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Beijing sounds the alarm on declining morals
Government is cracking down on illegal Internet cafes and âundesirableâ media content, including foreign crime shows MAY 19, 2004 WED By Chua Chin Hon BEIJING - Prompted by the growing moral ambiguity of Chinese youths and a recent spate of shocking crimes, the authorities here are waging a new campaign to âstrengthen the moral and ideological fibreâ of young Chinese. The authorities have issued a barrage of new directives aimed at clamping down media content deemed âundesirableâ and have cracked down heavily on illegal Internet cafes, often blamed for leading youths astray. Internet cafes = Source of truth In a recent circular, Chinese broadcasters were told to shun television shows involving senseless violence or palace intrigues, as well as those which seek to propagate âWestern values and lifestyleâ. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television also banned the import of foreign crime shows âin principleâ. TV stations must broadcast more local programming, especially during prime time from 7pm to 10pm. TV hosts were told to clean up their âqueer clothes and colourful hairdosâ and not to mix foreign phrases with Mandarin in their speech or to speak like their Taiwanese or Hong Kong counterparts. Aside from the new TV directives, the authorities have, since February, shut down at least 8,600 unlicensed Internet cafes frequented by juveniles. No Internet cafes must be set up within 200m of primary or high schools, the official Xinhua news agency reported early this month, following up on a steady stream of articles on the dangers of the Internet and online gaming addiction. âChina has 367 million youths aged below 18, and they are the hopes of the party, the country and the Chinese people,â President Hu Jintao said at a two-day meeting last week on the moral education campaign. âNot only must we raise their scientific and cultural awareness, more must be done to improve their moral and ideological standards.â But no penalties have been spelt out for flouting the new regulations, and observers here see the flurry of measures as an anachronistic, if not futile, attempt at addressing the so-called âmoral vacuumâ among the young Chinese. Rampant piracy will ensure continued access to such âundesirableâ content, while the sweeping measures are unlikely to be enforced for long at the ground level, not to say they would be effective in the first place. "Rampant piracy" is a direct result of state sanctioned intellectual property theft. Chinaâs pigeons are merely coming home to roost. Commentators have long debated the erosion of morality in Chinese society, but it was the recent spate of news about killers who apparently committed the crimes âfor funâ or with no apparent motive that put the issue into sharp focus for the public. Prominent killers included Huang Yong, who murdered 17 students within one year for no apparent reason, and Yang Xinhai, who murdered 67 people and raped two dozen women in three years. Trends captured in the media here have also reinforced perception on the erosion of traditional values and mores. The divorce rate is up, while one-night stands and cohabitation - once considered taboo - are deemed acceptable by many youths. Western pop culture has been held up as the usual scapegoat, though observers see the moral education campaign as a wider battle for the âhearts and mindsâ of young Chinese who are increasingly resistant to the state propaganda machinery. Professor Yu Guoming, a noted media scholar here, said: âIâm not in favour of the government using such administrative measures to directly interfere with the workings of the media and culture. âCultural development needs tolerance and space. The leaders may have immaculate tastes in culture, but that doesnât mean that what ordinary people enjoy is undesirable.â Chinaâs "declining morals" are a top-down issue. Until Chinese leadership (read: The Politburo) demonstrates the capacity for transparent government and realistic accountability, they can have no reasonable expectation that their civilian population will feel so inclined. Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-19 |
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