Rip off the Emperor's New Clothes - The Great Translation Movement

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Wang Beiping China Labor Forum

As we all know, there is a world of difference between the CCP’s internal and external propaganda. Over the years, by establishing a strict public opinion control system, setting up network firewalls, controlling reviews, and taking advantage of the information asymmetry brought about by the information cocoon, it has better manipulated and fooled the Chinese people and served itself.

In February of this year, the Russian invasion of Ukraine took this approach to the extreme. On the one hand, it adopts a vague "neutral position" in the international arena, opposing sanctions against Russia and voting against and condemning Russia in the United Nations, but also providing so-called civilian material donations to Ukraine (which must be based on interest considerations) in an attempt to gain ground in the sea. Pretending to be a "good guy" in front of the masses, both inside and outside; these hypocrisy fooled the Zelensky regime into demanding that the Chinese government pressure Putin to stop the war. On the other hand, they recklessly allowed pro-Russian public opinion reports (including fake news) to openly support the war of aggression flooding the mainland online platforms, and even voiced their support for Russia through their own mouthpiece media, such as playing Russian official and private propaganda films to hint, but Restricting sympathy for Ukraine or propagating anti-war ideology and outflow of information, under the influence of this closed unilateral indoctrination, fanatical populist ideas that promote violence and belligerence are rampant on the mainland network. Taking the opportunity to take in and take away Ukrainian beauties” sexual harassment remarks have been swiped on major platforms.

In this context, the Great Translation Movement (TGTM) came into being. This is an online mass movement that emerged during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, aiming to translate the content of public opinion on the Chinese Internet, some reports from the Chinese Communist Party's official media, and the Chinese Communist Party's "control and brainwashing" of the Chinese people to show The populist and xenophobic stance of China under the Communist Party of China and the tragic picture of some Chinese cities under the zero-zero policy have prompted Chinese at home and abroad to disengage from fake news and political propaganda in mainland China. On March 17, the official Twitter of the Great Translation Movement stated that its purpose was not to discredit, but to faithfully translate "lies".

Break the CCP's double-sided sword

The Great Translation Movement originated among several Chinese sub-sections of the Reddit forum. The movement was composed of "post-00s Chinese scattered all over the world", who translated Chinese "local area network" speeches into English, French, German, and Japanese. , Korean and Arabic, "showing the words and deeds of mainlanders to the world from multiple perspectives, in-depth, and justified". In short, it is to break the information blockade and expose the CCP's double-sided propaganda lies and the populist fig leaf that has been rampant in China's state media for many years. It is not difficult to understand why the emergence of the Great Translation Movement immediately aroused extreme dissatisfaction and denunciation from major Chinese media, so much so that Sina Finance, The Paper, etc. repeatedly shouted, "Extreme remarks are not acceptable, and extreme remarks are unreasonable." , the slogan of "foreign forces with ulterior motives".

For the Great Translation Movement, we Marxists need to view it dialectically, it is full of contradictions. There are progressive and less progressive elements in sports. It can undoubtedly play a positive role in educating the masses and exposing state propaganda, but it alone will not bring about reform. It does not force the media of dictatorships to correct themselves. The existing system cannot improve itself through pressure. A political force is needed to use this information and link it to a program of struggle. Only building a mass workers' movement, organizing all the oppressed classes against dictatorship and capitalism, can bring about real change. At the same time, we should also pay attention to the complex composition of the Great Translation Movement. A large number of members pin their hopes on the illusory bourgeois democracy, and delusionally promote the so-called Westernization through cultural and propaganda work, and a considerable number of participants are also right-wing racists (because they hate the CCP, they are angry with the whole of China. group of people), it is impossible to bring about fundamental change, and the results achieved can only go so far.

The emergence of the Great Translation Movement is another symptom of the CCP - the political and economic virus is eroding the CCP (while crises are taking place in other capitalist countries around the world). More and more middle class and youth, and even the working class, despair of the existing order. Today's situation shows even more the need for a socialist outlet for the working class.