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Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

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Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#121

Post by grzm »

xnull2guest wrote: post #105
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In the United States, it is illegal to portray the assassination of a president Full stop, no it isn't. > Handling topics of National Security, such as Pearl Harbor, must be screened and if needed edited by National Security personnel. Full stop, no it doesn't. Where the heck are you getting such misinformation? It is not just wrong, it is bordering on libel. > Close partnership and collective ownership of media pr…

> Full stop, no it isn't. It was my understanding that 18 U.S. Code § 871 included depictions enticing or encouraging such acts. I will look this up and come back with more information at a later time. And to be clear here I mean a depiction of an actual US president. Not a fictitious president. > Full stop, no it doesn't. Where the heck are you getting such misinformation? It is not just wrong, it is bordering on li…

It was my understanding that 18 U.S. Code § 871 included depictions enticing or encouraging such acts.

If that's the case, I suspect that the relevant language here is enticing or encouraging. Depictions of, say, historical events would be different. That said, I am most definitely not a lawyer.

Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#122

Post by Inconel »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #119
Inconel wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never seen the movie, were the scenes prior to HK taking place in mainland China?

Yes, in Beijing! But they didn't stay there long, and nothing really happened there. It was such a weird plot element that it stood out like a huge sore thumb.

Interesting. Thanks for answering all of my questions in this thread.

To be honest, I'm somewhat surprised there were any untouched cities left for Michael Bay to destroy after already having made three previous Transformers films.

Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#123

Post by seanmcdirmid »

paradite wrote: post #120
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except a movie could be totally subversive of the American government (the CIA or military is the bad guy, a national/state/local government is corrupt, etc...) and the movie could still go into wide production and make millions of dollars. Heck, it even is super easy to find examples of that (you want to know the truth? You can't handle the truth!). Now try doing that in China. Make the PLA the enemy or portray a co…

I wonder if there is any correlation or causation between portrayal of the government in films and the actual impression of the government. To me it seems that U.S. likes to portray government in a negative way in films, and in real life a sizeable portion of the people are also not happy with the government. The reverse is true in China. I mentioned the difference in people-government relationship earlier but didn't…

Interesting question. We will never know the other way since the government in china controls the film industry, all films must get pre-plot approval. Whether pro government films positively affect perception, i would guess that it works for a certain segment of the mass population (a silent majority in Reagan's terms) but not really the middle class.

The existence of dissatisfaction with the American government probably drives production of subversive films, rather than the other way around. People are usually predisposed to media that fits their views, not the other way around.

Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#124

Post by krapp »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #118
krapp wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet every time Hollywood adapts a Japanese property they seem to be unable to find any Asian actors in California to portray any Major roles.

Likewise, when japan does live action versions of their anime, they are unable to find Caucasian actors to fill roles that are obviously Caucasian. Tamaki Suoh in Ouran Host Club obviously has blonde hair and blue eyes in the anime, but in the live action becomes completely Japanese! Perhaps they just couldn't find an actor that looked the role?

Japan is 98% Japanese - that comparison doesn't even make sense.

>Perhaps they just couldn't find an actor that looked the role?

Of course they could, but the problem is it seems as if they wouldn't dare try. They stopped looking after "the one hot female lead we put in every sci-fi movie now."

Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#125

Post by jessriedel »

argonaut wrote: post #38
lupin_sansei wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be a brilliant solution to have the fake news rebutted side by side. But I fear the gatekeepers will just block what they see as fake news.

Give an example of gatekeepers blocking fake news. Reply to below: I am not talking about government censorship, which is obvious, since I just talked about it. I am talking about companies using fake news as an excuse to block what they believe is fake news.

Reply to your reply: No major media companies are doing anything one way or the other so, like I said, it doesn't make sense to ask for examples. But see this for a preview: http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/2/13819696/facebook-bs-detec...

Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#126

Post by olalonde »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #70
olalonde wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I recall correctly, the NYT website was blocked a few months ago when it published an unflattering (e.g. allegations of cronyism) article on Xi Jinping. The NYT is also pretty heavy on "China-bashing" though that's not really unique to them[0]. [0] http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/01/china-bashing.html

It was Wen Jiaobao and much earlier than Xi Dai. Economist and Time were recently blocked because of Xi jinping articles. "China bashing" is simply a euphemism for being critical on china, any kind of criticism is applied the term. The CPC just cannot accept criticism from anyone in any form, so they block it all out. Only low value news sources like CNN and Fox remain. Chinese are incredibly self critical in china b…

> "China bashing" is simply a euphemism for being critical on china

I understand it as being overly or gratuitously critical of China but of course, it's hard to define objectively. Personally, I feel like most American media is biased against China but I hold a relatively positive view of China.

Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#127

Post by roywiggins »

xnull2guest wrote: post #105
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In the United States, it is illegal to portray the assassination of a president Full stop, no it isn't. > Handling topics of National Security, such as Pearl Harbor, must be screened and if needed edited by National Security personnel. Full stop, no it doesn't. Where the heck are you getting such misinformation? It is not just wrong, it is bordering on libel. > Close partnership and collective ownership of media pr…

> Full stop, no it isn't. It was my understanding that 18 U.S. Code § 871 included depictions enticing or encouraging such acts. I will look this up and come back with more information at a later time. And to be clear here I mean a depiction of an actual US president. Not a fictitious president. > Full stop, no it doesn't. Where the heck are you getting such misinformation? It is not just wrong, it is bordering on li…

Death of a President was screened in the US. It depicts a fictional assassination of the then-sitting US President. There wasn't even a whiff of illegality around it, even if the big chains refused to screen it, it wasn't for fear of prosecution.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_a_President_%282006...

Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#128

Post by seanmcdirmid »

gbog wrote: post #117
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In the United States, it is illegal to portray the assassination of a president Full stop, no it isn't. > Handling topics of National Security, such as Pearl Harbor, must be screened and if needed edited by National Security personnel. Full stop, no it doesn't. Where the heck are you getting such misinformation? It is not just wrong, it is bordering on libel. > Close partnership and collective ownership of media pr…

The American film industry is also a huge propaganda machine which is aimed at consolidating western cultural dominance over the world, expect it's not western culture anymore, it's just the U.S. Entertainment industry. In the movie and cartoon sectors only the Indians, the French and the Japanese can have a tiny slice of the cake, the Chinese have nothing. So it's the only survival path for them as an original form…

China does not make films that American consumers would want to consume. The best Chinese movies last year were mermaid and monster hunt...I saw both (bored on an air china flight), they were both absolutely awful.

There was a time in the late 90s when the golden Beijing Institute of Film class (the first one after the cultural revolution) was producing wonderful art house films that DID get viewership abroad. Sadly, this ended with increasing control of the gov over the film industry, and even the Taiwanese and Honk Kong films that we once enjoyed have disappeared to an industry that is now largely catering to the mainland market.

The future of the chinese film industry is more Warcraft and less "eat, drink man woman" (a Taiwan film) or "farewell my concubine" (I think the latter one was banned in the mainland), there is nothing there for us.

Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#129

Post by seanmcdirmid »

Inconel wrote: post #122
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, in Beijing! But they didn't stay there long, and nothing really happened there. It was such a weird plot element that it stood out like a huge sore thumb.

Interesting. Thanks for answering all of my questions in this thread. To be honest, I'm somewhat surprised there were any untouched cities left for Michael Bay to destroy after already having made three previous Transformers films.

He basically destroyed Chicago 2 times in the first 3 films. He has a huge hatred of Chicago, I guess.

Re: Apple Removes New York Times Apps from iTunes Store in China

#130

Post by seanmcdirmid »

throwaway122916 wrote: post #97
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except a movie could be totally subversive of the American government (the CIA or military is the bad guy, a national/state/local government is corrupt, etc...) and the movie could still go into wide production and make millions of dollars. Heck, it even is super easy to find examples of that (you want to know the truth? You can't handle the truth!). Now try doing that in China. Make the PLA the enemy or portray a co…

There are a lot of US movies that go the other way - praising the US military/portraying conflicts in good vs evil way. Example is Battle Los Angeles (2011) and American Sniper (2015). So such things are in effect "soft propaganda". In China, to protect themselves against such soft influence, they enact regulations. Letting people watch all US movies without a filter is effectively letting US set the cultural standar…

I really have no problem with that...I find these movies pretty boring myself. But the fact that a Chinese film maker cannot make a movie about china with critical social commentary is a huge problem for China's social development.
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