11/22/24 - This is kind of like…even time travellers can’t change history.
[The Changde tourism advertising is super pushy lately. If I count randomly scrolling on my phone while eating, I’ve probably come across over 20 ads just today. Basically every 3rd post is about Changde, usually about the same talking points—ancient city, rice fields, deep culture, etc, usually all from official tourism board accounts or big travel influencers. I’m not sure how much interest people have in reading the same sort of thing over and over again, so I suppose I’ll just add a note everywhere I see a Changde ad.]
A post from the founder of 360, an antivirus software that’s famous for being the worst virus your computer could get. “The richest man in China said openly that he looks down on shopping streams [imagine a stream of nothing but sponsorship reads, overly enthusiastic sponsorship reads]. Why are reporters asking me what I think? There were a lot of people in the comment section @-ing me too, telling me to go check out what just happened. Scared me to death. I thought people were mad at me.
Turns out, it was the founder of Nongfu Springs, Mr. Zhong, saying in an interview that he looks down on businessmen who do shopping streams. It made me sign in relief, because I never did shopping streams, and I agree with what Mr. Zhong said.
I’m also against businessmen doing shopping streams. Don’t fight with the peasantry over their livelihoods. But most businessmen aren’t making their own personal IP in order to sell product. Or rather, they only try to sell their own products. Is that really a sponsorship? For example, what’s wrong with Lei Jun promoting his own Xiaomi cars and Xiaomi phones online? As a businessman, it’s an unavoidable responsibility of yours to do everything you can to make your products popular.
Ma Huateng [founder of Tencent] and Ma Yun [founder of Alibaba] have said on many occasions that their business could die. If they are so alert to danger, does 360 have any right to lay flat? Do I have any right to lay flat? A lot of the old comrades in the internet industry in my day have lied flat. I’m still fighting. The age of AI is about to be upon us. This is a revolution on par with the industrial revolution. It’s going to change all industries and all products, and is another chance for 360 to rise to the top. And it’s a big challenge too. The competition in the AI industry is fierce than people can imagine.
In order to bring make 360 AI Search and 360 AI Office more competitive advantages, I’ve been learning how to make my own IP just like Musk and Lei Jun. After a year, I’ve collected over 10 million fans across all platforms. The huge traffic has been converted into people’s support for 360 AI Search and AI Office. Last month, the number of visitors to 360 AI Search has reached 280 million. Right now, it’s the most visited AI search engine in the world. And at the end of this month, I am coming out with new products. Without traffic, how would anyone know what my new product is? So I need to thank all those fans to follow me here.”
Comments say, “I didn’t know much about this. Only started following once I found out you’re a standup guy. Just asking, I haven’t used 360 product in many years. Now, everyone’s after a minimalist office environment, but my impression of 360 remains in the days when it would spam you with endless, aggressive ads that couldn’t be closed. Has 360 gotten any better in these years?”
“Does anyone still even drink their water anymore? I don’t dare to. It’s so disgusting.”
“Back in the day, the endless 360 ad popups drove me fucking mad. But now that I’ve heard what Mr. Zhou [OP, founder of 360] has to say, I suddenly understand it. These days, I can’t even stomach any food without watching some ads first. After all, by watching ads, I’m supporting the best AI company out there. It’s so simple.”
#Founder of ABC responds to menstrual pad controversy. #ABC founder apologises. “On the 22nd of November, ABC Official Weibo has posted a video of founder Liu Jingheng addressing the general public. Liu Jingheng says in the video, “Lately, ABC has been receiving a lot of criticism over failing to meet national standards and inappropriate comments from our sales staff. I am not going to make any defenses here. I just want to apologist to every again most sincerely. Sorry! I’m telling all of you that we are going to become the very first business in the industry to “precisely meet national standards”. We sincerely promise that by December, certain products will meet national standards, and by March 2025, all products will meet national standards. Even if there are deviations, it will be deviations in the positive direction. I beg people to give us time to make these adjustments.”
Comments say, “WWII’s ended and now you’re issuing guns?”
“Didn’t you say before we could just not buy it? Why are you apologising now?”
“If this was your attitude from the start, nothing would’ve happened. Some people might even start using this brand.”
More tourism videos from Changde.
A compilation of people growing up to be the kind of people they hate:
“I was shocked myself when I was tutoring my brother homework, and I said, “You’re studying for your own sake, not for mine.””
“Caught my brother copying answers and took them away, and suddenly froze.”
“This is kind of like…even time travellers can’t change history.”
“When I was little, I hated adults asking about my grades around the holidays, but now, as soon as I see my siblings, I can’t help but ask their grades.”
“Jesus.” [Shows text exchange where OP’s little sister says, “Sigh, I just don’t want to study.” And OP responds, “You gotta study somewhat. It’s good for you.”]
“Lol, you were pretty shocked that came out of your mouth too, huh?”
“When I send my brother a birthday red pocket, I wanted to tell him to not spend it all in one place, but I thought about it, and just said, “Buy whatever you want.””
“”Don’t spend it all in one place.” God, I can’t stand it. It’s like my life is a closed loop.”
“Humans can’t even empathise with themselves in the past XD”
“But I don’t want him to walk the same path I did.”
“He wouldn’t get it. Just like we didn’t get it back then either.”
“I told my brother that he can play if he doesn’t want to study.”
“Fine. Better than not studying any and not playing any at the end.”
“He said, “Ever since you started working, you’re not on my side anymore.” T_T” [OP shows her text response, which reads, “I know I’m not a very good older sister. After I grew up, I seem to have turned into a bad person. Sometimes, I can’t empathise with how you think at all. But I don’t want you to suffer like I did, so please don’t blame me, okay? Life is really hard. Life as an adult is even harder, so I want you to study hard in school.”]
“So I’ve become a boring adult too :(“
“I feel like people need to hit a wall on their own.”
“Took my brother out to eat and he couldn’t shut up about how good it was. And a sentence suddenly floated across my brain, “If you study hard, you can eat good food every day when you grow up.” But I held myself back, and I just said, “I think it’s tasty too. Eat more.” I really just…T_T”
“I don’t even know why I texted this. It’s my most hated sentence before.” [OP had texted her brother, “Study hard.”]
“The closed loop of education.”
“My little sister said that she misses her sister. I said I was here, and she said that she wanted the sister from before who’d always be on her side, not this version of me that’s always talking about studying and taking away her phone.”
“I always thought there was nothing wrong with studying, I just can’t stand doing it.”
“When did I become someone I hate?”
“I always remind myself not to lecture my brother, which is why I’m so shocked when I blurt them out, and I blame myself why I would even say stuff like that when I don’t want him to repeat my mistakes.”
“But you are studying for your own sake. I totally agree with this line now.”
“It’s true. I’ve tutored lots of students. Sometimes, when I blurt this line out, I dumbfound myself. People can’t even empathise with their childhood selves. I’m only 20 now and I’ve already become a boring adult.”
More Changde tourism stuff.
#Zhejiang University responds to student in poverty showing off vacation photos. “Can poor students not take vacations?
No.
Poor students can’t buy expensive phones or computers?
No.
Poor students can’t buy name brands?
No.
Poor students can’t spend money like normal?
They can spend on what they need to survive. Outside of that, no, they can’t.
Why not?
Because we want this money to go towards actual poor students. We’ve all been to university. We know who’s spending a part of this money. That’s why we’re so strict. Got it?
Adding: Of course, it’s not a hard no. If you don’t take subsidy money, no one cares what you do.”
Comments say, “Sure, poor students can travel, but poor students taking subsidies can’t. Any student with the ability to go travelling doesn’t fit the criteria for receiving help, so they should stop getting money next semester. In addition, there’s something wrong with this school’s application process. How did someone get the status of a “student in poverty” when they’re constantly showing off vacation photos on social media?”
“Real students in poverty wouldn’t even think about shit like going overseas or going to a concert or buying luxury shoes or whatever. It’s hard enough for them to just survive. Anyone trying to start an argument over whether or not they deserve these things is just a bitch, no exceptions.”
“If you can travel and buy expensive phones and computers and buy name brands, how are you a student in poverty?”