24 votes

China erases billionaire actress Zhao Wei from history

26 comments

  1. [24]
    Bear
    Link
    They have canceled her, including all discussion of her on chinese social media. All because she dared (/s) to hire a Taiwanese actor. She is not the first or last chinese person to be canceled by...

    They have canceled her, including all discussion of her on chinese social media.

    All because she dared (/s) to hire a Taiwanese actor.

    She is not the first or last chinese person to be canceled by the state.

    Fuck Xi Jinping. Fuck the Chinese Communist Party.

    But her business empire struck trouble under Xi Jinping. Zhao was accused of being unpatriotic for hiring a Taiwanese actor to play a leading actor in a 2016 film. Beijing had that choice overturned.

    16 votes
    1. [14]
      joplin
      Link Parent
      And because she's a billionaire, so she's amassing too much power for the state's tastes.

      All because she dared (/s) to hire a Taiwanese actor.

      And because she's a billionaire, so she's amassing too much power for the state's tastes.

      5 votes
      1. [13]
        Bear
        Link Parent
        If she's popular then she's earned it fair and square.

        And because she's a billionaire, so she's amassing too much power for the state's tastes.

        If she's popular then she's earned it fair and square.

        1. [2]
          MimicSquid
          Link Parent
          That's certainly true within a western laissez faire capitalistic framework.

          That's certainly true within a western laissez faire capitalistic framework.

          15 votes
          1. ShroudedMouse
            Link Parent
            Like Donald Trump was popular fair and square? :P The nice aspect of China's social engineering is that it's so blatant. Most Chinese people I've met are well aware of the government's suffocating...

            Like Donald Trump was popular fair and square? :P

            The nice aspect of China's social engineering is that it's so blatant. Most Chinese people I've met are well aware of the government's suffocating influence. The typical response I get when the 'west' is offered as an alternative is indignation at our hypocrisy. We're not particularly free from coercion here either.

            10 votes
        2. Seven
          Link Parent
          I hope this is a joke.

          I hope this is a joke.

          5 votes
        3. [9]
          joplin
          Link Parent
          I have no idea how she earned it. My point was just that the state is starting to get antsy about billionaires because it realizes they can easily escape the state's grasp.

          I have no idea how she earned it. My point was just that the state is starting to get antsy about billionaires because it realizes they can easily escape the state's grasp.

          3 votes
          1. [8]
            Bear
            Link Parent
            I am all for people escaping China's grasp, however they have to do it. Hopefully they can help others.

            I am all for people escaping China's grasp, however they have to do it. Hopefully they can help others.

            1 vote
            1. [7]
              Seven
              Link Parent
              I don't think that billionaires having that much power is any better than the state having that much power, tbh.

              I don't think that billionaires having that much power is any better than the state having that much power, tbh.

              6 votes
              1. [6]
                Bear
                Link Parent
                As much as I'm not the world's happiest with it either, the alternative is for the state to have all the power, and for the chinese people to have even less.

                As much as I'm not the world's happiest with it either, the alternative is for the state to have all the power, and for the chinese people to have even less.

                2 votes
                1. [5]
                  Seven
                  Link Parent
                  I feel like there's a third alternative between the rich having all the power or the state having all the power.

                  I feel like there's a third alternative between the rich having all the power or the state having all the power.

                  5 votes
                  1. [4]
                    Bear
                    Link Parent
                    I'd love to know what it is.

                    I'd love to know what it is.

                    1 vote
                    1. [3]
                      Seven
                      Link Parent
                      Power distributed throughout the populace, in the hands of the people through direct democracy and a socialist economy.

                      Power distributed throughout the populace, in the hands of the people through direct democracy and a socialist economy.

                      4 votes
                      1. [2]
                        Bear
                        Link Parent
                        Yeah, no. This is China we're talking about here. Wish for massive societal change in China in one hand and shit in the other, and let me know which one fills up first.

                        Power distributed throughout the populace, in the hands of the people through direct democracy and a socialist economy.

                        Yeah, no. This is China we're talking about here. Wish for massive societal change in China in one hand and shit in the other, and let me know which one fills up first.

                        2 votes
                        1. [2]
                          Comment deleted by author
                          Link Parent
                          1. Bear
                            Link Parent
                            And it completely ignores the spirit of my post. You and I both know that in the context of this post, when I said massive societal change it was meant as the chinese people gaining freedom, not...

                            And it completely ignores the spirit of my post. You and I both know that in the context of this post, when I said massive societal change it was meant as the chinese people gaining freedom, not losing it.

    2. [9]
      mightychicken
      Link Parent
      We are proud to announce that Tencent has purchased a majority stake in Tildes! We, the Tildes management team, feel this creates exciting synergistic opportunities. And, most importantly, this...

      We are proud to announce that Tencent has purchased a majority stake in Tildes! We, the Tildes management team, feel this creates exciting synergistic opportunities. And, most importantly, this will still be the community you know and love, I can assure you.

      3 votes
      1. [8]
        Bear
        Link Parent
        Gotta fund Tildes somehow, although I would hate it, and probably leave.

        Gotta fund Tildes somehow, although I would hate it, and probably leave.

        1 vote
        1. [7]
          skybrian
          Link Parent
          We haven’t heard about Tildes funding in a while, but I don’t think it’s a problem?

          We haven’t heard about Tildes funding in a while, but I don’t think it’s a problem?

          1 vote
          1. [6]
            Bear
            Link Parent
            I'm sure it was a tongue in cheek joke, although I would be surprised if this site was anywhere near being self-sufficient in terms of paying its own operating expenses. I bet we're just lucky...

            We haven’t heard about Tildes funding in a while, but I don’t think it’s a problem?

            I'm sure it was a tongue in cheek joke, although I would be surprised if this site was anywhere near being self-sufficient in terms of paying its own operating expenses. I bet we're just lucky that the site owner can afford to pay for it right now.

            1 vote
            1. [5]
              cfabbro
              (edited )
              Link Parent
              Then prepare to be surprised. Tildes has been pretty much self-sufficient since almost the very beginning thanks to the monthly user donations. AFAIK Deimos still has yet to take a wage from the...

              Then prepare to be surprised. Tildes has been pretty much self-sufficient since almost the very beginning thanks to the monthly user donations. AFAIK Deimos still has yet to take a wage from the project so he can't work on it full-time yet, but the operational expenses have always been incredibly modest thanks to how well engineered and implemented the site is. And Tildes was also a setup as a non-profit here in Canada (where regulation are a lot more strict than the US), explicitly to avoid having to worry about chasing profit/growth, and needing to appease any investor or advertisers, so I very much doubt Deimos will ever try to sell it, even if he could.

              4 votes
              1. [4]
                Bear
                Link Parent
                As modest as the expenses may be, that sidesteps the point of "I would be surprised if this site was anywhere near being self-sufficient in terms of paying its own operating expenses." Modest is...

                but the operational expenses have always been incredibly modest thanks to how well engineered and implemented the site is.

                As modest as the expenses may be, that sidesteps the point of "I would be surprised if this site was anywhere near being self-sufficient in terms of paying its own operating expenses."

                Modest is not zero.

                1. [3]
                  cfabbro
                  Link Parent
                  I don't think you quite understand just how modest they really are. Last time the financial were updated, the operational expenses were only $120/mo but donations were $580/mo....

                  I don't think you quite understand just how modest they really are. Last time the financial were updated, the operational expenses were only $120/mo but donations were $580/mo.

                  https://web.archive.org/web/20200925232836/https://tildes.net/financials

                  3 votes
                  1. [2]
                    Bear
                    Link Parent
                    As long as donations consistently meet or exceed operating expenses, that's fine for the long-term viability of the site. I've seen way too many sites that rely on owners funding them, despite the...

                    As long as donations consistently meet or exceed operating expenses, that's fine for the long-term viability of the site. I've seen way too many sites that rely on owners funding them, despite the expenses being termed "moderate".

                    2 votes
                    1. cfabbro
                      Link Parent
                      Yeah, I totally understand where you're coming from and have seen that plenty of times before as well. So I probably should have known better and just lead with the actual numbers instead. :P

                      Yeah, I totally understand where you're coming from and have seen that plenty of times before as well. So I probably should have known better and just lead with the actual numbers instead. :P

  2. [2]
    Nivlak
    Link
    “”State-controlled social media has been promoting messages including “raise the threshold to become a celebrity”, “virtue before artistry”, and “the rewards of a moral society”.” I wonder what...

    “”State-controlled social media has been promoting messages including “raise the threshold to become a celebrity”, “virtue before artistry”, and “the rewards of a moral society”.”

    I wonder what the implications of this will be 25-50 years from now? And how likely is this kind of thing to make it to the West?

    3 votes
    1. elcuello
      Link Parent
      Populist politicians and fucked up money men are creaming their pant reading this. I don't have high hopes.

      And how likely is this kind of thing to make it to the West?

      Populist politicians and fucked up money men are creaming their pant reading this. I don't have high hopes.

      1 vote