The Big [Censored] Theory

This happens in the West too. For example one of my favourite shows, "Peep Show" has a scene removed because one of the main characters wears black face to break social taboos. Obviously, it's done in a mocking way, but even mocking someone for black face has been deemed inappropriate by modern Western standards. The show isn't even that old either.

I'm almost certain there would be things seen as normal or inoffensive in China that would be seen as offensive and censored here. For example, a show that expressed criticism of homosexuality probably wouldn't be tolerated in the West. I'm guessing there could also be scenes that we would consider examples of animal cruelty given our differing views on animal welfare.

> This happens in the West too.

Not like this. The censorship occurring in China is state-mandated and absolute, which is completely different from a network or content provider voluntarily choosing to remove objectionable content.

> I'm almost certain there would be things seen as normal or inoffensive in China that would be seen as offensive and censored here.

Again, you're conflating different things. What's being described in the article isn't a network simply choosing to remove content that might be objectionable. It's the state telling the distributors that they cannot show certain things period because the state does not like them.

In the United States a content distributor can distribute such content if they choose to, as long as it's not on a regulated platform (e.g. public television has specific regulations about what can't be shown). In China, the content cannot be distributed at all without first being edited and approved by state censors. It's a completely different situation.

From the article:

> According to the state-owned media outlet Xinhua, streaming platforms received a private notification from regulators to remind them of one key rule:

> “imported American and British TV shows must be ‘reviewed and approved by officials before streaming to the public.’”