#calling resin artists immoral people

[skwivr]

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[the-bjd-community-confess]

Hello, this is the Oldie Chinese Diaspora Anon™️

Anon here voiced a frustration that I think we all share, from time to time. The commentators have brought up some very important points, but I think it may be important to show you a fuller picture. It’s not just about a concept of freedom, but what it can actually mean.

First of all, to say there are few, or no incidences of fraud in the Chinese BJD community is objectively false. The infamous Baidu BJD Tucao Bar (

) and it’s more updated counterpart on Weixin exist because of three reasons – it’s a place to vent within a community, a place where two sides of a dispute can come together to share their side in a court of public opinion and finally, to call out and expose scammers. The following examples are all in Chinese, of course – but how else to show you what’s really going on unless you actually see for yourself? Now, the extent of what’s considered a “scam” is stretched far and wide, but included are common complaints about how individual indie artists have inconsistent pre-orders (https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8126795911 ), long wait times (http://c.tieba.baidu.com/p/8446099713 ) the quality of the resin from these indie artists are brittle/streaky/full of bubbles (https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7657831519 ), as well as horrid communication with customer service (https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7216544824 ).

Other scammers have:

Sold counterfeits as real: http://c.tieba.baidu.com/p/6319214040

Attempt to claw back prices after receiving a second-hand doll (usually banking on the seller being afraid of a bad feedback) http://c.tieba.baidu.com/p/8422233115

Scams that occur during trades (didn’t send anything, send trash instead of dolls, recalled a package while still receiving something from the sender, etc) https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6138333817

Running away with down-payments: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7546265316

Cheaters trading across different fandoms: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6237611363

What’s the use of this “social credit system” if it doesn’t really stop the scamming, then?

I think I may have mentioned this earlier; the point of a social credit system is more about controlling a population’s aggregate behaviour than the behaviour of individuals. It’s there to quash dissent instead of keeping a community crime-free. Think about it this way, BJD collectors are a small, niche market with a high price tag. And if the Chinese government is lax enough to allow rampant counterfeit foods and medication to go on for years (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIpA_RwEtLE&t=33s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYr87XCAa48 and https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56080092 ), would the system really protect a small group of rather privileged individuals? You might ask, “Hey, OCDA, aren’t these people caught? That means the system works, right?” The answer is, “Yes, and they are just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty more of these people who were never caught.” I think we have all heard that just because something’s immoral doesn’t mean it’s illegal. Legality is never the bottom line that we should hold each other accountable to, but these folks get by banking on that their immorality will never be caught, and unless they were caught, what they do aren’t illegal.

On the other hand, the government is quick to stop anything that could cause a social stir. No matter how big the topic might be (human trafficking, public corruption, the existence of COVID, you name it), if there was too much interest in a topic that the government deemed “unsuitable” (if it gives you an answer at all), it can be rubbed out of social media overnight. This is possible because 1. There’s only one kind of social media, which is closely monitored by the State and 2. There’s the Great Firewall of China and scaling the wall can incur a fine and sometimes even probation. The person who started the whole furor may be invited by the police for a talking-to (or just disappeared, either way.)

BJDs are small fry, we know that, so where do minor “scams” lie? Yes, it is inherently frustrating as a consumer to realise that one cannot reinforce trade laws across borders or hold non-registered sellers under the same scrutiny as a registered company. I understand that personally as a victim of a bungled preorder as well. But this so-called “Social Credit” system is never the way to go. Not even Black Mirror or Minority Report can replicate the reality that’s inside China, folks. The truth is worse than fiction.

~Anonymous