If China capitulates first, there won't be any bombs at the Olympics...perhaps.
From the Sidney Morning Herald (whose headline gets the nod, but thanks to all who sent this in from various sources):
China's ruling Communist Party has banned images and mention of pigs in TV advertisements airing over the lunar new year to avoid offending the country's Muslims, an advertising agency said on Friday."We were told by the CCTV (China Central Television) censorship team that the CCTV advertising department announced a new regulation on pigs in its internal document," an executive at the Shanghai-based Mindshare agency said.
The ban also applies to cartoons and traditional paper-cut images of pigs, and to slogans such as "golden pig brings you fortune" and "wish you a happy pig year", the executive said.
So, all you Western teachers who were planning big multi-cultural celebrations of Chinese New Year, watch out. It may be that in your local school district, too, Muslim traditions trump Chinese ones. Perhaps it would be best to spend Chinese New Year quietly working on times tables with your students.
Now I've seen everything-even communists bow to Illah's minions! Satan Khomeini must be saying "See! I told you so!" to Chairman Mao down in hell.
Who says China does not take up western values? It seems dhimmitude as the latest western trend is taking root over there.
Muslims are hogging the news again. They are so pig-ignorant and such a bore. Obviously the Chinese are sowing the seeds of censorship, which is typical of their pig-headed government. I hope western governments don't make a pig's ear of this and take a ham-fisted approach.
CAIR and the MCB will no doubt be scratching around for an angle, but they can squeal and grunt all they like - the demanding swines.
Bacon sandwich, anyone?
I thought someone at CAIR said muslims don't hate pigs they just don't eat them. This was in response to the pig racing event in Texas.
Now where did I put those pork rinds?
Swinephobia on the part of Islam is giving pigs a bad name. Could it be the Islamaniacs are afraid that the pig ranks above them in terms of intelligence levels? And they complain of Islamophobia-they're even more phobic!
For birthdays and Christmas gifts, I give books rather than toys to the children in my life. I have several copies of "The Three Little Pigs" on hand for unexpected birthday parties. I will buy more copies and check for other stories that prominently feature pigs. In fact, I may stock up on such stories. If Communist China, who tortures and kills 80 year old Catholic priests for no reason other than they were caught saying Mass, will then turn around and cave to their Muslim population, can the US behind? After all, the US has caved to Islam on many more issues and many more times than has China. Long Live Porky Pig!!!
In China? With the Year of the Pig? And the pig rendered into pork, twice-cooked, sweet-and-sour, moo shu or Szechuan style, pork with its pride of place in Chinese cuisine, a cuisine which in turn is not at the margins but at the center of Chinese civilization (see K. C. Chang)? Can this be?
Yes, that is apparently what may be happening in China, to judge by this announcement. China is merely, in its unnecesasry appeasement of Muslim oil producers (did the Saudis make such a request? Did someone in the Chinese government think it would be a nice gesture, a clever idea?), following other more civilized states in the West that have for decades been appeasing the less civilized Muslim oil producers -- that is, appeasing, or attempting to, the adherents of a primitive and what's more, largely immutable belief-system, that has limited the possibilites of art and science and human freedom, a collectivist and fighting faith that teaches its adherents to divide the world between Believer and Infidel -- even the Chinese government, apparently now laboring under the same delusion as so many American policymakers have, that they need to avoid offending Muslims in order to obtain "access to oil" (it's nonsense: no favors are done, no preferential pricing achieved, by anything done or not done; there is a market price for oil, and the only thing that needs to be done to obtain that oil is to pay that market price. Not a single favor -- indeed, any buyer is able, on the world-market, to buy oil from any producer, no matter how much at odds that producer and that buyer might be, as long as that market price is offered to someone. Know at least that economic truth, and that truth shall make you, in the conduct of your domestic and foreign policy, free -- or a good deal much freer.
If this story is true, it is no longer the stuff of fantasy but is still fantastic.
Funny that China, which has such a small Muslim population in proportion to non-Muslim, would do that. Here in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation (as Indonesia likes to promote whenever it can)promotion of the Year of the Pig merrily moves along as we head towards Imlek (Chinese New Year).
Gong Xi Fa Cai Muhammad!! Gung Hei Fat Choy Akbar!! Can I get you some sweet and sour pork?
I can't believe it! Can you imagine?
Since when do the Chines give in for anyone?
This islam thing is really an epidemic!
This is terrible!
Why is everyone giving in ? From the UK police giving warning of raids to the other side of the world?
What have we ever done to deserve this?
It's not tht we've been assleep at the wheel, because it doesn't matter - People can protest and be arrested or write letters to congress, or emails, or whatever, but the govs will either do what they want - in spite of our wishes, or SNEAK THROUGH A LAW!
As an ex: we're finding out now, that the Rep. Congress that just left, passed a lot of unpopular Bills.
So why, why is some unbalanced Force striving to take away our Freedoms?
After all, don't you think this IS the same old question of the privalry of Good and Evil?
Can't we ever just have a breather and just have a good time - playing and dancing and singing in peace on this Earth?
Hugh,
Or could it be that the leadership of China got a nice "friendly phone call" from Tehran since China is also buying old from Iran to tone it down on the pig theme.
Besides protecting the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Bejjing coming up next year, the Chinesse government could also is trying to protect a huge skyscraper building that is going up in Shanghi which when it opens up is going to become the world's tallest building, the World Financel Center from any possible jihadi attacks. Ironic is that the man who designed the WTC Towers had designed this major new building.
>Perhaps it would be best to spend Chinese New Year quietly working on times tables
>with your students.
Well the MALE students at least ....
Robert said
Or better yet, spend the time teaching them to memorize the Qur'an and helping them face their school-supplied prayer mat towards Mecca.
Mohammad, al-insan al-kamil, the perfect man, never learned no stinkin' times tables.
Maybe the Islamists told China, "Co-operate with us or we won't buy your guns or sell you oil!"
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.....
Off topic from Jimmy Carter:
Carter Apologizes For "Stupid" Sentence In His Book
Ummah News Links
"Did someone in the Chinese government think it would be a nice gesture, a clever idea?" - from Hugh's post above
My hunch is the Chinese in their tireless diligence of wanting-to-be-more-like-the-West formed a now-all-the-Western-rage *exploratory committee*.
I'm not sure when this exploratory committee thing started. It's part of the presidential selection process. Used to be a candidate made up his own mind. But these days, everybody needs input. Do you want a president who needs to ask around before he makes a decision?
Take George W. Bush, for instance.
Wait. That's a bad example.
It's not that I'm dead set against exploratory committees. It's just - I worry the Chinese will carry it too far - I think they'd be more useful in other areas.
Oil Wrestling, for example. If you're a budding young Chinese capitalist thinking about whether to use Wesson or Saudi in order to optimize your grab for global share, you should form your own exploratory committee and consult it, get the data. And after you're loaded, you should ask your exploratory committee if you should call a cab.
Recently I was thinking about putting a Porky Pig tatoo on my lower left cheek, but my exploratory committee has just advised I postpone it until after I return from my culture tour of the land of Guófù.
People:
It just occurred to me.
This is the VERY Year to get on the Bandwagon and Celebrate the Chinese New Year!
Let's ALL wear pig logos or little pins! Have a New Year's Party!
Gung Hei Fat Choy !
Sharia, unlike kuzdu, will have a hard time taking root in the South, if it means that they have to give up barbecue. Barbecue lovers will make their last stand in Kansas City, Charlotte, and Memphis, with a dry-rub faction conducting guerrilla operations in Houston.
Interesting factoid: Aphrodite's companion animal was the pig.
Not that Islamists have a monopoly on misogyny (as should be obvious even w/brief consideration of more modern derogatory terms linking women and pigs) .. but their exceptionally intense fear and hatred of both women and pigs is very interesting in light of the archetypal relationship w/the powerful ancient Greek (Western) goddess and her chosen representative from the animal kingdom.
I'm inspired to make myself a beautiful Petunia Pig T-shirt ASAP - which I shall wear with pride :) !
Funny how you never hear about 'banning' pigs from Jewish people. Maybe it's because Jews don't hate pigs (or the people who eat pigs); if religiously observant, they simply choose not to eat pig-products.
Seems it must be the hate that makes the difference.
China isn't stupid and China isn't PC. I wouldn't be surprised if they did get a call from their oil rich buddies asking them not use the pig imagery, but they are only doing this with a long term interest in how much oil they can reap from them. These people aren't afraid of being called racists.
And really it's no big deal for the ruling goverment. How many other ancient Chinese traditions were quashed by the communist goverment in order to pave the way for the brave new world they were planning? The zodiac is nothing to them, and if it makes their oil providers happpy they'll do it.
My thoughts exactly, JadeDragoness. It's some kind of ploy, but should most assuredly not be mistaken for dhimmitude.
The Chinese, I am sure, are not only looking to secure petroleum supplies. They are also looking to secure an export market for certain goods and services in competition with Putin's Russia. They may even, to a certain extent, be buying a commitment from Iran to do nothing to promote the cause of China's Muslim minorities.
As for Daisytoo's reference to Jews only imposing their dietary restrictions on themselves... ...there were, as I recall, Orthodox elements in Israel who were not too happy about a kibbutz or two going into swine production to serve whatever market for pork existed, but in honour of the impending advent of the Year of the Pig, I offer an old joke that makes my Jewish and Chinese friends laugh equally hard:
Q: What do you get when you subtract the Chinese calendar year from the Jewish calendar year?
A: 1,063 years that Jewish people had to wait for Chinese food.
Wasn't one of the incarnations of the Hindu Super-God Vishnu as a pig? I am quite sure I have seen illustrations depicting that form. Do Hindus eat pork?
Of Course, China could be playing the part of crouching tiger...just passing time , waiting for the most opportune time to strike...When the time is right, Islam might be in trouble from the tiger in the North....
Here is an example of true unvarnished Islamophobia - capitulation to the fear of violence to infidels inherent in the teachings of Islam. When the "Mahdi" arrives, at least China will be one step ahead of the game.
The Bible says the antichrist will "change times and laws." Maybe China should go one step further and
substitute "year of the peacock" for "year of the pig"
Shahyar,
"Wasn't one of the incarnations of the Hindu Super-God Vishnu as a pig?"
Yes, as a boar. Here's a site (light reading!) for various religious or mythological links to pigs:
http://www.khandro.net/animal_swine.htm
The Wall Street Journal had a longer and better article on this ban yesterday on the front page, but it's not available without a subscription. For long excerpts from the article go here : http://extremecentre.org/2007/01/26/happy-year-of-the-pig-not/
Shahyar
Hindus (those who aren't vegetarians, that is) have nothing against eating pork, other than individual preferences. Vishnu's animal incarnations were fish, boar, sea-turtle, man-lion, and then all humans. None of the animals listed are sacred - in fact, fish is a pretty common diet in some places in India.
2008 is the year of the pig? Knowing China, I don't think they are being dhimmis - they're just working on milking the Islamic countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia of as much cash as possible. And who could oppose that?
Many people say some muslims behaviour may be caused by sexual frustration and now we know why from this mornings ch5 The Wright Stuff.
Yes piggies you see have 30 minute orgasms
and it just rankles muslims that Allah made
muslims and pigs but gave the pigs longer and
more intense orgasms.
Actually I had thought that this (2007) was the year of the boar. But maybe I'm thinking of Japan rather than China.
At all events, for the Chinese to start censoring themselves to please the mohammedans is pretty significant.
First off, the pig figures prominently in ancient chinese mythology and literature. There is a very well known story/literary-character called (in English) "The Pig of 8 Sides", which as it happens is a cute pun in Chinese -- that I expect that damn near everybody in China knows. Certainly that character is one of the 3 main characters in the tale "Journey to the West", which is sort of the Odyssey of China -- basic classical literature.
In fact, Journey to the West and its related characters and images, is basic to literary culture, for every culture within the sphere of historical Chinese cultural influence, esp. Korea and Japan.
Just as everybody in the west is expected to have read Homer and Virgil and such (at one time even in the original Greek or Latin) -- pretty everyone out there was once expected to be able to read Chinese, and even today, to have read at least local renditions of certain famous books and poems, Journey to the West figuring prominantly on that list.
Secondly, the Chinese make a point of being dramatically in-your-face brutal about suppressing opposition. Think Mao, think cultural revolution, think Tian An Men, think Tibet, think Lao Gai, think missiles aimed at Taiwan ... ad nauseum.
If such people as this are deciding to kiss mohammedan hiney that's BIG.
I have always expected the Chinese to be far more brutal in their encounter with the mohammedans than the West.
I suppose they could be doing this just as a propaganda ploy, to help keep the islamo-nazis focussed exclusively on the West.
But if it's really a capitulation (and as I said above it would be a big one) then something significant is happening here.
I can't believe it......
Maybe DW should change it's logo to a giant pig.
I think I'm going to order some Pork fried rice tonight.
Who's this Sidney guy?
I am interested to note the occurrence of people on here lamenting the loss of Chinese power in its own country. They are a communist totalitarian state and you are troubled that they are yielding to a social threat. Are you comfortable with the Chinese who only this week launched a weapon that could directly threaten the USA and other countries NOW.
It seems that we are more comfortable with some devils than with others.
China's ruling Communist Party has banned images and mention of pigs in TV advertisements airing over the lunar new year to avoid offending the country's Muslims.
I'm deeply offended by this. Humiliated, actually. But not surprised. As unsurprised as whenever I see Marxists sidling up to Mohammedans. Which is frequently.
I just may terminate my pork supply contracts to Chinese restaurants as a protest.
So much for the vicarious chest-puffing of Jihad Watchers when, in the recent past, they have vaunted China as a no-nonsense opponent of Muslims -- "You Muzzies better watch out for the Chinese, they won't pussyfoot around with you, by gum...!" Nonsense.
As a Chinese (though no fan of the communist government), I am very angry about this.
I've just looked, according to news sources, some Chinese postage stamps also have a Year of the Pig theme, and it is advised that they not be used when mailing to Islamic countries. Turns my stomach.
joeblough wrote: "Actually I had thought that this (2007) was the year of the boar. "
It is the Year of the Boar. The Chinese New Year doesn't start until the end of January in the Western calendar, which is the one they use in Japan now.
Well, this just makes me hog wild.
I too confess to being flummoxed by all this aversion to pig imagery, no matter how cute and innocuous. What would they make of Miss Piggy? Those little pink marzipan pigs kids get at Christmas in some European countries? The whole notion of one year in 12 of the traditional Chinese calendar (especially bearing in mind that the Chinese make up the single largest ethnic group in the entire world, and the vast majority of them are not Muslims)honours the strength, power, and intelligence of the pig? I have a feeling that if this government idiocy goes any further ordinary Chinese will not take it lying down. Maybe this is the impetus they need to foment another democratic revolution, a successful one this time...we can only hope...
Can't wait till year of the sheep, bet the Muslims get a little too excited.
Or maybe I'm thinking of goats ;)
Daisytoo,
Thanks
Infidel Pride, Thanks!
As a matter of fact, to PigFarmer, Cheng, BigWhiteInfidel, and others, I am quite amused. Having many ties to the beautiful island of Taiwan (a chunk of pork-eating southern China that broke off and floated out to sea), I will definitely celebrate the Year of the Pig with a pork meal. After all, M'shiach made all foods clean (see Mark 7 and Acts 10).
The Chinese Communist government is a blustering bully with anyone who politely criticizes it; an utter wimp with anyone who either has something it needs or stands up to it. Come to think of it, Marxists really do tend to bully rather than argue.
BigWhiteInfidel, having lived in Taiwan and celebrated a number of Guo Nian there, I can only say that the Muslim families celebrated in their own way with beef when everyone else was eating pork. Also, my hat's off to your Indonesian neighbors if they accept New Year's greetings from their ethnic Chinese neighbors. Maybe there's hoep for that country after all.
Infidel Pride said:
"I don't think they are being dhimmis - they're just working on milking the Islamic countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia of as much cash as possible. And who could oppose that?"
Well said and to the point. A point I made but in an obscurely comic way.
I'm also for milking the muslim Jurassic mudstones as quickly as possible cause contrary to what some muslims may believe, the sand-god Allah ain't gonna refill em - it's basic geology.
China demonstrates sympathy to Muslims, by suppressing images of pigs. China also has strategic interests in Muslims lands. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is the new Warsaw Pact. The SCO has members, and observers, such as China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia.
Many westerners paint a rosy picture about China’s economic reform, but the perception may only be a false sense of security. China demonstrates ongoing asymmetrical warfare. The Communist government and the People’s Liberation Army continuously attempt to, and do penetrate the US Pentagon and other government information systems. China recently used a space weapon. They wish to have the ability to promptly shoot down US satellites, and cripple US military information technology flows. Their military is modernizing and expanding. The PLA is building new submarines and ships to counter the US Navy. They generate billions by manufacturing and exporting products to the world, but many of the ideas behind the products were not their own. Chinese copycat products are displayed at trade shows, a few booths down from the inventors. They do not acknowledge or pay royalties to the creators of the patents, copyrights, and trademarks. Westerns firms discover corporate espionage, and the illegal sale or theft of their own trade secrets, research and development, and industrial design rights.
" They are a communist totalitarian state and you are troubled that they are yielding to a social threat."
But you have to realize they're interwined. Totalitarianism all the -isms effect the social structure. It's valid that we worry and mourn.
"China demonstrates sympathy to Muslims"
....More like ... fear of Muslims...., I used to think China dealth with internal noncompliance of its usually iron fisted rule with heavy handed methods...Now, I see, China making a serious mistake....China should worry less about the United States and should start worrying about the cancer beginning to spread in the South....
....China should have no Fear of the US occupying and enslaving its masses... It is Islam they should fear..Islam will treat the Chinese just as it has treated all who have capitulated to Islam in the past 1400 years..
China has cancerous tumor and is not treating it well.....China should deal with the Muslims while it has the ability to do so.....
.....It is better to treat a small tumor than to plan a funeral because you failed to do so....
I've just come back from Beijing, in the shops there are lots of stuffed toy pigs on sale, as well as piggy banks. I got a good photo of myself next to a fountain, in which was a giant plastic pig's head, right in the middle.
However, I went for lunch at the Chinese Agricultural University in Beijing, and there is a separate canteen for Muslims; Han people are banned from using it, this canteen was not there 5 years ago. It seems that they are putting pressure on the authorities to get preferential treatment, as with the washrooms at La Trobe.
On a funny note, my wife, who is Chinese, thought that Muslims worshiped pigs, and that was why they didn't eat them.
Pig logos are already old hat. Why not go for truly great art and support the wonderful French -Lebanese artist Jean Blique? The site shows an original oil painting titled "The Last Day of Hadj."
www.jeanblique.com