Excited
So, by this point, most people have heard about Jackie Chan’s comment on the “Chinese need[ing] to be controlled.”
I watched the actual clip of Jackie Chan speaking at the Boao Forum (the part English media outlets have been reporting on starts at 0:50) and as someone who speaks Mandarin, I was concerned about the difference between watching the original clip and reading online English translations.
I was initially exposed to the issue through an online English news source, which said that Jackie Chan stated, “I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not. I’m really confused now. If there is too much freedom, like the way Hong Kong is today, it is very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic. I’m beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled.”
When I first read his comment in English, I was pretty outraged. Then I watched the original clip and didn’t find myself nearly as upset. I suspect this has to do with the fact that when information is translated, it is often read as an individual and isolated quote, making it easier to sensationalize.
There are definitely problems with what he said, especially in light of his privilege as a movie star who probably moves about his surroundings freer than the average Chinese citizen. As well, Jackie Chan is internationally known and anything he says publicly, unfortunately, can and will be read as representative of the Chinese people. Oh, and let’s not forget Jackie Chan’s glorification of the United States as a place where people know how to dispose of their gum, as opposed to China, where people don’t, and therefore need to be “controlled” (see 1:30 into last link, which is in Mandarin).
This whole Jackie Chan situation makes me wonder how information gets consumed and digested by racialized second/third/fourth-generation people who may not speak the language. More specifically, I am thinking about information and knowledge that has been translated from its original language into English. There are lots of diasporic people who are trying to learn about their racialized histories and reclaim their families’ stories who can only do so through listening to stories, watching movies and reading in English. I wonder how much of the complexities are lost, as the histories and stories are translated into the supposed “universal” language.
Or am I giving Jackie Chan too much leeway and credit? Gah, probably.
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quoting JOHN: "Thatu00e2u0080u0099s the worse thing about the Internet and the 24 hours news cycle - a lot of misinformation can occur or events can be taken out of context very easily and also quicklyu00e2u0080u00a6"
yes, and the worst thing about the worst thing about the internet and the 24 hour news cycle is that when it is geared at specific audiences, the rest of us are at the end of a game of telephone. like you. your german friend knew what was up, the message came through garbled to you.
and like me.
being a 4th generation japanese-canadian, i have to rely on english translations of japanese history, like on wikipedia that have been translated by god-knows who (hopefully they are trustworthy to not be spinning the knowledge toward their own agenda) to get the scoop on my ancestors motives of immigration, life, etc...
spooky assertion.
quoting JOHN: "Thatu00e2u0080u0099s the worse thing about the Internet and the 24 hours news cycle - a lot of misinformation can occur or events can be taken out of context very easily and also quicklyu00e2u0080u00a6"
yes, and the worst thing about the worst thing about the internet and the 24 hour news cycle is that when it is geared at specific audiences, the rest of us are at the end of a game of telephone. like you. your german friend knew what was up, the message came through garbled to you.
and like me.
being a 4th generation japanese-canadian, i have to rely on english translations of japanese history, like on wikipedia that have been translated by god-knows who (hopefully they are trustworthy to not be spinning the knowledge toward their own agenda) to get the scoop on my ancestors motives of immigration, life, etc...
spooky assertion.
When I was in college, during the start of the Gulf War in 1991, I remember a CNN reporter based in Germany quoting a news source, Bild, that Saddam Hussein possibly had nerve gas (or something like that). A German exchange student was laughing, and basically explained that Bild was "worse than the National Inquirer." I've always been a little suspicious and cautious about what I've read and watch since that incident. That's the worse thing about the Internet and the 24 hours news cycle - a lot of misinformation can occur or events can be taken out of context very easily and also quickly...
When I was in college, during the start of the Gulf War in 1991, I remember a CNN reporter based in Germany quoting a news source, Bild, that Saddam Hussein possibly had nerve gas (or something like that). A German exchange student was laughing, and basically explained that Bild was "worse than the National Inquirer." I've always been a little suspicious and cautious about what I've read and watch since that incident. That's the worse thing about the Internet and the 24 hours news cycle - a lot of misinformation can occur or events can be taken out of context very easily and also quickly...
I watched the video and his first remarks about control were tempered by later comments about the abuse of freedom and the lack of "self-love" he's seen in freer Chinese societies. And where there's abuse, that's where the government needs to step in and keep order. Given that context, I can understand why he's confused about whether the Chinese need more governmental control. He did say at the end that he was confident that Chinese society would get better and better in the future. I hope that he is right.
I watched the video and his first remarks about control were tempered by later comments about the abuse of freedom and the lack of "self-love" he's seen in freer Chinese societies. And where there's abuse, that's where the government needs to step in and keep order. Given that context, I can understand why he's confused about whether the Chinese need more governmental control. He did say at the end that he was confident that Chinese society would get better and better in the future. I hope that he is right.
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