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1. Last week, as the online attacks against Chinese feminists intensified, a powerful voice stepped in to help the trolls: Weibo’s CEO. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/world/asia/china-feminism-weibo.html?smid=tw-share
2. Since March 31, many feminists suddenly found that their Weibo accounts were removed after users reported that they violated the company’s terms of agreement. Then, a Weibo user suggested that the company add “inciting mass confrontation” to the list of complaint options.
3. Weibo’s CEO, Wang Gaofei, doesn’t typically respond to users. This time, he posts a screenshot with the tabs to click: “Inciting hatred.” And, “Gender discrimination.”
4. I asked @XiaowenLiang17, a feminist whose account was removed, what she thought about his post. “I was speechless,” she said. “He accused me of gender discrimination, which is the most laughable thing in the world.”
5. While online misogyny is common everywhere, in China, it is often abetted by the tech platforms. Words like “national male,” a derogatory term for Chinese men, are blocked. But rape threats and “bitch” are permissible on Weibo. I had no idea of this double standard.
6. Another case in point: Taobao told Xiao Meili, whose video about indoor smoking started this backlash, that 23 items had to be removed from her online store because they contained the word “feminist.” On Tuesday, she discovers her WeChat public account has been removed.
7. The internet users behind the campaigns are "nationalist influencers," several are backed by the govt. Protocol's @shenlulushen dug up their backgrounds in this fascinating piece. Weibo is 'treating the incels like the royal family' https://www.protocol.com/china/weibo-incels
8. The dynamics of the harassment stem from a larger shift in Chinese society. In recent years, feminism as an idea has expanded into the mainstream. As @pinerpiner explains it, women are flocking to Weibo to discuss issues like domestic violence and gender discrimination.
9. That has put many men on the defensive. Many of the Weibo users who are supporting the campaigns against the feminists are also aligned with the nationalist movement and have accused the feminists of being unpatriotic "separatists."
