Dan ([info]oedipamaas49) wrote,
@ 2006-11-07 12:25:00
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Memes: toxic in China
Remember the Free Hugs meme? Somebody in Australia started hugging people in the streets, it spread to Russia, Italy, Taiwan, Korea, Poland, and pretty much the rest of the world.

Then, some people in Shanghai tried it - and were promptly arrested
Shanghai Free Hugs

The huggers were released after a couple of hours, but still: a big 'meh!' to the Chinese police

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[info]megamole
2006-11-07 12:33 pm UTC (link)
Bapless huggers?

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[info]deerfold
2006-11-07 01:04 pm UTC (link)
Hugs are almost always good. Except when it hurts to touch. And other rare exceptions.

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[info]mazzarc
2006-11-07 01:17 pm UTC (link)
Personally I would find it incredibly uncomfortable (borderline traumatic) having someone violate my personal space that I didn't know. Permission or not...

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[info]deerfold
2006-11-07 01:23 pm UTC (link)
So far as I know they're not forcing hugs on anyone. Just offering to anyone that wants them.

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[info]feanelwa
2006-11-07 06:53 pm UTC (link)
The guy in Australia stood there holding up a sign that says "Free hugs here" and only if people came up to him and asked for a hug, he would hug them.

Did I mention the Chinese guy in my year who thinks it's ok to execute Falun Dong practitioners because they're "weird"? I've decided to push his envelope of weird a bit and he seems to be unwittingly cooperating - first he asked if I wanted to go and see Pirates of the Caribbean 2 ("sure, I'm going with a big group of goth friends dressed as pirates and we're going to run about going ARRRR afterwards, grab a parrot and come along!") and then he turned up to Clowns when gay coffee was on. He'll be positively glowing with weird by the time he goes back.

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[info]oedipamaas49
2006-11-07 07:35 pm UTC (link)
brilliant!

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[info]colfu
2006-11-08 12:44 am UTC (link)
I did Falun Dafa/ Falun Gong for a year (nearly two hours every morning, starting 6am in the park) but had to stop due to not being able to get up that early after training till 10.30pm the night before and still going out clubbing. My mate stayed with it and now purely does that and nothing else (when we started 3 years ago, he both did lots of martial arts as well). I still use the exercises, and sometimes include them in my lessons as part of the cool down. They are not to be sniffed at.

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[info]colfu
2006-11-08 01:09 am UTC (link)
ah, so catching up on my LJ after the nightmare of no net for 24 hours (oh the pain) I got to [info]lord_don's post before yours. But I got it anyway.

Thanks for showing this as I totally missed it before (though I don't know how!!)

As mentioned below with the Falun Gong guys, I don't get the Chinese government. You have the inside scoop?

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[info]oedipamaas49
2006-11-08 08:50 pm UTC (link)
no idea, I'm afriad. [info]fate_ofthe_free had a fascinating post a couple of weeks ago (friend-locked, unfortunately) about how the Chinese govt. are as worried about cultural movements as about political ones - with the upshot that they don't mind anarchist punk bands, but get frightened by androgynous glam. Which is really weird.

But I have no idea what the deal is with Falun Gong.

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