With the issue of the South China Sea arbitration making headlines, some angry Chinese netizens posted pictures and videos online of them smashing their iPhones to show their patriotism.
The “smash” then went viral on social media, evolving into an appeal to boycott goods made by foreign countries, including the U.S., Japan and South Korea.
A simple fact is, no one can live in a country completely free from foreign influences in a time of globalization and integration. The smashers, and their phones, are not excepted from this.
Take the smartphone for example. Even if you smash your iPhone and choose a Chinese brand smartphone, you will probably still be using processors, display screens and operating systems from foreign companies. Most of the smartphone makers in China are still reliant on products made by Qualcomm, Samsung and Google.
Let’s look at the victim of the “smash”, the iPhone. Apple has been enjoying good sales of its iPhones worldwide. Although the iPhone smartphone sales saw the first year-on-year drop in Q4 2015, Apple still managed to sell 51.2 million iPhones, and ranked second among the world’s top five smartphone vendors in Q1 2016, according to a report by American market research firm IDC.
How about the “smashers”, those who support the boycott? Some of them may actually have embarrassed themselves.
Filled with righteous fury, they posted patriotic words and pictures in their Weibo, calling others to reject foreign products. But the Weibo posts inadvertently revealed that the “smashers” were posting with their Apple or Samsung smartphones. Evidence can be seen below. Here is a taste of their comments:
I decide not to buy! Even the drinks are from American and Japanese! No American or Japanese goods!
–Gengxiang up
Do this if you are Chinese. Everyone is responsible. Foreign countries will use your money to fight your country, idiots!
–xiaoxiaoxiaoxiao
Chinese have been enjoying buying foreign goods and traveling in foreign countries. It is the Chinese who have been feeding the foreign devil. Starve them to death by refusing their goods from now on.
–Tianxiedetian
(Top photo from bilibili.kankanews.com)