China orders TV stars to stop 'queer' western behaviour

[emad]

Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Saturday May 15, 2004
The Guardian


<snip>

Chinese television presenters have been told to stop dyeing their hair, exposing too much flesh and using English words in a government campaign to shelter young Chinese minds from the pernicious influences of sex, violence and foreign ideas.

The policy, which also includes a ban on imports of overseas crime shows and "queer dressing", has caused widespread controversy.

Many believe it goes against a popular social trend towards greater individual freedoms and wider exposure to international fashion and culture.

Mainland Chinese television remains remarkably staid compared with the wild, wacky and often sexually explicit fare served up in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Although there are dozens of terrestrial channels, they are all run by the state or provincial government.
<snip>
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,7369,1217444,00.html

[ixion]

1. queer dressing could become a topic here, too

if the neocons have their say. And rocker dressing, skate punk dressing, environmentalist dressing and any other kinds of 'dressings' that are anything out of the ordinary.

Such is life under tyranny. :-(

[emad]

2. Maybe queer dressing should be recognised as official Olympic

sport. Nominate Pickles to lead the US team.

[pagerbear]

6. I'll have queer dressing on my salad, please

[supernova]

3. And what do they do with all the Chinese

who have Sat dishes and can get the non-government channels? They won't stop this, they may slow it down, but they won't stop it. The Chinese people are well on their way.

[chenGOD]

4. My take...

I don't have a problem with any of the sex/violence/what have you. Show what you will.

The language thing really puts me in a quandary though. As an ESL teacher in South Korea, it really saddens me to see the use of English words in the "pop" vernacular. It saddens me for two reasons. 1) It is not correct English usage, and makes it more difficult for students of proper English when they are exposed to this bastardization. 2) Korean is a very beautiful language of it's own and it saddens me to see the younger generation throw away parts of their beautiful culture. Like when I see the word "new" written out phonetically in Korean, as opposed to the word that Koreans already have for new. My Korean wife (who at 29 is hardly an old biddy) certainly agrees with me, in fact she might be even more vehement about the issue.

So it puts me in a quandary because while I do not approve of censorship in any way shape or form, I would really like to see this use of casual/bastardized English stop.

[supernova]

5. So what do you want

the Korean eqivalent of L'Acadamie Francaise?

Words race around the world out of necessity. Local populations use them as best they see fit. At one time it was latin and Greek words. Now it happens to be English words.

Kudos to you for being an ESL teacher. I did that for a brief time here in the States.

If you really want a laugh, visit www.engrish.com.

[chenGOD]

7. No...what i want is...

People to use and appreciate the beauty of their own language and not bastardize other languages (and yes i know English is quite the bastard language). I have no problem with Korean people phonetically using words like 'computer', 'handphone' (that's a cell), 'VTR' and so on. But why use 'new' when they have their own perfectly acceptable word: 'sae'.

Engrish.com...yeah good site. Spread beaver anyone? I love engrish as a design function.

[Deja Q]

8. What a bunch of whiners!

Just wait until the oil shortage becomes apparent. Once the Chinese realize they need the oil just as badly as we do... :nuke: Since they hate fags, they can use homosexuality as part of their cause too. :eyes:

China apparently hates us for our freedoms. So where's * saying they are evil and need to be fought?