Ted Cruz has introduced legislation that would stop Hollywood studios that are complicit in Chinese censorship from using Department of Defense assets.
Cruz: US Government Will Not “Facilitate Chinese Censorship”
The “Stopping Censorship, Restoring Integrity, Protecting Talkies Act,” or SCRIPT Act, would prevent the Department of Defense from providing access to assets, military advice, and other assistance, to Hollywood studios that allow Chinese censorship of their films. In a statement, Cruz slammed Hollywood studios for kowtowing to communist censorship tactics:
From buying media outlets to broadcast propaganda into America to coercing Hollywood studios and sports leagues to self-censor by threatening to cut off access to one of the biggest markets for sports and entertainment in the world, the Chinese Communist Party spends billions and billions of dollars to mislead Americans about China and shape what our citizens see, hear, and think. All of these activities are part of China’s whole-of-state approach to amass more influence around the world through information warfare, and we need to put a stop to it. For too long, Hollywood has been complicit in China’s censorship and propaganda in the name of bigger profits. The SCRIPT Act will serve as a wake-up call by forcing Hollywood studios to choose between the assistance they need from the American government and the dollars they want from China.
Cruz spoke to Tucker Carlson on Fox News about the legislation, saying that the US government is not “going to facilitate Chinese communist censorship.” The Texas Senator said that the coronavirus pandemic “should be a wake up call to the entire world” about the enormity of the Chinese problem.
“The problem of censorship is a massive problem within China. China’s own censorship and coverup of this [coronavirus] pandemic helped produce 257,000 deaths worldwide,” he noted, adding that “when it comes to Hollywood, Hollywood is not an innocent bystander here.”
Cruz argued that Hollywood is “fully complicit,” and works with the Chinese censors because “there’s so much money at stake.”
The Film Industry Doesn’t Want To Annoy The CCP!
As an example of this censorship, Cruz brought up the removal of the Taiwanese and Japanese flags from the back of Maverick’s jacket in the recent sequel to Top Gun.
“The original Top Gun may have been the greatest Navy recruiting film ever made,” Cruz said. “Both of the flags were on the back of Maverick’s jacket, and the studios didn’t want to tick off the Chinese censors so they pulled it down. What are we saying to the world that Maverick is afraid of the Chinese communists?”
Cruz also discussed the fact that in the biopic film Bohemian Rhapsody, the studios removed scenes relating to Freddie Mercury’s sexuality after being pressured by Chinese censors.
“Pause to think about how many Hollywood producers like to virtue signal about their courage and free speech and artistic integrity and yet they happily try to edit out the fact that Freddie Mercury is gay? It’s extraordinary,” Cruz added.
Senator Cruz is spot on! If Hollywood thinks bowing to Chinese demands is more important, then they can go on right ahead and not receive any co-operation from the government. I don’t know about you, but I’d quite like to know which studios are loyal to the CCP and not to their own country.