
China’s fan-girl culture is mobilizing against the Hong Kong protests - hardmaru
https://qz.com/1689589/chinas-fan-girl-culture-mobilizing-against-hong-kong-protests/
======
ralusek
Does the name "Big Brother" hold any of its Western context in China? I'm
wondering what level of irony can be applied to China labeling itself "Little
Brother" in its propaganda.

~~~
mytailorisrich
In China it is quite normal for people to call each other using family
relationship terms even when they are not related.

For example children will call their parents' friends or acquaintances "uncle"
or "aunt".

The same goes for "big brother" for someone older and "little brother" for
someone younger.

~~~
gus_massa
Somewhat related, an article from Raymond Chen: "What kind of uncle am I?"
[https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20090427-01/?p=18...](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20090427-01/?p=18433)

------
voldacar
Is this the future of media? Every even remotely-mainstream aspect of culture
becoming co-opted to serve the state and its interests?

~~~
mytailorisrich
Let's remember things like Captain America in the past or many aspects of
popular culture today.

This is not not new.

The thing is that when it comes from China it is immediately seen as negative
without knowing their culture and point of view.

That being said, socialist countries have a long tradition of not so subtle
propaganda campaigns.

~~~
voldacar
No I definitely agree with that, I guess the cultural propaganda from non-
western countries is usually just more clumsy and ham-handed than something
like captain america

~~~
mytailorisrich
I think one factor is that in countries like China where the state has an
effective monopoly on information there is no incentive to improve. In the
West the government would be openly ridiculed but obviously this cannot happen
in China.

Secondly, from my experience I feel that we detect propaganda more easily when
it's foreign rather than in our own country. Perhaps because we are so used to
"our own" that we cannot notice it anymore.

For example, as a European I find Captain America as unsubtle as Chinese
propaganda. If you're an American and come to the UK perhaps you will find
coverage of the Queen and the Monarchy equally unsubtle.

~~~
newen
Yeah...I think Americans have a hard time thinking of their government
spreading propaganda because America equals freedom/propaganda is only done in
bad countries/etc etc. So people get some mild cognitive dissonance when they
become fans of Captain America.

------
kerenua
this is surreal

