Friday, April 1, 2011

Chinese Ban "Luxury" in Advertising

This is slightly old news, but when I saw the article in Pravda, I could not resist the Great Pull of Irony.

The rich must be hidden from the eyes of the poor
The authorities of Beijing have recently decided to ban the advertising of luxury goods in the capital not to hurt those who can never afford diamonds and pearls. The billboards displaying such words as "elite," luxury", "royal", etc can only foster feelings of hatred among the poor, Chinese officials believe.

The housing boom is all about stability; it's about keeping the masses employed. Watching the politburo (if I may) suffer the uncontrollable, almost Sorcerer's Apprentice style, knock-on effects of wealth concentration, unfair land grabs, institutionalized graft, and Tulip Condo Mania by the rich is all so fascinating.

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