This Monday (6), the episode One Angry Lisa, from the 34th season of The Simpsons, was removed from the Chinese catalog of Disney +. Certain jokes and comments that criticized the Asian country were the reason for the removal of the content.
At one point, the Great Wall of China is being displayed in a virtual setting, and an instructor says to the characters, “Here are the wonders of China. Bitcoin mines, labor camps where kids make smartphones, and romance.”
But after all, what is the context of the exclusion of content in Hong Kong?
What led to the removal of the episode
Disney itself chose to remove the episode, in a kind of “self-censorship”. According to Financial Timesthe entertainment giant has important deals with China, such as Marvel movie releases and theme parks.
For that reason, the company doesn’t want to compromise business with jokes that could be seen as offensive by the country’s authorities. The concern is even greater after the creation of the national security law in Hong Kong in the year 2020, which prohibits “sedition, secession and subversion” against Beijing.
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While the law isn’t specific with regard to serving streaming content, Disney opted to remove the episode from the territory.
One more for the list
It is worth remembering that, in 2021, other animation content was removed from the Chinese Disney+ catalogue. The episode featured the characters visiting the country and passing through Tiananmen Square. There, a sign read, “At this location, in 1989, nothing happened.”
(Source: Fox/Disclosure)Source: Fox
To understand the joke better: in 1989, one of the largest protests against the Chinese government in the country’s history took place, culminating in a massacre of the demonstrators.
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Here in Brazil, even, the episode Feitiço de Lisa generated a lot of controversy, even generating negative comments from the government. The reason for the controversy was the negative portrayal of the country.
And then, have you watched these controversial episodes of The Simpsons?
