Thomas M. Miovas Jr. Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 Jackie Chan, after spending quite some time out of China and enjoying the freedom of the west while making his movies and being an international celebrity, has decided that freedom is not for the Chinese people and they need to be controlled. I guess he's afraid they might learn about individual rights and demand them. Anyhow, I thought this was a betrayal of his fellow Chinese when he could have said even they deserve freedom. Is this his political stance or has he gone Hollywood or does he just not take freedom seriously? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 As much as I admire the guys skill, he has always been a communist, this is nothing new. He's been towing the party line since he first came to the west and has always been more valuable to China as a a propaganda tool and cheerleader for the Communist state than he ever was as a "Chinese Movie Star". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 I always got the impression that he was never particularly bright. After his latest comments it's clear he's just downright stupid. From interviews I've seen and his movies I genuinely think he can't understand the issues involved and was brainwashed effectively at a young age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Mac Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 (edited) I wonder if he's been instructed/threatened about speaking out? I thought I heard/read something about Yao Ming when he first came to Houston about how the government would be closely monitoring what he says, does, etc., as a condition of being allowed to come here. Edited April 18, 2009 by K-Mac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 I wonder if he's been instructed/threatened about speaking out? I thought I heard/read something about Yao Ming when he first came to Houston about how the government would be closely monitoring what he says, does, etc., as a condition of being allowed to come here. I some how doubt that. Jackie Chan is from Hong Kong, which was a British territory and one of the freest places on earth. Yao Ming is from Communist China, the mainland, which is heavily controlled. Regarding Jackie Chan, I always liked him, because he struck me as a guy with a great sense of life. He's very motivated, very goal driven and loves life. His movies were always very cleverly done artistically, with the domino effect type of scenes he would create. This makes me think the guy is highly intelligent. I don't know anything about his politics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEgoist Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 As I understand it, Hong Kong isn't one of the freest places on Earth. Free speech is still very limited there. No porn or speaking out against the government for Hong Kong residence, doesn't sound fun to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 As I understand it, Hong Kong isn't one of the freest places on Earth. Free speech is still very limited there. No porn or speaking out against the government for Hong Kong residence, doesn't sound fun to me. It's no longer a British territory, as it was when Jackie Chan was growing up. It's now under the Chinese, so I'm sure things have changed for the worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils_Advocate Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 He was obviously high or drunk. That's the only reasonable explanation for his comments. They make no sense, they're contradictory, it says he was speaking fast and his voice was rising, and some of the statements seem garbled and unlinked. How could anyone possibly go to a conference on "Tapping into... Creative Potential" and advocate control, while being sober? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 (edited) Why are these remarks surprising? It is a commonly-held idea that governments somehow know what's best for people, and must keep baser "animal instincts" of their populations under control. I have heard many non-Chinese mention how great Singapore is, not praising its free-market, but its strict social controls. In regions of the world like China, where there is still a huge underclass, more cosmopolitan urban elites often see themselves as needing to play a paternalistic role, like benevolent dictators. I've heard these exact views in India. In fact, years ago, when the Indian government had a short period of growing authoritarianism (1976), many people around me were saying things like: "Yes, this is exactly what we need. A lack of government-imposed discipline is what has kept us from progressing as well as China." When people like Chan say these things, they do not visualize concentration camps, and if they do they rationalize it by telling themselves that only people who were really unreasonable would fall that far afoul of the law. They imagine the law in their ideal state as granting a fair amount of freedom... enough that they think (in their wisdom) any reasonable person ought to desire... and no more! Edited April 19, 2009 by softwareNerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2009/04...a-comments.html Those in Hong Kong and Taiwan are not impressed by Chan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMeganSnow Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 The statements of those legislators are actually pretty surprising (in a good way!), since they address the fundamental moral issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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