3 ms·

> Disney is under fire for shooting its new film Mulan in parts of China where the government is accused of serious human rights abuses. Because as we all know

> Disney is under fire for shooting its new film Mulan in parts of China where the government is accused of serious human rights abuses. Because as we all know, if they’d shot it in any other province, the crimes against humanity basically aren’t even happening!

acdha 6y ago
There’s a difference between not stopping genocide and giving money and recognition to the people conducting it. The actual point of the criticism is more nuanced than what you quoted: > social media users noticed that in the credits Disney thanked a number of government entities in Xinjiang, including the public security bureau in the city of Turpan and the "publicity department of CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomy Region Committee".
- sudhirj 6y ago
  This probably implies they paid for permits and fees as well, which would make them direct supporters of the system. If this was a sanctioned country it would be a clear cut issue, but as long as the US can’t / refuses to impose sanctions there’s only consumer pressure.
- dominotw 6y ago
  > giving money and recognition to the people conducting it. Isn't this basically all products that we buy at walmart though. What is the difference. I don't understand the nuance here.
  - acdha 6y ago
    I agree that western companies’ decision to ignore human rights in favor of cheaper prices is a problem but it seems like an escalation to go from ignoring the issue to publicly supporting the organizations involved with the full knowledge that they use things like that both as part of their public defense and to gauge how much more they can get away with.
- vermilingua 6y ago
  If we were talking about abuses committed by the US, or Europe, or anywhere else, I’d agree with you; but this is China. Human rights aside for a second, basically what makes China China, is the solidarity of mission. When the CCP charts a course, the whole bureaucracy sets in motion to make that happen. This is all to say, I don’t see a functional difference between Disney giving the CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomy Region Committee money/credit, and giving it to any other agency within China; as one way or another that influence will still end up working to commit crimes against humanity.
- mytailorisrich 6y ago
  Turpan [1] has striking landscape with a very 'frontier' feel, and has a history to match. It's a pretty good location for filming such a movie. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpan
  - acdha 6y ago
    I wouldn’t disagree. My point is that it’s not unreasonable to criticize a company which publicly thanks the CPC security forces, just as it’s not unfair for companies to get tons of flack for conditions in their factories or fields.
    - mytailorisrich 6y ago
      When you go to film somewhere you may need the local authorities to facilitate it. It's normal professional courtesy to thank them the film's credits. Why should they be criticised for showing normal professional courtesy, I don't know....

acdha 6y ago

There’s a difference between not stopping genocide and giving money and recognition to the people conducting it. The actual point of the criticism is more nuanced than what you quoted: > social media users noticed that in the credits Disney thanked a number of government entities in Xinjiang, including the public security bureau in the city of Turpan and the "publicity department of CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomy Region Committee".

sudhirj 6y ago
This probably implies they paid for permits and fees as well, which would make them direct supporters of the system. If this was a sanctioned country it would be a clear cut issue, but as long as the US can’t / refuses to impose sanctions there’s only consumer pressure.
dominotw 6y ago
> giving money and recognition to the people conducting it. Isn't this basically all products that we buy at walmart though. What is the difference. I don't understand the nuance here.
- acdha 6y ago
  I agree that western companies’ decision to ignore human rights in favor of cheaper prices is a problem but it seems like an escalation to go from ignoring the issue to publicly supporting the organizations involved with the full knowledge that they use things like that both as part of their public defense and to gauge how much more they can get away with.
vermilingua 6y ago
If we were talking about abuses committed by the US, or Europe, or anywhere else, I’d agree with you; but this is China. Human rights aside for a second, basically what makes China China, is the solidarity of mission. When the CCP charts a course, the whole bureaucracy sets in motion to make that happen. This is all to say, I don’t see a functional difference between Disney giving the CPC Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomy Region Committee money/credit, and giving it to any other agency within China; as one way or another that influence will still end up working to commit crimes against humanity.
mytailorisrich 6y ago
Turpan [1] has striking landscape with a very 'frontier' feel, and has a history to match. It's a pretty good location for filming such a movie. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpan
- acdha 6y ago
  I wouldn’t disagree. My point is that it’s not unreasonable to criticize a company which publicly thanks the CPC security forces, just as it’s not unfair for companies to get tons of flack for conditions in their factories or fields.
  - mytailorisrich 6y ago
    When you go to film somewhere you may need the local authorities to facilitate it. It's normal professional courtesy to thank them the film's credits. Why should they be criticised for showing normal professional courtesy, I don't know....