Communist media attacks new Vietnam pop stars
HANOI - Communist-controlled media in
Vietnam has launched a series of stinging attacks against the
country's newly emerging pop stars, whom it accuses of having
excessive wealth and depraved lifestyles.
Over the past fortnight, some of the country's biggest circulation
newspapers and magazines have carried numerous articles
slamming singers for lacking ability and traditional patriotic
attitudes.
``Money would be just a small issue if these stars deserved the
payments they receive,'' the weekly An Ninh The Gioi (Global
Security) said in a three-page article on Friday.
``Their money-making performance has killed any creativity,
many sing like machines, their voices are not rooted in their
soul, they contain the smell of money,'' it added.
Private media ownership is banned in Vietnam and in recent
years, the country's ruling Communist Party has expressed
growing disquiet over the youth and what it sees as the advent
of depraved Western lifestyles.
All performers in Vietnam have to be licensed ahead of their
shows and song lyrics have to be cleared by state censors.
Critics argue that strict controls have left many composers
writing bland, innocuous material.
The weekly accused many male singers of being gay.
``A recent investigation into a brothel with male prostitutes
found a list of male singers who had been regular customers.
The worst thing is...(many) singers consider this a fashion,'' it
said.
``This is a common moral degradation that should be
comdemned.''
In another article, Thoi Bao Ngan Hang (Banking Times) on
Friday called on the government to tighten rules for the
``ill-natured'' singers.
``Besides, parents are concerned with current music...which is
at warning level,'' it said. ``This has not a small impact on the
young generation's lifestyle education and ideology.''
Reuters - August 27, 1999.
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