this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
-33 points (41.7% liked)

sh.itjust.works Main Community

8017 readers
54 users here now

Home of the sh.itjust.works instance.

Matrix

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Just curious how many of you are cool with this deeply racist image being the header for one of your comms

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] iie@hexbear.net 51 points 2 years ago (2 children)

when a majority white community mocks a chinese man by comparing his appearance to a yellow bear, it's a little weird

[–] Susaga@sh.itjust.works 64 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The comparisons were first made in China, actually. The only reason we even know about the comparison is because he got so offended by them, and we keep doing it because he's upset by it. It's more about shape than colour, especially since Xi Jinping tends to wear trousers.

[–] Bakzik@hexbear.net 45 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Hello Susaga! I'm going to repost a comment I made a few hours ago, in this instance:

"Things can undergo a transformation, just because the original usage might have been innocent. If something starts being used by white racists or western imperialists in a racist way, would ya look at that, it’s racist.

Also, it’s covert racism. It gives people plausible deniability. Like you are doing now.

And there are historical precedents of this kind of racism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Peril"

[–] blazera@kbin.social 35 points 2 years ago

Could you demonstrate that transformation with other examples from here? Other asian people being compared to other yellow characters? Or has it remained specifically one person compared to one character?

[–] blazera@kbin.social 23 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Are bears a common racist stereotype for asians? I havent seen it

[–] harmonea@kbin.social 25 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It's specific to Xi Jinping. Chinese memelords started it in ~2013, and the country's censors were so offended by it that the Streisand Effect kicked in.