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Gotta Love Jackie Chan

JEDIYoda

JEDIYoda

Lifer
By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer William Foreman, Associated Press Writer ? 45 mins ago
BOAO, China ? Action star Jackie Chan said Saturday he's not sure if a free society is a good thing for China and that he's starting to think "we Chinese need to be controlled."

Chan's comments drew applause from a predominantly Chinese audience of business leaders in China's southern island province of Hainan.

The 55-year-old Hong Kong actor was participating in a panel at the annual Boao Forum when he was asked to discuss censorship and restrictions on filmmakers in China. He expanded his comments to include society.

"I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not," Chan said. "I'm really confused now. If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic."

Chan added: "I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want."

The kung fu star has not been a vocal supporter of the pro-democracy movement in his hometown of Hong Kong. Since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, voters have not been allowed to directly elect their leader. Several massive street protests have been held to demand full democracy, but Beijing has repeatedly said Hong Kong isn't ready for it.

The theme at Saturday's panel discussion was "Tapping into Asia's Creative Industry Potential," and Chan had several opinions about innovation in China.

He said that early in his career, he lived in the shadow of the late martial arts star Bruce Lee. He said that during his first foray into Hollywood, he struggled to establish his own identity, so he returned to Hong Kong. After spending 15 years building his reputation in Asia, Chan finally got rediscovered by Hollywood, he said.

Chan said the problem with Chinese youth is that "they like other people's things. They don't like their own things." Young people need to spend more time developing their own style, he added.

The action hero complained that Chinese goods still have too many quality problems. He became emotional when discussing contaminated milk powder that sickened tens of thousands of Chinese babies in the past year.

Speaking fast with his voice rising, Chan said, "If I need to buy a TV, I'll definitely buy a Japanese TV. A Chinese TV might explode."

########################################

WoW!!! Another side to this person who has made some funny action movies!!
 
Sadly, democracy is on the run world wide.
Welcome to the new Fascism. Now playing at a country you probably live in.
 
the more i learn about him the less i like him.
he's already admitted many of his us films were just trash he did for money, which explains his lack of effort in language etc. he doesn't respect his audience.
 
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
the more i learn about him the less i like him.
he's already admitted many of his us films were just trash he did for money, which explains his lack of effort in language etc. he doesn't respect his audience.
Click to expand...

lol and how does that differ from practically any other actor???
 
It's so sad that so many think the world would be a better place if everyone was told what to do rather than having the freedom to do as they choose.

Authoritarianism is NOT nor has it EVER been the answer to the human condition.
 
Originally posted by: zerocool84
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
the more i learn about him the less i like him.
he's already admitted many of his us films were just trash he did for money, which explains his lack of effort in language etc. he doesn't respect his audience.
Click to expand...

lol and how does that differ from practically any other actor???
Click to expand...

he's coming across the ocean from another country as a representative of his culture. i'm chinese and i find it insulting that he doesn't try harder. its quite difference.
 
Probably kow towing to the Chinese leaders.

He probably understands that it is okay for Chinese people need to be controlled....so as long as he is part of the cabal that gets to do the controlling.

What does 'becoming ready for democracy' even mean? We talk about how some groups of people 'simply aren't ready for democracy' without actually going in an explaining it. Does it mean it will be high jacked by others and turned into a dictatorship (which is what China basically is at this point in time)? Does that mean people don't 'understand' democracy (something which I find high implausible)? Will everyone be 'ready' for democracy when you willingly agree with whatever the state proposes?
Does he refer to chaos as people seeking their self interest? If everyone seeks their self interest, it undermines the power of the whole. Perhaps that what bothers him about Hong Kong and Taiwan (and Taiwan, for all its issues, does have a thriving democracy even if its rife with corruption and gangsters...too bad I still think its part of China, albiet a 'unity' isn't going to happen anytime soon). Well that is a plus for me - greater freedom and choice for an individual will weaken an overbearing government. I think this is what he means when he refers to 'chaotic' - too many people seeking their self interest that the ability of the state is weakened. It may be bad for control freaks, but sounds great to me. I can say I understand his desire though, because weakened states are always taken advantage of by stronger states. But I still would not give up individual freedoms to strengthen a state.

He goes on to say that 'they like other people's things'...i question if this really a phenomenon for Chinese people... I think it holds true world wide. Burberry (England) Dolche-Gabana (Italy?) Prada, Gucci, etc. are coveted by many people because these companies have focused on building a worldwide image of luxery, high status, and 'classyness' (although IMO it isn't worth the cost). People in Taiwan love SOGO for pretty much the same reasons. Does he mean that they covet other people's material goods as oppose to what the Chinese industry is pushing out...which is largely mass produced items as cheap as possible (cheap is the total opposite of the image that the other brands push...although they are also mass produced)?
IMO speaking from a more philosophical context, he is complaining that they are still mentally colonized and expressing it in the form of material goods. Rather than buy in local 'brands'...people will go and get fake Prada, Gucci, LV, 😉 IMO it is one big advantage Western Countries have...that 'image'.
Well he is going to face an uphill battle because as globalization brings us closer and closer together, people will want to covet symbols and experiences from outside of their direct environment.

I must say though..99% of this response is pure conjecture. One would probably need a copy of the transcript, as well as any other comments and actions that are relevant to really get an idea of what he thinks.
 
No, he's not being a freedom hater. What he's saying does make some sense if you consider what's been happening in China.
Now that people in China has been granted great portion of freedom mixed with capitalism, though it's still a lot less than in U.S.A or any other free countries, some crazy shit has been happening, as you probably know.
Think about all those immoral products,matrials Chinese make and use: in the name of freedom and capitalsim, fake baby milk podwer, leaded toys, beers, and so many other products have been killing people. Some even make fake eggs just so that they can make a few extra cents while they know it can and will kill people. Though Chinese freedom is offered a lot less than our standard, I do believe such freedom or economic activity should be controlled at this point because people aren't ready for it. It's like that incident where starving African people died from eating good steak as their bodies weren't ready for the sudden change.

In other words, sudden dose of freedom into China may bring uncontrollable chaos especially so if you consider how China is constructed. They shouldn't make same mistake as did with Culture Revolution or the Great Leap Forward. They shouldn't face the situations of those other countries that were, all of the sudden, granted with democracy and freedom; e.g, most, if not all, of African nations. That's what Jakie Chan meant. If you just take his words as it sounds in that edited dialogue, yes, he does sound like a freedom hater in general but he is not. He's being careful and I do agree with him. Freedom, democracy, and capitalism comes with great portion of responsibilies and social contracts; however, those who are new to the idea only take what it fits best for them. That has become one of the main reasons why democracy failed greatly in those nations that were freed.


 
Chan said the problem with Chinese youth is that "they like other people's things. They don't like their own things."

Chan said, "If I need to buy a TV, I'll definitely buy a Japanese TV. A Chinese TV might explode."
Click to expand...


Ironing.
 
Originally posted by: Deadtrees
No, he's not being a freedom hater. What he's saying does make some sense if you consider what's been happening in China.
Now that people in China has been granted great portion of freedom mixed with capitalism, though it's still a lot less than in U.S.A or any other free countries, some crazy shit has been happening, as you probably know.
Think about all those immoral products,matrials Chinese make and use: in the name of freedom and capitalsim, fake baby milk podwer, leaded toys, beers, and so many other products have been killing people. Some even make fake eggs just so that they can make a few extra cents while they know it can and will kill people. Though Chinese freedom is offered a lot less than our standard, I do believe such freedom or economic activity should be controlled at this point because people aren't ready for it. It's like that incident where starving African people died from eating good steak as their bodies weren't ready for the sudden change.

In other words, sudden dose of freedom into China may bring uncontrollable chaos especially so if you consider how China is constructed. They shouldn't make same mistake as did with Culture Revolution or the Great Leap Forward. They shouldn't face the situations of those other countries that were, all of the sudden, granted with democracy and freedom; e.g, most, if not all, of African nations. That's what Jakie Chan meant. If you just take his words as it sounds in that edited dialogue, yes, he does sound like a freedom hater in general but he is not. He's being careful and I do agree with him. Freedom, democracy, and capitalism comes with great portion of responsibilies and social contracts; however, those who are new to the idea only take what it fits best for them. That has become one of the main reasons why democracy failed greatly in those nations that were freed.
Click to expand...

Win
 
Originally posted by: Deadtrees
No, he's not being a freedom hater. What he's saying does make some sense if you consider what's been happening in China.
Now that people in China has been granted great portion of freedom mixed with capitalism, though it's still a lot less than in U.S.A or any other free countries, some crazy shit has been happening, as you probably know.
Think about all those immoral products,matrials Chinese make and use: in the name of freedom and capitalsim, fake baby milk podwer, leaded toys, beers, and so many other products have been killing people. Some even make fake eggs just so that they can make a few extra cents while they know it can and will kill people. Though Chinese freedom is offered a lot less than our standard, I do believe such freedom or economic activity should be controlled at this point because people aren't ready for it. It's like that incident where starving African people died from eating good steak as their bodies weren't ready for the sudden change.

In other words, sudden dose of freedom into China may bring uncontrollable chaos especially so if you consider how China is constructed. They shouldn't make same mistake as did with Culture Revolution or the Great Leap Forward. They shouldn't face the situations of those other countries that were, all of the sudden, granted with democracy and freedom; e.g, most, if not all, of African nations. That's what Jakie Chan meant. If you just take his words as it sounds in that edited dialogue, yes, he does sound like a freedom hater in general but he is not. He's being careful and I do agree with him. Freedom, democracy, and capitalism comes with great portion of responsibilies and social contracts; however, those who are new to the idea only take what it fits best for them. That has become one of the main reasons why democracy failed greatly in those nations that were freed.
Click to expand...

Written much better than what I was going to type
:thumbsup:
 
Spokesman: Jackie Chan comments out of context (AP)


Solon So, the chief executive of Chan's company JC Group and his main spokesman, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday the actor was referring to freedom in the entertainment industry and not Chinese society at large.

Chan was speaking at a panel discussion about Asian entertainment industries and was asked to discuss movie censorship in China.

"Some people with ulterior motives deliberately misinterpreted what he was saying," So said.

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/m...omments-out-context-ap
 
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