OBJECTION!

The slavery enjoyers are not happy with me, it seems. If only downvotes had the power to change historical facts.

It’s actually just a funny coincidence, though it’s funny when people freak out about it. Mao’s “little red book” is written 红宝书, while the app is 小红书, so the connection is only really there in English. Red is a reference to two institutions the creator was involved with, Stanford Business School and Bain & Company, both of which use red as their main color (I imagine the general association of red with good luck may have factored in as well). As for note vs book, I mean, a notebook is a “little book,” and note is short for notebook (e.g. Death Note).

If you actually look at the app and what gets posted there and what doesn’t, it’s pretty silly to assume it’s a reference. It was originally called “Hong Kong Shopping Guide” and was targeted towards tourists, the userbase skews female and relatively well off. It’s like Instagram, there’s lots of cat posts and the the like, lots of fashion, I’ve come across some pretty impressive furries, and it’s even got a decent sized queer community, particularly popular with lesbians.

Even if it were an intentional reference to Mao’s book, like, so what? The users are the ones putting out content and they’re just regular people. Not everything is some sinister plot.

For the record, that line is more in reference to people talking about things that allegedly happened on the fediverse, like, “I saw such and such user say X.”

Here is a detailed account of what Tibet was like with sources. If there’s a specific claim that you’d like me to clarify or back up, I’d be happy to.

Tibet emerged as one of countless warlord states in the chaos following the fall of the Qing, it never received international recognition and is recognized as part of China and claimed by the ROC (Taiwan). In the period when it was autonomous, it was ruled by a slaveowning theocracy with an average life expectancy in the 30’s. Whipping, mutilation, and amputation were common punishments and poverty and starvation were rampant, with people frequently having to sell their kids for food. The monks and lamas, meanwhile, lived on the backs of the people in extravagant mansions with thousands of servants.

“Free Tibet” is essentially just “The South Will Rise Again” with extra steps.

Isn’t it the exact opposite? The only thing China can do with my data is try to sell me stuff. Meanwhile, the authorities in my own country have the power to kick in my door and drag me away to some blacksite.

If I were Chinese, I would rather the US government have my data than the Chinese government, but since I’m American, I would rather the Chinese government have it than the US. Pretty much everyone anywhere in the world ought to regard their own government as their highest security risk.