friday, april 3 , 2020. the washington post eZ re A21
FRIDAY Opinion
W
hen President Trump spoke last
week with Chinese President Xi Jin-
ping, the leaders agreed to tamp
down their war of words over the
novel coronavirus — but the truce is temporary.
The Chinese Communist Party’s brazen cam-
paign of lies and distortion is just an example of
the new information environment the United
States and its partners must now come together
to confront.
Several administration officials told me the
public cooling off with Beijing is beneficial for
both sides in the short term. Reports that
Trump was persuaded by Xi’s “aggressive flat-
tery” to stop saying “Chinese virus” miss the
larger context. There was an interagency deci-
sion to push back on claims by Chinese officials
that this coronavirus originated in the United
States, a necessary but also costly effort.
Trump was routinely accused of inciting
racism against Asian Americans. Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo’s insistence on using the
term “Wuhan virus” was one factor that pre-
vented the Group of Seven from issuing a joint
statement. The issue of blaming the Chinese
Communist Party got conflated with blaming
Chinese people and politicized by both sides.
The United States is now in dire need of
medical supplies, many of which are coming
from China. If China’s leaders are willing to stop
telling lies about us, we can pause pointing out
the most embarrassing truths about them. But
the detente won’t last long.
This is chiefly because the coronavirus crisis
has revealed that Beijing’s propaganda and
political interference strategy has entered a
new era. The Chinese government’s official
public diplomacy organs, large corporations,
state-controlled m edia and a new army of social
media bots and trolls are now working in
seamless coordination all over the world.
Last week, ProPublica released a report
tracking more than 10,000 fake or hijacked
Twitter accounts connected to the Chinese
government that have been engaged in
c oronavirus-related propaganda worldwide.
Twitter had frozen an additional 200,000 ac-
counts before they went active. The Alliance for
Securing Democracy now tracks Chinese infor-
mation operations, along with Russian ones, in
real time. Its research shows Chinese govern-
ment propaganda efforts online are more ex-
tensive, confident and sophisticated than ever.
Beijing is fusing its coronavirus propaganda
and a id distribution. Chinese tech giant Huawei
has been focusing donations of equipment and
support on countries where it is competing for
5G contracts. After the European Union’s de
facto foreign minister Josep Borrell suggested
Beijing was playing the “politics of generosity,”
Huawei announced it would scale back sending
masks to Europe, essentially proving Borrell’s
point.
Countries around the world are suddenly
waking up to the real dangers of depending on
China for aid or information. Chinese medical
equipment sent to the Netherlands, the Czech
Republic, Spain and Turkey turned out to be
defective. There are reports t hat Britain’s l eader-
ship is so furious about Beijing’s coronavirus-
r elated m ischief and lies that legislation to a llow
Huawei into their 5G networks n ow risks f ailure.
“The attitude in Parliament has certainly
hardened. It’s exposed what many of us knew,
which is that the Chinese Communist Party is
quite willing to prioritize its own survival over
anybody else’s interests,” British member of
Parliament To m Tugendhat told me.
Beijing is now showing a bit more transpar-
ency, this week revealing there were large
numbers of asymptomatic coronavirus cases
previously omitted from their public account-
ing. As White House coronavirus response
coordinator Deborah Birx said Tuesday, Bei-
jing’s manipulation of the numbers caused
delay and cost lives.
But calling out Chinese government propa-
ganda is not enough. The United States needs to
lead the world in a coordinated strategy to
compete. And in Congress, Republicans and
Democrats need to work together to help edu-
cate the public and bolster our system’s resil-
ience to Beijing’s tactics.
This week, a group of Republican lawmakers
is introducing a bill that would authorize sanc-
tions against any foreign officials who suppress
or distort information about public health cri-
ses. The legislation, led by Sens. Tom Cotton
(R-Ark.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), is named
after Li Wenliang, the whistleblower doctor in
Wuhan, China, who was at first punished for his
revelations — and later praised b y Beijing before
he died of coronavirus.
When Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced a
similar measure last month in the House, some
Democratic lawmakers accused him of fueling
racism; the lone Democratic co-sponsor,
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), withdrew his
support under pressure, blaming Trump. Part
of the CCP’s strategy is to exacerbate divisions
inside our political system and dismiss any
criticism of Beijing’s actions as racist.
Republicans must be more sensitive to the
real racism Asian Americans face, and Demo-
crats must not reflexively accuse anyone who
criticizes the Chinese government of racism.
The Trump administration must devise a
l onger-term anti-propaganda strategy that in-
cludes reform and investment in the competi-
tive tools we have, such as our international
broadcasting apparatus. The U.S. media must
remain aware that Beijing’s words and num-
bers can’t be trusted.
For Beijing, the propaganda war is just one
aspect of the greater competition between
China and the United States (and its partners)
over values and governance. In fact, the values
of truth, transparency and accountability are
much better for our collective health. That i s the
greater struggle we are in, and it’s just
b eginning.
[email protected]Josh RoginA pause in the
U.S.-China
propaganda war
BY SHARON GUYNUP“T
iger King,” Netflix’s new
seven-episode series, is
the latest sensation for
audiences sheltering at
home amid t he coronavirus p andemic.
And the show is indeed sensational. It
presents a Hatfields-and-McCoys-type
feud between two big-cat owners, Jo-
seph Maldonado-Passage — “Joe Exot-
ic” — and his nemesis, Carole Baskin.
He once ran a tiger-breeding and
cub-petting zoo in Oklahoma. She
runs Big Cat Rescue, a Florida s anctu-
ary, and publicly denounces venues
that pull cubs from their mothers to
use as photo props. That ruined Joe
financially; he threatened her and
then acted on it. In 2019, he was
convicted of murder-for-hire (and
17 wildlife charges) and was later
sentenced to 22 years in prison. For
drama’s sake, the series obsessively
scrutinized the 1997 disappearance of
Baskin’s husband, Don Lewis, with
inference (but little evidence) of her
involvement. She was never charged.
To be clear, this show is not a
documentary. There’s a lot we don’t
see. Expert voices are notably absent.
And the big losers are the tigers.
During a two-year investigation
into the U.S. “tiger tourism” i ndustry
for National Geographic, photogra-
pher Steve Winter and I observed a
dark underbelly that this TV series
does not address. This business is not
just a couple of fascinating (in a
t rain-wreck kind of way) eccentrics
doing crazy things. This lucrative
c ub-petting/photo-op business in-
volves widespread animal abuse and
illegal sales and interstate trafficking
of endangered species. Some attrac-
tions seem to be run like cults — and
masquerade as nonprofits, sanctuar-
ies or rescues.
Somewhere between 5,000 and10,00 0 tigers live in cages in the
U nited States. Perhaps 4,000 remain
in the wild in Asia. There’s no federal
law governing big-cat ownership. In
some states (including Oklahoma), it’s
harder to adopt a shelter kitten than
to buy a tiger — or to own more than
200, as Joe Exotic did.
Despite roadside zoo owners’
claims of loving their cats, the animals
are a commodity. In “Tiger King,” we
see clips of a minutes-old infant
dragged from its mother with a metal
hook and of visitors holding and tak-
ing selfies with cubs. But we don’t
learn that tigresses churn out litters
under “tiger mill” conditions to sup-
ply the industry. T he show doesn’t t ell
us that those cubs are walking gold,
often sold for thousands of dollars
before their eyes open. At four weeks,
cubs are passed among countless cus-
tomers at roadside zoos, parties and
county fairs. Ticket sales rise into the
millions to pet a tiger cub.
A disturbing fact: At four months,
cubs “expire,” t oo big and dangerous
to pet. (I know: I was ripped up by a
12-week-old cub.) They’re then dis-
carded or simply disappear. Some-
how, inventory reported to the gov-
ernment magically remains the same.
Joe Exotic was convicted of executing
five tigers that were poor breeders,
violating the Endangered Species Act.
One was named Cuddles.
These attractions often tell guests
they’re contributing to conservation.
That’s simply untrue. Not one
c aptive-bred tiger has been success-
fully released into the wild. Even if it
were possible, it wouldn’t be these
cats, which are typically crossbreeds
of the five tiger subspecies. Mean-
while, tiger parts have been illegally
sold in the United States and traf-
ficked to Asia: teeth, claws, pelts and
bones. This feeds black-market trade
that drives poaching and endangersthe last wild tigers.
True sanctuaries are completely
different entities: They don’t buy, sell,
breed or allow hands-on contact with
animals — which they feed well, keep
for life and provide veterinary care for.
Safety i ssues endanger animals a nd
the public. Visitors and employees
have been mauled or killed. “Tiger
King” covers the “Zanesville Massa-
cre,” during which private owner Te r-
ry Thompson loosed 38 big cats that
were later killed by law enforcement.
In a letter to Congress, Marine and
former FBI bomb expert Edmund
K elso Jr. described the danger: “If I
had the choice of working on an IED
or responding to an emergency in-
volving a dangerous big cat, I would
definitely select the former — this
should underscore how dangerous it
truly is for these animals to be left in
untrained hands in backyards and
roadside zoos.”
A proposed bill, the Big Cat Public
Safety Act, would address this by pro-
hibiting private ownership and cub
handling. The producers of “Tiger
King” demonize Baskin while focus-
ing on Joe Exotic’s quirky eccentrici-
ties and undeniable charisma — and
downplaying his crimes. The show
has made him a cult hero to some,
while others have been horrified by
what they’ve seen.
Cub-petting venues run on tourist
dollars, exploiting one of the planet’s
most iconic, majestic animals strictly
for the financial gain of a few individ-
uals. As entertaining as the show is,
we would all be better off if we saved
tigers in the wild instead of abusing
them at roadside attractions. Some-
how, “Tiger King” seemed to forget
about the tigers.sharon Guynup is a journalist, a national
Geographic explorer and a fellow at the
Woodrow Wilson center.What ‘Tiger King’ doesn’t show
netflix
Joe Exotic of the Netflix limited series “Tiger King.”BY ANDREW YANGL
ast week, I was shopping for gro-
ceries and preparing to hole up at
home with my wife, Evelyn, and
our two boys. There was an eerie,
peculiar aura in the parking lot in upstate
New York as night fell and shoppers
wheeled out essentials and snacks.
Three middle-aged men in hoodies
and sweatshirts stood outside the en-
trance of the grocery store. They huddled
together talking. One looked up at me
and frowned. There was something accu-
satory in his eyes. And then, for the first
time in years, I felt it.
I felt self-conscious — even a bit
ashamed — of being Asian.
It had been years since I felt that way. I
grew up with semi-regular visitations of
that sense of racially tinged self-
c onsciousness. It didn’t help that I was an
awkward kid. But after adulthood, mar-
riage, a career, parenthood, positions of
leadership and even a presidential run,
that feeling had disappeared — I thought.
My place in this country felt assured. I
have it better than the vast majority of
Americans of any background. When
comedian Shane Gillis slurred me by
name, I did not think he deserved to lose
his job. It barely registered when a teen-
ager yelled “Chink” at me from the win-
dow of his car in New Hampshire a
number of months ago. My only reaction
was to think, “Well, I’m glad that neither
of my sons was around because, then I
might have to explain to them what that
word means.”
But things have changed.
Over the past few weeks, the number of
reported physical and verbal attacks on
Asian Americans has increased dramati-
cally. The percentage of Asians who use
the not-for-profit Crisis Te xt Line to
speak with a counselor has shot up from
5 percent of callers — about in line with
our share of the population — to 13 per-
cent, an increase of 160 percent. Some
level of background disdain or alienation
has grown into outright hostility and
even aggression.And we all know why. The coronavirus
is devastating communities and lives.
People’s livelihoods and families are be-
ing destroyed. And people are looking for
someone to blame.
Before covid-19, too many Americans
were already living paycheck to pay-
check, working long hours just to get by.
Now, we all are even more fearful for the
future, worried about our parents, grand-
parents and children. We are anxious
about our jobs, bills and next month’s
rent or mortgage payment.
In early February, when I was still
running for president, someone asked
me, “How do we keep the coronavirus
from inciting hostility toward Asians in
this country?”
I responded, “The truth is that people
are wired to make attributions based on
appearance, including race. The best
thing that could happen for Asians would
be to get this virus under control so it isn’t
a problem anymore. Then any racism
would likely fade.” This was weeks before
“Chinese virus” became a thing.
Now it is, and we have to figure out how
to combat that, too. I’m an entrepreneur.
In general, negative responses don’t
work. I obviously think that being racist
is not a good thing. But saying “Don’t be
racist toward Asians” won’t work.
I have been thinking about ways to
improve that encounter at the grocery
store. People are hurting. They look up
and see someone who is different from
them, whom they wrongly associate with
the upheaval of their way of life.
Natalie Chou, a UCLA basketball play-
er, said she felt better when she wore her
UCLA gear, in part because the associa-
tion reminded people that she was an
American.
During World War II, Japanese Ameri-
cans volunteered for military duty at the
highest possible levels to demonstrate
that they were Americans. Now many in
the Asian American community are step-
ping up, trying to demonstrate that we
can be part of the solution. Some 17 per-
cent of U.S. doctors are Asian and rushing
to the front lines.
We Asian Americans need to embrace
and show our American-ness in ways we
never have before. We need to step up,
help our neighbors, donate gear, vote,
wear red white and blue, volunteer, fund
aid organizations, and do everything in
our power to accelerate the end of this
crisis. We should show without a shadow
of a doubt that we are Americans who will
do our part for our country in this time of
need.
Demonstrate that we are part of the
solution. We are not the virus, but we can
be part of the cure.the writer was a Democratic candidate for
president and is founder of humanity forward.We are not
the virus, but
we can be part
of the solution
Background disdain
or alienation has grown
into outright hostility.
dren, and then the world of music as a
whole. Wynton and his brother Bran-
ford both played in funk bands when
they were kids, but as adult jazz musi-
cians they became neoclassicists. They
treat jazz as fully equal — in both depth
and sophistication — to European clas-
sical music or any other musical tradi-
tion in the world.
Trumpeter Wynton is one of the
greatest musicians of our time, a su-
preme virtuoso who is as comfortable
playing Haydn’s Concerto in D Major
with the London Symphony Orchestra
as he is leading a septet in one of his
own compositions — the beautiful
“Sunflowers,” s ay — o r performing with
the Jazz at L incoln Center Orchestra he
leads. In 1997, he became the first jazz
musician to be awarded the Pulitzer
Prize in Music for an epic orchestral-
vocal suite titled “Blood on the Fields,”
which explores the transition from
slavery to freedom.
Branford played with legends such
as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Art
Blakey, as well as his own combos. His
music can be heard in Spike Lee’s filmsJ
azz pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr., who
died Wednesday of complications
from covid-19, was a great musi-
cian but an even greater teacher.
Through his pupils — especially
his famous and highly acclaimed sons
— he helped shape the sonic landscape
of America.
Marsalis, who was 85, lived and died
in New Orleans, the city where jazz was
born. His passing is a reminder of the
awful toll — not just human but cultur-
al as well — of this relentless pandemic.
We have lost a giant, and sadly he will
not be the last.
Marsalis was a pianist who spent
much of his career working as a side-
man with stars such as saxophonist
Cannonball Adderley, and teaching
music at Xavier University of New
Orleans, the University of New Orleans
and the New Orleans Center for Cre-
ative Arts.
What Ellis Marsalis’s students, espe-
cially his son Wynton, gave to jazz was a
reemphasis of the rigor and formality
of jazz’s golden age. Beginning in the
1970 s, jazz branched into directions
that mostly turned out to be dead ends
— rock-influenced jazz fusion, which
produced more bad music than good;
commercial “smooth jazz,” which is
numbingly unchallenging.
But jazz also has to swing, or else it’s
not jazz at all. Listen to music by Ellis
Marsalis, any of his sons or any of his
well-known pupils, who include trum-
peters Nicholas Payton and Te rence
Blanchard, singer Harry Connick Jr.,
saxophonist Donald Harrison and
many others. They all have that ineffa-
ble but unmistakable quality known as
swing.
The combination of rigor and style
Marsalis taught shaped first his chil-“Do the Right Thing” and “School
Daze”; he has played with rock musi-
cians such as Sting and the Grateful
Dead; and for three years, he served as
musical director of NBC’s “ The To night
Show” while Jay Leno was host.
Two other Marsalis brothers, trom-
bonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason,
are also working jazz musicians. On the
few occasions when the whole family
played together, Wynton once said dur-
ing an interview, Ellis was the leader
and called the shots. But those family
gigs were few and far between.
“I was never big on family bands,”
Ellis Marsalis once said. “Even when I
was teaching, people would ask about
that, and I would say everybody needs
to do their own thing.... If I was in
Wynton’s band, the music would be
dated, because at that time, Wynton
was still a growing musician, and he
needed everyone to be on the same
page musically with him.”
Making a living as a jazz musician
has never been easy, and Ellis Marsalis
was able to regularly record his own
music as a bandleader only after his
sons Wynton and Branford became
world-renowned. He recorded albums
of his own compositions, tribute al-
bums to Duke Ellington and Theloni-
ous Monk, duet albums with Wynton
and Branford, a Christmas album and a
host of others.
“There was never any one particular
way to learn whatever it is that you
needed to learn,” Ellis Marsalis once
said. An outstanding teacher finds the
right way for the right pupil at t he right
moment. Someday, when the pandem-
ic ebbs, I hope New Orleans is able to
give him the joyous, defiant Second
Line funeral he deserves.
Twitter: @Eugene_RobinsonEUgEnE RoBinson An AppreciAtionA great musician and a greater teacher
skip Bolen/epA-efe/shutterstock
Ellis Marsalis Jr. in 20 12.