China Ban TV Ads For 'Bling'

[Mark]

Hong Kong (CNN) -- China has banned advertisements for luxury products on its official state radio and television channels. The move is an apparent attempt to douse growing social frustration in the wealth gap between the country's rich and poor -- and to stop corruption conducted through luxury gift-giving.

Such ads had "publicized incorrect values and helped create a bad social ethos," said China's television watchdog, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), reported Xinhua, the country's official state-run news agency.

The ban includes commercials for high-end watches, gold coins and rare stamps and comes on the eve of China's Lunar New Year celebrations that begin this weekend. The holiday, compared to Christmas in the West, is a time of intense gift- and money-giving.

Apparently there China's government is being motivated to 'get back in touch' with the people:

China's latest move follows a series of recent statements and decisions from top leaders exhorting Communist party officials to lead a low-key lifestyle to avoid imagery of a leadership out of touch with many of its citizens.

And it is all due to fear of social unrest:

In January, China's National Bureau of Statistics released an official Gini coefficient reading for the first time in ten years. The figure that measures a country's rich-poor divide was 0.474. A separate survey from December 2012 by China's Southwestern University revealed the country's 2010 Gini coefficient was 0.61.

A number over 0.40 indicates potential for social unrest, according to the United Nations.

The rich and powerful have always been afraid of us poor people

[snilloc]

The rich and powerful have always been afraid of us poor people

They would shit themselves if they met me then

[System Folder]

This will probably happen in the U.S. too once the economic gap gets big enough.

[Spud17]

Ordinary Chinese have been fed up with their leaders for a long time, and Xinhua report things like this nearly every week. They send me daily emails containing reports exactly like this one, there's usually some editorial droning on about change, recruiting new blood into the leadership etc, and a load of other pacifying mantras. It makes Xinhua and the top brass look like they care, and the majority of people are satisfied that something will be done, so go on with their daily lives. The public forgets and is quickly distracted by another story or event, and the grind of daily living.

You can see social unrest everywhere. Being ultra cynical, I can't see mass social unrest, 'revolutions' if you will, happening anytime soon, because people are inherently lazy, and as long as they perceive themselves to be free, accompanied with the perception that they lead a half-decent life, they won't even want change.

As for the 'bling,' all that will change is gift-giving will be encouraged to take place in private, and a few officials will receive further restrictions and developed vetting may become more extensive/intrusive to those who have access to relevant information/gossip etc.

(This post was last modified: 02-08-2013, 02:09 PM by Spud17.)

[srijantje]

fed up with their leaders?you can say that about just every country on earth i think

POOR OF THE WORLD,UNITE