Feb 7, 2023

Disney's self-censoring "Simpsons" episode, criticism of the Chinese government.

Episodes of the Simpsons critical of the Chinese government have been omitted from the Disney+ platform in Hong Kong.

Which Episode - "One Angry Lisa" episode two of the 34th season of the show sees Marge get a new exercise bike that takes her on a virtual tour of the Great Wall of China. During the ride, Marge's instructor said, "Behold the wonders of China. Bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones."

What does the joke refer to - the trainer's comments may refer to China's policy against Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang. Over the years, the Chinese government has shown that it has committed numerous human rights violations in attempts to suppress and control the Uyghurs. The country's actions have been widely condemned by human rights groups, governments and the United Nations. The Chinese government denies the abuse and says its actions are part of a poverty alleviation plan to improve the economic situation in Xinjiang. The Communist party leader in Beijing has also previously said that activities in the region will help prevent future domestic terrorism.

But why remove episodes in Hong Kong - Disney does not provide a reason for removing episodes from Disney+ in Hong Kong, which is classified as a Special Administrative Region of China.This means that the territory has some political autonomy from mainland China. Kenny Ng, an associate professor specializing in censorship issues at the Film Academy of Hong Kong Baptist University, told The Financial Times that he believes Disney may have self・censored the Simpsons to protect "current and future company relationships in mainland China," adding that "Eliminating problematic episodes in China is strategic." There is a possibility."

Disney+ has done this in the past. The Simpsons' 2989 episode, which referenced the Tiananmen Square massacre in 2005, has not been available on Disney+ in Hong Kong since the service was launched in 2021. The episode included a shot of Tiananmen with a sign that said, "On this site, nothing happened in 1989."”