Week Around the Ists
Interview: Coco Zhao, from jazz to M. Butterfly
Cinematheque: Mulan is finally Chinese again! (and other film news)
Protest in Guangzhou: Why would you burn garbage?
"You can't say whether this is karma or not
because nobody wants to see a big disaster happen.
When a natural disaster strikes, you cannot avoid it.
Perhaps the Heavens are meting out punishment in order to
make people protect the natural environment better.
這不可以說是報不報應，因每個人也不想發生嚴重災難，
而且天災的事想避也避不到，可能是上天給予的懲罰，
要人們更加保護自然環境。"
— 19-year-old Hong Kong celebrity model Janice Man (文詠珊)
in response to a journalist's question on Sharon Stone's remark —
[from EastSouthWestNorth via Apple Daily]
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Massive tragedies like the earthquake can be confusing, and it's absolutely fine and normal if she wants to attempt to make some spiritual sense of this disaster. I am sure a lot of Chinese (who do tend to be superstitious) have their own explanations.
People are superstitious in every country, and usually in a quite similar way.
However, this kind of view of things is all over the Chinese net right now. Also, a Chinese friend of mine tells me it's a popular view in history and literature - that natural distasters are seen as a sign of the people or ruler losing 'heavens mandate'.
But that view has popped up in European history too.
Here's the real issue - people who should know better than to repeat such superstitions in public while quake victims are still grieving and homeless.
How absurd. She can say whatever the fxck she wants and there's nothing wrong with it. She happens to be famous, and thus her voice is heard, but I am sure there are millions that agree with her. There are far more tasteless things that she could have said.
Anyway, I find it shocking, disgusting, and despicable, all of you pro-censorship laowai.
"Anyway, I find it shocking, disgusting, and despicable, all of you pro-censorship laowai."
Care to elaborate on that?
It will be interesting to see whether Ms Man is pilloried in the same manner as Stone. Will shops be ripping down advertisements with her pictures? Will magazines carrying her pics be burned in the street? Will any products she has endorsed or modeled for be boycotted?
No, I do not advocate any of those things. I think her statements, just like Stone's, are ignorant and insensitive, but to overreact as everyone did on Stone, I wonder if they will do likewise for a fellow Chinese saying essentially the same thing?
I don't believe we should focus more on the celebrity's personal comments about the quake.Let's be with the victims.
I am with Fuzi on this one. I have always thought what Sharon Stone said is insensitive. However, what Ms. Man has said is insensitive too. The only difference is that one ties the retribution to persecution of Tibetans and the other ties it to environmental degradation.
Since the Tibetan controversy touches on a national pride issue, while Man's touches on a problem that most Chinese would not argue exists, I imagine that Man will not receive the same opprobrium.
However, if you break down the comments to their elements, you will see the same thing: "Perhaps nature or the heavens are punishing the Chinese for something they did." So actually, the "crime" of both of these celebrities should be equal.
And, I agree with sarabarbazoo too. Such comments don't amount to much in the grand scheme of things, and anyone who gets too hot-headed over them while people are suffering should cool it. Who gives a hoot about the trifling comments of pampered celebrities?
Has anyone heard of her before this incident? Maybe it's just a free PR effort by her publicist. Say something controversial and the media will be all over it.
She looks a little like Tila Tequila.