In all the years I’ve been around, both on the internet & among friends and acquaintances from Asia (incl. Taiwan & China), WtP has been a symbol of resistance against Xi Jin Ping and authoritarianism in China.
I know .ml is heavily tankie in general, but just need a double check from the more reasonable parts of the internet.
As far as I’m concerned it was never racist. It was Chinese internet users looking at a picture of Xi and Obama at a summit and compared them in stature, aptly I might add, to Winnie and Tigger. It never stuck with Obama and Xi evidently took it with no sense of humor.
Outside of China the majority of people will not be aware of this meme or have forgotten all about it.
I’ve got no idea if it was being used “maliciously” in China, rebels using it to garner support or some shit idk, but its survived purely on the Streissand effect here in the west.
Did Xi actually take offense to it? I thought it was just others being overly heavy-handed in their censorship, thus Streisanding the whole thing.
You’re right, it could’ve been a case of preemptive obedience by the censors, based on popularity and face-losing potential of the meme. I vaguely remember reading about him not being pleased. But it’s also been a decade.
I think the context is relevant. Normally no, it is just a children’s book about a stupid honey loving Beer. Or about a troubled child that talks with his Toys instead of friends.
Then there is the Xi comparison, which is also not racist, but just an individual critic/insult.
But as you know there are now idiots out there which call all east asian looking people wtp. Which clearly is racist, I met some once but its not the norm. I mean racists are able to use anything to be racist.
It literally was started by Chinese people in China as an insult to Xi specifically. It isn’t racist, it isn’t applied to all Chinese people, it isn’t even “because Pooh is yellow.” People saying it is racist are just looking for a way to shut down criticisms of Xi, and crying “that’s racist” often bypasses people’s critical thinking abilities and makes them just capitulate because “well I don’t want to be seen as racist and I’m not the race in question so I don’t have the authority to decide if it is or isn’t.”
Could it be used in a racist way by some racist person who doesn’t understand the context? Sure. Does that mean “the act of making fun of a specific despotic dictator by using a children’s character he happens to resemble” is racist? No.
It’s not racist, it’s specifically about Xi. Though the .ml people are the same people that claim not loving the CCP is racist. As if a political party or government also represents an ethnicity.
It’s not racist. It’s just what Chinese people started meming Xi years ago and the CCP government overreacted. Simple as that. Its what happens when an authoritarian leader gets flustered about their image.
among friends and acquaintances from Asia (incl. Taiwan & China), WtP has been a symbol of resistance against Xi Jin Ping and authoritarianism in China.
You answered your own question. Don’t let them get under your skin. But to further validate you:
The comparison is about appearances to Xi, specifically. No one is saying the people of China look like Winnie the Pooh, and no one is using Winnie the Pooh in propaganda designed to oppress the people of China.
Tankie’s scream “racism” at Winnie the Pooh, exactly the same way MAGA’s scream "racism’ at DEI. They do not know, nor care, what the word actually means, and are using it to further their agenda by taking a position they can fallacious argue is morally superior. It is fake pearl clutching and moral grandstanding to justify nationalist fascism.
They’re literally Chinese MAGA. Unfortunately,
MACAMCGA doesn’t roll off the tongue as well as “tankie.”I stopped realizing it, but MACA is quite literally the slogan of Xi: 中华民族的伟大复兴 often translated to “Great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” in official English version. However, I feel a more accurate translation might be "the great resuscitation of the Chinese race."1
Basically the xenophobia of MAGA with a sprinkle of racial pride on top.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_rejuvenation_of_the_Chinese_nation
- “Chinese race” is likely not a scientific concepts, as Chinese people are made up of at least tens of different races, for the last two thousand years.
Minor nitpick: Why would they try to make America Chinese again?
Because I basically only participate in Lemmy in the bathroom and don’t always take time to think through things like which part of the acronym is “America,” lmao. But, appreciated.
Just block .ml.
IIRC blocking doesn’t stop them from seeing, voting on, and commenting on your post. It is better to pick a server that have de-federated from .ml
I’m Chinese. They’ve accused me of being racist against my own race for things like Xinnie the Pooh. .ml is a joke.
Originally it was just netizens comparing Xi to Pooh because they thought it was cute. But Xi has no sense of humor and banned the comparison. Now people use it to annoy CCP sympathizers. It’s not racist at all, the original intention of the comparison was good willed and innocent.
Xi has no sense of humor and banned the comparison.
Not sure about the origins of the winnie the pooh thing, but .ml thinks everything anti-CCP is racist.
Like literally, they don’t even want the diaspora criticizing the regime. Lmfao their false accusations of racism doesn’t work on me.
Anything opposing the government of China is an anathema to them, since apparently they love capitalist oligarchies.
just need a double check from the more reasonable parts of the internet
So where are you asking then?
the more reasonable parts of the internet
:)
I could see the yellow fur of Winnie the Pooh being viewed as a reference to Asian people being “yellow” skinned.
However, the likeness of Winnie the Pooh and Xi Jin Ping are so similar in some of the pictures I have seen that I think it’s a more innocent making fun of and not a racism making fun of.
If .ml thinks something is bad, chances are it’s probably the opposite.
Look at all the BlueMAGA in the comments full of arrogant hubris. They’ve drank the entire jug of US propaganda and believe that they are immune to it
