Lackey Chan

Nothing is more infuriating than high society defending a defunct status quo. The rich telling everyone else to toughen up and those in power telling the rest of the country to stop their whining and complaining. Jacky Chan is known in the west as a kung fu comic but in Asia he is the most recent example of movie star gone politicing in a dead pond.



While in Hong Kong, Mr. Chan made some comments about Chinese people that reflected the Communist Party's interest but rejected by an increasing number of Chinese. Playing on the stereotype that there is something fundamentally different and exotic about Chinese (or Asians) he said, "gradually, I think we Chinese people need to be controlled. If were not, we'll just do what we want". He also spoke of Taiwan and Hong Kong as being "too chaotic" because they are too free. Obviously, as a rich actor probably living in America he is going to be seen as a hypocrite. I'll see him as naive for being the lackey spokesman of the Chinese government or not seeing how much more chaotic China is than Taiwan.



Take the prevalence of fake Chinese products and their consequences. Perhaps that isn't chaotic enough for Mr. Chan. How about arresting people with out charges who write or get together and talk about some of China's problems and how to fix them. Chinese like Charter 08 drafter Liu Xiaobo, Tibetan blogger Woeser, or Bao Tong. Still not chaos? I got it. How about passing laws and then ignoring them like those in the constitution or that protect their land. Then, while on the way to address their grievance and ask for help from Beijing local governments detain them or kick the shit out of them before they can file their petition at some obscure office they can't find anyway. Now, their pissed and are prevented from redress so they riot and strike. Now that's chaos!



I know Jackie Chan will release some PR spiel and that he may have even catered to the predominantly Chinese official crowd, possibly for some reciprocity. A lackey for hero status relationsip? He knows he's fighting for the machine. I also realize cultural values vary and create different systems of government but you would have to be dictator to argue that any group of people "need to be controlled" or do not desire basic human rights. Democracy may be a western thing but the basic freedoms are universal. If you need proof that human rights are a Chinese thing just read charter 08 or the last 40 years of Chinese history.