Jackie Chan

[Kansuke]

I think also that it is a mistake for us to think that all people the world over want freedom. Just look at Iraq as an example.

Yeah, look at the example of people who risked their lives to go out and vote...

[David Jamieson]

Yeah, look at the example of people who risked their lives to go out and vote...

Or the women in afghanistan who get pelted with stones for asking for egalitarian standards.

we spend 7 years in that crap hole and the idiot Karzai wants to install backwards culturally idiosyncratic laws.

yeesh. what a waste of time and money that was and is.

I'm with the "get out and get out now" crowd on afghanistan now. Seriously, it's a wasted effort, let them have their caliphate and lets just keep them from spreading that nonsense here.

we've been there longer than it took to finish WW2. That little fact alone makes the whole effort seem quite retarded now, a waste of our own time, effort, blood and treasure.

let them have their crap.

[Kansuke]

Or the women in afghanistan who .

Wow, that was quick. Ignore the point and move on to another. What the ****, do you think no one notices these 'clever' techniques? What a joke.

[BoulderDawg]

How? Spell it out. So are "white people" from England a different race than "white people" from Germany or France? Chan was NOT talking about a race of people he was talking about the citizens of a country. Again, Chan's comments might make him an elitist, but not racist.

Lay out the ACTUAL definition between prejudice, elitist and racist...

racism:1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others

elitism1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.
2. a. The sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class.
b. Control, rule, or domination by such a group or class

So how again is Chan a racist? You can agree or disagree all you want with Chan, but don't be ignorant of your views and use the appropriate words to back up your arguments.

Semantics. If someone said Eithopians are lazy and stupid would you think they were not talking about black people?

You can frost the turd all you like but it's still a frosted turd!

[BoulderDawg]

Wow, that was quick. Ignore the point and move on to another. What the ****, do you think no one notices these 'clever' techniques? What a joke.

The man was agreeing with you. Why insult him?

Honest to God I have no idea why this guy is allowed to continue. He never adds anything to the debate other than insults.

[Kansuke]

Aren't you supposed to be pretending to ignore me, hypocrite?

[BoulderDawg]

Aren't you supposed to be pretending to ignore me, hypocrite?

I do when it comes to attacks on me. However the fact that you go as far to insult even the people who are agreeing with you just goes to show you're only here for that purpose.

Truth is most of your posts are only a couple of sentences long and you've never put forth an original thought or idea. Have you ever even started a thread? My guess is not...other than maybe a "(Board poster) is a stupid (fill in the blank)".

[Kevin73]

Semantics. If someone said Eithopians are lazy and stupid would you think they were not talking about black people?

You can frost the turd all you like but it's still a frosted turd!

No, it's not semantics. The context that Chan was talking about was his OWN country, his OWN people and was expressing POLITICAL views. He never said that chinese people were inferior to other people or countries.

And, no I would NOT think that if someone said Ethiopians were lazy, I would assume that they were talking about black people, I would assume that they were talking about Ethiopians. I don't assume that all black people are the same as you do.

By your own statement, you are prejudice. You prejudge a statement and unfairly apply it to everyone else, why else would you think a specific statement about a group of people would apply to everyone else?

As Shakespeare said, "I think thou dost protest too much".

[Lucas]

im white. i think some white people need to stop sleeping with thier cousins/sisters/moms. the jerry springer show isnt funny anymore.

does that make me racist?

i think there are plenty of american people that are so ignorant of other cultures its silly. they need to educate themselves.

does that statement make me racists against americans? is that even possible to be racist against a country.

im with Kevin on this

[MartialDev]

That so? Maybe you could help me with something here. If Chan was not talking about Asian Chinese people then who exactly was he talking about? I don't know about you but I've never met a white Chinese, Black Chinese....or any other Chinese than an Asian Chinese. Probably a few out there but don't look for Kenya town or UK town when you go to China.

He is racist no matter how you spin it or what he meant to say.

"Asian Chinese" is not a f*cking race! You need help from a dictionary, preferably one written after the 18th century.

Jeez, is this KFO or a meeting of reformed white supremicists? Nevermind--by all means, continue to defend the yellow race. Because after all, there is no black race in the yellows! That's just simple logic!

[taai gihk yahn]

In police stations all over America some of the most racist attitudes towards blacks are held by black officers.

non sequitur; even if black officers have negative attitudes towards other blacks, it's not racism per se, because racism is predicated on inter-racial interaction: prejudice / discrimination of a member of one race towards a person of a different race; if a black officer discriminates against a black suspect, he cannot be acting out of a non-black to black differentiation;

The real dividing force here is weath and social status.

that my be so, although that has nothing to do intrinsically with race, per se

Chan has lost touch.

lost touch with what? his "roots"? I don't know - in fact, I'd say he's looking back to the excessive structure of his upbringing as a touchstone for his expressed opinion: bear in mind that his youth was spent under sever discipline, and he has always credited sd ky to his professional achievements; so for him, structure / control was what he knew and what engendered his personal success

doesn't matter, the argument is about freedom and whether or not an entire race of people is intelligent enough to decide their own faith.

what does it have to do with faith? he's not talking about religion per se; or you may men "fate"? if so, well, again, he's talking about it inclusively: he didn't say "all Chinese except me should be controlled" - he appears to be including himself, at least by implication; so while he may be speaking inappropriately for others, he does not appear to be implying that it wouldn't apply to him as well;

anyway, I think that to condemn him as racist is at best disingenuous: it might be more opportune to step back for a moment and consider the nature of his experience in context of his upbringing as relates to the situation in China today; at best, I would label his view as conservative, at worst, elitist, or even repressive; but not racist;

[BoulderDawg]

Racism is defined as a derogatory attitude towards another group based on race or culture.

That's my definition and Chan fits the bill. I understand there are people here who see Chan as some sort of hero but he made the statements.

And further more he has now lied about it and said that he was only talking about the entertainment industry.....right!

so less freedom in the entertainment industry....Isn't that called censorship?

[Violent Designs]

BoulderDawg, this is just between you and me, but as a Chinese, you're statements would be considered racist by most Chinese people (including myself), NOT Jackie Chan's.

I'm not saying this because I hate you (which I don't, I don't even know who the fvck you are), but just to be realistic.

Your comments are racist and derogatory.

[taai gihk yahn]

Racism is defined as a derogatory attitude towards another group based on race or culture.

exactly; "another" group; as in not the same group

That's my definition and Chan fits the bill.

by "your" definition, he actually doesn't! how do you not see that? you are either stupid or...well, sorry, I can't think of an alternative...

I understand there are people here who see Chan as some sort of hero but he made the statements.

not me; I see him as a guy who has tremendous talent in one area, who has also donated a great deal of his time to charities (remember that?), and said something relatively untoward, when he probably should have kept his mouth shut

And further more he has now lied about it and said that he was only talking about the entertainment industry.....right!

damage control, plain and simple; he's doing CYA, largely because of the ridiculous uproar of people like yourself who latch onto any remark made publicly that you think is a safe opportunity for justifiable outrage;

so less freedom in the entertainment industry....Isn't that called censorship?

oh, good grief...lighten up, Francis; for someone who's supposedly a liberal, you sure are often quick to pigeon hole anything that doesn't conform to your world-view;

[GeneChing]

Looks like Jackie really stepped in it this time.

Chan dropped from Deaflympics
ACTION STAR REACTION: A Facebook group set up by Hong Kong users calling for Jackie Chan to be exiled to North Korea drew more than 2,600 members
By Mo Yan-chih
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Apr 22, 2009,

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said yesterday that action star Jackie Chan's (成龍) tenure as ambassador for the Deaflympics ended last year and urged the public not to politicize sports, amid a furor over the celebrity's anti-democratic remarks.

Chan's position as an ambassador for September's Deaflympics, which will be the biggest sports event ever hosted by Taipei, sparked controversy after he described freedom in Taiwan as “chaotic” during a panel discussion at the annual Boao Forum in Hainan, China, last week.

“Each of the ambassadors we invited has a different mission and Jackie Chan's work was done last year ... The Deaflympics is an international sports event, and we don't want the event to become politicized,” Hau said at Taipei City Hall.

Hau's remarks came as Chan's spokesman said the star's comments had been taken out of context.

Solon So (蘇志游), the chief executive of Chan's company JC Group and his main spokesman, told reporters in a telephone interview yesterday that the actor was referring to freedom in the entertainment industry and not Chinese society at large.

“Some people with ulterior motives deliberately misinterpreted what he was saying.”

— Solon So, Jackie Chan’s spokesman

“Some people with ulterior motives deliberately misinterpreted what he was saying,” So said.

The comments came as Facebook users and Chinese academics condemned the veteran actor on the Internet in a spreading backlash.

A group of Chinese academics published a letter online on Monday accusing Chan of “not understanding how precious freedom is,” even though “free Hong Kong provided the conditions for you to become an international action star.”

A Facebook group set up by Hong Kong users calling for Chan to be exiled to North Korea had drawn more than 2,600 members by yesterday afternoon.

The group also posted form letters urging Hong Kong's Baptist University and Academy for Performing Arts to strip Chan of honorary degrees they had given the actor.

Emile Sheng (盛治仁), chairman of the Taipei Deaflympics Organizing Committee, said Chan was only one of more than 10 ambassadors the city government has invited to promote the event.

Chan came to Taiwan in September to participate in one of the promotional activities and shot — for free — a TV advertisement for the sports event, Sheng said.

Other ambassadors, including singer A-Mei (張惠妹) and actress Lin Ching-hsia (林青霞), had also promoted the event for the city government on different occasions, he said.

Asked whether Chan would be invited to the opening ceremony, Hau said the city government would not invite him to join the ceremony, but would not refuse if the actor wanted to attend.

“We are inviting athletes, important figures in the sports field and foreign guests, but we won't say no to those who want to come,” he said.

Sheng said the organizing committee had invited six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen to promote the Deaflympics this weekend and would continue to invite other well-known athletes and celebrities to serve as ambassadors.

Pippen, a former Chicago Bulls forward, will arrive in Taipei on Friday and participate in several basketball games with local players to promote the Deaflympics, Sheng said.

Taipei won the bid to host this year's event in 2003. Over 11 days, around 4,000 athletes from 81 countries will compete in events including track and field, badminton, basketball and bowling, the committee said.

Chan Defends China Comments

Jackie Chan has moved to quash the controversy following his recent comments about democracy in China, insisting his remarks were taken out of context.

The action star, a Hong Kong native and one of the Communist nation's leading stars, reportedly spoke about the dangers of China adopting a democratic stance at a business forum in the country's Hainan province on Saturday.

He reportedly told the forum, "I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not. I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want."

The comments have been heavily criticized by pro-democracy groups both in China and worldwide.

But a representative for the actor is adamant Chan was referring to freedom in the entertainment industry and not Chinese society at large.

Solon So, chief executive of Chan's company JC Group, says, "Some people with ulterior motives deliberately misinterpreted what he was saying.