In recent days, journalists around the globe have reported on the efforts of Asian governments to censor speech and images in support of gay rights from the broadcast of last Sunday's Oscars. According to the AP, the Hong Kong-based, Murdoch-owned STAR network, reaching more than 300 million viewers in 53 countries, muted any mention of "gay" or "lesbian" during its tape-delayed, English-language re-broadcast of the Oscars. Sean Penn and Dustin Lance Black, who both won Oscars for their work on the film Milk, used their time at the podium to voice support for same-sex marriage and equal rights for gays and lesbians.
In mainland China, where the Academy awards was broadcast with Chinese subtitles on state-run China Central Television (CCTV), censors did not mute out material deemed sensitive, but rather, and even more shamefully, omitted or mistranslated all language and images dealing with homosexuality. According to a Monday post on the China-based blog Shanghaiist, the CCTV broadcast cut out two gay kisses shown during the broadcast and completely eliminated Dustin Lance Black's acceptance speech after he won for best original screenplay.
Black, who is openly gay, invoked Harvey Milk in his speech and promised equal rights "very soon" to the nation's gay youth. "If Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago," Black said, "I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches or by the government or by their families that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value." While Black's speech was widely considered one of the more moving and memorable moments from this year's Oscars, for viewers in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Taiwan and Thailand, the speech was heavily censored, while those in mainland China didn't hear a word of it.
For anyone who missed it, here's Dustin Lance Black's speech:
But the award for the most creative method of censorship goes to the CCTV censors for their work during Sean Penn's acceptance speech. Penn, who won for best male lead, began his speech by saying, "you commie, homo-loving sons of guns." The politically active actor then spoke passionately to those who voted to ban gay marriage in California. "For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight," said Penn, "I think it's a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect on their great shame and their shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that support."
Here's Penn's speech in its entirety:
Instead of simply omitting Penn's acceptance speech, as they did for Dustin Lance Black, China's censors decided to mistranslate Penn's words so that his speech appeared to make no mention of gays. According to the China blog Black and White Cat, CCTV subtitled Penn's line, "You commie, homo-loving sons of guns," with "你们可真够宽容的." The rough translation of these characters is, "You really are so generous." So, to non-English-speaking Chinese viewers reading the subtitles, Penn never uttered the word "commie" or "homo," or Mao forbid, a sentence incorporating both.
Here's a clip of Sean Penn's speech from CCTV-6 so you get an idea of how viewers in China saw the speech:
Shanghaiist also notes that the part of Penn's speech that calls for shame of Prop 8 supporters was mistranslated to "每个人都有平等权利," which, in English, means "everyone has equal rights." Nothing about shame or gay marriage -- hardly a faithful representation of Penn's words.
While we've come to expect this type of censorship from Beijing -- in fact, CCTV censored clips from Brokeback Mountain at the 2006 Oscars -- the widespread omission of gay rights speech throughout Asia demonstrates the extent to which Asian broadcasters are still remarkably homophobic. In a comment to the AP, a rep from STAR said that the company had "a responsibility to take the sensitivities and guidelines of all our markets into consideration."
But perhaps the greater responsibility of networks like STAR and CCTV is to present the Academy Awards truthfully to their viewers and give them an honest view, in this case, through the lens of Hollywood, of the issues -- gay or otherwise -- affecting America and the rest of the world.
CCTV says no to commie homo-loving sons of guns - Shanghaiist ...
Gay Asian Oscar viewers outraged at telecast censorship
Sure, every country has the right to uphold its culture and tradition. But they also have the duty to evolve especially if the current one they have clearly steps on the basic human rights of some of their citizens.
However, there is a difference between sexual orientation and situational homosexuality. If you're denied access to women because of your circumstances (i.e. prison,) you tend to make do with what you have. But that doesn't mean you're gay, it just means you have hormones and you're desperate.
The choice is pretty simple: broadcast the Oscars or don't broadcast the Oscars.
But, don't choose to broadcast the Oscars, then intercept the material, interfere with it, tamper with its content and pervert its meaning. Have it - or don't have it, but don't make Sean Penn appear to say something here clearly did not.
So, no, we have no right to impose our culture and/or laws on another country BUT god forbid you alter the Oscars. You have to show it as is or not at all. Hey, it's the American way.
Ya lost me in the point you were trying to make.
On Star Movies' coverage of the Oscars, they showed Dustin Lance Black walking up to accept his award, then cut to him walking off with it... a stupid move considering his acceptance speech was the highlight of a very long and dull show.
But I guess I shouldn't be suprised. While watching Curb Your Enthusiasm, I noticed they bleeped out the word "bitch" but not the "f", "c" or "n" words. Go figure.
What a bummer, huh?
I do find CCTV cutting out his comments to be totally within reason--most Chinese would just consider the way he puts these things a bit distasteful. We don't really mind much about how the American fight for the gay rights. As for us, there are much heavier issues that require attention these days.
What I do hope to happen, is for Americans to know the Chinese better. Somehow, first of all, people are made to believe that "the Chinese don't like the Americans much". Seeing how popular American pop culture, American fast food, American cars and pretty much anything American is in China, I really don't think so.
Also, the media reports on the US in China are mostly about what make the head lines here--economy, politics, some sensational news that catches people's attention. While the coverage here about China is almost never about the big issues, but often just whatever that make people think that China is still backwards and repressive. I think that is almost like an insult on the American people's intelligence--people would really want to know that China and the Chinese people are like, but the media is too powerful, too biased; and somehow it's the only channel for almost all people to learn about us; and most people do take almost all in.
xie xie
Lets get real here, if staying in the closet was not a problem for you, bully for you, but that does not make it not a problem for everybody else. Especially those who are not expatriots with the US government behind them or holding the status of teacher.
I mean, let's get real here, if the United States follows the rest of the free world on gay marriage, or health care, would be great for Americans, and might even be good within the whole sphere of American influence. It will be too late to influence the free world, it will be catch-up. For the Chinese, hmm...can't hurt.
I am very embarrassed by my mouse error. Very sorry.
There are four confluent issues here: acceptance of homosexuality, censorship of media, resistance to authority, and the word Commie. The latter might well have been the most provocative factor. Once you let loose with the word Commie, even the most modernized of Chinese might bristle. (Penn meant it as a term of endearment, but that's beside the point.) Communism was bestowed by Mao, who is still deeply revered.
Not much needs to be said about the Chinese attitude toward resistance to authority. But in regards to censorship, it might surprise you (as it did me) to find out that censorship, does not offend Chinese the way it does us in the West. They view it as an accommodation to the enormous cultural and generational diversity in their great nation, and as a buffer to instability, which is more dreaded than censorship or totalitarianism.
That said, by the sheer persistence of quality gay-themed major motion pictures and other Western entertainment, the message of tolerance and protectiveness of gay concerns will eventually take root in China. Sooner, I sometimes think, than it will here in the U.S..