08.22.08
Picture of the Day: Olympic No-Smoking Propaganda
I saw this advertisement at the bus stop outside my apartment this morning.
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It reads:
Establish a non-smoking environment. Controlling smoking begins with me (you).
There are so many messages wrapped up into this advertisement it is difficult to know where to begin. Here’s what I see.
-You will be healthy if you don’t smoke.
-You will be happy if you don’t smoke.
-There is an inherent connection between quitting smoking and helping the environment.
-There is an inherent connection between the environment and the Olympics.
-A proper Chinese family should have only one kid.
-Having a girl child can make a family just as happy as having a boy.
The Chinese word for “propaganda” is 宣传 (xuan1 chuan2). However, unlike the English word, the Chinese term does not necessarily come with a negative connotation. 宣传 is more like a public service announcement, messages for the greater good of the masses. But like “propaganda,” 宣传 often specifically tells the reader what action he should take or how he should think, rather than just stating the facts.
A picture may be worth 1000 words, but a carefully procured picture, along with a working knowledge of Photoshop and an explicit slogan, is usually worth a whole lot more.
Tora
said,
August 22, 2008 at 8:59 pm
As usual I find your comments to be very insightful. While I somewhat agree with a few of the goals you derived from the poster, most of them are utter crap and I find it nigh impossible to imagine a Chinese guy *not* offering me a cigarette whenever I conduct my business there (and even though I don’t smoke I do take one and light it up but just hold it in my hand). I think that smoking is so ingrained in the business mind there that it would take many decades before that mentality could even begin to be changed by propaganda posters, but then again in the big cities us laowai’s could be speeding that up with our anti-smoking opinions.
Alan
said,
August 22, 2008 at 9:33 pm
You missed an important detail in this picture. The Bird’s Nest National Stadium. What do you think it’s meant to show you? Tha national pride of being the host of an Olympics Games. I think the overtone of every propaganda in China carries the subtle message of a national pride of some sort. National pride tends to unit people in any country and is even more so with the Chinese people. So here is the message that this propaganda is meant to portray:
“For the greater good of our nation, we all need to do our part to create a smoke-free evironment.”
I think most other countries, a typical anti-smoking message will be something like “Smoking is bad for you. The Surgeon Generally warns blah blah blah…”
China has opened up to the outside world for 3 decades now. The country has made a lot of progress. But this group mentality concept hasn’t changed yet. Maybe this group mentality isn’t just a communist ideal. It’s cultural? What do y’all think?
Jet So
said,
August 22, 2008 at 10:34 pm
As mentioned before, group mentality is an Asian “thing”. We define the family and/or surname clan as the foundation of society as opposed to the individual. If the Japanese and Koreans hadn’t changed (or altered very little) over the past 50 years, why would the Chinese? However, the form & manner on how each people express this could vary ….
James Creegan
said,
August 23, 2008 at 4:55 am
Jet So, after living in Korea from 2002 or so, I would say that society has change significant;y and they have made the journey from farmers-in-the-city to wine bar drinking, outdoor smoking, starbucks sipping new urbanites that must give propaganda writers wet dreams.
Adverts tell you more than they plan to, and if China’s big concern over the next few years is going to be spitting and smoking then, Christ, Britiain is green with jealousy.
Zhang Lihua
said,
August 23, 2008 at 5:42 am
Alan mentions “the subtle message of a national pride” that these ads contain. Pray tell, isn’t patriotism regarded as a virtue in the US as well? (E.g. Don’t candidates’ spouses get bashed for an alleged lack of patriotism?)
Of course the community spirit isn’t just a “communist ideal”. I suppose you have to distinguish between group mentality and community mentality. In the West (which of course isn’t homogenous, but you catch my drift), neither is prevalent. In a community society, the members want and need to do things for the greater good. In a society that favours individualism, and peer-groups as a way to live your individuality with equal-minded people, you do everything on behalf of yourself and the group your consider yourself part of. In a culture like the Chinese, reciprocality is key. In other cultures, forming group leads to rivalry, which cannot be the case in a community-based society. That’s the ideal. Of course, clinging to the allegiance to a certain family or clan is detrimental. And: History aside.
Now, my question: Why do you expect (in the sense of “it ought to”, not “it is likely to given the circumstances”) Chinese society to change, why do you want us to adopt the Western model? Why imply that our model is backwards?
Contrasting both messages: “For the greater good of our nation, we all need to do our part to create a smoke-free environment.” Here, the reader has to assume responsibility for people around him, his family and compatriots. He must rely on the compliance of others in other cases and now must make an informed choice. “Smoking is bad for you. The Surgeon Generally warns blah blah blah…” This ad appeals to an authority and intents to resonate on the basis of one’s instinct for self-preservation. No responsibility for one’s own actions is implied. If you don’t care about your body or don’t trust the doctor, you may smoke. No one mentions the effect this will have on the people around you, who do not have a choice.
I am an ardent supporter of the anti-smoking campaign. It’s a stupid and harmful vice we have adopted.
“rather than just stating the facts.”
Pieces of information distributed can be altered, faked or used in a suggestive manner (not necessarily in a negative way) to have the desired effect on the recipient. That’s what movies do, children’s series, commercials, ideological extremists, some of the Pro-T*b*t-guys…
I always hope that gaining insight into the mechanism behind Chinese propaganda will help the foreigners who come here realise that the same concept applies to their media as well. Usually, they return with their eyes closed, because that’s what they’re used to… :-/ I’m confident that someone who writes as insightful texts as Ben can actually apply their knowledge. 呵呵
Please, do not take offence at my words and excuse my poor English.
- 张莉花 -
Charles Frith
said,
August 23, 2008 at 8:31 am
The picture is detached from reality. Smokers are more likely to be blue collar and thus the message is already diminished. There is way to much fantasy land urban spam for people to switch off too already.
Put a blackened lung up their and forget about the one child per family (don’t kill off the girls) messaging.
First rule of advertising. Focus. Punch hard. Be memorable.
Other than that a reasonable deconstruction of an Ad.
Jet So
said,
August 23, 2008 at 9:24 am
@ James C., although outward signs of individuality & urbanisation may be on the rise, I believe that the group mentality approach still remains intact. I’m unsure about the Koreans (since I haven’t lived there long enough) but do sense the Japanese still retain this collective mindset. If their teenagers decide to go for heavy metal, wear torn jeans & dip their pointy hairs in a kaleidoscope of colours, they do so in unison. Again, the form changes but the substance stays the same.
Alan
said,
August 23, 2008 at 1:51 pm
@Jet So, et al
This group mentality of Asian people in general is fascinating to me. I have observed this trait in Chinese immigrants in America for a long time. Under group pressure, some very smart, even successful Chinese folks here would sometimes do some really stupid things. I don’t want to go into detail here. Maybe someday Ben can do a blog on that.
@Zhang Lihua
I read some of your blog entries. You are quite impressive maintaining such a nice blog in English. I feel many smart Chinese like you today have this nationalism problem, but you probably don’t even realize it. You wrote that “Usually, they return with their eyes closed, because that’s what they’re used to…” This is so not true. Westerners are much more open minded than Chinese by any measure. When a Westerner criticizes China or Chinese culture, it doesn’t mean s/he is closed minded or China bashing. You should continue to read blogs written by foreigners in China. And just be open minded. Someday you may look at things differently. Most foreigners who have come to China appreciate China or Chinese culture to a certain extent. Otherwise they wouldn’t have stayed.
chriswaugh_bj
said,
August 23, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Jet So, it has been mentioned many times before that Easterners are group-oriented and Westerners are individualist, but no matter how many times that is mentioned or repeated, it remains a complete load of bollocks.
“If their teenagers decide to go for heavy metal, wear torn jeans & dip their pointy hairs in a kaleidoscope of colours, they do so in unison. Again, the form changes but the substance stays the same. ”
That could easily describe any country anywhere.
Or just take a stroll around the Olympic Green and witness the many large groups of people dressed more-or-less uniformly in their countries’ national colours waving their national flags, and notice that they’re just as likely to be “Western” as “Eastern”.
Professional sports teams worldwide provide another perfect example with their tribes of dedicated followers, precious few of whom have any logical reason for their “individual” choice of team to support.
Humans are pack animals like wolves. Doesn’t matter whether the particular culture is “Western”, “Eastern”, “Northern” or “Southern”, all cultures are group-oriented and at their base, tribal.
Tora
said,
August 23, 2008 at 6:23 pm
This discussion has reminded me of something I’ve noticed during my time in China and with Chinese friends. It’s that when something about China is criticized they tend to justify it with “the same thing happens in the US/Europe” and then, more often than not, don’t want to hear anything else on the subject and even less when I reply “just because X government did something nasty doesn’t make it ok for everyone to do it, I criticize that action too”.
Also, making any comparisons (in China they do this and in the US they do that) can be difficult to do because probably due to their national pride, many of the people I met would immediately become defensive when you just make an observation with no implications of which way is better or worse involved. This perception of persecution where there often is none seems to be very ingrained into the Chinese mindset, though not without reason given the way the western media is lately.
@ Zhang Lihua
I think you were right to ask “why imply that our model is backwards?” and I agree with many of your points but I believe you are somewhat guilty of what I wrote above when you mentioned patriotism, you seemed to me to be defensive and immediately compared it to the US. We weren’t discussing patriotism itself (or whether or not it’s justified) so much as what it has to do with an anti-smoking campaign. As was previously discussed in the west the anti-smoking campaigns appeal to your personal health and in China they appeal to you to improve your community so it’s difficult for us to relate not smoking, which to us means personal health, with patriotism.
Zhang Lihua
said,
August 23, 2008 at 7:02 pm
@Alan and the others
…我们万众一心… Yes, that’s the way we have been socialised, but it’s probably just as legimate an outlook on the world as other concepts.
“today have this nationalism problem, but you probably don’t even realize it”
You are probably right stating that many Chinese do not realise the extent of their national pride, and the naive support for the bad things that come with this. Yet, let me ask you again (not just a rhetorical question!)- why is it “nationalism” if Chinese do it? Couldn’t it be “patriotism”? And what would be wrong with that? I do love my country, the people, the rich culture, beautiful landscape, and I indeed support communism. But all that should not lead you to think that I am in favour of everything implemented in this country. I’m not blind, but optimistic.
And some people who keep harping on about Chinese nationalism are just darn scared.
“Westerners are much more open minded than Chinese by any measure.” There are quite a few who are not too fond of China in the first place. I didn’t want to generalise. My point is, they cannot completely shed their preconceptions either while they claim to be able to! The information they get can be just as tainted by an agenda as ours is. I have lived abroad, had an unfiltered view. Media in general is very effective at shaping the minds of people. That’s not necessarily negative and perhaps it’s even necessary. But we shouldn’t pretend to be exempt from its influence.
“When a Westerner criticizes China or Chinese culture, it doesn’t mean s/he is closed minded or China bashing.” I wasn’t implying that. However, quite frankly, I’m sick of westerners hailing their particular democracy, or rather, their feeling superior (to ALL other countries) because of their cultural/ideological achievements.
What I hope is that they do not only look at China and try to “improve it”, but rather take the knowledge they have gained in China and apply it to the situations they are more familiar with. The result can be surprising.:-P And it’s exactly what’s expected by them of us, in reverse.
“You should continue to read blogs written by foreigners.” Be assured that I will.
————
@chrisvaugh
), but capitalistic societies are by default doing the latter. And that distinction is what strikes you as weird in China. What you do doesn’t matter so much, rather why you do it. To take the “adolescents attending a concert” example: It matters whether you think that you are showing conformity within a subgroup that allows you to express you individual taste – or whether the group is an essential element and you want to support that group because it expresses something you can agree on. I’m not convinced it managed to convey this subtle but crucial difference adequately.
“all cultures are group-oriented and at their base, tribal.”
That’s absolutely correct. The difference is which aspect is emphasised, the community or the individual. China might have overdone the former (that’s why the current generation is so egoistic.
This being part of a larger group is what makes Asians more prone to sacrifice which is in fact the most indiviual thing a human being can do. This effect sets in during war influencing the decisions of the soldiers who feel for their brothers and sisters in arms and are therefore willing to disregard their individual interests. At the same time, this knowledge makes it likely for commanders to decide to sacrifice a squad for the sake of the whole plan and it also explains the attitude of factory owners. (…o.O…)
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Regarding the kind of family this advert portrays: I have found that western commercials do that as well, expecially concerning the role of women. That is still quite obvious. The persuasive power of “ideal persons” is quite strong, but subliminal. (If you don’t see large families, you’re less likely to aspire to having one. You won’t consciously say “Big families are bad.”)
One thing you have to bear in mind is that China is changing rapidly. The official propaganda (and the older values) are not nearly as effective as the shining “foreign” world. It’s almost like tilting at windmills now. The people in charge have realised that and are therefore so touchy, trying to shield China from undesired stuff. Plus: I have yet to meet a person whose idol is Lei Feng or Xiang Xiuli instead of a musician or celebrity.
I feel a bit stupid rambling so incoherently, please accept my apology.
Zhang Lihua
said,
August 23, 2008 at 7:05 pm
哦。。。Uh? Not sure why there’s a German flag behind my name. Perhaps a proxy? I’m going on-line in an internet café. Confusing. Never mind.
Jet So
said,
August 23, 2008 at 11:54 pm
@ Lihua: You’ve just taken my reply but expressed in such a more elaborate & elegant manner
.
@ Alan: “Under group pressure, some very smart, even successful Chinese folks here would sometimes do some really stupid things.”
Believe me … that’s not just an Asian trait. It’s called the “Herd” or “Lemming” effect which (read Charles McKay’s classic book called, ” Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds”) which can sway both Nobel laureates and your ordinary Joe/Joan. Just look at the past stock market & real estate “bubbles” over the century …
Alan
said,
August 24, 2008 at 2:17 am
@Lihua
“…why is it ‘nationalism’ if Chinese do it? Couldn’t it be ‘patriotism’? ”
I was in China this summer. I was asked this exact rhetorical question many times by some well-educated Chinese friends. I think you should try to find the answer to this question yourself. Just be open minded. I trust you will understand it someday. To me, nationalism stinks. So does patriotism.
Politicians love to foster patriotism as a way to get people to support them. They also love nationalism so that they can pitch one nation against another in time of crisis, which is probably induced by their incompetent or corrupt governance. Their ultimate goal is to divert people’s attention away from the crisis, whether it’s extreme poverty, unemployment, stale economy or a potential overthrown of their power thereof.
You probably don’t want to say things like “…I indeed support communism.” Most people from non-Communist countries will be shocked and turned off by such a bold declaration. Even if you do, don’t say it out loud. Bad PR.
Jet So
said,
August 24, 2008 at 10:00 am
“To me, nationalism stinks. So does patriotism.” — Your bold statement & subsequent discussion could be equally applied to a certain Superpower that had been bent on imposing its vision of freedom & democracy over the past decade – not just a mere regional power like China.
Jet So
said,
August 24, 2008 at 10:10 am
Lihua: “…I indeed support communism.” — What type of communism do you support? Euro-communism, perhaps? I hope it isn’t the orthodox Marxist-Leninist line.
Zhang Lihua
said,
August 27, 2008 at 3:27 am
Sorry! Don’t worry.
I didn’t want this “declaration” to sound so frank. It’s just that some people like to react to Chinese saying *anything* positive about their country with notions approximately like “But surely you can’t be in agreement with *C*?! That’s evil!” This ideology already got enough “bad PR”, usually deserved. Of course I’m not saying “Look how great this or that reform was” or “What a brilliantly carried out “incident”". So, if you’re familiar with the terminology: I was not referring to the synthesis, but the analysis. Go figure. Again sorry for not being clear about that. 
(Besides, if you were to say you like liberalism, it shows the same supportive attitude towards a political idea. Obviously, it doesn’t have such a bad reputation.) 我哭了。。。don’t be so hard on me. I’m really trying to be more open minded. 别误会哦！
Zhang Lihua
said,
August 27, 2008 at 3:35 am
I just want to add this – I’m looking forward to reading more on your blog and perhaps discussing a few things in the comment section. I simply hope I won’t put my foot in my mouth so often in the future.
(I admit, I got my fair share of indoctrination, I used to translate for the PD newspaper and was even enrolled in the PLA, for heavens sake!)
Benjamin Ross
said,
August 27, 2008 at 9:55 am
Zhang Lihua-
Keep your head up man. No need to apologize for your comments. We all put our foot in our mouths from time to time. The fact that your comments generated so many responses is at very least an indicator that you are bringing new perspectives to the discussion, which is really what blogs are all about. All of us are indoctrinated to some extent. The problems arise when people fail to realize their own indoctrination and account for them when devising their own opinions. Also, no need to make excuses for your language abilities. Is English not your first language? Could have fooled me.