China’s cancel culture is nationalist, not woke

Dog jokes are usually fairly inoffensive. The audience laughed when Li Haoshi, a Beijing-based comedian, wisecracked at a show on May 13th about seeing his two dogs chasing a squirrel. The dogs’ zeal, he said, reminded him of military slogans associated with the People’s Liberation Army (pla): “Forge exemplary conduct! Fight to win!” The slogans have become something of a motto for the armed forces (and are also favourites of President Xi Jinping). The incident may have ended Mr Li ‘s career.

His joke was recorded and posted on Weibo, a social-media platform. Nationalists claimed he was comparing the pla to dogs. Outrage built. Hashtags about the joke received over a billion views. Within days Beijing’s police had started an investigation. They have not said what Mr Li will be charged with, but he has already been banned from performing. The media company he worked for was fined $2m for “wantonly slandering the glorious image of the pla”. Its line-up of shows was cancelled.