从美国大豆田到中国内陆：关税谎言横跨大洋两岸（观点，中英对照）
在南达科他州一个寒风凛冽的大豆田里，价格下跌、收成滞销的困境着当地的农民，但特朗普的支持者们却丝毫没有动摇对这位共和党总统的忠诚。眼睁睁地看着亏损不断加剧的当地农民斯科特·范德瓦尔（Scott VanderWal）表示： “我们理解特朗普总统，他制定关税有其道理。” 当地另些人士则将美国农业比作在贸易战中撞上冰山的“泰坦尼克号”。尽管如此，他们仍然希望，忍受这场苦难则能让美国最终会最终更加强大。
In a blustery soybean field in South Dakota, where prices have dropped and unsold harvests sit idle, Trump supporters remain defiantly loyal. “We understand why President Trump is doing it,” says farmer Scott VanderWal, even as he watches losses mount. Others liken U.S. agriculture to the Titanic after striking a trade-war iceberg—yet still express hope that enduring this hardship will make America stronger.
对那些在习近平统治下生活、早已将“吃苦”视为一种爱国美德的中国人来说，这一幕再熟悉不过了。为了国家利益，老百姓必须隐忍和牺牲。在这样的体制下，苦难被制度化，通过严格的信息管控、思想灌输和审查机制不断被强化和推崇。 在今天的中国，关税并不意味着失败，其所带来的阵痛已被掩盖，被包装，被视为国家利益而牺牲的崇高行为。老百姓们，特别是那些农村地区和工薪阶层人士，被要求埋头忍耐而不抱怨，他们被告知目前的牺牲可换来日后的回报，是对国家的忠诚与热爱的体现。
It’s a scene that feels eerily familiar to those who have lived under Xi Jinping’s rule in China, where “吃苦” (eating bitterness) has long been glorified as a patriotic virtue. In China, suffering is institutionalized through tightly controlled messaging, indoctrination, and censorship. Tariff pain is not portrayed as failure, but recast as a noble act of national service. Citizens—especially in rural and working-class communities—are told to endure, not just because it might pay off, but because it demonstrates loyalty and love for the country.
而在大洋彼岸的美国，特朗普则通过政界合作与媒体同盟寻求支持并激发其阵营的共鸣。他的支持者们， 在其生计不保，财务状况每款日下的今天却高喊着“公平竞争”、“贸易再平衡”以及“让美国找回工作机会”等口号，坚信关税是最强有力、公平且必要的保护自身利益的手段，是反击中国、不公平贸易和全球化带来的冲击的最佳利器。
Across the ocean in the United States, Trump taps into emotional resonance through political and media allies. His supporters echo talking points about “fairness,” “rebalancing,” and “bringing jobs back,” even as their own livelihoods deteriorate. They are convinced that tariffs are strong, fair, and necessary tools of economic self-defense—meant to fight back against China, unfair trade, and globalization.
然而，现实却并不如愿。关税既未带来更强大、更公平的贸易体系，也未能为农民带来持久的收益。中国在特朗普第一任期内未能兑现采购承诺，核心贸易争端依旧悬而未决，而美国农民则不得不依靠数十亿美元的政府补贴，才能勉强承受这项原本旨在扶持他们的政策所带来的冲击。更具讽刺意味的是，这些生活在信息自由、观点多元社会中的特朗普支持者，竟仍选择默默承受关税带来的打击。他们在文化认同、同温层媒体与忠诚情感等因素驱动下所表现出的自我牺牲，竟与威权体制下的俯首帖耳的顺从行为呈现出令人不安的相似之处。
The reality, however, is that tariffs failed to deliver stronger or fairer trade—and did little to secure lasting gains for farmers. China fell short on its purchase commitments during Trump’s first term, core trade disputes remained unresolved, and American farmers had to rely on billions in government subsidies just to survive the fallout of a policy designed to help them. The deeper irony is that these farmers, living in a society with free access to information and dissenting voices, are choosing to absorb the blow. Their self-sacrifice—driven by cultural identity, partisan media, and emotional allegiance—bears a troubling resemblance to the kind of submission often seen in authoritarian regimes.
尽管两国体制截然不同，在当前的中美贸易战中，大洋两岸的两位领导人却都找到了将苦难转化为荣耀的手段，将其做为政治工具加以利用并借此愚化民众、巩固权力。习近平借助历史创伤与革命口号，将公众凝聚在他所描绘的“民族复兴”旗帜下；而特朗普则披上爱国主义的外衣，发动贸易战，向其臣民宣称，只有他才有勇气对抗一个被操控的不公正全球体系。许多人支持他，不仅仅是出于盲目的忠诚，更是因为他们相信，尽管关税带来眼前的阵痛，但从长远来看，这是通往经济胜出的唯一路径，也因此被视为值得的牺牲。
Despite vastly different systems, both leaders have found ways to transform pain into pride during the trade war—instilling government narratives that advance their political agendas. Xi invokes historical trauma and revolutionary slogans to keep the public aligned with his vision of national rejuvenation. Trump, in contrast, wraps trade wars in the flag, telling working Americans that only he has the courage to stand up to a rigged global system. Many support him not only out of blind loyalty, but out of a belief that tariffs, however painful, are a price worth paying to get ahead in the long run.
特朗普的美国与习近平的中国，其手法几乎如出一辙：利用民众的脆弱、天真与盲目信仰，推动那些服务于国家机器或领导人私利、却让百姓吃苦受难的政策。无论是发动贸易战，还是高举所谓的国家荣耀的大旗，那些最无力质疑和反抗的人，才是为此付出代价，做出牺牲的群体。不论是在五星红旗下，还是在星条旗下，民众都在为这一野心与谎言买单。
Trump’s America and Xi’s China share a tactic: exploiting their citizens’ vulnerability, naivety, and blind faith to push through painful policies that serve the state—or the leader’s own ambitions. Whether it’s waging a trade war or defending national greatness, the cost is borne by those least empowered to question it. Citizens—whether under a red flag or waving the Stars and Stripes—are left footing the bill for someone else’s glory.
归根结底，国家的宣传机器未必非得依赖严密的异见封锁，强力审查，政治暴力或打压才能运转。只要有足够的游说、重复灌输，以及对公众情绪的精准操控，它依然能够势如破竹、铺天盖地。有时，仅仅一个精心编织的叙事与谎言，就足以将痛苦包装成荣耀, 并使人们相信，忍受苦难不仅非常“必要”，更是一种高尚且值得被推崇的美德。
In the end, propaganda doesn’t always require censorship. It can be just as powerful through persuasion, repetition, and emotional manipulation—without the need for political persecution or violence. Sometimes, all it takes is a well-crafted, misleading narrative to convince people that their suffering isn’t just necessary, but noble and worthwhile.
