It’s hard to understand why he uses such vulgar language this time.
The reason why “Prisoner A” became so popular in China is precisely because Chinese society has a deep-rooted patriarchal culture. Women are still objectified as appendages of men, becoming tools for some Chinese men to project their hatred and disgust when opposing America, and uniting through misogyny and anti-American revelry.
Written by Wei Zhou
Due to the creation of the term “American Kill Zone,” “Prisoner A” (online name “Squishy King”) has now contributed a hot topic:
He claims that Chinese female students in the United States are regarded by white men as “ideal hunting targets,” with promiscuous private lives and rampant abortions, reminding parents of international students not to send their wives and daughters to Western societies.
As with the previous time, the effect was still sensational, but there was a difference: this time he encountered much more intense opposition, especially from the group of female students, with many people coming forward to refute his “fabricating yellow rumors”—this not only refers to what he said being inconsistent with the facts, but also that phrases like “accompanying mothers, three links and one delivery” are vulgar and extremely insulting.
Big V “Luo Beibei” was shocked and questioned: “Why does the anti-American cause have to add so much vulgar and unspeakable content that insults women?”
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One point worth noting in this public opinion storm is: using “the dark side of American society” as a selling point, why did it cause such a different response this time?
When the narrative of the “American Kill Zone” came out, the domestic public was actually somewhat in a “bystander” mentality. After all, that was “other people’s miserable lives.” If there was any controversy, it was only about how much of it was true; but this time it was different, the group it pointed to was Chinese women on the other side of the ocean, which was not “other people’s business,” if you don’t come out and make it clear, the entire group may be stigmatized.
For example, the international student “misskagi_96” said: “As a female international student, as a woman who has lived abroad for many years, I prove that what he said is wrong!” Seeing a video of an accompanying mother clarifying the situation, there was a bunch of men unscrupulously making vulgar jokes about women, and no one even spoke for her, she felt very sad:
Figure/Network
Prisoner A’s words fully verify how vulgar patriotism and misogyny are translated into each other. First, he created the “kill zone” to provoke the spirit of the whole people, and after being frantically pursued by a group of people who never opened their eyes to see the world, he began to fabricate rumors about female international students and accompanying mothers. Seeing that other women had a better life than themselves, they immediately responded. “She… how can she… live better than me?”
Obviously, there is no intersection with others, but when you think about it, you want to be half-dead with anger, and then you are ashamed and angry. Because of the fragility of their own situation, they want to impose malicious speculation on the group they long for but cannot obtain, and lead their loyal male supporters to a collective spiritual orgasm.
Although this time it is placed in the context of “international,” you can understand that it is actually not much different in mentality from the previous rumors in some conservative traditional places that “women who come back from working in Shenzhen are not clean”: they are hostile to those women who have seen the world in an open city, and regard that prosperous and developed society as evil.
▲ Times Square, New York, USA (Photo/Tuchong Creative)
This was not originally a new rhetoric, but the voice it stirred up this time even involved Hu Xijin. It is rumored that this media commentator, who never misses any hot topics, kept silent because his daughter was studying in the United States and his wife was also there to accompany her—this statement actually agreed with “Prisoner A’s” point of view, because it is equivalent to acknowledging “the existence of embarrassing inside stories, so I won’t say it.”
Later, Lao Hu also clarified that these rumors were not true, reiterating that he had the right to remain silent, but conversely, the fact that such speculation could make it to the top of the trending searches means that in the eyes of many people, anyone involved in this matter is hard to stay out of it.
This topic is not only more closely related to Chinese people, but also embarrassing: although it also looks like “exposing the ugly reality of American society,” it cannot be said to be a criticism of America from the level of social system, but rather an undisguised stigmatization of the female group. It is conceivable that the official media can hardly stand in line with “Prisoner A” and others like last time, and can only maintain an awkward silence.
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“Prisoner A’s” own methods have not actually changed: from the “American Kill Zone” to “sugar-coated apples,” and then to this time, his consistent style is to draw on those sensational bridges in urban legends, exaggerate and render them, and depict a picture with extremely inflammatory language that seems to be only understood by him.
The problem is that, with the same kind of description that is bizarre, shocking, and even disgusting, it could be explained before as highlighting the cruelty of American society, but this time it is hard to understand why he uses such vulgar language. Isn’t this misogyny?
Of course, some people believe in “Prisoner A.” Although the host of a certain social media super topic “Lin Buli” is a woman, she defended him, saying: “Prisoner A is saying that there are men in foreign countries who target Chinese female international students or accompanying mothers, and there are traps or hunters targeting them. This means letting them be careful and letting everyone pay attention. How did it become Prisoner A fabricating yellow rumors?”
In other words, if you accept the big premise that “America is an evil capitalist society, and it is quite dangerous there,” you are more likely to believe his statement, because at this time you have already subconsciously believed that “in that hell, anything can happen,” and even feel that it is a kind reminder.
The irony lies here: precisely because some women’s sense of insecurity is stronger than that of men, and they are more worried about the risks targeting themselves, they will believe it. However, this is essentially serving social control.
Figure/AI generated
As pointed out in “American Folklore,” white police officers and 3K Party members occasionally play tricks to confirm the rumors spread by whites among black slaves: if the slaves run away at night, ghosts will catch them and make them miserable. In this way, whites can instill a deep sense of fear in the hearts of blacks, making them afraid to act freely.
“Prisoner A’s” “yellow rumors” about female international students and accompanying mothers are essentially the same: what he said is not so much for “anti-Americanism” as it is to use “the darkness of America” to scare the middle class in China from sending their daughters and wives to the United States, creating obstacles for Chinese women to study abroad, imposing implicit social control.
The reason why it is said so vulgar is precisely because it has the best effect of social control. The more vulgar and disgusting it is said, the more it can arouse the public’s fear and disgust, making people have concerns. Conversely, this reinforces the negative image of America—which is almost a “devil’s den.”
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Now the question is: how are “anti-Americanism” and “misogyny” combined? And why can they be combined?
Well-known big V “Shi Bu Gui” believes, after listening to Prisoner A’s live broadcast for several hours, that what he advocates is actually the set of “three cardinal guides and five constant virtues” at its core:
Women listen to men, and men and women must both abide by the so-called “traditional culture and values” and live their lives in a regular manner. Their children must listen to their parents, and then, like their parents, continue to abide by the so-called “traditional culture and values” and live their lives in a regular manner. This is the civilization of the “long-lived species” that deserves praise.
Under such arrangements, women’s autonomy and personal independence are out of the question. They can only depend on men and belong to the “property of the nation.” Having a relationship with foreigners would also damage the national character and be insulted as “not as good as selling.”
Figure/Tuchong Creative
“Shi Bu Gui” pointed out with a keen insight that behind this is actually the desire for power of Chinese men:
The reason why winning studies and yellow rumors are highly overlapping is because “power” and “sex” are themselves highly consistent. “Sex” itself is a kind of power to dominate the body and spirit of others, and power can be used to obtain “sex” for oneself.
A considerable part of “sexual repression” itself comes from a distorted desire for power and a perverted psychology. Some men are not concerned with whether women are “chaste” and “decadent” themselves, but with the power to decide whether women are “chaste” and “decadent,” which must be firmly grasped in the hands of men.
Judging from “Prisoner A’s” experience, he studied in the United States twice, and did not graduate from a community college like Green River College, which shows his position in the social structure. As many studies have confirmed, Asian-American women are more willing to marry white men with higher social class status, while Asian men are rarely seen as ideal marriage partners by white women.
This situation of “involuntary single” (incel) will definitely make those who are accustomed to patriarchal thinking in China very uncomfortable, and even indignant, because it subverts his gender power order and infringes on his “deserved rights,” but as long as female international students and white men are portrayed as morally corrupt images, and women are disciplined to return to the traditional order, he can immediately reverse the power structure and regain control.
The reason why “anti-Americanism” and “misogyny” can be combined is here: men are recognized as the only subject of the nation, and they dominate and “protect” “their own women,” while at the same time being hostile to men of other ethnic groups. “Anti-Americanism” and “misogyny” are therefore two sides of the same coin, relying on the negativeization of these two, this narcissistic Chinese man is thus able to self-proclaimed as a hero.
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In 2025, a female university student in Dalian was expelled by the school for dating a foreigner, which shows this kind of mentality: women do not have sexual autonomy, who they associate with, whether they can associate, and how they associate, all involve the collective face. Not to mention, in the eyes of many people, it is a shame for Chinese women to marry foreigners, but it is “glorious for the country” for Chinese men to marry foreign women.
Based on the study of tribal kinship systems, anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss pointed out that the role of women in tribal society is to serve as a means of communication between different tribal groups, to establish and ensure the relationship between men, and to become a tool for maintaining male social interaction and solidarity. Based on this, the American Chinese scholar Zhou Lei believes that in this case, “as a tool for men to show themselves to themselves and to the world, women can only maintain a passive role as a whole.”
Figure/AI generated
This scene at the moment perfectly confirms the above view: The reason why “Prisoner A” can become popular in China is precisely because Chinese society has a deep-rooted patriarchal culture, and women are still objectified as appendages of men, becoming tools for some Chinese men to project their hatred and disgust when opposing America, and uniting through misogyny and anti-American revelry.
In recent years, many Chinese men have had a “male crisis,” fearing that “women are becoming more and more powerful,” and worrying about losing their dominant position. This sense of crisis makes them eager to “revive their masculinity.” However, going back is not the way out. No matter how moving it sounds, the old prescription of “three cardinal guides and five constant virtues” cannot solve new problems.
If we don’t want to watch China turn into the way they expect it to be in the future, we have to make different voices now: this is neither respecting women nor true patriotism, but just the dross that should have been eliminated long ago.
*This article is an original article of the Iceberg Think Tank. Reproduction is prohibited without authorization, otherwise relevant legal responsibilities will be pursued.
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