’m sure some of you know the number, but the number of rural movements and riots is rising year by year right?

My question is, what is it that makes china so succeptable to this kind of mob retribution?

Is it comparable in any way to the Salman Rushdie thing a while back when? Although that was a fatwa, not a internet inspired movement.

September 4, 2006 @ 6:10 pm | Comment

talking about inciting hatred, this Ivan fellow loves to hate. says nastier things than some of the people hating on chinabounder. horrible to read and makes me visit this blog less often and avoid looking at comments.

September 7, 2006 @ 5:32 am | Comment

SCANDALOUS! A new target for our dear Crusader Professor Zhang Jiehai!
Now some women sell their husband, not even online, but right there in front of all our unsuspecting compatriots and traditional Chinese women!
Look at the picture, the not-so-white guy even has a label on his belly: Kalvin Klein. Now we all know that in German that means Small… ! We cannot let these provocations continue! Professor, let’s kick them out before moonfestival and stick some mooncakes in their Kalvins!
http://www.shanghai-star.com.cn/Shanghai_Star/Shanghai_Star_news.asp?lv1=2&lv2=6&newsid=1836&viewsid=1836&views=12

September 14, 2006 @ 3:54 am | Comment

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.