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Comment by SexyCyborg | Hacker News Reader

"She pretends to be some women's rights activist"

I'm a mainland Chinese citizen with a high profile on Western Social Media, I can assure you I work very hard to make sure no one confuses me as a women's rights activist. Particularly not these days.

"Yes the algorithm is capricious,"

Not the algorithm- all human moderation.

"she's really just a purveyor of some weird type of titillation"

Why not just have an Only Fans, weekly photo video sets, and a decent copywriter and make 10x as much money? Why go through all this work?

"she's clearly making a bust of herself naked."

It's a dressmakers dummy, for sewing. It's a tool, it's not even decorative. It's of me because the clothes are for me. You can't make it with clothes on it or it won't work, I decimated the mesh instead. Men have been 3D printing far higher resolution models of nude female torsos without complaint from YouTube for a decade.

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I'm happy to see you here, and kind of shocked how the discussion seems to flow past your comments, going back and forth within the HN crowd instead of engaging with literally the creator who's livelihood is being discussed here.

For any random project that gets posted on HN, "hey, author here..." posts will typically end up at the top of the page, let's hope we also manage for this one here.

I had honestly not ever thought about your financials, simply assuming that with such a prolific youtube chain you would be fine. Your first twitter thread about this a few days ago made me reconsider, and given that youtube are being so arrogant about this I just signed up for a small $5 subscription on your tipeee.

@everyone: if your stance is "just ditch youtube" then this is your chance to make it possible: https://en.tipeee.com/naomiwu/

Edit: wow, just read through the rest of the thread. Actually a lot of back and forth going on. I stand corrected. :)

That's very kind of you. No Patreon and Western sponsors are understandably reluctant to work with a Chinese national- even those that are ok with my appearance. Chinese businesses can't figure out how I am still online, most don't want to risk the association but a few do and sponsor just enough to keep the lights on. It's tight some months though.

Would you be up for receiving cryptocurrency, either as sponsoring (like your tipeee site) or just as donations?

EDIT: See now that you already accept the main ones <3

Pro tip for when you have the time: Generate a new BTC address (native segwit bech32; starts with "bc1" instead of "1"). It will lower fees significantly, which can be a difference between a smaller donation being meaningful or not when fees are higher)

All her recent YouTube videos have cryptocurrency donation addresses for BTC, BCH, LTC, ETH, and XMR (Monero).

You're right! Was on mobile where YT isn't available for me.

I think you can install youtube-dl (or yt-dlp) in termux, or if not maybe use NewPipe.

I do, just usually save it for when I'm on a proper computer. (Piped is my fav altfront for YT so far BTW)

Ooh, thanks for the rec.

You're not wrong. You are being discriminated against. I mean you have so many things that 'family friendly' reactionaries would object to: Chinese, LGBTQ, cup size, making naked torso. I guess they all count. If it was only one you'd probably be fine. It's not a surprise. For what it's worth I do not support such discrimination and in a better world this wouldn't happen.

1 question: how do you know their videos aren't demonetized?

Also, in my understanding, youtube only demonetizes PER VIDEO, not your whole account unless you do something serious, is that right?

>how do you know their videos aren't demonetized?

“No, there won't be an answer as to why men making nude female torsos will not be subject to the same enforcement and never have been.”

I pressed YouTube on are or would those videos with identical content be treated identically, over several emails- they refuse to answer. That model is an extremely common test print in the community and I’ve never heard of anyone being demonetized for it. I’m hardly going to test it by reporting them and I’m also worried that people may now go and report or otherwise brigade those videos- many of whom are incredibly supportive friends in the community so I don’t want to over emphasize this and have them somehow blamed for doing nothing wrong.

>Also, in my understanding, youtube only demonetizes PER VIDEO, not your whole account unless you do something serious, is that right?

That is correct, although in my case it has been becoming more common every month and more ridiculous each time. None of the adult content rulings have fallen within their own definition.

Hold on, this is important. You're claiming gender-based discrimination but you don't actually know for sure if you're being treated differently from the male content creators.

She said many of them are friends. The strongest plausible interpretation is she asked them.

Upvoted you and oceanghost just so you dont have to reply the same idiocy over and over if they are buried in downvotes

I am a huge fan. Keep being you. And you are brave.

> mainland Chinese citizen

Which is a hugely touchy subject around here on its own, for some reason

From what I understand it is as often a problem with translation as it a clear political standpoint. What makes the phrase 'mainland China' problematic in English, is that it can mean a number of things. Someone from China using it may do so because:

* They were taught to do so and simply understand it to mean 'someone from the People's Republic of China'. No political subtext intended.

* They use it to mean that they are from the literal mainland of the People's Republic of China, but not Hong Kong or Macau.

* They use it because they genuinely see Taiwan as 'that other part of China' that needs to be unified with the People's Republic of China, despite having been a sovereign democracy for over 70 years.

When you say "I am from China" (or "I am from the PRC"), there is no chance of this having any deeper political meaning. When you say "I am from mainland China", there is a good chance that you do see Taiwan as a 'rogue province' and may support its 'inevitable' reunification by any means, including force. That latter sense is the one that is highly political and irks many people.

Note: there is no need to get into the justness or wrongness of Chinese reunification here; it would be off-topic and not likely to be fruitful. I do think it is important that people understand that the phrase 'mainland China' is not bereft of connotations and may cause readers to form an opinion of the person using it that may not be in line with that person's actual intent.

> From what I understand it is as often a problem with translation as it a clear political standpoint.

In principle, yes, and I do think this is an underappreciated issue which, if understood better, could have avoided several needless heated arguments in general.

However... Where does your understanding come from? It runs contrary to my experience from living in the region.

IME, "Mainland China" is one of the least loaded and ambiguous terms, and tend to refer to "the literal mainland of the PRC" (that is, sans Macau and Hong Kong, and definitely Taiwan).

> When you say "I am from mainland China", there is a good chance that you do see Taiwan as a 'rogue province' and may support its 'inevitable' reunification by any means, including force. That latter sense is the one that is highly political and irks many people.

While technically, yes, but it could equally (and probably more often in practice?) be used by people who recognize the independence of Taiwan and do not want to force a "reunification".

"China" (and even more so "Chinese") is more open for being problematic as it can imply the citizens, ethnicity, cultural heritage, the CCP, the PRC nation-state as such, etc... Being more specific removes room for misinterpretation, willful or not.

This is my perspective from living in the region for a couple of years. Though I wouldn't say I've knowingly interacted with more than a small handful of "pro-unifiers".

It may be a bit similar to when I say I live in "Ireland" referring to the "Republic of Ireland", which exists on the same island as Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. I've been here for about 6 years and I would love to see both countries unified as one, both for historical reasons and to annoy the brexiters. Extra points if we also get Scotland and form the United Republic of Scotland and Ireland. That'd drive the brexiters nuts.

> They use it because they genuinely see Taiwan as 'that other part of China' that needs to be unified with the People's Republic of China, despite having been a sovereign democracy for over 70 years.

Taiwan's official name is the Republic of China, so the folks I've heard use the "mainland" qualifier aren't saying "there are two parts of China" but rather that there are two countries that call themselves "China".

People from the Republic of China (i.e., Taiwan) with English language proficiency don't refer to themselves as 'island China' or 'the real China' (barring fringe elements), but may call themselves (ethnically) Chinese. Generally though, they call their country Taiwan and themselves Taiwanese in English.

Besides, if ambiguity is the concern for people from the PRC, the phrase "I am from the People's Republic of China" lacks any political subtext.

Expecting mainland Chinese to use the formal name of the PRC to self-identify is needlessly clunky and formal.

The reason why many Chinese, regardless of nationality, use the phrase “mainland Chinese” or “mainland China” in English is because it’s the direct translation of 中国大陆, the phrase used to identify the mainland. It doesn’t indicate political affiliation in any way.

In my experience the vast majority of people who use the phrase "mainland China" in Guangdong - and especially Pearl River Delta area - are using it to mean "not Hong Kong or Macau". Taiwan is really not part of the consideration for most people in Guangdong.

I don't have a nuanced thought to add. I think it sucks these videos were demonetized and I agree there's something weird going on when 3d bust test prints abound. Sorry you have to fit so hard to get people on the same page

If YouTube put as much effort into addressing the pandemic of health misinformation as they do into making your life difficult, the world would be a better place.

Thank you for spreading such good information on masks.

>Why not just have an Only Fans, weekly photo video sets, and a decent copywriter and make 10x as much money? Why go through all this work?

I mean, I cant help but agree that you're being a little dishonest here. Without passing judgement on whether what you're doing is right or wrong, a quick glance through the Twitter link in the OP and its quite obvious that you are well endowed and using it to your advantage by wearing revealing clothing. Can we acknowledge that some probably significant proportion of your channel views are at least initially due to your physique and the way you happily show it off?

>its quite obvious that you are well endowed and using it to your advantage

Yes, I play the cards I've been dealt.

>by wearing revealing clothing.

No, the clothing and gender expression predates YouTube and is for other reasons, is usually more conservative when I'm filming for YouTube, and is for myself. I've never worn anything for my audience.

>Can we acknowledge that some probably significant proportion of your channel views are at least initially due to your physique

Yes, I’ve come to take pride in it "came for the tits, stayed for the tech". If I happen to look the way I do for reasons other than marketing, being able to encourage technical proficiency in a demographic that was not looking to learn anything is about as good an outcome as I could hope for.

>and the way you happily show it off?

Sort of. I look the way I do for myself, and I don't object to any one else's polite enjoyment of that. As a gay woman I've gone from conflicted to entertained and accepting of it- as might any straight man who found themselves on the receiving end of the support of a large number of gay men, just for being himself and looking how he likes to look. But like our hypothetical straight creator- benefiting from something, it not the same as catering to it.

>being able to encourage technical proficiency in a demographic that was not looking to learn anything

Great perspective. Most people (most likely not on HN's highly productive community) find it hard to stay focus following education materials.

Some content creators put soothing bg music, animations, funny jokes. Something to engage. It's an art, be creative of what you have.

> Yes, I play the cards I've been dealt.

For what it's worth, you're a great woman, a great tech and a great entertainer.

Some around here apparently wouldn't win the game of life even with a Royal Flush on hand.

>its quite obvious that you are well endowed and using it to your advantage by wearing revealing clothing

What is "revealing clothing" to you. We are not in the 1900s where it's a crime to show a little ankle. Her clothing is nothing out of the ordinary in many videos.

If you have big boobs people will notice no matter what you wear, youtube shouldn't act different based on your body... If another youtube would exist who has very small "assets" I can assure you nothing would've happened.

It's so weird that this is the default response.

Again, I'm not making a moral judgement. But the first three tweets in the linked thread:

1. Bare midriff and tiny shorts 2. Deliberately fully exposed cleavage 3. A tiny spaghetti strap

Wear whatever you want, but don't be surprised when you get sexual attention, and don't pretend that as a public figure who makes money off of eyeballs that you're not deliberately taking advantage of your assets.

It's like we're not allowed to acknowledge that people dress for attention without being accused of puritanism or shaming.

And while we're on the subject, it is disingenuous to ignore the fact that the female figure induces a instinctual physiological and psychological responses in men. Social norms around modest dress may exist for a reason beyond oppression or patriarchy or what have you. It's tens of millions of years of evolution - not quite fair to pretend that revealing clothing does not force an onus onto men to suppress visceral urges.

> the female figure induces a instinctual physiological and psychological responses in men.

No. We are not all that shallow. In order to cause such a reaction there has to be some context, some hint of availability. I like her. I enjoy her videos. I'd like to have a coffee or beer with her. I'd love to be her friend. I'd like to ask her a ton of questions (political, technical, social), but I am not sexually attracted to her. Even if I were, I know I'm not what she likes and that she's not single.

> force an onus onto men to suppress visceral urges.

The universe has no obligation to make it easy for a person not to behave like an animal. That's what the sizeable lump of tissue inside your head is for. It's not a space heater.

Yeah, but what about the music video and commercial advertising argument? E g., That sexiness is commonly used in western society? Why single her out?

Also, if it were about the "onus", where does it stop? I'm regularly attracted to women and OBVIOUSLY I have to suppress my visceral urges. Do you want women to wear a burkha?

There was a video, by her, explaining this years ago. The standard for "sexy" is completely different in China vs USA.

Extremely skimpy clothing isn't culturally "sexy" or frowned upon in Chinese culture as it is in USA.

> Wear whatever you want, but don't be surprised when you get sexual attention

(Lack of) Self control much?

As a gay man, I most certainly do not!

Please stop making such pseudo-intellectual sweeping statements.

>the female figure induces a instinctual physiological and psychological responses in men

Yikes. That's some incestuous ideology. Thankfully, there are many men who do not suffer from such instincts.

> its quite obvious that you are well endowed and using it to your advantage

And what exactly is the issue with that?

Every model in advertising & on Instagram, every actress, and many more do the same. And so far I haven't seen a reason why that's supposed to be bad, aside from religious fundamentalist nutcases.

The amount of downvotes you got for this comment is IMO a part of the issue and undeserved. Gender and sex aren't taboo topics, and pointing out that someone might or might not use their attractiveness to their advantage is part of the discussion and totally reasonable to do, without having to start with "what is sexist", "what is male oppression", "what is sexual discrimination against woman" etc. We're all driven by instinct, and sex is part of that. If someone is presented attractive, they will (usually) get more views, which is also why attractive people are used as models

She herself commented in a different reply and agreed to some of the points, yet this comment is getting downvoted to hell

(Disclaimer that I don't know Naomi Wu and have never seen a video of hers. I'm replying based on the context of the OP link and reading through replies)

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