Jackie Chan: Chinese people need to be controlled

[tinybear]

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."

Jackie Chan: Chinese people need to be controlled

Yep. Some people die fighting for freedom. Others...well, they would rather not have it. Are you surprised that throughout its thousands of years of civilization, China has never had anything but an authoritarian government?

[Mr. Mxyzptlk]

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."

Jackie Chan: Chinese people need to be controlled

Yep. Some people die fighting for freedom. Others...well, they would rather not have it.

And they that would rather not have it are thrown in prison or killed. And so in essence, those that would rather not have it will still die fighting for freedom.

Are you surprised that throughout its thousands of years of civilization, China has never had anything but an authoritarian government?

Actually, what may be said to be quite surprising, is the fact that, throughout thousands of years civilization, China has managed to be the only government that has never had anything but an {authoritarian} government. And so one has to ask why do you believe that China is alone? Or, is China alone? And are you not under an {authoritarian} government? In fact, can you name a country that is not under an {authoritarian} government?

[Darkinstine]

I think in Jackie's case he's ok with it because it doesn't really affect him. I'm fairly sure the average Chinese person is not living, or having the influence, that Jackie has.

[tinybear]

And they that would rather not have it are thrown in prison or killed. And so in essence, those that would rather not have it will still die fighting for freedom.




Actually, what may be said to be quite surprising, is the fact that, throughout thousands of years civilization, China has managed to be the only government that has never had anything but an {authoritarian} government. And so one has to ask why do you believe that China is alone? Or, is China alone? And are you not under an {authoritarian} government? In fact, can you name a country that is not under an {authoritarian} government?

The USA government is not an authoritarian government.

[grandpa]

The USA government is not an authoritarian government.

All governments are authoritarian.

Grandpa h.

[tinybear]

If a government may be voted out of office by the people, then it can't be authoritarian, can it?

[Disinformant]

When was the last time the country was ran by a non-Democrat/Republican? exactly...

[tinybear]

Exactly. Two different governments. Choice given to the people. And you can even choose to elect Ralph Nader, if you like. The choice is there. It exists. Contrast that with China. When have the Chinese people ever been given the elect its own government?

[grandpa]

Two different governments.

Two different Americas? Far from it. It's all the same crap. But my point was that a government is authoritarian by definition.

Grandpa h.

[tinybear]

Nah, authoritarianism is just one of many forms of government.

Authoritarianism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But we're digressing....

[grandpa]

Nah, authoritarianism is just one of many forms of government.

I wouldn't think so. Wikipedia's definition is a bit off.
Where are you going with this one?

Grandpa h.

[tinybear]

Well, here's what's crossing my mind: Are Chinese naturally submissive in character? Do they never think of challenging authority? Do they think that being controlled is the way to go? I mean here's Jackie Chan; a guy who has risen to the top of his profession. A leader in his field. But...underneath it all, he has this slave mentality. He thinks it's better to controlled than to be 'too free'. What gives here?

[Disinformant]

Exactly. Two different governments. Choice given to the people. And you can even choose to elect Ralph Nader, if you like. The choice is there. It exists. Contrast that with China. When have the Chinese people ever been given the elect its own government?

They hold fake elections in China, too. Seeing as we don't count our votes and the Democrats and Republicans are identical in all significant ways; wrong.

[Disinformant]

Well, here's what's crossing my mind: Are Chinese naturally submissive in character? Do they never think of challenging authority? Do they think that being controlled is the way to go? I mean here's Jackie Chan; a guy who has risen to the top of his profession. A leader in his field. But...underneath it all, he has this slave mentality. He thinks it's better to controlled than to be 'too free'. What gives here?

Jackie Chan is a moron, and China is in a repressive slave state where living prisoner's organs are harvested; Buddhist monks are physically and sexual torture to death, and everything you do is regulated.
China is proof America can become a police state. It is not a racial quality of the Chinese.

[tinybear]

The USA is still a helluva lot more liberal than China!!

[Praxius]

I'm sure Jackie knows more about his own country then the rest of us do.

They know what lifestyle they are comfortable with, they know which freedoms and restrictions they have to live with....

There are good things and bad things involved in every system of government today and if one system was perfect above all others, wouldn't we all be using that system now around the world?

Our Western societies are just as different as China's society, just as different as the middle east.

If there's a problem with too much freedom being given away in China, maybe that's true.... we all see just how much of a drastic reaction this can have in Afghanistan and Iraq..... you have people who are used to one way of life, suddenly pulled into a totally different way of life.

This can be quite devistating when not taking into account their previous beliefs and way of life..... esspecially when something new contradicts something old.

Maybe Chan has a point.

[tinybear]

That's what I'm wondering. Are Chinese more comfortable with being subservient to authority? If so, why? Is it in their genes?

[Charlatan]

In China you don't get marches and there is no real resistance or note, maybe a few organised tame resistances, but nothing like terrorist level resistance. This must mean the people accept it, and when the people accept the government then the government can get on with making money. Is this good for the people? If there was a real problem then they wouldn't be on the G8, so there are no real abuses to speak of.

An election would be great because then the different parties - probably all communist - could pitch their promises to people and follow up to get re elected. But if a democratic party came up and said a million of them would be out of work under their rule, and they didn;t say which of them it would be, then they would all look around and wonder if that is a good idea for them personally - to run that risk - then they would certainly not take the chance. It is better for all the people to have food from the leadership point of view. Most people in democratic countries were told they could feed the poor, then they wouldn;t vote for it because people are by nature selfish, so it is hard to move towards that electorably, aswell as from it. The poor would all join hands out of fear and suppress a democratic system that would affect a lot of them, especially them personally.

Under communism everybody has, but under democracy some have more. There is no way people are willing to take that chance, but, if it were forced upon them, there would be no going back, as most of the poor would be better off and that would sway the vote the democratic way.

Seeing as how it is up to the people, and there is comeradarie born out of selfishness, there will never be voted in a system of democracy, but it would be healthy for the people to vote for different communist parties, as then they would be given voice.

[Morality Games]

That's what I'm wondering. Are Chinese more comfortable with being subservient to authority? If so, why? Is it in their genes?

No. All humans have the genetic capacity to be free spirited or subservient, and it would take a more systematic approach than has ever been instituted to breed a subservient race of humans. I know American/Canadian Chinese who were raised in the West, and normally they don't behave differently from other American teenagers -- they are free spirited and opinionated, often a good deal more so than me. And those who do behave differently were raised in more traditionally Chinese homes. In the end, it is a matter of culture; for reasons primordial, collectivism is a standard facet of Chinese culture, it is in the habits that are passed from generation to generation in families, and consequently expected in the work places, schools, and general public, assumed as part of political policy.

[Praxius]

No. All humans have the genetic capacity to be free spirited or subservient, and you can't 'breed' subservience (at least not on a large scale) out of the existing supply of our gene pool because it isn't versatile enough. I know American/Canadian Chinese who were raised in the West, and normally they don't behave differently from other American teenagers -- they are free spirited and opinionated, often a good deal more so than me. And those who do behave differently were raised in more traditionally Chinese homes. In the end, it is a matter of culture; for reasons primordial, collectivism is a standard facet of Chinese culture, it is in the habits that are passed from generation to generation in families, and consequently expected in the work places, schools, and general public, assumed as part of political policy.

One could also relate it to how people can be trained and become acustomed to certain aspects of a job.

Some people have no issue with being a doctor, a soldier, a janitor, a teacher, while other people couldn't even fathom doing any of those jobs for their own personal reasons.

Some people can handle shooting a tank at other humans..... some people can handle cutting open someone and working on their organs, or dealing with a room full of 30 some odd kids..... and yet other people can't.

Some people are musical, while others are painters.... yet other people couldn't make a decent tune or draw a straight line.

In the expanded view of this conditioning, this is how we learn to accept various things in our lives.... morals, rights, wrongs, governments, beliefs..... it's all developed based on what we absorb and understand throughout our lives in regards to what is acceptable and what is interesting to you.

Someone in the middle east understands and accept their way of life, just as you and I do with our own..... yet I wouldn't expect them to understand or even accept our way of life, just as I imagine they wouldn't expect us to easily accept and adapt to their way of life.

Those who do accept our way of life, normally move here..... and vice versa.