Opinion | Rise and fall of Tietou: Public's complex attitude toward 'fake product fighter'

By Darius

On August 27, the Public Security Bureau of Hangzhou's Binjiang District issued a notice stating that they had opened a case against Dong (online alias Tietou) and others on suspicion of extortion. Currently, Dong and others have been subjected to criminal enforcement measures by the public security authorities.

Chinese netizens who use Douyin or other short video platforms are probably familiar with Tietou, which means "iron head" in Chinese. Since 2023, the internet influencer has taken on the role of a "fake product fighter," releasing a series of content advocating for consumer rights, including addressing issues in seafood markets and reporting violations by New Oriental regarding illegal tutoring.

This "screaming-style" approach to exposing fraud and fake products has attracted significant attention and sparked considerable controversy.

Recently, this person committed another unusual act: urinating in front of the Yasukuni Shrine in Japan. Many Chinese applauded the move because the Shrine, which is "well-known" in China, is dedicated to many Japanese war criminals from World War II who committed serious crimes in the country.

To some extent, Tietou has done something that many Chinese people want: to humiliate and take revenge on vicious enemies and unfairness in reality.

However, did he do these things just out of his sense of justice, or are there some other things behind the story?

Stories of "fighters"

There have been several well-known "fake product fighters" in China.

Zang Jiaping, a man in Shandong Province, exposed a batch of counterfeit imported drugs and was later called the "fake drug buster" by the public. But, he was also the first "fake product fighter" who was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for extortion.

Chen Zhiqiang, a young man from Guangdong, began his career as a "fake product fighter" when he was only 18. According to him, he has earned more than RMB 100,000 by fighting against all in one year. But he still met troubles: the Public Security Bureau of a county in Guangdong filed a case against him on suspicion of extortion and blackmail (still in investigation though).

Ironically, so many counterfeiters end up being charged with "extortion". We can see, however, that this "position" is not a real "public service;" even if one initially enters this profession out of a sense of justice, over time, the purpose of the job becomes less pure.

This is understandable, as people cannot live solely on a sense of justice; they need to earn a real living. However, due to the unique nature of this profession, many times, in order to "earn" more money, fraud fighters begin to use the information at their disposal to "blackmail" others or companies, thereby seizing profits. One might say, "Those people are engaged in shady and dirty dealings and thus naturally deserve to be caught." Yes, sometimes it is satisfying to see seemingly invincible individuals fall from grace, but the behavior of extortion is still illegal.

Those who originally sought to combat wrongdoing ultimately break the law themselves, and the once noble dragon-slaying warriors become the very dragons they sought to defeat.

What's the big deal?

Now, netizens are mocking Tietou and his supporters, claiming that his outrageous behavior at the Yasukuni Shrine was just a bid for attention. However, just like those mindlessly supporting "Tietou," they are also mistaken about one thing: the rightness or wrongness of an action is not inherently linked to whether the person doing it is good or bad.

A person can do good deeds even if they are not good, and a good person can still make mistakes. Although Tietou became a criminal, he initially genuinely fought against counterfeit and inferior products. His subsequent actions have shown people he is not a truly pure "enforcer of justice." After the British took Hong Kong from the Qing government, it allowed Hong Kong to enter modernization ahead of time, leaving behind some meaningful legacies and cultural influences. However, no one can deny that the British were true invaders and had ill intentions toward China.

What saddens me most about the situation is the netizens' fickle attitude: they wholeheartedly supported Tietou simply because he did something they liked. However, once he was involved in illegal activities, they mocked him widely or conveniently forgot their previous support, as if he had always been a bad person from start to finish.

Fragmented information has made people more emotional and has made it difficult for them to piece together the complete facts, thereby preventing them from truly understanding the situation, as well as Tietou as an ordinary person in reality and the profession of "fake product fighters." Finding a way to engage in deep thinking in this era of fast consumption is not only the responsibility of media professionals but also something that ordinary people should consider.

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