China bans Winnie the Pooh - President Xi doesn't like memes

No fun allowed.

Over the weekend, government censors began deleting animated GIFs and posts containing the name of A.A. Milne’s cartoon teddy bear on social media platform Sina Weibo and instant messaging app WeChat, the Financial Times reported.

Neither the Chinese government nor the internet platforms gave any comment, but observers said the crackdown was likely due to a long-running internet meme comparing Chinese President Xi Jinping to the slow-witted, good-natured bear.

According to Global Risk Insights, an image of President Xi standing up through a car roof during a parade and a children’s toy car was the most censored image of 2015, prompting the Chinese government to add “Winnie the Pooh” to its internet search blacklist.

According to the Financial Times, attempts to post the Chinese characters for Winnie’s name on Weibo over the weekend returned the message “content is illegal”.

Qiao Mu, assistant professor of media at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the paper “talking about the president” appeared to have been added to “political organising and political action” as activities disallowed by Chinese authorities.

He said online commentators had been detained after posting comments about the president. “I think the Winnie issue is part of this trend,” he said.

Global Risk Insights analyst Jeremy Luedi described Beijing’s reaction to the Winnie the Pooh meme as “disproportionate and puzzling”. “Firstly, where some see harmless fun, Beijing sees a serious effort to undermine the dignity of the presidential office and Xi himself,” he wrote.

“Authoritarian regimes are often touchy, yet the backlash is confusing since the government is effectively squashing an potential positive, and organic, public image campaign for Xi.

“Beijing’s reaction is doubly odd given the fact that Xi has made substantial efforts to create a cult of personality showing him as a benevolent ruler; going so far as to promote the moniker ‘Xi Dada’, or ‘Uncle Xi’.”

These are cute memes tho

Lol

 

[Golly]

I hope there's a campaign to replace Jinping's picture on wikipedia or something with Pooh.

 

[Ineedahero]

I hope there's a campaign to replace Jinping's picture on wikipedia or something with Pooh.

I hope next time he travels overseas someone organises a group of people to stand out front of wherever he's going and hold up winnie the pooh pictures.

 

[vertexwindi]

imagine getting butthurt over winnie the pooh

 

[GethN7]

Of all things, why suppress that?

Okay, Pooh is a bit dim, but he's otherwise a sweet, beloved children character who is genuinely good intentioned to everyone around him. I would think having the image of a cuddly children's character who is a friend to everyone would be something anyone could find positive.

 

[Loxiozzz]

Of all things, why suppress that?

Okay, Pooh is a bit dim, but he's otherwise a sweet, beloved children character who is genuinely good intentioned to everyone around him. I would think having the image of a cuddly children's character who is a friend to everyone would be something anyone could find positive.

Here something from another source.

In other countries such comparisons might be thought of as harmless enough and some might even think that having Winnie as your mascot could even be quite endearing: not in China.

Here the president is Mr Grey. He doesn't do silly things; he has no quirky elements; he makes no mistakes and that is why he is above the population and unable to be questioned.
...

Winnie the Pooh has actually fallen foul of the authorities here before. This renewed push against online Pooh is because we are now in the run-up to the Communist Party Congress this autumn.

The meeting takes place every five years and, amongst other things, sees the appointment of the new Politburo Standing Committee: the now seven-member group at the top of the Chinese political system.

Xi Jinping will also be using the Congress, which marks the beginning of his second term in office, to further solidify his grip on power by promoting allies and sidelining those seen as a threat.

It had been thought that China has transformed into a system of two-term governance for the country's supreme leader but this is merely a recent convention rather than a rule.

So, because President Xi has made so many enemies within the Party as a result of his widespread anti-corruption crackdown, many have questioned whether he can afford to give up power after the next five-year term.

In order to stay on he will believe that he needs to ensure there are no cracks in the absolute loyalty he demands.

And, in this climate, there is seen to be no room for even the most frivolous challenges to his supreme authority.

 

[dunbrine47]

And I thought the ban was over Winnie the Pooh's Home Run Derby.

 

[Spellskite]

I wonder if if could be unbanned if they utilize Tigger Warnings.

 

[ZehnBoat]

Of all things, why suppress that?

:autism:

imagine getting butthurt over winnie the pooh

first the russian butthurt over fidget spinners now this
are our world leaders getting better?

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

I'll show this to my pro-china friend next time he wants to tell me what a free and open society China is.

 

[TheImportantFart]

First thing that sprang to mind when I saw the headline:

 

[Coldgrip]

Oh bother.

 

[AnOminous]

China is a world lolcow.

 

[Loxiozzz]

I'll show this to my pro-china friend next time he wants to tell me what a free and open society China is.

fftopic: You could also introduce him to a chinese artist/activist named Ai Wei Wei. He's where I found the story. It was buried underneath articles about a noble prize winner China let die from cancer and wouldn't let leave to get proper treatment. They censored his name from the web too. Wei's fame in other countries is the only reason he hasn't gotten into serious trouble with the government for speaking out against them and telling everyone how corrupt they are. fftopic:

 

[Linako 2.0]

Silly old bear

 

[Mariposa Electrique]

Egos more fragile than their economies.

 

[CWCissey]

Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood, where iPhones are made for no pay...

 

[AutistocLolCow]

Does this means that this event: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...water-launches-campaign-aimed-at-9134054.html
Was a Chinese attack on the UK infrastructure?

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

fftopic: You could also introduce him to a chinese artist/activist named Ai Wei Wei. He's where I found the story. It was buried underneath articles about a noble prize winner China let die from cancer and wouldn't let leave to get proper treatment. They censored his name from the web too. Wei's fame in other countries is the only reason he hasn't gotten into serious trouble with the government for speaking out against them and telling everyone how corrupt they are. fftopic:

That sort of stuff has become kind of like a tradition in China.
Mao liked to refuse certain people medical aid for rather benign stuff like diabetus and so on. A couple of people that used to be his most trusted allies died of really aweful, yet easily treatable stuff cause they fell from grace and Mao let them die agonizingly out of pure spite.

 

[AnOminous]

That sort of stuff has become kind of like a tradition in China.
Mao liked to refuse certain people medical aid for rather benign stuff like diabetus and so on. A couple of people that used to be his most trusted allies died of really aweful, yet easily treatable stuff cause they fell from grace and Mao let them die agonizingly out of pure spite.

You can't expect better of "people" who boil dogs alive just because they're subhumans.