China Regulator Bans TV Parodies Amid Content Crackdown (reuters.com)

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China Regulator Bans TV Parodies Amid Content Crackdown (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on Friday March 23, 2018 @04:10AM from the further-crackdown dept.

China's media regulator is cracking down on video spoofs, the official Xinhua new agency reported, amid an intensified crackdown on any content that is deemed to be in violation of socialist core values under President Xi Jinping. From a report: The decision comes after Xi cemented his power at a recent meeting of parliament by having presidential term limits scrapped, and the ruling Communist Party tightened its grip on the media by handing control over film, news and publishing to its powerful publicity department. Xinhua said video sites must ban videos that "distort, mock or defame classical literary and art works," citing a directive from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television on Thursday.

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End game? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:14 · Score: 3, Insightful

Censorship produces a downward spiral, where each attempt to control produces new ways of lawful disobedience. The end result is complete authoritarian tyranny and a standing army of resistance fighters. Get the popcorn, as this process will be fun times to watch and seems to be snowballing quickly.
1. Re:End game? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:46 · Score: 0
  
  Now that the single party system has a dictator for life I'm sure no shits are given
  Cultural Revolution 2.0
2. Re:End game? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 05:09 · Score: 0
  
  This is communist China we're talking about. People that live there have no natural rights.
3. Re:End game? by Darinbob · 2018-03-23 05:54 · Score: 1
  
  Am I allowed to roll my eyes at this story?
4. Re:End game? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 07:06 · Score: 0
  
  Censorship produces a downward spiral, where each attempt to control produces new ways of lawful disobedience. The end result is complete authoritarian tyranny and a standing army of resistance fighters. Get the popcorn, as this process will be fun times to watch and seems to be snowballing quickly.
  You talking about Youtube banning gun related contents amirite?
5. Re:End game? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 07:44 · Score: 0
  
  Youtube is a private company and not a street corner amirite?
6. Re:End game? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 08:20 · Score: 0
  
  Cop kills you vs Thugg kills you.
  No difference to the dead.
7. Re:End game? by gweihir · 2018-03-23 12:54 · Score: 2
  
  They have that covered, I think. Wrongthink will eventually just wipe out your social obedience score and if that happens you are barred from public speech. As a result you cannot defend yourself against that either. May even throw in a bonus and makes sure people with a low score cannot buy food or rent living space or work in any capacity and the same happens to anybody that helps them.
  The real question is how many people will try to resit in time. That makes the difference between some nice places high up a tree for the scum in power or a slow decline to the collapse of society. In an extreme fascist state, and that is exactly what they are building, the economy goes down the drains and even feeding the population becomes difficult after a while. I think China may be going the second route.
  
  --
  Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
8. Re:End game? by gweihir · 2018-03-23 12:55 · Score: 1
  
  Sure. But you will have them removed afterwards to serve as evidence for your crime.
  
  --
  Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
classical literary and art works by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:14 · Score: 0

As if those had any value to begin with. Protect the garbage!
1. Re:classical literary and art works by jimtheowl · 2018-03-23 04:45 · Score: 1
  
  China has a long history and a rich culture.
  
  Your ignorance is no excuse to attack it.
2. Re:classical literary and art works by gnick · 2018-03-23 04:54 · Score: 2
  
  I agree. AC shouldn't have called Chinese culture garbage. But that doesn't mean I have a problem with it being parodied.
  
  --
  He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
3. Re:classical literary and art works by jimtheowl · 2018-03-23 05:11 · Score: 1
  
  Same. Trying to control parody hints at insecurity.
4. Re:classical literary and art works by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 06:14 · Score: 0
  
  Who said my comment was limited to the Chinese culture? And don't say "because TFS is about a Chinese policy", because nothing in TFS states that the policy is limited to classical literary and art works from China, so it is only natural to assume it is about all classical literary and art works regardless of origin.
5. Re:classical literary and art works by gnick · 2018-03-23 06:47 · Score: 1
  
  Apologies. I guess I should have said, "AC shouldn't have called all culture garbage."
  
  --
  He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
6. Re:classical literary and art works by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 07:44 · Score: 0
  
  Saying "apologies" is not the same as apologizing.
7. Re:classical literary and art works by gnick · 2018-03-23 07:49 · Score: 1
  
  Apologies.
  
  --
  He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
8. Re:classical literary and art works by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 16:40 · Score: 0
  
  You're right. I should rephrase it. I meant to say, "It should be hauled away, as garbage!"
Well where's the fun in that? by ColdWetDog · 2018-03-23 04:15 · Score: 3, Insightful

How very dull. No Trump stories at all?

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Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
1. Re:Well where's the fun in that? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:30 · Score: 1
  
  Says the man with a homepage linking back to a Chinese gambling/gaming website?? Hard to say based on your Ars profile.
  If you're chinese focus on the chinese censorship article above. Otherwise, leave the trolling to the Putains.
2. Re:Well where's the fun in that? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:54 · Score: 0
  
  At least the Democrats don't need to worry about parodies. That political party is a joke.
3. Re:Well where's the fun in that? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 05:11 · Score: 0
  
  No, parodies are banned, see?
4. Re:Well where's the fun in that? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 05:27 · Score: 0
  
  At least the Democrats don't need to worry about parodies. That political party is a joke.
  Says the party of trickle-down lies & debt hypocrisy who didn't learn from the Kansas revenue debacle.
5. Re:Well where's the fun in that? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 05:41 · Score: 0
  
  Says the party of...
  Says the party of selling their candidacy to Hillary Clinton.
6. Re: Well where's the fun in that? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 05:50 · Score: 0
  
  His boring-ass thread can stop now.
Huh... by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:21 · Score: 2

Wonder if this has to do with all the media purchases the Chinese have been making recently here in the USA. Good to know that Hollywood will be supporting the Communist agenda shortly...
1. Re:Huh... by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:38 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  What Communism? China hasn't had Communism since the Great Leap flopped and China decided to start industrialization and adopt business management and involvement in configuring the economy and centralizing, opposite of Communist and agrarian values.
  They have a complex mix of Capitalism-Socialism-Communism-Fascism, Communism only being an outer mask for symbolic values and controlling the continental Chinese, and a big blend into Fascism which is the main control system in China with almost all the core principles of it ticked. It's hard for Westerners to comprehend mixing ideologies like using tools, because the west is still stuck in the mentality of treating systems as beliefs and tribal dogmas rather than neutral objects that all have their positive and negative purposes that can be applied to certain situations before a switch is required.
To learn who rules over you, by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:26 · Score: 5, Insightful

simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.
1. Re:To learn who rules over you, by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 08:02 · Score: 0
  
  How is this +5 insightful on this story but on others it's called racist and anti-semitic?
  Slashdot is less reasoned, comprehensible, and more emotional by the day.
2. Re:To learn who rules over you, by gweihir · 2018-03-23 12:56 · Score: 1
  
  Indeed. And looking who people make jokes about behind closed doors also works well.
  
  --
  Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Socialism by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:27 · Score: 0

Isn't it great!!
CAPTCHA: property
Someday hopefully by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:33 · Score: 0

Someday China will have a big civil war. Hopefully.
1. Re:Someday hopefully by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:49 · Score: -1
  
  Someday China will have a big civil war. Hopefully.
  Can't happen. China's entire gov't apparatus is setup for control of the population. Civilians can't have weapons. Incidentally this is why the 2nd amendment is so important in the US, a president declaring himself life-long ruler would simply not be a stable operating point.
  It is interesting though, despite all the modern advances in every aspect of the world, China has basically managed to re-invent the "Emperor".
2. Re:Someday hopefully by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 13:33 · Score: 0
  
  It's not the civilian guns that is the problem, but the army has loyalty to the party and the emperor personally, and not the country or constitution.
solutions to dictatorships by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:39 · Score: 1

This sounds like the caricature bad-guy dictatorships in "V for Vendetta" or even "Escape from LA". To fix this we need either:
1) Snake Plissken and a black glider
OR
2) Hugo Weaving, a subway, a lot of fertilizer, and a map to China parliment
1. Re:solutions to dictatorships by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 05:44 · Score: 0
  
  2) Hugo Weaving, a subway, a lot of fertilizer, and a map to China parliment
  I think you are being a bit too kind saying that China has something resembling a Parliament... you insensitive clod.
Who the hell does Xi think he is!?!?! by CajunArson · 2018-03-23 04:43 · Score: 0

Heavy handed punishment for any thoughtcrime that goes against the ideology of the ruling elite is Google, Facebook, & Apple's job dammit!

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AntiFA: An abbreviation for Anti First Amendment.
1. Re:Who the hell does Xi think he is!?!?! by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 06:14 · Score: 0
  
  Thread winner.
All Hail Emperor Xi by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:46 · Score: 0

All Hail Emperor Xi.
This is not a parody.
Back to the House on Pooh Corner: by Hartree · 2018-03-23 04:47 · Score: 1, Funny

"Winnie the Pooh doesn't know what to do"
Gee, who thought Kenny Loggins wrote literary classics? ;)
Derision. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 04:54 · Score: 0

It's not that I don't think that China can do this, or that I don't think that China would do this.
It's that I find it laughable that China thinks it should do this. I hold them in derision. I have lost respect for them. Again.
But it's only about the bajillionth time they've done something pants-on-head retarded in their censorship regime, so none of this is actually news.
Where is the source article? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 05:15 · Score: 0

The Reuter article does not even bother to link an original source, or am I just suppose to take their words for it?
1. Re:Where is the source article? by PPH · 2018-03-23 08:24 · Score: 1
  
  I think it was covered by Weekend Update.
  
  --
  Have gnu, will travel.
Hey China: Lighten the fuck up already Francis by UnknownSoldier · 2018-03-23 05:15 · Score: 4, Insightful

Humor, and especially satire, is a corner stone of an enlightened civilization.
Pull that stick out of your ass -- because censoring humor and preventing people from poking fun of the establishment does NOT help people get over "taboo" topics, dogma, or corruption any quicker. In fact it has the opposite effect and makes things WORSE. By removing a "safe" avenue to eventually provide a road to discuss sensitive issue all you've done is force the issue underground.
Congratulations (see I was being _sarcastic_) on convincing the rest of the world that you are a bunch of dumb asses -- while we laugh at your stupidity.
What you resists, persists
There is a BALANCE between the Individual and the State -- too bad you will never learn this.
1. Re:Hey China: Lighten the fuck up already Francis by cascadingstylesheet · 2018-03-23 06:09 · Score: 1
  
  Humor, and especially satire, is a corner stone of an enlightened civilization.
  Pull that stick out of your ass -- because censoring humor and preventing people from poking fun of the establishment does NOT help people get over "taboo" topics, dogma, or corruption any quicker.
  This is China. The "establishment" is a communist dictatorship, and has been for a long time. None of this is surprising.
  Any accidental freedoms in this regard were purely transitory oversights, however long they may have popped up. Which probably wasn't very long. Because China is a communist dictatorship.
2. Re:Hey China: Lighten the fuck up already Francis by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 06:24 · Score: 0
  
  real communists wouldnt do this
3. Re:Hey China: Lighten the fuck up already Francis by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 07:14 · Score: 1
  
  Real Communism doesn't exist just like certain chemicals can't exist freely in nature and reality without either isolating them from some real world natural phenomena to retain their volatile nature, or allowing them only to fester within papers and books.
  That's Communism. Only armchair Communists believe in the reality of it since they are confined in books, but once it is brought up into the real world by practitioners then Communism only works by either changing its chemical makeup as you realize its follies through practical application (China did this after the great leap), or isolating the world around it as it is forced to exist in a static non-evolving environment while the world around it advances.
  You can see examples in both present and past, with no deviations.
  There is a good reason there are more ex-Communists than actual Communists in the world.
  The real shame is that the people advocating anti-Capitalism always take up the venomous and radioactive Communism as its antibody even though it is far from the only solution, indicating laziness and cognitive stagnation in the anti-Capitalist movement.
American News by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 05:28 · Score: 0

That's one way to keep all the American cable news channels out.
Russia is going the same way! by Joe_Dragon · 2018-03-23 05:30 · Score: 1

Russia is going the same way!
Stifling creativity by Rick+Schumann · 2018-03-23 06:02 · Score: 2

Well, I can see that the new Emperor of China intends to squeeze so hard that there'll be a persistent chilling effect on any sort of creativity. Guess he thinks he'll just be able to keep stealing creativity from the West ad infinitum.
Ironic by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 06:09 · Score: -1

It is kind of ironic to criticize China for censorship and do so in a language of supreme censors in the West as UK is now no better than China, Canadian and USA universities are buckling themselves to Marxist Stasi thought police, and Australia itself is also engaging.
The Chinese and the Anglo have many genetic similarities it seems in terms of mentality, it's just different excuses for the same shit.
1. Re:Ironic by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-24 03:40 · Score: 0
  
  UK is now no better than China,
  Yes, in the UK we are strictly forbidden from parodying our beloved leader as 'The Maybot' or calling our Foreign Secretary an 'Idiot toff'. This comment does not exist and if did I would be off for re-neducation by now.
  In other words, you're an idiot or a Chinese troll trying to derail discussion of your country's foul dictators and their thought police.
2. Re:Ironic by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-24 05:58 · Score: 0
  
  No, you instead get UK police allowing child molesters to continue on their own business out of fear of being branded racist,
  you get Facebook users taken by the police for condemning a Muslims stating that white women are only good for fucking and being disposed of like garbage afterwards while he enjoys his time, and you are banned from parodying Islam. You also get porn blocks like glorious China, copyright infringement which jails people for pirating songs for more years than pedophiles get for raping kids.
  Take a hike out of your ass Anglo, maybe your visage will improve then.
Xi Ping Pong Dong Wong is just wrong but by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 06:28 · Score: -1

Funny to say. Guess we need national draw Mohammed days of this asshat too eh.
Remember kids, the US just passed two absolutely disgusting bills (as if there weren't others):
- https://news.slashdot.org/story/18/03/22/0429226/us-spending-bill-contains-cloud-act-a-win-for-tech-and-law-enforcement
- https://yro.slashdot.org/story/18/03/21/2031204/senate-passes-controversial-online-sex-trafficking-bill
Then we have
https://news.slashdot.org/story/18/03/21/2223239/youtube-bans-firearms-demo-videos-entering-the-gun-control-debate
Among _many_ such very recent acts by Governments around the world to implement exactly the same god damned things. Wake the fuck up people.
NO! No more hailing pugs in China?!?!? by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 06:46 · Score: 0

How could they do that! That could never happen in the free world, here you are free to express any opinion in the name of democracy. This is doubly true for satire/comedy! No WAY anyone could get into trouble for teaching a dog a few funny tricks!
interesting. by WindBourne · 2018-03-23 06:47 · Score: 1

They can control parodies about the gov, but they have no means of controlling out and out stealing of IP.
Makes sense.

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I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
1. Re:interesting. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 12:17 · Score: 0
  
  WindBourne sucking cocks.
  Makes sense.
2. Re:interesting. by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 13:37 · Score: 0
  
  They can't. why do you think they need a law?
Well So much for Weird Al's tour leg in China by FirstNoel · 2018-03-23 07:37 · Score: 1

I guess Al will have to avoid China from now on...

--
"Hmm. I am to metaphor cheese as metaphor cheese is to transitive verb crackers!"
I guess the Red Army won't be singing anymore... by Anonymous Coward · 2018-03-23 08:54 · Score: 0

Where are we going to get these cultural classics now?!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgyVBL8zjmc - MJ - Beat It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vgHZQBUjd4 - usher-yeah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vgHZQBUjd4 - Gangnam Style
When politics is banned... by aberglas · 2018-03-23 12:17 · Score: 2

When politics is banned, everything becomes political. Significance will be attached to the smallest things.
We will indeed see at least a partial Cultural Revolution. And certainly a personality cult.
Can the Chinese economy continue to grow at a fantastic rate under that oppression? They are already discouraging their students studying overseas.
Very bad for the Chinese. And very dangerous for the rest of us.