iC1 on Nostr: In regions with #censorship or #authoritarian rule, memes provide a means for people ...

In regions with #censorship or #authoritarian rule, memes provide a means for people to express discontent without directly exposing themselves to repercussions. By using humour, historical references, or veiled language, creators can convey subversive messages while avoiding the attention of censors. This makes memes a safer outlet for socio-political commentary in environments where free speech is restricted. #freedom #privacy #FOSS

quoting nevent1q…zuc6

In China, many social media users began using the meme "garbage time" (a sports terminology) to criticize the state of the economy.

As that meme grew here in 2024, China's central authorities began cracking down on it.

But many Chinese citizens are adept at moving around censorship. When desiring to criticize the current state of the Chinese economy, many of them will instead bring up historical examples of prior Chinese dynasties that made similar errors, and draw clear parallels to the present, while maintaining plausible deniability and difficulty of censorship.

Pretty interesting. My hat is off to the Chinese social media users working around top-down censorship with memes and historical analogies.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/13/world/asia/china-economy-garbage-time.html