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this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2023
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The Winnie the Pooh meme about Xi is just racism. I don't care if you think he's a dictator.
Not racist at all. It's against one person. Trump's face is seen on an orange all the time. No one is calling for racism. He just looks like a damn orange.
So depicting Obama as a monkey in a political cartoon wouldn't be racist?
That would be racist, because of the whole monkey-black-people existing racial insult. In the same way, it is not racist to depict Xi as Winnie the Pooh since there is no "President Xis look like cartoon bears" racial insult.
Ever heard of the Yellow Peril?
So if Obama was depicted as Curious George that'd be cool yeah?
If only Obama was depicted like that, yes.
But it is commonly used to depict black people in general.
While nobody uses Winnie the Pooh to depict Chinese people, only their dictator.
By racists yes.
There's a big difference here.
Is Trump's skin naturally orange? Is there a long history of oppressing white people in the US and other NATO countries?
Just because the Winnie the Pooh meme didn't originate as a racist symbol doesn't mean that it isn't used to propagate racism and sinophobia.
There, I fixed it for you.
Projecting much? Care to explain how it isn't racist or damaging with an argument other than "nuh-uh"?
Insulting someone doesn't make it racist just because the other person is a different race from you.
Also, the meme was started by Chinese people.
I agree with you on both points, but that is not the argument that I was making. If you need some more context, Here's just one of the many additional comments I left in this thread explaining my position.
FYI, citing the fact that the meme originated in China does not negate how it is used by others after the fact. It's like arguing that when neonazis use the swastika, it's ok because its actual origins are as an ancient religious symbol. The meanings of things can change and be used for reasons other than their original intention.
I'm not saying the meme is racist, I'm saying that it's being used in a racist way here, specifically in the form of Sinophobia.
-- You
-- Also you
True, but you can also see that I clarified my statement in better detail after initially wording it poorly. You got me, I guess I'll go rethink my entire worldview now.
Xi isn't in the US and his country isn't part of NATO. Political cartoons are as old as time. They poke fun at the individual, not their descent. By trying to make it more you're arguing for it to be censored. He has feelings (maybe), but he has gone so far as to attempt to censor the cartoon from his own country. Not because he believes it is racist, but because his opinion is that he doesn't like it. Streisand Effect of course, it gets used more. I think Xi does remarkably look like Pooh. Do other Asian persons? No. There isn't an innocence about it. Xi feels bad by it, people use it to make him angry. He is a dictator with lots of power so people use the one tool they have to attempt to fight that power - a fucking cartoon bear.
I think you misinterpreted part of what I'm saying. The use of the meme in Taiwan and Hong Kong were political dissent, not racism.
The use of the meme in NATO countries is racist due to their history of racism and because this is one of the tools these governments use to convince you that China is your enemy and you should support military actions against them before their military becomes stronger than that of the US and they lose their monopoly on international power and subsequently their power to bully the rest of the world.
Before you dismiss this argument by saying it's just because Xi doesn't like the meme, where did you get this information? From what I've seen the Chinese government has not responded and the reasoning behind the ban is purely speculative. Sure, I believe they banned the comparison as it was the basis of geopolitical dissent, but to claim it's because a world leader who gets insulted frequently and in worse ways has thin skin is a stretch. He has bigger worries than Westerners tweeting at him.
If you want a tool to fight the power of dictators, you'd be better served focusing on organizing the citizens of your own country against the powers that work against their interests at home. They point you toward foreign leaders and say "look, they're worse" so you won't criticize the shit job your own "representatives" are doing at home.
This isn't how that works. And even if it were, then it would be racist everywhere due to everywhere's history of racism.
Please explain to me how it works then.
What? Winnie the Pooh is from a British cartoon...Asian people aren't described as "orange" by racists. I don't think you know the origin of this meme
Please illustrate how a British cartoon character is a racist caricature of xi? Is Barack Obama a tiger?
The origin of the meme is not what I have issue with. The issue is with its use in Western countries and the history of how these countries stoke sinophobia. Criticism rooted in racism spills over into the mistreatment of people from the country that is the source of that racist sentiment in addition to foreigners.
If you aren't familiar with the history of racism, go read up on it.
Seek fresh air, seems you have CO poisoning
Yes, too much capitalist oppression has poisoned my general tolerance of apologia for this type of garbage.
The Taiwanese use the meme all the time. Obviously not because it looks like Xi in particular and especially because of fragile censoring, but because they like to be racist against themselves. That must be it.
Calling Trump a guinea pig is probably also considered racist in lemmygrad.
The guy who replied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your second screenshot seems like one of the far-right wingers. They do not, in any capacity, represent the general population.
You think these memes are censored? Lol, you live in an authoritarian shithole that brainwashes you with this stupid shit. Use your brain.
Taiwan is where the former Republic of China retreated after being defeated by the People's Republic of China. The censorship of Xi=Pooh in China isn't rooted in racism, it's rooted in the political conflicts between the ROC and PRC. China censors these comparisons because they are used by opponents to attack the government. You don't have to agree with their methods to understand why they would want to do this. Censoring realistic threats to the ruling government is a common practice in all nations.
The racist aspect originates from how the meme is used in Western circles where there is a long history of racism towards minorities and the enemies of the US as well as a long history of sinophobia.
If your understanding of history, racism, and their opinions of Trump are so shallow, maybe lurking Lemmygrad to learn why users from this instance act so aggressively towards racism and war-mongering propaganda would be helpful.
If being connected to a cartoon is a "realistic threat" then you have a shit government
Read between the lines.
Culture has an impact on politics and can be the spark for sudden and violent political upheaval.
Hilariously ironic, given your namesake
Again, read between the lines.
I'm a communist who likes cats and puns. If you can make a compelling argument for how celebrating Mao in the form of a cat pun has a basis in racism and the historical oppression of a people, I'm ready to change it.
I've no need to read between the lines, a dude named mao just told me the ruling government should be worried about cultural sparks for violent political change, and doesn't see the irony
Ah, the context of how you meant my username is ironic wasn't clear.
Why do you think the CPC takes the influence of culture so seriously? Of course they are aware how culture can influence a revolution.
Not sure if that was meant as a gotcha? I thought it was obvious given the conversation so I assumed you meant my username was racist. My bad.
Top tier pearl clutching
Fair.