TikTok users including myself moved to Xiaohongshu, they banned me for life for posting a comical video critical America through Mao.
It’s been nice to see ordinary Americans open up to life in China but everyone is acting blind to their censorship. Makes me thankful for the fediverse and being able to self host my own instance.
I've noticed a very pro-China shift on Lemmy since Trump became president. Yeah, Trump is awful, but it's not like that makes China or Russia better. It makes them all bad.
That started well before he became president.
China is good actually.
Pro or anti X nation state rhetoric is rarely helpful. I fully agree that blind support of another country just because it’s not the US is just silly. I don’t know what you mean by all bad. How’re you labeling all three of those countries?
Have you been to China? The thing that is affecting so many US users on xiaohongshu is waking up to how many aspects of Chinese daily life and society are actually better than the supposed best country in the world. This has been my experience on my most recent of many times in China. It shocking how many issues and stressors exist in America that don’t in China.
I don’t know what you mean by all bad. How’re you labeling all three of those countries?
Do you have your head under a rock? Over the past few years China has been putting the Uighur people in concentration camps while Russia has been invading and genociding Ukrainians.
It shocking how many issues and stressors exist in America that don’t in China.
Youth unemployment, falling birth rates, spotty healthcare infrastructure, bad working conditions
Which ones does China not have?
I think to each their own. My wife spent two weeks in China for work, and she’s still traumatized from it.
China is pretty sensitive about depictions of Mao, so it doesn't surprise me.
Ironically enough it's actually super popular in China to "Rent-a-Mao" or Chiang Kai-Shek or whoever else from China's modern history. There are a lot of Mao impersonators, just like we have impersonators of Elvis.
Even positive ones? But what's up with that?
It's like how companies don't like satirical use of their trademarks even if positive. Brand control. Or for China, propaganda control. They don't want you to get comfortable using jokes about it.
Xiaohongshu does not tolerate political posts altogether, from what I read
Surprising to me too, it was a positive depiction of Mao.
I'm not really sure, it may be to do with how Jiang Zemin got called toad boy a lot.
It’s largely cultural. China is a place where filial piety is import so anything that can be construed as disrespect for your forbearers is looked down upon.
That app doesn't like gambling, politics, or sexually explicit material.
Your post probably fell under politics.
Posting anything about any Chinese leader is verboten.
Xiaohongshu bans all politics, even references. There's more serious platforms for those type of people, whereas xiaohongshu is to have fun and connect with others.
I've been in a lot of political discussions on Xiaohongshu. It seems people learn a little Marxism even in high school and are happy to share about it.
Not everything has been super fabulous about China, but nothing critical of Mao, and a big consensus that living in China is kinder to people who aren't wealthy than the US
Thanks! Didn’t know that at first
Awwww, you poor thing.
They didn't see you as a useful idiot so they leveraged their hatred for what you are and banished you.
Leopards are hungry on both sides of the line.
Well yeah, Mao Zedong is kinda like Chinese Muhammad or Chinese Charlemagne (not supporting the guy, but still). Were you not expecting to catch some passionate attention? I mean, I'd also ask that of everyone; China is kind of known for censoring things, like Italians and cheese or Icelanders and their elves, so it's weird to see people think the equivalent of "I'm going to a flock of crows dressed up as an owl because it's exercising freeeeeeeedom!"
I don't "support" that from a Chinese government perspective, as their journey for power and reach, like a lot of territorial groups, involved lots of death and domination over things that couldn't "ethically" be owned, but from a service owner's perspective, I mean, if it's rightfully the child of your own two hands, it's just your right to ban as you wish.
the real name of this app in chinese is "Little Red Book"
surprised?
In English, Mao’s book is called the “little red book” but that’s not the case in China. The direct translation of what they call it in China is “red treasure book”. As such, the name of the app only seems like a Mao reference to people who translated xiaohongshu into English.
That’s interesting. I also see in the app it’s sometimes called 小红薯 lol
This is it. Self hosting, federation, not for profit is the way. We need an internet that is made by just regular people for no better reason than it's fun. Not just social media either. We need an entire open internet, free and clear of all ulterior motives (or more likely still having bad actors mixed in, but at least they're not pulling any strings at the upper levels).
I don't know how possible that is, but I know we need it.
Fully agree! Thanks for putting my thought into much better words.
The only issue I see now is how to surpass bad mods and admins? The balance between filtering off topic or bad content versus anything goes but then nazis come out seems to be a challenge plus power tripping.
That's a never-ending process of everyone voting and discussing where the line is and where it should be.
There is no "final" solution, instead the solution is for people to collectively and continiously keep solving it every day.
I just don't understand why it's a problem that the nazis come out. Would we not rather they utter their opinions in the open so they can be refuted? That way people can also just ignore that user if they don't like viewing what he has to say.
It's not like they don't exist just because we ban them here.. They'll go somewhere to discuss where only other people who agree with them is allowed to be.
Unless we're talking direct threats or doxing I'm always an advocate for free speech online.