Last Friday, Rain announced he would join Jackie Chan’s Good Friend Concert in Beijing on Friday, May 1. Sounded like a great combo two days ago, but what about today? Let’s see… today the China Law Blog says “Jackie Chan Is A Know-Nothing Self-Loathing Racist”. Sing Tao News Network writes “Jackie Chan Deeply Disappointed Me”. And Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party said “Jackie Chan is unwelcome in Taiwan”. Ouch. Is this all because of booking Rain for the concert?

No. This time it’s all Jackie’s fault. He made a statement at a business forum in Hainan, China, that a free society is not always the best.

The English translation goes something like this:
“I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not. I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want.” — Jackie Chan.

According to reports, Jackie then described that freedoms in Hong Kong and Taiwan created societies that are “chaotic.”

Of course, if you’ve ever done Chinese to English translation, something’s always lost. But that didn’t matter because of course people on the internet are outraged!

Guess what? Just because Jackie got paid millions in RUSH HOUR 1, 2 and 3 to have Chris Tucker treat him like crap on screen doesn’t mean Jackie agrees with your politics. It just means that Americans will pay good money to watch a black man ridicule a yellow man, then have the yellow man save his annoying loud mouthed black ass.

Expect to hear the loudest complaining from American and American-friendly press. They’ll say Jackie’s been drinking the Chinese-Mainland-Propaganda Koolaid. And they could be right. Then Jackie will be denounced for making public statements out of line with “freedom” and “democracy” — the same concepts that are supposed to let people say whatever they think even if it’s unpopular. I guess in a free society, you’re free to say what you like as long as it supports the existing free society. Looks like we’ve got our own Koolaid to drink.

Will Rain cancel his concert appearance with Jackie? Will Jackie still play Mr. Miyagi in the sure-to-be-awful remake of THE KARATE KID? Will Rain again try to make South Korean society chaotic with his magic stick?

All I know is that I saw NINJA ASSASSIN and it sucked. Sorry, Rain. Pick your movies and concert buddies more carefully.