I tried it a few times recently when I’ve been down in the trenches of shitposting and it is very funny to make them try to explain their argument to you as if you have no idea what they’re saying. It’s so easy to bait them into thinking they’re about to bring up this amazing dunk about how China banned Winnie the Pooh or whatever and win you over, and then you get to just tell them that’s not true because you just looked it up plus now it feels racist.

  • culpritus [any]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    49
    ·
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    chefs-kiss

    What is this boomer cartoon?

    So this Pooh character is like a nice and friendly bear that happens to have yellow fur and wear a red shirt. What are you trying to imply boomer?

    • CoolerOpposide [none/use name]@hexbear.netOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      37
      ·
      4 months ago

      Wait so you’re saying he looks like China’s president, and that’s a bad thing? Or is just teasing him I guess? I dont really get it… You said it’s banned in China but I just looked that up and its not true, so what is this all about again?

      No no I mean I like the bear, I think it’s cute but I just don’t get the comparison or the point of making the comparison. I don’t really think China’s president is cute like that I guess…

    • CoolerOpposide [none/use name]@hexbear.netOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      30
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      This picture is banned in China? I don’t think so, he’s just a cartoon bear and I’ve seen plenty of pictures of bears in China before. I mean maybe I’m just missing something in your comparison. Do you mean like how America is an eagle and Russia is a brown bear? Maybe you meant to say you’re thinking of a panda bear or something?

      Oh you think it’s because this bear cartoon drawing looks like the president of China and that’s funny? Can you explain please, because I don’t really think I get the joke or the comparison? Tbh it feels weird that you picked a cartoon character with yellow skin though :/

  • Egon [they/them]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    35
    ·
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    I always just respond with some variation of “the ride in Disneyland Shanghai?”
    It closed this may, which also allows for some shenanigans.

    • CoolerOpposide [none/use name]@hexbear.netOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      26
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      It took me well into adulthood to realize that I was indeed making people laugh by being literally autistic and doing this exact thing by accident.

      Coworker apparently obviously complaining that the weather outside is unpleasant to him: “Good god sure is some great weather we are having, huh?”

      Me (autistic), who is enjoying the weather: “Yeah it’s beautiful out today. I might eat my lunch outside!” :)

      Coworker: “HA that’s great! Me too! I’ll see you out there.”

      Me: “Oh nice! Alright see you later!”

    • SkingradGuard [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      ·
      4 months ago

      Doing it irl gets people either confused you’re not as brainwashed as them, or they get extra mad and they think you’re baiting them into saying something more racist or unhinged. Really funny stuff.

  • ReadFanon [any, any]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    27
    ·
    4 months ago

    The immediate defense for accusations of it being racist are that it cannot be since it originated in China. Because Chinese people, obviously, cannot be racist and lateral violence does not exist. Also meaning is fixed and there is only one interpretation of any given thing and that’s the original intent of the creator. That’s why the Roman salute and the swastika don’t have any fascist implications.

    The easiest way to dismiss this defense is not by engaging it but by saying “You should go and find your nearest black community and use the terms they refer to eachother by to see how far this argument gets you.”

    I find that one of the best ways to shut down debate perverts is to encourage them to try out these ideas they so vehemently attest to holding in the real world. At best, they shut up about it because they know they are wrong and at worst they’ll double down and keep trying to convince you that they are right and you can just brush them off and ask them to report back once they’ve enacted their ideas.

    Another thing that has a similar vibe because it embraces someone’s foolishness that I’ve been using recently is, when I come across a person who is really doggedly anti-intellectual or completely detached from reality, I’ll explain why they are wrong and then tell them that this is part of the attitide/culture that is undermining the country (since it’s usually the US, although this also works for countries like the UK as well) and because I am eagerly looking forward to the country’s inevitable demise I applaud their contributions towards this effort and I encourage them to do more of it.

    Basically I tell them that they are a fool, how they are a detriment to society, and that I want them to keep it up because if everyone is like them then their country is destined to collapse.

    You can apply this to anything - vehemently anti-trans person? Applaud them for failing to grasp that decades of neoliberalism and class warfare from the ultra-rich are what is causing the rot at the core of the country and instead by wasting all of their energy on the culture war and on being outraged that trans people exist they are accelerating the destruction of the country. (Obviously this argument is not a Marxist one but you’ve gotta pitch things at the level the audience is at - I’d rather have a chance at them walking away from the exchange dazed and confounded, and hopefully poisoning their bigoted crusade, than to have them instantly reject what I say because they’ve identified me as a communist.) If they are anti-BLM or anti-communist or anti-tankie or whatever else, you can usually apply the same basic formula. It even works on Vaushites.

    • CoolerOpposide [none/use name]@hexbear.netOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      You’re giving too much effort calling it racist from the jump for using winnie the pooh. You have to let them work it out themselves for combined max humor and impact. People will double down that they are racist, or outright deny it if you make the (true) accusation that they are. But if you make them say it themselves or make it appear that you came to the conclusion after they explained themselves, you make them acknowledge it.

      What? I don’t get it. You’re saying this bear looks like the president of China? How?

  • Kestrel [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    24
    ·
    4 months ago

    Use a piglet pfp for extra trolling points

    "Oh this pig picture? My friend has a tattoo of it and I just think it’s cute. Wait why are you talking about that now?

    pooh-wtf

  • corgiwithalaptop [any, love/loves]@hexbear.netM
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    21
    ·
    4 months ago

    One of my favorite bits is to dress as Luffy (with a one piece back patch on my vest) and act baffled when people try and talk to me about it.

    “Whats a Luffy? A monkey? Oh i think they have a Luffy at the city zoo. One Piece? Piece of what? Sorry i don’t have any food right now.”

  • WideningGyro [any]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    4 months ago

    I’m a bit OOTL on the Winnie the Pooh thing. I always just assumed it was just a bunch of redditors making a racist effigy out of a fake news story, but googling it does give a bunch of (western) news outles, wikipedia pages etc. saying the character was censored/banned. Can someone pill me on this/direct me to a less brainwormed place than wikipedia for learning more?