From the New Yorker, on the Wall Street Journal‘s recent profile of a Chinese leader’s son:
A Chinese “Absurdistan” needs a conflicted iconoclast, a figure torn between the tug of China’s commercial bounty and the critical imperative to keep his distance—let’s say, an outspoken, frequently-censored blogger who does glamour-spots for an instant-coffee company.
The blogger in question asks, “Can’t you be independent, and free of influence, and still rely on advertising?”
I like watching the video above — the independent, iconoclastic Chinese blogger forced to shill instant coffee — in conjunction with the Wall Street Journal‘s infographic about the children of Chinese leaders (who are, apparently, known as “princelings”). Is this what the 99% looks like, in China?
(Also, can you imagine if we referred to the sons of the CEO of Goldman Sachs as “princelings?” I have to say, their career trajectory wouldn’t be out of place on that earlier infographic.)
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