5毛不是傻，就是坏. 。They are fully aware that they are dogs barking for their masters for some benefit. Zheng Guocheng is (was?) perhaps YouTube’s Number One 5毛 . Unlike Weibo and other Chinese platforms which are heavily censored and delete all posts critical of the Chinese government, YouTube actually allows communist or pro-China content in the name of freedom of speech. Thankfully, the majority of these 5毛 don’t have many fans. Zheng is an exception.
But in a 4-hour tirade after getting himself intoxicated, Zheng lashed out at system in China and hypocrisy of party officials. When he was sober again, he made and apology and went back to his usual pro-China, anti-West, anti-Taiwan self. Some netizens scolded him for changing sides. Some encouraged him to come out of the closet.
The authorities have not taken him to task yet. The authorities close one eye when Chinese nationals get onto a banned portal like YouTube to praise China and bash the West. When they criticise China, however, they are likely to lose the unofficial right to use YouTube.