Amidst a deteriorating political and economic environment in China, there are often popular phrases or sentences emerging on the internet that reflect the sentiments of the grassroots people. On June 15th, the topic labeled “The Life of Ordinary People: Heroes in Prosperity, Cannon Fodder in Chaos” surged to the top of Weibo’s hot search list, deeply touching many netizens who lamented the solidification of social classes and the hardships of life.
The commonly circulated full sentence on the internet goes: “The life of ordinary people, heroes in times of prosperity, cannon fodder in times of chaos, they are exploited in peace and used in war. Do not speak to me about being rewarded with titles, one’s achievements leading to the withering of thousands of bones. A peaceful era is where heroes arise; yet heroes are nowhere to be found enjoying the peace.” The phrase “Do not speak to me about being rewarded with titles, one’s achievements leading to the withering of thousands of bones” is borrowed from the poetry of Cao Song from the Tang Dynasty, emphasizing the sense of powerlessness of individuals in grand narrative settings.
Netizens expressed, “With a monthly salary of three thousand, one fights against national enemies; with an annual salary of a million, one holidays in the United States. Wealth and honor elude the common people, as the battlefield is filled with the souls of the masses. If there is fame and fortune in the fields, why should the shepherd boy study behind closed doors? In this society, when the country faces difficulties, it is the responsibility of the common man to act; when the common man faces difficulties, they must take matters into their own hands.”
“In this era, the rich and the ordinary people have already built a wall between them. The life of ordinary people is about getting up early, working late, and taking care of the elderly and the young, all while earning meager wages. If you are wealthy, would you be friends with such a group?”
“Those at the very bottom of society have no time or energy to learn, no time or energy to think, and find it incredibly challenging to plan for the future. The resources they can access are extremely scarce, their social connections are extremely limited, and dealing with reality has left them exhausted, making social mobility virtually nonexistent.”
“To make matters worse, platforms like Douyin, Kuaishou, Toutiao, Xiaohongshu, and other easily addictive forms of digital entertainment have occupied the majority of people’s leisure and free time, leaving them with even less time to reflect on themselves, change their reality, and consider their future.”
“Therefore, the current situation is that most people are trapped in a social hierarchy, confined within a circle that restricts them, making it difficult for many to break free…”