Why some people should just be ignored...

humanji

I saw this on the Irish Times website:

Irish Times wrote:

Chinese artist asks cartoon maker to bare all about panda conspiracy




A CHINESE ARTIST is suing Dreamworks in a Beijing court, demanding an apology from the Hollywood studio for the cartoon film Kung Fu Panda 's depiction of China's national symbol.
Zhao Bandi is best known for using panda images in his art, including racy black-and-white clothes designs. The film, a tale about an overweight panda-cum-noodle-chef called Po who aspires to be a kung fu master, has broken box office records in China since it was first screened on June 20th.
The Chinese are hugely proud of kung fu and they also love their national symbol, the giant panda.
Dreamworks Animation has been widely praised for addressing these two big issues sensitively in Kung Fu Panda . Zhao, who likes to carry a stuffed toy panda around with him, says the fact that Po's father in the film is a duck is an insult to all Chinese, and also the panda's eyes are green, which is an evil colour.
"Designing the panda with green eyes is a conspiracy. A panda with green eyes has the feeling of evil . . . we would never use green eyes to describe a kind-hearted figure. So I ask them to open their creative meeting records of this film and explain why the green eyes?
"Next, why is the panda's father a duck? Many foreigners think the giant panda is not just China's symbol, but also the Chinese people's symbol. Drawing the father of the giant panda as a duck is an insult to the Chinese people. In a few years' time, I'm worried some young Chinese people will think their ancestor is Donald Duck," said Zhao.
His earlier calls for a boycott of the film because it could upset victims of the Sichuan earthquake prompted the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, which controls the entertainment business, to delay its release in the earthquake zone. However, there was an immediate response online calling for the film to be released.
Zhao said he was not seeking any money, he just wants an apology from the film makers. Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court has formally accepted his lawsuit.
© 2008 The Irish Times

Some people have far too much time on their hands.

Fysh

....you have to wonder how nutbags like that think. It would appear that not only does he genuinely think that a group of people financing a high-budget film actually have cabalistic meetings where they twirl their mustaches, make toasts like "Gentlemen - to evil!" and say things like "well, just to make sure those chaps in China don't get too uppity, maybe we should make the panda's eyes green, because that'll tell them that we think they're actually evil, really. But it'll do it in a subtle way." but also that by filing a trivial little lawsuit he, a single and clearly barmy individual, will bring this rich and powerful organisation to its knees and force them to say the legal equivalent of "uncle", admit to their naughty madman-baiting intents and mend their ways.

johnny_ultimate

Ah the man is a nutter. It should be known by now that when anything is popular, some idiot will think they can procure some of the company's hard earned rewards.

But despite that, he has a point about the father being a duck. I raised an eyebrow at that. C'mon: its ****ed up.

:pac:

faceman

Ah i kind of sympthasise with the guy. He is probably a nutter, but his patriotism means alot to him and many Chinese people are very very proud. along comes an american film that with ease, do all this mad stuff, which in his eyes, is anti chinese.

Not saying he should win the case, but i do sympathise. he is probably a lonely old man, or a cinema usher.

Fysh

Ah fer crying out loud. If he thinks that an American film having a panda with green eyes is specifically and deliberately an anti-Chinese slur rather than just unintentional ignorance of the cultural specificities of the colour green on the part of the creators, he's a bit odd. I mean, really. He's suggesting that Dreamworks mandated the use of green eyes on the character to make sure he couldn't be sympathetic to Chinese audiences. He's also suggesting that the Chinese people or a significant subsection of it are likely to take more notice of a single American film than of their entire educational process when it comes to learning about their national identity, which is either completely f*cktacularly stupid or a vicious commentary on the Chinese educational system.

Given how many corporations are up to no good, I think it's retarded to give publicity or sympathy to such a patently daft complaint.

stereoroid

Not only is this guy barking, he's at odds with the audience in China, who have generally praised the film's depiction of Chinese culture. An article in the Toronto Star asks Why wasn't hit film made in China?

Viewers here have praised Hollywood's ability to nail the cultural elements of the film so accurately, from the martial arts scenes to its depiction of family expectations and how the ancients were believed to pass into the afterlife. While the humour is distinctly American, the matching Chinese subtitles are sharp and witty.

The filmmakers consulted experts on Chinese culture to shape the content and look of the film, DreamWorks Animation says.

"I was looking for flaws, but it was very authentic," agrees Huang (a viewer).

zAbbo

There were no bicycles in it either

grames_bond

a mate of mine is addement that all chinese people are actually squirrels, i wondere what this guy would think of that! dont think he'd care about green eyes then!

faceman

Im having a "leave the whackos alone" day today. I remember this odd Polish man who used to wander around Dublin many years ago, pre the immigration boom years. He once found a German dictionary in a public bin and wrote a letter of complaint to the german embassy!

I found Patriot Games somewhat racist in its depiction of Irish people. Not because of Sean Bean's eye colour mind you!

pickarooney

On a side note, has anyone ever tasted Panda-cum noodles?

Galvasean

stereoroid wrote: »

An article in the Toronto Star asks Why wasn't hit film made in China?

Because it was made by an American company with American money? :P

stereoroid

Galvasean wrote: »

Because it was made by an American company with American money? :P

Hey, it's not me who needs to be told - go to China and tell them there. :pac:

EamonnKeane

A Chinese-made film ridiculing the bald eagle would of course be loved by Americans

humanji

To be honest, I don't think many americans would get the reference.

Galvasean

stereoroid wrote: »

Hey, it's not me who needs to be told - go to China and tell them there. :pac:

No, they'll beat me up and lock me in prison.