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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: If China had soft power - would it do them any good?
So we hear all about how China wants "soft power" and how it is trying to make its culture popular or how they're trying to make better movies to gain our interest at the theaters. I don't think they have too much of a chance beyond putting out a few more "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" type films that did pretty well. It's alright, not every country can have a Hollywood nor do they need one. However, despite the case, the country is doing something to increase its adeptness at movie making and perhaps even other cultural efforts. My personal thought is, "why?" Everything that China has developed for itself historically has been a result of its isolation, is it not so? Well, not everything, but I think the case stands for most of things. I don't think Chinese culture's strength is situated in its ability to compete in the modern age - it does not seem to have adapted much for that challenge. As I said, their most successful movies seem to be about olden times. Anyway, therefore don't think that soft power concerns or culture spreading is something that should be a concern. Do you? Are there any benefits or payoffs that I am not seeing?
China has realised too late that it is at war with the USA. They are having American culture forced down their throats giving them the opportunity to view over cultural values. The objective being to normalise democratic ideas in the youth. Chinese is trying it's hardest to get its future generations to do things the Chinese way but it is too late. All their role models are doing it the American way.
mattsm84:
You can't really have culture forced down your throat. Any media you consume you opt to consume. Nobody is buying or downloading bootlegged episodes of Family Ties or Vampire Diaries at gun point.
RachelDiD:
I wouldn't say American culture got forced down their throats...I would argue that vacuums of all kinds are unstable things. Eventually, something gets sucked into the emptyness. China doesn't actually have a culture...so American and other cultural products got sucked in to fill the void.
Chinese movies have superb cinimatography. World class.
China has realised too late that it is at war with the USA. They are having American culture forced down their throats giving them the opportunity to view over cultural values. The objective being to normalise democratic ideas in the youth. Chinese is trying it's hardest to get its future generations to do things the Chinese way but it is too late. All their role models are doing it the American way.
mattsm84:
You can't really have culture forced down your throat. Any media you consume you opt to consume. Nobody is buying or downloading bootlegged episodes of Family Ties or Vampire Diaries at gun point.
RachelDiD:
I wouldn't say American culture got forced down their throats...I would argue that vacuums of all kinds are unstable things. Eventually, something gets sucked into the emptyness. China doesn't actually have a culture...so American and other cultural products got sucked in to fill the void.
China is actually benefiting from soft power. Celebrities are whores, they used to be all "Freedom for T....!" But now they do not dare or else they can't get released in China. Hollywood movies ignore certain topics in order to get released in China so they are benefiting.
xinyuren:
ummm, that's not soft power. That's exactly the opposite of soft.
I don't think that China is targeting the west with its attempts at soft power. It seems much more interested in winning people over in Africa. That means increasing aid, setting up schools, bankrolling infrastructure projects like the IMF and World Bank do today. That last one is a bit of scary prospect, if you're living in one of these countries. Usually the loans that the IMF or World Bank give come with conditions to orient the nations economy around markets, and a lot of times means selling off state owned assets. It's hard to imagine China making that demand, we should remember that China does have a demonstrated preference for authoritarian governments because it (counter-factually) believes them to be more stable.