My mind works in unusual ways. More often than not, I jump from A to Z and don’t explain the bridge. To help readers, I’m trying a new format today. I’ve added an ‘Executive Summary’ as to why this article might be interesting to you, a ‘Fun Facts’ about a common theme that inspired the writing, and sources of inspiration of things I’ve read recently that made me think. Let me know what YOU think in the comments.
Executive Summary: It’s easy to dismiss Chinese media as controlling propaganda and their politicians as autocrats, but the evidence is all around us that our media and politicians are trending and acquiescence will lead to a very long “14 days.”
Fun facts: Sometimes you have to see it to believe it. I’ve gone heavy on the video clips in this article to draw parallels between our coverage of events and theirs.
Additional Reading from Sources you should add to your rotation:
Bari Weiss. Women’s Tennis Has Balls. Does Wall Street?
Paul Thacker. China’s Bat Lady Puts West on Alert.
Last night, while waiting for Ben's hockey game, I performed the male version of multi tasking: I sat at a bar, watched whatever sport was on the TV (Olympic snowboard jumping), while listening to Joe Rogan and Randall Carlson talk about extinction level meteor strikes and scanning my substack feed.
To date, I haven't watched any of the Olympics, although a large part of that has to do with the fact the NHL players aren't there and much less so to do with political commentary about China. It's laughable that the U.S. announced a "diplomatic boycott" of the Beijing Games. The reason, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki “the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses.” I'm sure China is shaking in their baby seal boots...
But that’s the reason I saw this image on the TV. What on earth is going on in the background of that ski jump?? Is that a nuclear plant?!
Due to distraction, I violated my New Years Resolution and googled “What is in the background of the ski jump Beijing..” and the first article to come up was this from the Washington Post. It’s a bizarre story for a newspaper.
First, the article wasn’t behind the WaPo (owed by Jeff Bezos, of Amazon and super yacht lore) paywall. I can’t remember the last story that wasn’t. And second, I scrolled and I scrolled and I scrolled to find the answer to the question: what the hell is that?? I learned about the community and the bus ride and other snowboard venues but it took a long time to explain it was an old steel mill. But it wasn’t until I read the various quotes from the athletes that are participating in the Olympics after years of training that brought the answer to light.
“The whole industrial zone is really cool,” American freestyle skier Mac Forehand said. “I love how China repurposed it as something else and they don’t just leave it here dormant. It’s cool to see this jump in the middle of this abandoned factory. I hope we come back here in the future.”
Wow. Propaganda. Pure, unadulterated filtered, curated, planted propaganda. I suppose it’s better than what happened to Dutch reporter Sjoerd den Daas during his live broadcast from the Opening Ceremonies, when a security guard forcibly stopped the live interview.
For whatever reason, that video made me think of this apology video from John Cena prior to the release of F9 in China. His mistake? He accidentally called Taiwan a country. It was not well received and led to this. It’s super weird.
How managed is the narrative in China? Very. According to Reporters Without Borders:
Of the seven journalists and commentators detained for reporting on Covid-19, only two have been tried and convicted:
Former lawyer-turned-journalist Zhang Zhan, 37, was sentenced to four years in prison on 28th December 2020 on the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” for reporting live from the city of Wuhan during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Political commentator Ren Zhiqiang, 69, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on 22nd September 2020 on alleged corruption charges after he highlighted the failures of the regime in their handling of the pandemic.
Political commentator Guo Quan, 52, has been detained since 31st January in the city of Nanjing on the alleged charges of “subversion of state power'' after reporting online on the Covid-19 outbreak.
Press freedom defenders Cai Wei and Chen Mei, both 27, were arrested on 19th April on the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after they reposted censored Covid-19 news articles and are awaiting their trial, scheduled for April 2021.
Freelance journalist Chen Qiushi, 35, was forcibly quarantined on 6th February 2020 after posting videos on his blog revealing the chaos in the Wuhan hospitals and is believed to still be detained to this day.
Businessman-turned-journalist Fang Binwent missing on 9th February after reporting on hospital oversaturation in the city of Wuhan and is believed to be detained although his whereabouts have not been disclosed by the regime.
The Chinese regime, which has launched a global disinformation campaign to deflect criticism, is the world’s biggest captor of journalists with at least 119 press freedom defenders detained. China is ranked 177th out of 180 in the 2020 RSF World Press Freedom Index.
Seems like the stuff from a SciFi movie, doesn’t it? But it’s not. And in the West, we are slip, slip, sliding our way there.
One of the comments I have gotten most frequently over the 3.5 years since I started writing the #hottakeoftheday is “you say the stuff everyone is thinking. I can’t comment or like your stuff because I might be fired. But I agree with 95% of what you say.” Perhaps you too feel that way. And I get it, unequivocally people are punished for their views. Jennifer Sey, the former President of Levi’s penned this letter about her resigning/firing this week.
But it’s not just the threat of the loss of employment making people hold their tongues. For when it comes to China, 1.4 billion people represent the largest untapped market in the world and one misstep could close it off to you and your company. Which explains this clip from a CNBC interview from Ray Dalio in November, who ironically wrote ‘Principles.” It’s painful to watch.
Strict parents? Could his answer have anything to do with the fact be that Bridgewater (Mr. Dalio’s firm) just raised its largest China fund ever at $1.25 billion?From Lebron James to Nike, there is money to be made, and that money buys silence and gets puff pieces about neighborhood gentrification in the Washington Post.
Which brings me to the final clip, the second time I have to give props to Chamath Palihapitiya for saying the quiet part out loud. I dislike him immensely, but he’s dripping in transparency.
Like climate change, no one cares. Like freedom, no one cares. “They” only care about money. So when Trudeau invokes the Emergency Powers Act INSTEAD of removing unnecessary and ineffective restrictions on citizens in Canada while the CBC and CNN cheer, that should make you very, very concerned about staying quiet and acquiescence to any “it’s just 14 days” narrative. It’s time to speak up. Early, and often. Time is running out.
So yeah, it’s not a nuclear facility. It’s an old steel mill in the most beautiful neighborhood in Beijing.
👍 New format looks good and appreciate your continued efforts DRW!
BTW, its actually a steel plant that China shut down prior to the summer olympic games. https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/sports/nuclear-plant-beijing-olympics
But as much as we talk about China. The big one right now is Canada. They are shutting down our auto plants with these trucker protests.
Time for the US women to take it out on Canada tomorrow...So time to break out the maple syrup!
https://sports.yahoo.com/u-faces-canada-again-women-160024669.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall