[elldoubleyew]

The joke about the chicken is interesting to me.

I see to your point, the joke leans to imply that Chinese people will lie about the ingredients served in their restaurants to save some money.

This stereotype, however, is predominant amongst Chinese people in China. This joke would fit right in on any Chinese TV show, questioning the legitimacy of the meat at a cheap restaurant is a joke older than the country. This may be why the author calls it "harmless".

It would be the equivalent of a Chinese sitcom where a character might suggest that visit a Texas Barbecue you might get shot by some revolver-wielding cowboy. I don't think many Americans would take offense.

But as the author mentions, strict self censorship amongst broadcasters has effectively cut all scenes that mention "China" or "Chinese" just to be safe.

[lwansbrough]

> It would be the equivalent of a Chinese sitcom where a character might suggest that visit a Texas Barbecue you might get shot by some revolver-wielding cowboy. I don't think many Americans would take offense.

That’s fair enough, maybe I’m over analyzing. But you probably wouldn’t find that joke on TV in America either.

[noitpmeder]

As an aside, I wouldn't be surprised at all to find a joke like that on an American TV show.

To the point: it definitely would not be removed from Foreign-made media before shown on American services. Especially as a result of some government-driven mandate.