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Comment by jackcosgrove | Hacker News Reader

Don't forget the USA's ace in the hole for brewing civil unrest in other countries: Hollywood. (I'm being mordant here; not advocating for international psy-ops.)

American media project a depiction of life that is very attractive by design, and this raises expectations among consumers of this media. If Chinese people were not aware of the lifestyles of westerners, the Chinese government would be under less pressure to improve standards of living. And yes everyone in every country knows that popular culture depicts dreams and aspirations rather than reality, but even with this discounting of what people in the developing world see they become aware of the quality of life in the west.

This causes an expectations revolution that is putting tremendous pressure on the Chinese government, which is not necessarily a bad thing but can cause society to destabilize if growth stops.

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I just saw the new Star Wars -- cofinanced by (e:) Alibaba films. In it, one of the moral cruxes of the main story was that the crew needed 'Unity'. I saw this as a subtle shift from american 'Freedom'. There's a <plot point, not super spoilery> point where some 'good guys' are being held prisoner. In any red-blooded American Hollywood Film, this would lead to 'GIVE US OUR FREEDOM' type resistance. In this movie, it led to 'WE NEED UNITY' resistance.

Maybe I am reading too much in to it, but it felt like a shift influenced by the additional target market of the East, and I don't see Hollywood as a source of affecting moral/civic unrest.

"Maybe I am reading too much in to it...."

No, i don't think that you're reading too much into it. In fact, i like your analysis. I'll have to rewatch it, again. LOL

especially concerning "unity" vs. "FREEDOMMM!"

Is that a Helldivers reference?

Do you by any chance mean Star Trek and Alibaba films?

Probably. This wouldn't be a new theme for Star Trek.

Yes, thank you for pointing that out, edited my post.

e: Augh, I missed changing the Star Wars -> Star Trek edit and now I can't edit; I have permanently lost nerd cred for making that mixup ;_;

May the force live long and prosper with you :)

Thank you. I haven't seen the new Star Trek movie, but I have seen the new Star Wars movie so I was so very confused.

Independence Day, a blue-blooded American Hollywood Film if there ever was one, is also all about unity.

Think you mean red-blooded.

"Ordinary People" is a blue-blooded American Hollywood film.

That would be my mistake -- I said blue-blooded in my original post and I meant red-blooded as you have pointed out.

>In it, one of the moral cruxes of the main story was that the crew needed 'Unity'. I saw this as a subtle shift from american 'Freedom'.

Teamwork is a huge theme in countless Hollywood movies. A rag tag group of misfits who has to overcome their differences and learn to work together is a classic movie trope.

I don't think this has anything do with trying to appeal to Chinese audiences.

Less complex (and less overall) dialogue designed to make it easier to translate is an actual example of trying to succeed in China.

Certainly there is teamwork in many films, but I feel in traditional films that teamwork is to work towards the common goal of 'freedom' (abstractly). In this Star Trek movie, it came down to a struggle of power vs (explicitly) "unity". I.e., bad guy was against the idea of Unity. So in American films, unity is used as a tool to the end goal of freedom, whereas in this film the struggle was towards the ultimate goal of unity.

But that's one of the central themes of Star Trek. The Federation is explicitly about unity, not necessarily freedom. The Federation has been accessed of being an essentially communist government over the years.

The film was written by long time fan of the series, so one of the central themes of the series being highlighted in the film is unsurprising.

I sincerely doubt it has anything to do with China.

Unity vs. Chaos, with a preference for the former, is a common and recurring them in American film and television which has not infrequently featured in the Star Trek franchise. Freedom vs. authority/conformity, with the preference for the former, is also a common and recurring theme in American film and TV which has not infrequently featured in the Star Trek franchise, and, yes, the two themes do have tension with each other (a tension which is, itself, another common and recurring theme in American film and television which has not infrequently featured in the Star Trek franchise.)

Then again, Hollywood is now increasingly dependent on China, increasingly tailors film to the Chinese market and cultural demands, and is taking more and more financing from China:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/21/words-...

http://fortune.com/hollywood-film-financing/

https://next.ft.com/content/2cb93908-2c65-11e6-bf8d-26294ad5...

Few films (34) can be shown in China each year so being selected is a thing which some go for and others ignore. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-film-import-quot...

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