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China

What China’s Culture Ministry Really Thinks Of Lady Gaga

Commentary: The “stiffs” in the government have banned songs from an array of popular singers, though the reasons for the are anything but clear. The only thing we know is that the black list is a nice round number.

Lady Gaga at the Monster Ball 2011 (Tiggerlane)
Lady Gaga at the Monster Ball 2011 (Tiggerlane)
Wang Jun

BEIJING - Lady Gaga, the goddess of oddness, super sexy Beyonce, Taiwanese singer Lin Yu Jia, hot American band Owl City, evergreen Japanese R&B singer Ken Hirai, not to mention the Backstreet Boys who haven't been seen in awhile…this would have made up a fantastic lineup for an all-star concert in China, even the "Bird's Nest" (the National Stadium that held the 2008 Olympic) would have sold out its 100,000 seats in no time. Seeing Gaga strut and Beyonce" sway, that alone would have guaranteed three months of conversation material for China's trendy set.

Unfortunately, it's the Ministry of Culture, not famous for its imagination, that came up with such a creative list – but with a very different purpose in mind .

These singers were cited for their "undeclared" songs, and music downloading websites were ordered to purge the playlist. It is already the third list of this kind issued this year by the Ministry, which announced that "the content of this Internet music has not been examined or recorded... (and) it should be cleaned up and treated according to the law." If you are Chinese, you understand right away what this means.

The consequences of non-declaration are considered serious, and can mean "interfering with the order of the online music market, and endangering national cultural security." The question is why such a serious accusation is not explained clearly? Does it mean some poison is hidden in these songs so that they will truly jeopardize the well-being of our national culture? Besides, there are lots of English songs on these three lists, so which country's security in the end are we talking about?

Are these undeclared songs pornographic, violent, or proclaiming independence in some politically incorrect way? I had a close listen to Lin Yu Jia's Good Night, Chang Huei Mei's My Dearest, both from Taiwan, and several of Lady Gaga's songs. They are so "healthy" that one can't even find a word like "kiss." Moreover, they are the epitome of purity if you compare them to those TV advertisements selling bras late in the night.

Gaga v. Bjork

In Gaga's Marry the Night, she sings "I'm gonna marry the dark, gonna make love to the stars…" Is that pornographic? Only if you have a pornographic mind! In my opinion, it is poetry. What is intriguing is that the singer Bjork, who yelled "Tibet! Tibet!" when she sang Declare Independence in her Shanghai concert, is not on this list.

The list also includes the song, I Want It That Way, by the Backstreet Boys, who the post-1990 generation doesn't even know. There are also singers like Wawa who has disappeared totally from the scene, or unheard of singers like Tata and Lin Zi Xi. In fact, the list turns out to be so much like a large publicity campaign that it intrigues the audience's rebellious psychology, and now they are all going on the net to check out these artists.

Viewing the list, I pity the poor comrade who had to work so hard to come up with a lineup that is so painfully balanced in its content. From golden oldies to 90's kitsch to the latest hits, singers of all horizons and all ages are all included.

And the most interesting and most important of all, each of the three lists contains exactly 100 songs. Since it is well demonstrated that the stiffs in the Ministry of Culture love round numbers, it was considerate of these undeclared artists to match their output with the working habits of the Ministry.

I can't help wonder how Lady Gaga would react if she ever learns how things work here. Perhaps, she'd hand over her reputation as the modern master of parody to China's Ministry of Culture?

Read the original article in Chinese

Photo - Tiggerlane

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Society

Is Disney's "Wish" Spreading A Subtle Anti-Christian Message To Kids?

Disney's new movie "Wish" is being touted as a new children's blockbuster to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. But some Christians may see the portrayal of the villain as God-like and turning wishes into prayers as the ultimate denial of the true message of Christmas.

photo of a kid running out of a church

For the Christmas holiday season?

Joseph Holmes

Christians have always had a love-hate relationship with Disney since I can remember. Growing up in the Christian culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, all the Christian parents I knew loved watching Disney movies with their kids – but have always had an uncomfortable relationship with some of its messages. It was due to the constant Disney tropes of “follow your heart philosophy” and “junior knows best” disdain for authority figures like parents that angered so many. Even so, most Christians felt the benefits had outweighed the costs.

That all seems to have changed as of late, with Disney being hit more and more by claims from conservatives (including Christian conservatives) that Disney is pushing more and more radical progressive social agendas, This has coincided with a steep drop at the box office for Disney.

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