“I’VE hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.” So said Peter Dahlin, a Swedish citizen, in a televised “confession” after his arrest in Beijing in January. There were several disturbing aspects about the admission, including the likelihood that it was made because of pressure exerted on Mr Dahlin, who ran a Beijing-based legal-advice group (he has since been expelled). But why would the government put those particular words into his mouth?
Other countries, especially authoritarian ones, also like to express outrage about the state of their citizens’ emotions. But China is a world leader in this specialised form of righteous indignation. David Bandurski of the China Media Project at the University of Hong Kong has counted 143 instances of the phrase “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people” in the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece, since 1959, when India became the first to be accused by the party of doing it—during a border dispute.
Since then, Japan has upset China most often, with 51 offences, followed by America, with 35. But you do not have to be a rival or neighbour to do...Continue reading
Source: China http://ift.tt/23L7Uy3
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