The irony in the title really got me intrigued about this article. It made me think more deeply about how popularity (in terms of viewership, online followers and high ratings) could actually be a double-edged sword when there are issues of concern about mass media and culture. As I continued reading, I find that this article, in spite of my initial high expectations, was suspiciously biased and came across as a little condescending. I might be going out on a limb to say this, but it seems to me that the author is packaging the article in a way that caters to the prevailing mindset amongst the majority of the New York Times readers (the American public).
Not only does he use many terms with negative connotations to describe the show like “knock-off” and “cringe-worthy”, he also purposefully uses the words of the government officials in such a way that readers will tend to perceive the Chinese government in a bad light. Considering the way he organizes the facts, quotes and the overall structure of the article, he portrays the image of a despotic and dictatorial regime so paranoid that it can feel threatened by even the slightest stirring of social dissent through a mere television show.
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Eloquent short analysis of how the author reveals his stereotyping of the Chinese. His assumed audience absolves him from even attempting to move beyond these comfortable stereotypes.
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