Headine: China cuts surgery-based reality shows

[aesmael]

"China's media regulators have banned reality TV shows that feature plastic surgery or sex-change operations, after some viewers complained they were "horrifying and sickening," local media reported Tuesday."

    The article talks briefly about the popularity of these shows rising along with the increased affordability of 'cosmetic options' but only mentions the Western manifestation of such programs long enough to state that one of the banned programs was based on something made by Fox.

    When I am presented with news items I often try to work out in what way do the people responsible for this want me to react. The first thought I had on reading the headline was 'China has reality shows where the contestants compete for or are made to undergo surgeries? That's horrible!' That is clearly not what the article was actually about. Instead, it seems to be about shows more like 'Extreme Makeover'

    I think readers are supposed to come away from the article with a response like 'Those crazy Chinese' (complete with shaking head) or clucking their tongue about Chinese censorship. What stands out most to me however is the lack of context. This story is presented in isolation as if such shows are a largely alien phenomena to the audience when in fact there are a number of similar shows being broadcast.

    Knowing there are similar shows being broadcast to Western English-speaking audiences does highlight this as an act of censorship (I wonder if the shows will still be available for purchase otherwise), apparently on the request of a number of citizens who found the shows sickening to watch. So long as the programs are not doing harm to anyone involved - and I can easily see, for example, "TV shows that feature ... sex-change operations" as being exploitive given the desperation I have seen people express for such as a matter of necessity for their daily functioning.

...

    I was going to say something like 'people should just change the channel if they don't like it'. Then I remembered how intensely I dislike such shows based on the little I have seen of 'Extreme Makeover' and the way it pushes an idealised conception of what a woman should look like (there may have been men featured on the show but if so I do not remember), even if she needs surgery to meet those standards.

    This is tricky for me. I want people to be free to modify their bodies as they wish. I want them not to feel obligated or pressured to do so. I want programs like these off the air - not all programs which feature such procedures, but those which portray people who do not meet some externally imposed standard as being in need of fixing. I do not want them taken down by government order. I want people to stop making them.

Comments

[lost-angelwings.livejournal.com]

Yus... :\

China censors lots of things tho :o

So.. I dunno. :(

But given their proclivity to censor things, I dun like them censoring nething at all. XD

[aesmael.livejournal.com]

Yes. I have a friend who lives in China and I am never sure what is safe to talk about with her, and she has expressed concern about saying the wrong thing to me too, and being cut off.

[stacis-leak.livejournal.com]

A lot of people claim the Chinese government is pretty silly because of the level of censorship they endorse and enforce, and often it seems a little over the top, but I read an article recently that reminded me of the fact that no matter how bizarre their actions may seem, governments are usually very clever and working towards a specific agenda.

The article I read was about the fact that China is now banning reincarnation without a license. That's right, you now need government permission to reincarnate in Chinese territories. When I first read this, I assumed the Chinese government had finally lost it, until I read the second half of the article. See, reincarnation plays a big role in religion over there, and whilst China has the governmental power, the religious sway of Buddhism is controlled by Tibet, under the leadership of the Dalai Lama.

And here's the catch - by refusing Tibetans the 'right' to reincarnate, they can ensure the next Dalai Lama will be Chinese, because anyone claiming to be the reincarnated Dalai Lama in Tibet can be arrested for reincarnating without a license.

This is what happens when people take religion too seriously. But you have to hand it to the Chinese government, it's a smart move.

[aesmael.livejournal.com]

I remember hearing about that. I do not think it will prove successful though, considering the current Dalai Lama remains at large. Although I wonder if in a few years there might be a situation like in Europe with rival claimants to the papacy. Actually, I wonder if anything like this has happened in Tibetan history before. Must remember to look that up.

[taraxoxo.livejournal.com]

I really don't like such shows, and would also hope people would stop making them. However, there are some days when I hoped that the Chinese (people not government) were less conservative, and less prone to wanting things to be banned just because it violated conservative norms.

[coniferous_you]

Personally, I find watching people be cut open to be pretty gross. I can't really understand why people would watch them - even just looking at it from such a superficial level. Bah. TV.