The communist government of Vietnam is attempting to crack down on one of the nation's most popular past times... karaoke.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has posted a proposed ban on its website and has invited public comment on the move, its latest attempt to clamp down on lawlessness at popular singing venues.
The popular singing innovation was introduced to Vietnam in the early 1990s and has since spread from cities into even remote mountainous villages.
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ReplyDeleteBanning karaoke seems not only strange but drastically oppressive. It completely invades people's private lives. If the lawlessness is the problem, they should find another way to fix it rather than punishing everyone.
ReplyDeleteI dont understand what the point of the ban woud be? What kind of threat does kareoke pose to the government of Vietnam?
ReplyDeleteCould the ban be an attempt to infiltrate and oppress potential realms of social unification? Karaoke provides an opportunity for social, cultural and political interaction, a collective force that could potentially, at its most extreme level, mobilise dissident ideology against the government? The ban, much like extreme media censorship under China's Communist Party, will aim to control political ideology within Vietnamese society?
ReplyDeleteI think it said it increased lawlessness. So in other words the Karaoke fuels the kind of enviroment that stimulates free political thinking. The large gatherings in Karaoke clubs could be like the coffee houses Habermas said encouraged dissemination of ideas and free political thought between individuals.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a load of garbage to me! Out of all the crazy things to ban, Karaoke?! Anyone who's been to Vietnam will not that going to those karaoke bars is the most crazy, wicked experience ever! It poses little threat to the government...maybe they could regulate where you can do it?!
ReplyDeleteVery ridiculous! Certainly this is a oppressive idea, as although the government may view this as a mechanism for creating lawlessness (and possibly as suggested above, stimulating free political thinking and mass formation/collective action within these singing venues- maybe with exposure to global ideas portrayed through music from abroad -particuarly the west) I would say kareoke use, the majority of the time, is a perfectly harmless lesiure activity. At least this ban is only a proposal and hopefully with public outrage will not go through! Overall, they need to come up with more realistically effective options to solve this supposed lawlessness!
ReplyDeleteNa no way this will work!
ReplyDeleteReminds me of when Malaysia tried to ban Yoga cause:
1. It contains Hindu 'religious elements'.
2. 'chanting mantras while in various positions' is frowned upon.
3. Promotes homosexuality.
Mind you, lesbian sex has been officially prohibited in Malaysia since Oct 23 last year.
"It violates human nature and denies their femininity". Tsk tsk