Corruption Is Guilty, Anti-Corruption Is Meritorious—All Damn Lies

 Corruption Is Guilty, Anti-Corruption Is Meritorious—All Damn Lies

Once upon a time, in my naive youth, I, like many good citizens, despised the corrupt officials of the Communist Party with every fiber of my being. Once upon a time, in that same naive youth, I, like many good citizens, cheered for the Communist Party’s anti-corruption campaigns. But now? I don’t give a damn about their anti-corruption efforts anymore, and I don’t even care about their corrupt officials either. My indifference to the former needs little explanation—after all, the Party’s habit of turning funerals into festivals when it comes to anti-corruption is so over-the-top that any sensible person just laughs it off. But my indifference to the latter? That deserves more unpacking. Is it because I’ve lost my moral compass, to the point I no longer hate even the most obvious villains? I don’t think so—I can assure you I still eat human food every day. Is it because I can’t tell right from wrong anymore, to the point I feel no disgust for thieves everyone wants to beat? Probably not—I can assure you the shit I take daily is still human. Is it because I’ve gone numb, so coldly indifferent that I ignore even the most sin-laden crooks? No, I don’t think so. Here’s the kicker: compared to the likes of “patriotic traitors” like Hu Xijin, Jin Canrong, Sima Nan, and Zhang Weiwei, corrupt officials who are merely tangled up in economic graft—no matter how much they’ve stolen—still come off as decent folks in my book. Of course, I know in reality there’s no such thing as a corrupt official who’s only involved in economic corruption. Those in education are often heartless bastards, those in healthcare are practically murderers for profit, those in eldercare are beasts in human clothing—I get it, I can extrapolate. But I still won’t budge from my earlier stance. Why? Bear with me as I explain why, in the Communist Party’s world, “corruption is guilty, anti-corruption is meritorious” is nothing but damn lies.

What’s the essence of corruption? With my crude understanding, I roughly reckon it’s unfairness. Economic corruption is the unfairness of wealth; systemic corruption is the unfairness of power; ideological corruption is the unfairness of information. Sure, I get that no matter where or when, as long as humans exist, absolute fairness in wealth, power, or information is impossible and probably shouldn’t be. But to screw these three things up into the absolute clusterfuck that is today’s Chinese society? Historically speaking, that’s damn near scorpion-tail-level unique. Even in the animal kingdom, such blatant unfairness is rare. Of course, this comes with the preconditions of China’s vast size and its citizens’ sheer gullibility, but mostly it’s because: the Party says everything is for the people, yet the Party says the Party is the people; the Party says rule by law, yet the Party insists on absolute Party leadership; the Party says it seeks happiness for the people, yet the Party only cares about its own cronies’ happiness; the Party says it aims for common prosperity, yet the Party is the richest entity in human history; the Party says no one should dominate, yet the Party calls the final shot; the Party says raise your hand if you disagree, then says there’s no one, none; the Party says green waters and mountains are gold and silver, yet the Party sends rice paddies up the hills; the Party says corruption is guilty, yet the Party performs anti-corruption for merit—and on and on, an endless list of slogans, standards, and logic so rotten even an idiot could smell the bullshit, dominating everything in today’s China. Fairness? Fairness my ass! Not only is pursuing fairness a joke, but putting “Party” and “fairness” too close together in a sentence is an insult to the word itself.

The Party says it seeks equality in education. I’d bet my life that, overall, Party members get the most pampered treatment in education. Rich folks outside the Party? They’re nothing compared to Party insiders—not even in the same league. Otherwise, explain why foreign Party “guests” get study buddies—opposite-sex ones at that. What’s dignity worth? The Party says it seeks equality in healthcare. I’d swear that, overall, Party members get the best perks in healthcare. Doctors not directly tied to the Party? Useless—not even the same breed. Otherwise, walk into any decent hospital and see—the VIP wards for cadres or high-ranking officials are always the best. Don’t have the rank? Forget staying there—you won’t even find the door. What’s a life worth? The Party says it seeks equality in eldercare. I’d stake my soul that, overall, Party members get the sweetest deal in eldercare. Long-lived folks outside the Party? Screw them—not even the same concept. Otherwise, check out any backward village—how many elders there have never seen a hospital till they die? Are they even human? And on and on—fairness, fairness my granddaddy’s balls! Dream on—maybe you’ll find it in your sleep.

Sigh! Let out a long breath, set emotions aside, and look at the issue—look at the wealth unfairness in Communist China. Blend the fantastical with reality: for corrupt officials merely tied to economic graft, no matter how much they’ve pocketed, can you still muster the energy to hate them? Honestly, I can’t even be bothered to feel disgust—it’s pointless. Here’s a maybe-not-quite-right but filthy-enough analogy: on the issue of opposing the Party, if I chased after economically corrupt officials, it’d feel like chasing flies in a cesspit—pure wasted effort. Think about it: just on economic corruption alone, the Party—the glorious Chinese Communist Party—has made wealth unfairness blatantly reasonable, rational, and legal from every angle, every level, every corner. It doesn’t even bother hiding it. No, wait, that’s not quite right—“corruption is guilty” might just be its smokescreen. But let’s be real: they’ve played this hand so damn well—too damn well—that they’ve probably fooled even themselves. How many Party opponents they’ve tricked? Hell if I know—maybe a lot, maybe a few. Who cares?

I’ve rambled on, not too serious and full of profanity, but I’ve basically explained half of why “corruption is guilty, anti-corruption is meritorious” is damn lies in the Party’s world. The other half? For most clear-headed folks, it doesn’t even need explaining. Think about it: for a party that rules everything, if anti-corruption is meritorious in the economic sphere, how could corruption be guilty? “Corruption is guilty” is a lie; “anti-corruption is meritorious” can’t be anything but a lie too. That’s a bit convoluted, so let’s try another analogy. Picture the Party as a pitch-black, man-eating bear, rotten inside and out. Its anti-corruption is like this bear noticing one paw’s fur is a bit dark, so it slaps it with the other paw, getting off on itself while slapping. Mid-thrill, it might notice the slapping paw’s fur is dark too, so it switches and keeps slapping, keeps climaxing—on and on, building a performative habit. This bear will never realize that not a speck of it—genes, guts, lungs—is white. And if it doesn’t see it, nothing outside it should either—don’t forget, it eats people. But no matter how scary it gets, I’ve got to say to all real black bears out there (even the man-eaters): Sorry! Comparing the Party to you is an insult to you. Oh, and black bears, while we’re on insults, I’ve got a whisper for you: It’s not just me insulting you—the Party does too. Did you know? As the entity hoarding and wielding the most wealth in human history, a core tenet of the Party’s ideology is that wealth is guilty! Did you know? This isn’t just an insult to all humans—including me—it doesn’t even spare you guys.

No, wait, I missed two words—it shouldn’t be “all humans” but “almost all humans.” I don’t care what others think, but in my crude worldview, even black bears (man-eaters included) aren’t spared. Except, I’ve got to leave out the “patriotic traitors” like Hu Xijin, Jin Canrong, Sima Nan, and Zhang Weiwei. Because I genuinely believe it’s their existence and dominance that’s turned wealth unfairness on this ancient, weathered land into the mess it is today—so unfair that “corruption is guilty” is basically a sham. Think about it: why is wealth so unfair? The most direct reason is power’s unfairness. Why is power so unfair? The most direct reason is information’s unfairness. Or put it this way: ideological corruption breeds systemic corruption, and systemic corruption inevitably breeds economic corruption. Worse still, under the Party’s glorious leadership, goddamn it, the chain works backward too—does that even make sense? Is there any justice? Any humanity? Right now, I want to “ask not the heavens but the ghosts and gods,” but damn it, I can only ask myself. And after asking, I’ll say this: chaos, confusion, a mushy mess—it’s the hallmark of the Party, of communist ideology. Ideological corruption—information unfairness—is their true color. In the Party’s eyes, ideological corruption is great, glorious, and correct—what guilt? Extremism, tyranny, utter inhumanity—it’s the hallmark of the Party, of communist power. Systemic corruption—power unfairness—is their true color too. In the Party’s eyes, systemic corruption is radiant, honorable, invincible—what guilt? If ideological and systemic corruption aren’t guilty in the Party’s world, how the hell could economic corruption be? Following the logic from before: “corruption is guilty” is just damn lies, and “anti-corruption is meritorious” is even more damn lies.

Lies! Lies! The biggest lies on this land come from none other than the “patriotic traitors” like Hu Xijin, Jin Canrong, Sima Nan, and Zhang Weiwei—the spawn of the biggest patriotic traitor of all. They’re the root of the problem. Got it? I’m already a bit lost myself!

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Tuesday, July 25, 2023