Sexy Photo Gate
As I’ve said before, its hard for countries still trying to practice Internet censorship to know where the next challenge will come from. China is entranced by a new scandal known as “Sexy Photo Gate”and the desire of average citizens to see whats going on are driving the censors crazy. It all started when Chinese Hip Hop Star Edison Chen dropped his pink Mac Book off for repairs. Next thing Eddie knew, hundreds of pictures of him in compromising positions with many young Chinese Starlets were floating around the Internet.
In this part of the world, Sexy Photo Gate is much more than your average Paris Hilton affair. In mainland China, which tightly monitors Internet content through a series of blocks often called the “Great Firewall,” the rapid spread of the images challenges the effectiveness of government controls. In Hong Kong, aggressive moves by police, which have arrested nine people involved in distributing the photos, has made the scandal an unusual rallying point for protecting civil liberties.
In Tom Stoppard’s wonderful play Rock and Roll, the Velvet Revolution in Prague in 1984 is stalled as the state clamps down on political speech. And then a band called The Plastic People start performing music with political content. And of course the censors try to ban them. And then the kids get mad and politicized and accomplish what Havel and the intellectuals had been unable to get them to do. Whatever it takes to get the kids into the streets asking for Internet freedom is fine with me.
This scandal has been keeping the local magazines in Hong Kong very busy – they have been placing photos on covers for the past three weeks. When compared to other sex tape/photo scandals that have surfaced in the US, the Starlets try all they can to collect any revenue made and become even more famous. But in China, celebrity careers will come to an end. Despite the ability of technology and trade bringing people closer together, and the
embracing of business cultures, the cultural gap (deeply rooted values etc.) between China and the US will not be narrowing anytime soon.
Chevonne-Are you saying that Edison Chen’s career is ruined?
The near future – yes. He has been pulled from many upcoming movie and endorsement deals despite his public apology.
this is very good
Will he go the way of Harry Reems and John Holmes, or maybe John Wayne Bobbit?
And what a strange twist — public apologies are all the rage these days, out of the mouths of corporate execs and politicians who are well schooled by their PR and image maintenance consultants. Part of the Chinese “re-education processes” in the various Cultural Revolutions, too, no? I guess in this case, not as effective as the ones that let all the SOBs who bring us killer cars and drugs with fatal side effects and the collapse of our economy get prtty much off the hook.
So very sorry…
What has Edison Chen to apologize for? His privacy was invaded. It would seem that the freelance pornographers should apologize to him, in court, for their invasion, theft and profiteering.
China is not as forgiving to its celebrities as the US is.
Indeed not, Juls. But it was worth our pointing to the cultural distinction, don’t you think?