By Darius
Who is Sima Nan?
Most users on Chinese forums are familiar with this name. As a "patriotic blogger," Sima Nan is not his real name; however, it seems that this "patriotic figure" may not be a real patriot either. After all, what kind of patriotic person would embezzle millions in taxes?
Someone has given Mr. Sima a nickname: "Stuck Head." It is said that while visiting his daughter in the United States, Mr. Sima got his head caught in the corner between an escalator and a floor at the airport, hence the nickname "Stuck Head."
It is rather ironic that while Mr. Sima constantly criticizes the United States in his works, he allows his family to settle there.
Some sharp commentators online have even remarked, "For Mr. Sima, opposing America is his job, while going to America is his dream."
Interestingly, this blogger, who has now become a representative of "double-dealing," participated in a series of activities against feudal superstition and illegal medical practices in the 1990s. During this period, he encountered numerous dangers but still insisted on completing his investigations.
If his career had ended there, I might have had some admiration for him. However, his actions gradually took a strange turn.
After 2010, he began to adopt "emotional display" as his calling card, making statements targeting specific groups and forming his own version of "political correctness." His emotional, exaggerated, and sensational commentary style closely resembles that of American yellow journalism magnate William Randolph Hearst, though his scale and level are far, far from comparable.
During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Sima Nan made many "customized statements," including but not limited to, "Zelensky dares not look Putin in the eye" and "Resolving the Ukraine issue is a piece of cake." Of course, many of these claims lack substantial evidence, but the attention and benefits they generated were quite considerable. With speech costs being nearly zero and no accountability, making exaggerated statements to "capture public attention" became a very "effective" way to make money.
However, after Trump's victory in the presidential election, Mr. Sima's accounts suddenly and silently stopped updating. This, unfortunately, led to a flurry of conspiracy theories, with some even claiming he had "taken money from Joe Biden" to make bizarre statements to disrupt public opinion in China. Now, according to reports from CCTV, Sima Nan is involved in tax evasion and has been fined over RMB 9 million.
In this context, Mr. Sima's silence has become "deafening." The huge fine not only causes him financial loss but also raises questions about whether he will still have a place on the internet in the future. Upon hearing this news, I did not feel any sense of satisfaction, but rather a sense of regret: the once fearless crusader for truth, who dared to face violence, has ultimately become a representative of double-dealing and lawlessness.
This trope of "the dragon-slaying hero turning into another evil dragon" need not be played out again!
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