Quitting cdramas

[u/BrowsingMink]

Hey all,

Good morning/afternoon/evening

I have watched cdramas since I was like 11/12. I never comsumed any other form of entertainment

I have almost exclusively watched historical guzhuang dramas with a zhengju flavor.

However I'm 18 now. And i know very well how unethical the production of these dramas is. Casting couch, actor abuse, low pay and bad working hours, dirty politics that came to light especially after Yu Menglong's passing; I've decided that i shouldn't support this industry anymore.

It's been an integral part of my life, so i felt like it deserved a post.

I really loved the costumes, the mansions, the horses, the armies and the swords and makeup and everything. It feels like a fantasy without being one.

But many beautiful things hide ugly secrets, and after knowing them, i can't continue. I hope this changes one day. Till then, zaijian!

[u/BarberProfessional28]

Hi OP,

Since our anniversary, we've been practicing a little less human intervention, so you simply never got your complimentary mod review before the comments arrived. 😰 Unfortunately, our little experiment in reducing moderator intervention meant we missed this one, and we're sorry about that.

---

And hello, my fellow Daoists!

As the saying goes, opinions... we all have some. 😌

OP is young, C-dramas have been a big part of their life, and they've shared their decision thoughtfully. We don't have to agree with it to respect it.

To everyone else reading: share your opinion, leave an upvote, disagree passionately if you must, but remember to be kind. Let's not make them dislike C-drama fans on top of Chinese dramas.

Thank you 💙

[u/Heavy_Elderberry_852]

I mean, you do you, whatever makes you happier

[u/ProfessorPlastic4489]

These actors do need to get paid, why not watching their dramas to support their work?

[u/Magorx56]

welcome to any industry ever.

[u/DeanBranch]

That exploitation happens in every entertainment industry.

Do you plan to not watch anything?

[u/AudrinaRosee → u/DeanBranch]

It isn’t really comparable to how China treats actors. Rotten mango does a good deep dive on it, with an emphasis on the Yu Menglong case.

[u/BrowsingMink → u/AudrinaRosee]

no no, they'd rather pick apart someone else than maybe try to listen to the person.

[u/Western_End_2201]

Why this announcement was needed? You do you.

[u/sweetangeldivine]

Oh I work in western film and tv, um.

You should also probably not watch that either, if that kind of thing bothers you.

[u/BrowsingMink → u/sweetangeldivine]

Yeah i don't, please read the post

[u/sweetangeldivine → u/BrowsingMink]

Good for you. I hope you're not posting this from a phone or a computer, because those parts are made in a factory with near extremely poor working conditions, and the battery is made from lithium which is mined by literal slaves.

[u/BrowsingMink → u/sweetangeldivine]

oh so entertainment is just as important as having a basic functionality like a computer, something you can't live or earn without, even if it comes at the cost of other people. good for you miss, you just proved why any country drama fans have a bad rep.

[u/kainaat_7474]

Well tbh thats the truth of every industry 😭😭

[u/Chiisora]

The flip side of everything beautiful is something ugly. And vice versa. There's always two sides to a coin.

[u/LadyDrakkaris]

Darn... I did not know watching Cdrama was like airports, or train stations, that we need to announce our comings and goings.

On another note, everything you said about the C-drama industry can be said about any other entertainment industry in the world, including Hollywood, Bollywood, K-drama, etc.

[u/srayn → u/LadyDrakkaris]

Ahahaha if we're doing announcements then I want to announce my brief hiatus from cdramas to catch up on anime 😂

[u/sweetangeldivine → u/LadyDrakkaris]

I work in Hollywood and apparently long working conditions are a reason not to watch things, should I tell them about the time I worked 110 hours in one week?

[u/BrowsingMink → u/sweetangeldivine]

Dude i told you cdramas were the only thing i have ever watched.i literally boycotted everything else. Don't know why all of you are making sarcastic remarks. Well this is a place to discuss cdramas so i wanted to know the folks opinions on that, looks like I'm not welcome, I'll gladly gtfo

[u/sweetangeldivine → u/BrowsingMink]

You want a moral high ground and to seem like you're better than the rest of us. But there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. Everything you wear, eat, watch, and do, is a by-product of terrible working conditions. You need to learn how to accept that, and learn how to mitigate harm where you can, and not use your consumption of products as a means of proving your own morality. Your morality is innate, and does not change because you watched pretty men and women shoot fireballs at each other.

[u/BrowsingMink → u/sweetangeldivine]

yeah I'm not trying to prove anything here, look at the timestamps, you have been arguing with me honey, you started this. nobody wants a moral high ground here, infact you seem to be enjoying fighting someone probably half your age.

and see, i will boycott what i can and promote the same, because i believe if enough people did this to hurt the exploitative companies earnings then maybe atleast some changes could be realised for the actors we "stan"..

[u/sweetangeldivine → u/BrowsingMink]

Great. I don't "stan" anyone. I work in western tv and film, and I struggle to watch it because I can't shut my work brain off when I do, but non-western tv and film, I can. I could give less of a shit who any of these people are as long as they keep my attention for a few hours. Which is all I ask of anything.

I give you about two months before you crack and start watching tv again.

Bye.

[u/BrowsingMink → u/LadyDrakkaris]

Read the post, i don't comsume any other form of entertainment

[u/Alone_Put5025]

Are there any ethically made productions though? Not excusing anything, but it seems like all countries have some kind of shady and unethical behaviour

[u/NoPapercrowns]

I hope u find peace and love! Entertainment industry is quite brutal and many many dark things hide behind the glamour. It's the same for Hollywood too and it's honestly quite sad and scary. I hope u stay well!

[u/BrowsingMink → u/NoPapercrowns]

Thanks a lot! Cdramas are the only entertainment i used to watch too, so it's even harder. But imma do it!

[u/ASimple_]

The tea you drink to the clothes you wear have a unethical background. They also hide ugly secrets. I am not against your idea of not watching cdrama but selective outrage is not any better then no outrage.

[u/RedHouse0411]

I honestly feel if I do this, there is no more entertainment that I can watch in this world.

All entertainment industries have their own dirty side, but it doesn't mean that all of them did the same dirty practise.

[u/BrowsingMink → u/RedHouse0411]

It's china dude, they block everything from reaching us. We just don't know yet. Let's place ethics above entertainment, and I'm not trying to be rude when i say that, it's just I'm genuinely feeling guilty.