Propaganda and chocolate

In his book China Road, Rob Gifford mentions the odd mixture of government propaganda and commercial advertising he saw flashed on the side of a building in Shanghai every five seconds.

  • Welcome to Shanghai. Tomorrow will be even more beautiful.
  • 1,746 days until the Shanghai World Expo.
  • Sexual equality is a basic policy in our country.
  • Eat Dove chocolate.

3 thoughts on “Propaganda and chocolate

  1. Cogitoergocogitosum

    What is so off the wall about any of those four things?

    Frankly, I praise China over the US any day. At least they are growing, defeating their problems, and prospering economically all the while.

    Its the corporations, and the subsequent corruption in politics that accompany, that is an issue in capitalist nations such as ours. Capitalism IS financial greed set as the status quo, treated and praises as some high and mighty ethical virtue. Its the mentality of our people, and the fear of anything different, that has caused us to challenge communism as opposed to seeing the virtues IT possess.

  2. Cogito: I completely disagree with your politics. But that aside, I think the four statements above are an odd juxtaposition. If I were to see similarly disjoint sequences of messages in Times Square I would find that odd too. It struck me like hearing a barker at a baseball game yell

    Peanuts! Popcorn! Beer! Immunizations!

  3. I originally wondered whether the sign was owned by a corporation or the government, as if the former, it would be likely that a certain amount of Public Service Advertising might be required, and could fill un-bought slots. Then I realized that in China, the corporations and government are indistinguishable.

    Artist, especially street-artists, do this sort of thing too. One of my favorites might bring a chuckle to others who lived through the 1970s. A “Free Angela Davis” graffiti on a brick-wall bordering a gas-station had been modified to add “With 8 Gallons or more”

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