Hello everyone, I am Anthony. Welcome to my channel. Today's show, let’s continue to explore Chinese society's self-deprecating online subculture.

In the previous video, we talked about Diaosi literature was popular on the Chinese Internet in the early years, that is, individuals use negative, derogatory or even insulting name as a symbol of self-referentiality and self-naming, and through constant self-deprecation on the Internet, catharsis and carnival.

After more than ten years of development, the Diaosi narrative is not only not dead, instead, in the workplace, education, various sub-areas such as original family, a more refined differentiation.

For example, words like test-taker, worker, ox-horse, etc. As China's social involution intensifies, this kind of self-deprecation, self-surrender, Mental Failure Method and the mad literature associated with it, Abstract culture, etc. Gradually becoming mainstream.

This also confirms that young people play an important role in social structure. The growing sense of powerlessness.

However, our resistance to this online subculture and critical, don't overestimate.

Although it expresses A certain dissatisfaction and resentment towards the social structure, but the strength and depth of this dissatisfaction and structure, it is actually very limited.

Not only that, these self-deprecating orgies are in another dimension, it is precisely to consolidate and maintain, reproduction of the hierarchical order.

If we must say what this culture really deconstructs, so, it is the transcendence and subjectivity of the self, deconstructed.

As for social order and mainstream ideology, it is motionless.

This is also destined, it hardly points to a meaningful action.

Today's video, let’s explore this further. These words, how is it cryptically reproduction of the hierarchical order.

One more thing before we start, if you are interested in today's video, interested or do you have any topic you want to discuss with me? You can contact my email to make an appointment. Let's get back to our topic today.

First, let’s talk about individual participation, this collective self-mockery, why does it bring pleasure?

I believe everyone still remembers, in this video on January 4th, we mentioned Althusser's view, that is, the manipulation of people by various ideologies in modern society often not through direct and violent and naked orders, tell people, you have to obey your own subjectivity, you have to obey yourself.

However, this subjectivity, it is not necessarily the true subjectivity of the individual, it is induced by ideology. Subjectivity is the result of individual misrecognition.

Coercive state apparatus and the ideological state apparatus. The difference between the two is: Coercive state apparatus mainly through violence and coercion to play a functional, such as the army, police, courts, prisons, etc.

The ideological state apparatus mainly through ideological means to control people, such as schools, religions, media, cultural industries, etc.

Therefore, compared to direct violence, ideological manipulation to be more subtle and concealed, that is, interpellation.

In French, the word "call" means to call someone. For example, in the military, the officer called your name. You will answer subconsciously.

In school, the teacher calls your name, you will subconsciously sit up straight and raise your head.

This is because ideology in the Army and Schools assigning the identity of "good soldier" or "good student" to individuals, and issue orders in the name of an individual.

For example, you are not obeying your superiors and teachers. You are becoming a better version of yourself.

However, this kind of identity recognition and identity construction often it is not the result of individual choice. But once an individual chooses to accept this identity, it is no longer an individual in the natural sense.

It will gradually internalize the ideological standards.

For example, a student realized "Good students should work hard to get high scores" Because "grades represent ability, It represents the intrinsic value of my whole being.” then When the student violates school discipline, Even if no teacher criticized him, Or no one noticed him. He still feels guilty and miserable. Even if the teacher praises him, It can't offset his self-blame. Because he felt he had violated himself.

This is the manifestation of individuals internalizing school ideology. In this case, individuals do not just follow some external rules. Rather, the individual and the evaluation rules are completely unified. Fully internalized the authority of the school evaluation system and uniqueness.

Generally speaking, this close integration only when you encounter some major setbacks and frustrations, only then can gaps be created.

Ideology, it also guides mutual recognition between individuals. Since all individuals are referred to as "students", Even without the supervision of school ideology, After the students left the school, It will still be based on grades and rankings. Or judging each other by academic qualifications or other standards, Reproducing school ideology.

For example, if you see someone go to a top university, It was also successful later, I subconsciously think, He must have been admitted to this university. That's what gave him such strong abilities.

Seeing someone didn't get into college, I subconsciously think, The other party will most likely fail in the future.

Although this judgment is often in line with reality, for example, someone who dropped out of college because of depression, After entering the society, I also encountered many setbacks and hardships.

However, the explanations for this phenomenon can be quite different. For example, his failure and frustration were not because he dropped out of school, Rather, it is the whole society's recognition of the school's ideology. Constantly giving him negative and pessimistic psychological hints, Make him feel like a loser. This caused him to lose confidence in learning.

That is to say, if he could live in a country that is very tolerant of dropping out of school, In an environment that respects individual values ​​and potential, Even if he dropped out of school, He may also develop outstanding abilities. Dropping out of school itself is not a decisive factor.

The reproduction function of ideology is also reflected in those ideological rebels, Often they have not really escaped from the original system.

For example, a student hates the school rules and regulations, He put all his energy into violating school rules, skipping classes, dyeing hair.

For him, There's no particular value in doing this. Just because these behaviors are defined as rebellion by the school.

However, his life still revolves around school. If he really has a deep reflection on the school ideology, He should focus his energy directly, Focus on accumulating more important abilities, Do what you really want to do, Don't care at all or Just pay minimal attention to the school rules.

Because of his rebellious and Not built on a solid foundation, Therefore, his personality is also extremely fragile.

For example, after he entered society, Once you hit a wall, it's easy to regret. Maybe even teach your children in the future, “You can have personality, But you still have to study hard, Don’t be like me.”

In addition, ideology, It also has strong self-repair capabilities. Even if someone wants to criticize ideology, There will also be strong resistance from ideology.

For example, we have previously introduced The educational system criticized by Bourdieu, How does it reproduce social inequality?

Then a wise teacher might say to his students, Bourdieu's criticism of education is profound. Correct. But everyone should pay attention, Bourdieu, Louis-le-Grand Lycée, Graduated from École Normale Supérieure. If this were in China, is equivalent to The super-successful student who has been studying at TOPS in Haidian District since childhood.

So, You should first get into a key high school and a key university. The teacher's rebuttal is very clever. Most students shut up when they get here.

This reflects A powerful reproduction of ideology and self-healing capabilities. It can be done in a seemingly enlightened way, Selectively absorb those who criticize you, and convert it into Another argument for its own legitimacy.

It makes the individual feel, Reflection and criticism are a luxury in themselves. The winner in the system, An advanced activity that only. You want to criticize and challenge the system, Must obey the system first. Accept the harm of the system. But in this process, You have already unconsciously Transformed and domesticated by ideology. Eventually lost critical.

Through the above discussion, We can find, Ideology is not only everywhere, And has tenacious vitality. When individuals accept ideology, The identity given to oneself, It is inevitable To accept the ideal subject set by ideology and failed subjects.

For example, the ideology after the reform and opening up, This is the concept of struggle: In the field of education, emphasize The College Entrance Examination as the Most Important Mechanism for Class Mobility. The ideal subject being called Through hard study, Intellectual elites who change personal destiny.

In the economic field, Refusal to acknowledge any structural problems, Emphasize that personal worldly achievements are the only value of human beings. The ideal subject being questioned Consumers with strong shopping desires.

However, Many people have found Not only did I not pass the knowledge, Truly change your personal destiny, They do not have strong spending power. Instead, I feel The gap between oneself and one's ideal self is widening.

That is to say, I am gradually becoming Losers defined by ideology. This descent is slow, anxious, and painful.

So individuals devalue themselves, Even degraded myself, A level that is seriously unrealistic. For example, losers, test-takers, etc. this Instead, it can play a role in satirizing ideology. Exposing the absurdity of ideology. Thus, he temporarily escaped the call of ideology.

Since I can't succeed, Then I will fail. Even more unsuccessful than you thought. This makes the success narrative ridiculous. This kind of mental failure, It is also the fundamental driving force of the Diaosi narrative in Chinese society.

For example, a white-collar worker working in an office, Making fun of myself online every day, I am just a bricklayer. This can play a role in satirizing workplace ideology. If he is really a bricklayer on a construction site, So, This kind of self-mockery lacks the ironic tension at all. It's a statement of reality. Of course there is no pleasure at all.

Another Key to the Mental Failure Method, Turning passivity into initiative. This reduces the shame of being humiliated and judged. That is to say, instead of waiting for authority and evaluation system, Suddenly give me a negative label in the future, I'd rather humiliate myself first. Taunt. That way I have nothing to lose. No more anxiety.

This is similar to In SM games, Being abused is painful in itself. However, when the masochist actively chooses to be masochistic, Turning passivity into initiative, On the contrary, psychologically Gained a subtle sense of control. As if I could control the pain. On what occasion, When does it happen? A victory over pain. This way the parties can feel, Pain doesn't come suddenly. I had arranged it in advance. It happened according to my plan. It's the result of my choice. So I eliminated Anxiety caused by passivity and uncertainty.

Of course, the SM game itself, It is based on the knowledge and consent of both parties. Therefore, this kind of role-playing is understandable. But people who participate in online self-deprecation, To a large extent, I got into this game unconsciously.

In fact, we can find, This self-mockery that seems to deconstruct ideology, On the surface, it touches on the issue of class, In fact, in another obscure way, Realized the reproduction of a certain old order.

For example, the original meaning of the "Xing Gong Zhuan" stalk is: "Wake up, the foreman is calling you to get up and move bricks" Many people use this joke, Expressing some dissatisfaction with the boss and workplace oppression.

But as we said before, The person who played this joke, They are basically white-collar workers working in offices. Self-deprecation with moving bricks, Precisely because Their work is different from real brick-moving work, Have enough distance.

This sense of distance, Making brick-moving a symbol of humor, It does not threaten their identity. result, This kind of self-mockery not only did not touch any class barriers, Instead, through the appropriation of symbols, Strengthened the invisible concept that "moving bricks equals low-level labor".

The same is true for the “working people” stalk. This makes Real manual laborer, Even moving bricks and working, The right to use these symbols does not. This actually exacerbated their cultural and public opinion Further exclusion and marginalization.

They are not only not the main body of failure, Even the qualifications to enter the main coding system None. It has become what Zizek calls the "real world". That is, a blind spot that cannot enter the symbolic world.

For example, I once saw an employee of a large factory, Complaining about working too much overtime online, Finally asked: Is this an Internet company? Or an assembly line electronics factory? This obviously implies this Electronics factory workers deserve to have no human rights.

This is just a moment, The universality and justice of one's rights protection, Completely dissolved. This is the case with many things in China. The resistance of the oppressed, It may also support another kind of oppression.

For example, there is a popular self-deprecating trend among Chinese college students. For your own school, Give it a name similar to a specialty. For example, Tsinghua University is located in Wudaokou, Haidian District. So it's called Wudaokou Vocational and Technical College.

Shanghai Jiaotong University is located in Minhang District, Known as Minhang Institute of Technology Or Dongchuan Road Vocational and Technical College.

Another example is Southeast University, located in Nanjing. But many students call their school "Fujian University Third Class" etc.

This is of course also a similar kind of self-mockery and self-deprecation. Lowering society's expectations of you, Thus alleviating the problem of not meeting social expectations, The anxiety caused.

But it is similar to the jokes about working and moving bricks. Although it superficially attempts to deconstruct school ideology, The pressure on individuals, But in fact, It is through the direct occupation of college or three-year symbols, To convey a secret sense of superiority.

This just consolidates the school's ideology. Because this kind of ridicule itself, It is also built on some kind of barrier. At least a 211 or higher university, Only then can I play this kind of joke.

If a student from a second-tier university, I also joked that my school is a junior college. You will lose that contrast and tension. Because the boundary between the second-tier college and the junior college, It's actually quite blurry.

So self-deprecating, On the contrary, it is more likely to strengthen the outside world's prejudice against them.

In China, the original meaning of self-deprecation is, Perhaps it includes the deconstruction of social hierarchy, But in practice, However, it often exacerbates the marginalization of vulnerable groups. and anonymization.

Students from junior colleges or third-tier universities, They also became a group that could not enter the symbolic realm. The concepts of "junior college" and "three-year college", Just like "working people" and "moving bricks", It has gone beyond its own meaning, It has become a kind of derogatory energy value in a general sense.

These words, Both reflect China’s structural inequality. Very severe. It's so serious that even if some people resist, This structure, It is still based on the existing order. Implicit Identity and reproduction.

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