(Washington Watch) The controversy of shifting the image and changing the flag keeps arguing

　　China News Service, Washington, July 4th, Title: Shifting images, changing flags, controversy continues, American race issues stuck in historical narrative

　　China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong

　　After the large-scale demonstrations in the United States were triggered in early June, the death of American African-American man George Floyd once again set off a campaign to clear historical statues and commemorative signs involving racism. From the White House Congress to the campus stadium, between "broken" and "established", American society is caught in a debate about the historical cognition of racism and the expression of political positions.

　　This trend initially stemmed from anti-racial discrimination protesters who smeared or overthrowed statues of historical Confederate military and political figures during the American Civil War. These statues are considered a symbol of slavery and racism. Since then, the movement has gradually expanded to remove flags, logos, names and other fields related to the history of racism.

　　Similar voices have appeared as early as 2017. In that year, the "White Supreme" march in Charlottesville, Virginia triggered violent clashes, and many cities in the eastern United States had initiated the removal of Confederate statues. "Today, many places are regaining these unfinished work and sending a strong signal," the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) statistics said that the movement has affected nearly 140 Confederate statues in at least 29 states, of which 92 The statue has been removed.

　Interpretation of ethnic history

　　The National Public Radio (NPR) analyzed that the Freud incident, the new crown epidemic, and the controversial words and deeds of US President Trump on racial issues are the main reasons for the scale and actual results of this campaign far exceeding previous years.

　　The analysis pointed out that at the time of the Freud incident, the Americans were in "home isolation" due to the new crown epidemic. This has given rise to unprecedented attention to the issue of racial injustice, and has become a "venting outlet" for people's emotions. On the other hand, African Americans are more severely hit by the epidemic, both financially and healthly, than other ethnic groups. This also led to more people taking to the streets to express their dissatisfaction.

　　At the same time, the movement was strongly blocked by the White House and conservatives. On June 22, a group of demonstrators trying to pull down the statue of former President Andrew Jackson on the north side of the White House were dispersed by the police. Trump then signed an executive order stipulating that those who destroy historical statues and monuments can be sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. In Richmond, Virginia, the motion to remove the statue of Robert Lee, a Confederate general in the city center, was postponed indefinitely by the judge.

　　Fu Suixin, an assistant researcher at the American Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of International Studies, believes that the statues of historical figures are both a carrier of historical memory and an open expression of specific political views. The removal of the statue is essentially a reinterpretation of American history, a redistribution of interests, and a reconstruction of American identity.

Identity Reconstruction

　　Perez, a professor of political science and psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that the proportion of non-white people in the United States is close to 40% of the total population, and it is still growing. "They no longer regard themselves as minorities in terms of identity. People of ethnic origin, refusing to accept any view that their lives are on the verge of politics."

　　According to 2018 estimates by the US Census Bureau, the white population in the United States accounts for about 60.4% of the total population, and the proportion of white people under the age of 15 for the first time fell to less than half (49.9%).

　　"This movement has incidental factors such as the Freudian incident. The deeper reason is that the race relations and demographic structure of the United States may have reached a certain "critical point." "Fu Suixin told reporters from China News Service that with the growth of the ethnic minorities in the United States, they naturally demand more interpretation of American history from their own perspectives. This may break the narrative of American history with white people as the main perspective."

Reshuffle the political landscape

　　In a recent program, the American Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBS) pointed to an important background of this movement: Obama was elected as the first African-American president in American history, inspiring the political expression of minorities; and the current president Lampe's campaign relied mainly on conservative voters, mainly white, while pursuing a tough immigration policy. After experiencing two presidents with very different skin colors and political backgrounds, the political divisions within American society have been further widened.

　　And in the election year, such a large-scale and long-term racial disputes broke out, and American public opinion discovered some new situations. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, voters of different political orientations in the United States support this anti-racial discrimination protest by 67%. Among them, the support rate of white groups reached 60%. Analysts believe that this shows that more intermediate voters may stand on the side of anti-racists and liberals in the general election.

　　The "Washington Post" analysis pointed out that racial issues have always been a controversial topic in the US election. Some policies and words and deeds of the current government have prompted a larger and more diverse group to support the above-mentioned movement. Great changes have taken place."

　　On the eve of Independence Day, Trump flew to South Dakota and delivered a speech under Mount Rushmore. He condemned the demonstrators for damaging the historical statues, and said that "they are not allowed to defame American heroes and erase American history and values." On the same day, he signed an executive order requesting the federal government department to build or rebuild historical figures in public parks and squares.

　　"How American society reaches consensus on history can be said to be a political game. In the future, the historical interpretation of racism in the United States may become more diverse." Fu Suixin believes that how to reinterpret the historical memory of Americans, How to reconcile the interests of different ethnic groups and how to construct a new identity is still a major challenge facing the United States. (Finish)