#chinese protest

[neotechnomagick]

(via "Bai Lan, Let it Rot, Protest, China" Bucket Hat for Sale by Burn-Ego)

[davidaugust]

Xiaohongshu = RedNote app

[halloweenreaper]

I generally try to keep this account to Fandom stuff, but I don't really have anywhere else to rant about this. So, it's going on here.

In regards to the TikTok Little Red Book protest going on; I do want to point out that the reactions from the Americans about seemingly mundane stuff that should be obvious is actually pretty normal for Americans that are experiencing life outside of the U.S. for the first time. We're so used to the fucked up parts of our country that it's easy to forget how bad it is. That the idea of something like Universal Healthcare, for example, isn't some revolutionary thing but the norm in most places. It's like living with chronic pain or an abusive family. You know it's not right, but it's your normal. That's what you know, and you're so busy managing it that fixing it seems so far out of reach that it's barely worth thinking about. So you grit your teeth and act like you're fine because it's normal. Because if it's not normal, well...

I do love seeing the connections and interactions this is causing, though. It's what the internet was made for. What all these social media platforms were made for. I've moved a lot, lived in a lot of places, and I've found that people are the same wherever you go. Mild tweaks here and there, but humans are humans. And I love seeing people realize that.

I do hope something good comes from this protest. And make no mistake, that's what this is. A protest built on spite. In fact, it kind of reminds me of the Boston Tea Party (albite with less property damage). It wasn't about the tea in the same way this isn't about TikTok. They're both a result of the people feeling ignored by their government and actively giving Big Brother the middle finger.

But i am glad that, the very least, people are making connections that, under any other circumstance, may never have happened. It's a lovely thing to see, and i hope something good comes from all of it.

[gacha-incels]

article from the english edition of the Hankyoreh September 9 2024

archive link

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“My life is not your porn” and “Deepfake is murder” — these were some of the chants heard in a mix of Korean, English, and Chinese on the night of Sept. 3 (local time), directed at the South Korean Embassy in the UK. 

Over 100 people, including women from South Korea, China, Japan, and others from around the world, gathered that evening at Trafalgar Square in London. They marched from there, passing Buckingham Palace, and continued to the South Korean Embassy, calling for measures to address the ongoing deepfake sex crime crisis plaguing South Korea.

The march was organized by Chinese feminists based in London, who voiced their support for South Korean women fighting against digital sex crimes, such as deepfakes and illegal filming. Their aim was to raise awareness among women worldwide about these crimes occurring in South Korea.

In a post on their Instagram account (@weareallchainedwomen), the organizers wrote, “The illegal use of hidden cameras and deepfake technology by men to turn women’s everyday lives into pornography is not just a social issue in Korea; it is a widespread problem globally, particularly in East Asian countries.” They also said, “In China, the bravery of Korean feminists has long inspired many to awaken,” adding, “We hope to become each other’s strongest and most loyal sisters, supporting each other to overthrow the patriarchy together!”

A 42-year-old woman from South Asia participating in the march said, “I came out today because I believe in the importance of solidarity among women worldwide, who are all suffering from the effects of misogyny and patriarchy.” The woman, a youth educator and social activist, urged the South Korean government to “introduce new curricula into the education system that teach about women’s safety, online safety, digital sex crimes, the influence of the porn industry, healthy relationships, and gender roles and stereotypes.”

A 27-year-old Korean participant, who works as a documentary filmmaker in the UK, said, “I am standing in front of the South Korean Embassy with a heavy heart” and expressed hope that the “government will strongly punish the perpetrators and accomplices and seek justice for the victims.”

In Tokyo, Japan, Chinese feminists living there also held a rally in front of the South Korean Embassy on Saturday afternoon, calling for attention to the digital sex crimes crisis in Korea.

By Park Hyun-jung, staff reporter

[mielwriting]

I'd like to download XiaoHongShu.

My Mandarin is basic but this seems like a great opportunity to improve!

(And also talk with other Genshin Impact fans)

I did see some mention that there are specific rules about which topics not to discuss - lest your account get banned.

Given that the app's terms of service are in Mandarin (since it was made for a Chinese audience)

Could someone tell me clearly what those topics are? (Confused and autistic) (don't want my account banned on day 1)

[oodlenoodleroodle]

From Yu Hewei's Weibo from the end of November 2024. In the previous post he'd talked about putting his bangs up and watching the show (我是刑警) to contribute to the data for the "Battle Report" :P 

[tomorrowusa]

In the old Soviet Union, if you disagreed with the government, you could get put into a psychiatric hospital. The government thinking was: If you don't like communism then you must be crazy.

Something similar has been going on in Communist China.

When Zhang Junjie was 17 he decided to protest outside his university about rules made by China's government. Within days he had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital and treated for schizophrenia. Junjie is one of dozens of people identified by the BBC who were hospitalised after protesting or complaining to the authorities. Many people we spoke to were given anti-psychotic drugs, and in some cases electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), without their consent. While there have been reports for decades that hospitalisation is used in China as a way of detaining dissenting citizens without involving the courts, a leading Chinese lawyer has told the BBC that the issue - which legislation sought to resolve - has recently seen a resurgence. Junjie says he was restrained and beaten by hospital staff before being forced to take medication. His ordeal began in 2022, after he protested against China's harsh lockdown policies. He says his professors spotted him after just five minutes and contacted his father, who took him back to the family home. He says his father called the police, and the next day - on his 18th birthday - two men drove him to what they claimed was a Covid test centre, but was actually a hospital. "The doctors told me I had a very serious mental disease… Then they tied me to a bed. The nurses and doctors repeatedly told me, because of my views on the party and the government, then I must be mentally ill. It was terrifying," he told the BBC World Service. He was there for 12 days. Junjie believes his father felt forced to hand him over to the authorities because he worked for the local government.

Junjie is just one of the people the BBC spoke with. His is not an isolated instance.

You can watch the entire documentary about China's misuse of psychiatric facilities to punish dissenters here.

Because they make so many of our consumer goods, people in the West forget that China is a brutal totalitarian state. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the country's only legal political entity. In effect, the CCP is the government.

Under dictator Xi Jinping, the government is committing genocide against the Uighurs, repressing free speech in Hong Kong, and is helping Russia with its war of aggression in Ukraine. Add to this Xi's military provocations against the Philippines and threatening rhetoric aimed at Taiwan and we see an out of control autocrat with imperialistic ambitions.

[normcore-tertiary-character]

I love the formula between 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star and I want there to be a 9-1-1 for at least every state but preferably every single town in the US

Mostly, I want to see what hyper local and very silly disasters they can write to strike my town

[marieshyperf1xations]

Protest by AM on Carlos being allowed to continue in Q2 despite stopping has been dismissed on account of “yea basically we’ve done this before, it’s been an issue before but he restarted without outside help and we never agreed on adding the outside assistance part to the rules and there was never a clear ruling on how long a car is allowed to be stationary before restarting on their own so lol I guess we’re gonna let this go”

This has been a service post

[thehollowwriter]

Some of ya'll have not experienced the mind boggling madness that is one of the girls with thee highest grades in your class believing in conspiracy theories and common myths. I recommend it, 10/10 funny and slightly enraging depending on the topic

[the-blog-of-gog]

(via "Bai Lan, Let it Rot, Youth Rebelion, China" Classic T-Shirt for Sale by Burn-Ego)

[ineffable-opinions]

Masculinities and Male Androphilia

Wu-Wen

Masculinity in China historically has been (mostly) classified into Wu-type (military - type) and Wen-type (scholarly - type).

Qing dynasty Chinese Water and Land Ritual painting depicting a divine civil official and thunder god in military regalia.

Due to the special nature of Chinese political system (imperial court & civil services), scholar wielded power and influence, often over-taking that of military men. [What about dudes who were neither scholars nor military personnel?]

Wen-wu type masculinities make for some really interesting contrast and is employed in media: BL and others.

Shi Qiang and Wang Miao representing wen and wu respectively in Three-Body (2023) based on the sci-fi novel "The Three-Body Problem" (三体) by Liu Ci Xin (刘慈欣) .

Colonialism flipped this order. It was internalized by the subjects of colonialism too. Its lasting impact can be seen in the recent effeminacy ban* in China’s entertainment industry targeting little fresh meat (xiao xianrou 小鮮肉 ) and pretty boy (huamei nan 花美男) aesthetics.

*sissy pants (niangpao 娘炮)

Protest masculinity

Against (both organic and stereotyped) association of femme-presentation or ‘camp’ with androphilia. Popular opinion inculcated by media is partially responsible.

2. Against a society that doesn’t treat them as equal men. Hegemonic masculinity is constructed in opposition with ‘inferior men’ such as androphilic men and more importantly with women. By adopting visual Wu-masculinity, androphilic men hijacks the visuals, rendering the visual categorization redundant.

3. For gaydar purposes - signaling to men who are androphilic and them alone.

This is not without negative impact:

It can lead to peer-pressure to conform & homogenize to Wu-ideal to the extent that other presentations could get vilified. This can include scorning of soft and delicate aesthetics and femme-bashing.

2. Conforms with the mainstream view – both that of their present-day oppressors, mainly the Wu-exalting, heterosexist, sissy-phobic State and their historic oppressors: colonialism and its modern-day offsprings.

Similar tendencies are observed among androphilic men in Japan, South Korea and Thailand as well.

Recommendations [occasionally updated]

Cheers by Cheers 짠!하면 알 수 있어 [not available currently]

Breakfast by 想再見你

Sesame by 百里屠伕

Shimbashi Koi Story by SHIMBASHI TUGBOAT

-

Thai Masculinities

Posts: one two three

To learn more:

Wang, S. (2020). Chinese gay men pursuing online fame: erotic reputation and internet celebrity economies. Feminist Media Studies, 20(4), 548–564. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.1754633

Wijngaarden JW de L van. Male Homosexuality in 21st-Century Thailand: A Longitudinal Study of Young, Rural, Same-Sex-Attracted Men Coming of Age. Anthem Press; 2021. [link]

Interpretation and Orientalism: Outing Japan’s Sexual Minorities to the English-Speaking World by Mark McLelland

[gacha-incels]

[Exclusive] “Deep Impact on Korean Women’s Movement… ‘Deepfake Scandal’ Naturally Leads to Global Solidarity”

published sept 18th 2024

this article has been mtl and edited from the original Korean into english. it’s not going to be 1:1 but the basic facts should be there. If you happen to notice any discrepancies please lmk and I’ll edit it asap. Thanks everyone for your help and continued patience. I thought it was interesting to hear from the Chinese feminists who organized the protest in London and learn how they think about the deepfake issue so I decided to post this here.

Chinese Women’s Exclusive Interview after Organizing UK Protest against ‘Korean Deepfake Porn Scandal’

“It broke my heart when I saw two Korean high school girls translating the ‘Deepfake Porn Scandal’ into Chinese online to seek help. It was clear that, just as the Chinese government ignores us, the Korean government was doing the same to them, which made me feel even sadder.”

Nana, a Chinese feminist who organized a protest in London condemning the Telegram deepfake porn crimes in Korea, described her initial emotions upon hearing about the recent deepfake incident in Korea. The sadness she felt was not only from empathizing with the suffering of the many female victims. It also stemmed from a deep sense of sympathy and shared struggle with the women living under state and societal systems that remained indifferent to their pain.

Feeling an instinctive urge to “do something,” Nana quickly organized a protest march from London’s Trafalgar Square to the Korean Embassy. What she initially expected to be a small gathering of just a few Korean activists exceeded her expectations. Within just a few days, more than 100 women from various countries, including Korea, China, and Japan, took to the streets on the evening of September 3 (local time). The protest also drew significant attention on social media, becoming the first overseas demonstration following the incident.

Around ten days after the protest, Segye Ilbo was able to meet three Chinese women in the UK who organized and led the event. Given the risks that Chinese protesters face, both at home and abroad, the women requested to use pseudonyms.

On September 3 (local time), women from various nationalities gathered in London to protest against the recent illegal deepfake porn crimes in South Korea. The protest was a call for justice regarding the widespread deepfake sexual exploitation incident.

Protest in the UK Against the Korean Deepfake Scandal

In an interview at a café in central London on September 12, Nana, Axolotl, and Mochi revealed that they have been involved in women’s rights activism since 2022 through their Instagram account, “We Are All Chained Women (@weareallchainedwomen).” While women had always participated in protests, they noticed that men often took credit for their contributions. This inspired them to create an account to document women’s activism firsthand. Their pre-existing community of women living abroad became the foundation for their collective efforts. Despite having no prior experience in organizing protests, they learned the ropes by directly engaging in street activism, including how to organize marches and the symbolic importance of protesting in front of embassies.

Over the years, they have organized around 20 protests, addressing issues like sexual assault in India, women’s rights in Palestine, and human rights for women in Afghanistan. However, the protest in early September against the Korean deepfake scandal felt particularly special to them. Typically, they communicated only in Chinese, but this protest plan was quickly translated into English and spread to women from various countries, resulting in an unprecedented level of diversity and participation.

Nana said, “I wanted to protest alongside Korean feminists, but I hadn’t had the chance to connect with any in real life. It was so meaningful to finally meet Korean women through the spread of this protest.” Following advice from many Korean women on how to prepare for the protest, they stayed up late, making banners just three days before the event. They also learned the importance of having legal observers and safety personnel.

Axolotl emphasized the significance of this protest, saying, “Unlike previous, more relaxed gatherings, this was a truly official protest organized as a formal entity. It was also the first time we met women of various nationalities on the streets, not just Koreans.”

Recalling the day of the protest, Mochi said, “It was my first time going to the Korean embassy, and we got a bit lost, so there were some bumps along the way. Despite our inexperience, thanks to the courage and solidarity of women from various countries who chanted slogans in Korean and English, we successfully completed the protest.” In London, slogans such as “My life is not your porn” and “Deepfake is murder” echoed throughout the protest.

When asked about the reaction of the Korean embassy, Mochi explained, “Two men were watching us from behind the curtains, filming the protest, and embassy security guards came out to record what we were saying. If this were the Chinese embassy, they might have responded more discreetly, but the Korean embassy seemed shocked, likely because they hadn’t encountered such protests before. Soon after, they called the police.” However, the police merely asked when the protest would end and then left.

As embassy staff left the building, protesters chanted, “Punish everyone who creates, watches, and trades in illegal deepfake content!” According to Mochi, the embassy representatives quickly retreated back inside.

The Influence of Korean Women's Feminism

"Girls' Generation's 'Into the New World'? Of course, I know it. I also know it’s used at protest sites. I believe every woman in China our age should know this song."

These women all agreed that Korean feminism has already made a significant impact in China. They were well aware of the “Uncomfortable Courage” (2018) protests, which criticized biased investigations into illegal filming crimes in South Korea. They explained that “Into the New World,” sung by Korean women at various protest sites, is not only famous in China but also known and sung by feminists in many other countries.

One movement that particularly caught their attention was South Korea’s “4B Movement.” The term “4B” combines the Chinese character for “no” (非) and the letter “B,” referring to a lifestyle that rejects four traditional roles: sexual relationships, childbirth, dating, and marriage with men. Never before had there been such a collective movement questioning and voluntarily rejecting life tasks that were considered natural for women to follow.

When Nana first heard about the 4B Movement, she was deeply impressed. “While it’s dangerous to openly oppose the government, it’s remarkable how women have found ways to resist on an individual level in their daily lives,” she said. “I think it’s an effective way for individuals to resist being reduced to birth machines by the state.”

She also introduced the “boy sober” trend, which has become popular on the video platform TikTok. The term “sober” refers to being mentally clear, and the trend encourages women to stop relying on men in order to maintain emotional independence. This trend is thought to have been significantly influenced by South Korea’s 4B Movement and events like the U.S. abortion ban ruling.

Nana emphasized the importance of young women experiencing the freedom to enjoy their lives and spaces as individuals, rather than being dependent on men.

Axolotl pointed out that even in Western countries, many women are still "chasing false dreams." She explained that while there is a societal atmosphere that makes people believe gender equality has already been achieved and that women are equal to men, it’s crucial to expose the reality that this is not the case. “We must not be deceived by the small comforts offered by patriarchal systems and governments,” she said, stressing the need to uproot the deep-seated roots of gender inequality.

In this process, Axolotl believes, “We must question the policies and laws of every institution and government.” She explained that encountering immediate backlash when addressing systems of oppression—like patriarchy intertwined with capitalism—demonstrates why this work is necessary. “For a long time, we’ve struggled with political depression, feeling helpless that nothing could change,” she added. “But now, at least, we know we can do something, and through connections, we can draw strength from one another.”

Mochi shared a similar sentiment, reflecting on the meaning of all this activism. “I used to ask myself what the point of all this was, but then I realized that it wasn’t about changing the world immediately. I have to do this for my own mental health,” she said. Finding a way to channel incomprehensible anger and break free from long-standing feelings of helplessness provided her with a personal, practical solution.

She added, “If you focus solely on how much the world has changed, in some ways, it can feel very unrealistic. But when you concentrate on your own emotions and the powerful sense of connection you feel when meeting more like-minded friends, that’s where you find the motivation to keep going.” They said that since they began organizing protests, their group has continued to grow, giving them hope for the future.

Hiding Women’s Rights and Domestic Violence Issues

Nana reflected on the longstanding societal strategy of concealing issues such as women’s rights and domestic violence and trying to stop women from exposing these problems in other languages by accusing them of “disgracing the nation.” She noted, “In this sense, Korean feminists and we are so alike that it feels like looking in a mirror.”

Nana mentioned that when she heard from Korean women that “we do not trust the Korean government or the Korean media,” she realized it was similar to how Chinese women couldn’t find trustworthy media in China. This is why the slogan “Woman is our nationality” was created. She explained, “Regardless of background or country, being women unites us, and it’s the perfect slogan to show solidarity among feminists of various nationalities.” She emphasized that it also carries the message, “We will eventually win.”

They stressed the importance of connection between women from East Asian countries, which share common traits such as Confucianism and patriarchal governments. The women, who were well-versed in the history of digital sex crimes in Korea—from illegal filming to the Telegram Nth Room exploitation and deepfake sexual violence—asserted, “Turning women’s everyday lives into pornography is not just a problem in Korean society.” They expressed anticipation for the large protest related to deepfake crimes set to take place in Seoul on September 21.

The women repeatedly mentioned the courage of Korean feminists and the awakening it sparked among women of various nationalities. Nana asked, “Do Korean women know how much Chinese feminists have been influenced by the 4B movement and literature from Korea?”

She continued, “There are many works of ‘Korean women’s literature’ translated into Chinese. Classics like Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, The Vegetarian, and Summer Outside. Writers like Kim Ae-ran, Kim Cho-yeop, and Han Kang are famous among Chinese feminists.”

London correspondent: Ji-hye Jeong

[weedle-testaburger]

i have this thing where I'm really unwilling to judge people based on their background but I'm Very willing to judge them if they're a reactionary

[vv-ispy]

man if humans turned out to be decended from dragons in genshin that would be a True Chinese Story Moment

[dchan87]