China blurs Western brands on TV

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Xinjiang cotton: Western brands blurred on China TV

Chinese TV stations have been blurring out Western brand logos in their programmes, in a show of support for China's Xinjiang cotton campaign.

The move has delayed some broadcasts, as post-production editors censor everything from T-shirts to shoes.

Western retailers are facing a backlash in China after they expressed concern over the alleged use of minority Uyghur forced labour in cotton production.

Beijing denies this, and many brands have faced boycotts in recent days.

There has been massive online outrage, and celebrities have been publicly severing ties with Western brands and expressing support for Xinjiang cotton.

Now popular TV shows are rushing to show their support - but with unintentionally funny results.

Episodes of popular variety shows such as Sisters Who Make Waves now feature singers and actors who look like they are floating on clouds, thanks to their blurred out shoes.

The blurring treatment was taken up a notch on reality show Chuang 2021, as contestants had worn clothes branded with Western logos from head to toe.

But one of the more challenging programmes to censor was probably the reality TV contest Youth With You, given the sheer number of contestants.

The production company behind the show, iQiyi, had issued a notice on 25 March saying that an upcoming episode had to be delayed, but did not give a reason.

Two days later, however, viewers immediately spotted that brand logos had been blurred on the t-shirts of more than 50 people.

What's the background to all this?

The cotton row erupted after the US and other western governments ramped up pressure on China over alleged human rights abuses in the north-west region of Xinjiang.

The Xinjiang cotton campaign began last month when Chinese state media outlets and netizens singled out H&M over a statement made last year, and soon expanded to include many other brands.

Some companies' online shops are blocked in China and their stores have vanished from some digital maps.

Some of the brands embroiled in the controversy include Nike, Adidas and Puma - all members of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a non-profit group promoting sustainable cotton production.

The group said in October it had suspended activities in Xinjiang as well as licensing of the region's cotton, citing allegations and "increasing risks" of forced labour.

In December the BBC published an investigation based on new research showing China was forcing hundreds of thousands of minorities including Uyghurs into manual labour in Xinjiang's cotton fields.

'The poor video editors'

Apart from all the jokes on social media, many users have also confessed that they "felt sorry" for the post production workers, with one person on microblogging platform Weibo commenting: "They worked really hard. I don't think they can get any sleep these days."

Others created spoof versions of their own.

This is just the latest example of heavy-handed blurring of TV programmes in China.

Hip-hop culture, tattoos and cleavage have all been censored in the past.

In 2019, the decision by a popular Chinese video streaming platform to censor the ears of male actors wearing earrings sparked heated debate online.

Many took to social media at the time to argue that the censorship was driven by a desire to protect "traditional" gender roles.

I, for one, unequivocally applaud this massive tantrum by the CCP, its legion of officially-sanctioned Chinese celebrities who can be expected to whine and cry on cue, and its army of internet wumaos against Western multinationals for daring to grow a pair of fucking balls and decline to do business with a genocidal regime. The censorship is downright hilarious and it makes the CCP look extremely desperate and pathetic. Who knew the CCP could actually make my day and do something right for once? I was wrong about the CCP always being wrong about everything. The CCP can occasionally do the right thing...for all the wrong reasons.

Where Western governments have yet to impose sanctions on China and explicitly order companies such as Blizzard Entertainment and Louis Vuitton to completely divest from the Chinese market, China can go right ahead and sanction itself and decouple itself from the global economy that it has long sought to capture and enslave to its will. It'll make it so much easier for folks like us to boycott unethically-sourced PRC goods and services. It'll also mean that I'll no longer be forced to ruin my childhood by boycotting corporate cucks for the CCP such as Walt Disney and Activision Blizzard and making all kinds of personal sacrifices in the name of human rights and democracy. So much the better for the rest of us and so much the worse for them. They're only hurting themselves at the end of the day.

I hope Washington and co. follow through on their promise to stand with Hong Kong and the Uighurs and boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

#BoycottChina

Point of discussion: This is almost as hilarious as that (fake) Iranian Olympics video with black boxes. Do you support China's boycott of Western products? Is China just being petty and racist as usual? Are Chinese sanctions against its own economy good for the rest of the world?

[Nakena]

Thats kinda funny and ironic. For many years western companies and politicians were like CHINA CHINA CHINA ohh the market of the future! So many possibilities [insert photo-op story].

Turns out that now they are no longer needed. Big surprise. Good riddance.

[Alcala-Cordel]

but they allow Western brands to use sweatshops there? That's just weird.

[Rusozak]

Chinese brands are just stolen copies of western brands anyways. I see no real meaningful change or purpose to this.

[Vassenor]

Meanwhile on British TV brand names and logos have been removed or covered up for a long time. Where was the OMG THE SKY IS FALLING over all that?

[Page]

State capitalists be state capitalist-izing

[Shrillland]

Meanwhile on British TV brand names and logos have been removed or covered up for a long time. Where was the OMG THE SKY IS FALLING over all that?

Yes, but the Trades Descriptions Act isn't quite the same as censoring company names of a perceived enemy.

As to the matter at hand, if China really wants to break off from imports, its their loss considering we're their biggest exporter in the US and the middle and upper classes still prefer American goods. Good luck getting them to go for domestic products.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Meanwhile on British TV brand names and logos have been removed or covered up for a long time. Where was the OMG THE SKY IS FALLING over all that?

And blurring, where I am, is a way to get around having to pay the brand they're advertising (I think) and end up inadvertently endorsing them.

Chinese brands are just stolen copies of western brands anyways. I see no real meaningful change or purpose to this.

Knockoff brands are really hilarious to look at, though.
But I get annoyed because, like, "DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO CREATIVITY!!!?"

[National Capitalist United States]

but they allow Western brands to use sweatshops there? That's just weird.

They need to make money while at the same time "owning" the west so that tankies can fap to them

[Luziyca]

I don't see anything wrong with this: Britain has been blurring brands out of the airwaves for a long while now and they're doing just fine. I don't know why everyone's all up in arms about China's decision, when in this instance, it would be a good idea to remove brands and product placement from our television sets.

[Sengoku Americas]

But I get annoyed because, like, "DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO CREATIVITY!!!?"

The entire history of innovation has been copying and improvement though. Paper was invented by China, Arab numerals by Indians and Arabs, the concept of zero by Indians, etc. Yet copying those techniques has become commonplace around the world, without any discussion of "creativity" or lack thereof. There's nothing wrong with copying to begin with either when your nation lacks an innovation. Japan used to be (wrongfully) criticised as merely a copycat in the 1980s when the US couldn't accept the idea they made consumer cars and camera technology better than them, and now it's recognised as a worldwide creative power.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

But I get annoyed because, like, "DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO CREATIVITY!!!?"

The entire history of innovation has been copying and improvement though. Paper was invented by China, Arab numerals by Indians and Arabs, the concept of zero by Indians, etc. Yet copying those techniques has become commonplace around the world, without any discussion of "creativity" or lack thereof. There's nothing wrong with copying to begin with either when your nation lacks an innovation. Japan used to be (wrongfully) criticised as merely a copycat in the 1980s when the US couldn't accept the idea they made consumer cars and camera technology better than them, and now it's recognised as a worldwide creative power.

True, but knockoff brands are...lazy.

[Sengoku Americas]

The entire history of innovation has been copying and improvement though. Paper was invented by China, Arab numerals by Indians and Arabs, the concept of zero by Indians, etc. Yet copying those techniques has become commonplace around the world, without any discussion of "creativity" or lack thereof. There's nothing wrong with copying to begin with either when your nation lacks an innovation. Japan used to be (wrongfully) criticised as merely a copycat in the 1980s when the US couldn't accept the idea they made consumer cars and camera technology better than them, and now it's recognised as a worldwide creative power.

True, but knockoff brands are...lazy.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

True, but knockoff brands are...lazy.

Car companies, what the hecc.

[Galloism]

Car companies, what the hecc.

Physics and airflow is a lot of it.

Not all of it, but a lot. Some shapes are just more efficient than others.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Car companies, what the hecc.

Physics and airflow is a lot of it.

Not all of it, but a lot. Some shapes are just more efficient than others.

Also true.

[Orostan]

Xinjiang cotton: Western brands blurred on China TV

Chinese TV stations have been blurring out Western brand logos in their programmes, in a show of support for China's Xinjiang cotton campaign.

The move has delayed some broadcasts, as post-production editors censor everything from T-shirts to shoes.

Western retailers are facing a backlash in China after they expressed concern over the alleged use of minority Uyghur forced labour in cotton production.

Beijing denies this, and many brands have faced boycotts in recent days.

There has been massive online outrage, and celebrities have been publicly severing ties with Western brands and expressing support for Xinjiang cotton.

Now popular TV shows are rushing to show their support - but with unintentionally funny results.

Episodes of popular variety shows such as Sisters Who Make Waves now feature singers and actors who look like they are floating on clouds, thanks to their blurred out shoes.

The blurring treatment was taken up a notch on reality show Chuang 2021, as contestants had worn clothes branded with Western logos from head to toe.

But one of the more challenging programmes to censor was probably the reality TV contest Youth With You, given the sheer number of contestants.

The production company behind the show, iQiyi, had issued a notice on 25 March saying that an upcoming episode had to be delayed, but did not give a reason.

Two days later, however, viewers immediately spotted that brand logos had been blurred on the t-shirts of more than 50 people.

What's the background to all this?

The cotton row erupted after the US and other western governments ramped up pressure on China over alleged human rights abuses in the north-west region of Xinjiang.

The Xinjiang cotton campaign began last month when Chinese state media outlets and netizens singled out H&M over a statement made last year, and soon expanded to include many other brands.

Some companies' online shops are blocked in China and their stores have vanished from some digital maps.

Some of the brands embroiled in the controversy include Nike, Adidas and Puma - all members of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a non-profit group promoting sustainable cotton production.

The group said in October it had suspended activities in Xinjiang as well as licensing of the region's cotton, citing allegations and "increasing risks" of forced labour.

In December the BBC published an investigation based on new research showing China was forcing hundreds of thousands of minorities including Uyghurs into manual labour in Xinjiang's cotton fields.

'The poor video editors'

Apart from all the jokes on social media, many users have also confessed that they "felt sorry" for the post production workers, with one person on microblogging platform Weibo commenting: "They worked really hard. I don't think they can get any sleep these days."

Others created spoof versions of their own.

This is just the latest example of heavy-handed blurring of TV programmes in China.

Hip-hop culture, tattoos and cleavage have all been censored in the past.

In 2019, the decision by a popular Chinese video streaming platform to censor the ears of male actors wearing earrings sparked heated debate online.

Many took to social media at the time to argue that the censorship was driven by a desire to protect "traditional" gender roles.

I, for one, unequivocally applaud this massive tantrum by the CCP, its legion of officially-sanctioned Chinese celebrities who can be expected to whine and cry on cue, and its army of internet wumaos against Western multinationals for daring to grow a pair of fucking balls and decline to do business with a genocidal regime. The censorship is downright hilarious and it makes the CCP look extremely desperate and pathetic. Who knew the CCP could actually make my day and do something right for once? I was wrong about the CCP always being wrong about everything. The CCP can occasionally do the right thing...for all the wrong reasons.

Where Western governments have yet to impose sanctions on China and explicitly order companies such as Blizzard Entertainment and Louis Vuitton to completely divest from the Chinese market, China can go right ahead and sanction itself and decouple itself from the global economy that it has long sought to capture and enslave to its will. It'll make it so much easier for folks like us to boycott unethically-sourced PRC goods and services. It'll also mean that I'll no longer be forced to ruin my childhood by boycotting corporate cucks for the CCP such as Walt Disney and Activision Blizzard and making all kinds of personal sacrifices in the name of human rights and democracy. So much the better for the rest of us and so much the worse for them. They're only hurting themselves at the end of the day.

I hope Washington and co. follow through on their promise to stand with Hong Kong and the Uighurs and boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

#BoycottChina

Point of discussion: This is almost as hilarious as that (fake) Iranian Olympics video with black boxes. Do you support China's boycott of Western products? Is China just being petty and racist as usual? Are Chinese sanctions against its own economy good for the rest of the world?

>china
>racist and petty

lol

A great deal of the global economy relies on China. The US has almost no productive industry left, as it sold it's economy to China a long time ago. A boycott of China would be more like China boycotting you. There will never be any boycott of China by any major power, not right now at least, because the idea of cutting off trade with China is like any other country cutting off trade with the USA - it's insane.

[Infected Mushroom]

It’s not like corporate brands on TV are a good thing.

[Page]

It’s not like corporate brands on TV are a good thing.

Some people are just incapable of grasping the fact that there are some situations in which literally everything sucks. American private capitalism sucks and Chinese state capitalism sucks. Assad sucks and the West trying to collapse his regime sucks. CNN and Fox both suck.

Humanity can do so much better.

[Unstoppable Empire of Doom]

Is ths seriously news to you all? Holy shit.... Forced Technology Transfer followed by IP theft to establish domestic dominance in the market has been a hallmark of Chinese "globalization" for 25 years. They taxed western companies out of the market. Censoring their branding is simply a continuation of this policy.

[Nilokeras]

It'll also mean that I'll no longer be forced to ruin my childhood by boycotting corporate cucks for the CCP such as Walt Disney and Activision Blizzard and making all kinds of personal sacrifices in the name of human rights and democracy. So much the better for the rest of us and so much the worse for them.

I really enjoy just how much of your politics is just pure white hot ressentiment dredged up from the churning depths of your id

[Sungoldy-China]

This kind of trivial matter won't even make a splash.

[Sungoldy-China]

clerical error

[New haven america]

But I get annoyed because, like, "DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO CREATIVITY!!!?"

The entire history of innovation has been copying and improvement though. Paper was invented by China, Arab numerals by Indians and Arabs, the concept of zero by Indians, etc. Yet copying those techniques has become commonplace around the world, without any discussion of "creativity" or lack thereof. There's nothing wrong with copying to begin with either when your nation lacks an innovation. Japan used to be (wrongfully) criticised as merely a copycat in the 1980s when the US couldn't accept the idea they made consumer cars and camera technology better than them, and now it's recognised as a worldwide creative power.

But that's not what a knock off is.

A knock off is a worse version of a good product. Also, your car design example doesn't work because you're ignoring what's under the hood.

[Drongonia]

but they allow Western brands to use sweatshops there? That's just weird.

They need to make money while at the same time "owning" the west so that tankies can fap to them

LOL best reply so far