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[Derwind]

Not sure if posted:

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China’s army of Internet censors has picked an unusual target in its battle to wipe dissent from the country’s computer screens: Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.

Following the recent California summit between Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping, Chinese micro-bloggers picked up on an uncanny resemblance between a photograph of the two strolling through the Sunnylands estate and a cartoon image of AA Milne’s cartoon creations. The two images were published side by side this week on the Chinese social media site Weibo.

But the posts were almost immediately “harmonized”, as censors appeared to take exception to the comparison between their president and a podgy bear with a penchant for honey. Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post said overzealous censors had “nipped in the bud what could have been a positive PR campaign, tailor-made for President Xi Jinping”.

A recent Harvard study, which analysed millions of micro-blog posts, concluded that those “with negative, even vitriolic, criticism of the state, its leaders, and its policies are not more likely to be censored” than others. The study found that the censors’ key aim was to curtail “collective action by silencing comments that represent, reinforce, or spur social mobilization”. There is no suggestion that Winnie the Pooh or Tigger had been plotting to stir up social unrest in China.

 

[The Technomancer]

Okay that image is pretty uncanny

 

[RumblingRosco]

Oh, bother.

 

[sakipon]

Okay that image is pretty uncanny

Very. Amazing how they happened to walk like that.

 

[weekend_warrior]

Jeez, same pose and everything!

 

[PBalfredo]

But the posts were almost immediately “harmonized”, as censors appeared to take exception to the comparison between their president and a podgy bear with a penchant for honey.

Is that seriously the term the censors use? That's incredibly Orwellian.

 

[The Technomancer]

Seriously, the positions of the arms and legs are totally in sync. How does that happen?

 

[Link]

But the posts were almost immediately “harmonized”, as censors appeared to take exception to the comparison between their president and a podgy bear with a penchant for honey.

This line cracked me up.

 

[NomarTyme]

Tigger.

 

[Divvy]

That image wasn't made after the photo? I can barely believe the coincidences between them

Amazing

 

[joetachi]

Are you sure some one didnt draw that after the picture was taken even the shados match.

 

[CrazyDogg77]

It's actually pretty creepy how similar the pictures are

 

[SirMossyBloke]

There's something off about the way Obama is walking. It's like his knee being that high and his foot still being on the ground wouldn't actually make him move forward.

It's freaking me out.

 

[Max Armstrong]

Dude the shadow is exactly the same, no way the drawing was done before the photo was taken. Impossibru.

 

[Vesmir]

the background with the white pillars and wall even match. I doubt that drawing was made before that picture.

 

[CDX]

That image wasn't made after the photo? I can barely believe the coincidences between them

Amazing

Damn I wanted that drawing to be old just for the amazing coincidence.

But, I did a reverse image search of the Winnie the Pooh drawing and google can't find any version of it older than 4 days ago.

TinEye can't find it all.

So yeah, I'm going to assume the pic was drawn after the photo was taken

 

[S1lent]

Is that seriously the term the censors use? That's incredibly Orwellian.

No, that's a tongue-in-cheek term that Chinese netizens use. It's a play on Hu Jintao's "harmonious society" rhetoric.

 

[dan2026]

Seriously is China just anti-fun?

Do they have no sense of humour?

 

[Skilotonn]

Bullshit that Pooh & Tigger pic was made before their walking pic.

Still funny though that it was taken so wrongly that it's censored.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Tiger and Bear. They're two other characters away from a Chinese Martial Arts team.

 

[Kallor]

China to claim Winnie the pooh as theirs.

 

[Kangi]

That's... unsettling.

 

[Bombadil]

Why are they offended that their President is compared to an adorable bear whose only vice is honey?

Our Presidents are compared to monkeys (Bush) and Hitler (Obama).

 

[IdreamofHIME]

Cute photo and cute pic, makes China look less threatening and a little warmer to the West.


FUCKING BANNED!


Oh China!

 

[Pikawil]

Will the Disney lawyers of terror strike back against China for this?

 

[GK86]

Promote the man that compared the images.

 

[aceface]

Should have let the creator choose his fingers or his tongue.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

I was expecting this to be some sort of odd censor thing like Piglets fate in some parts of the middle east. Instead, I got an odd censor thing of it being parody or mockery...

 

[Valnen]

China seems to censor things an awful lot.

 

[Acorn]

So who is eeyore? And the bunny that is a bit of a cunt.

 

[Kazerei]

D'awww, that's adorable! :3

 

[Mrs. Manky]

Why are they offended that their President is compared to an adorable bear whose only vice is honey?

Our Presidents are compared to monkeys (Bush) and Hitler (Obama).

Admittedly, Pooh is a bear of very little brain.

I'm strangely more interested in the Obama/Tigger comparison. He has the height, thinness and the ears to match, so that works. Of course, then we get into problematic territory, with Tigger having mad hops, and a certain word that rhymes with Tigger.

 

[Bombadil]

Admittedly, Pooh is a bear of very little brain.

I'm strangely more interested in the Obama/Tigger comparison. He has the height, thinness and the ears to match, so that works. Of course, then we get into problematic territory, with Tigger having mad hops, and a certain word that rhymes with Tigger.

I'm proud of myself for not even thinking of that.

 

[RobotMafia]

So who is eeyore? And the bunny that is a bit of a cunt.

Kim Jung Un is definitely Eeyore.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

that's got to be the most adorable banned political cartoon ever

Admittedly, Pooh is a bear of very little brain.

I'm strangely more interested in the Obama/Tigger comparison. He has the height, thinness and the ears to match, so that works. Of course, then we get into problematic territory, with Tigger having mad hops, and a certain word that rhymes with Tigger.

And Pooh has yellow skin! So maybe not such a harmless caricature after all...

 

[Mrs. Manky]

Kim Jung Un is definitely Eeyore.

I see your point. "Thanks for noticing me pointing at things."

What about Piglet? Trespassers Will is a lot like Kim Jung Un's grandfather, a proud ancestor that he's trying to live up to.

Anyways, I hope no one gets hurt due to this parody.

 

[Erasus]

Pretty funny comparison.

 

[Link]

China to claim Winnie the pooh as theirs.

 

[Loofy]

Tigger.

Thats racist.

 

[CrankyJay]

Thats racist.

Damn, beaten.

 

[Link]

But can we use Tigga?

 

[robotzombie]

Oh, bother.

One away, so close