Fox News has gained notoriety for its never–ending tirade against the seemingly unknown evils of Hollywood and its various productions. The latest ire stems from the upcoming Barbie movie spinoff, which has been banned in Vietnam – sparking questions over ‘Hollywood‘s ties to China,’ according to Fox News host Rachel Campos–Duffy.
The hotly anticipated flick‘s release on July 21 has been canceled in Vietnam following the inclusion of a map depicting the ‘nine–dash line‘ – China‘s disputed claims over the region. Taking note of the sheer sentiment, Campos–Duffy went a step further in her ‘pop culture roundup‘ segment to query the likely non–existing communist nature of Barbie – ‘Is Barbie a communist?’
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz also did not take kindly to the Barbie movie with the live–action spinoff. ‘Senator Cruz has been fighting for years to prevent American companies, especially Hollywood studios, from altering and censoring their content to appease the Chinese Communist Party,’ according to a statement from a Cruz spokesperson regarding the scene.
The ‘nine–dash line‘ map has been a source of contention in the region for decades, with numerous other Southeast Asian nations all making overlapping ownership claims to a number of islands in the South China Sea. When news of the map made waves, Vietnamese officials reacted with the cancelation of all screenings in protest.
The inclusion of the ‘nine–dash line‘ is not an unusual event either. It has made other films a dead–end street at the box office in Vietnam as well, with Tom Holland‘s Uncharted and Crazy Rich Asians being edited or banned respectively due to similar reasons.
In response to the controversy, Filipino Senator Risa Hontiveros took a starkly different stance from the Vietnamese officials. ‘The movie is fiction, and so is the nine–dash line,’ she said. With a call for clarification, the Senator stated that cinemas should include a disclaimer that the ‘nine–dash line‘ is actually a figment of China‘s imagination.
Without a comment from Warner Bros., which is producing the film, Fox News appears to have thrown its hat into the ring as the controversy continues to gain the network‘s attention. With the fate of the pink princess hanging in the balance, let‘s hope this live–action spinoff finds its way to success.
Meanwhile, the ‘nine–dash line‘ remains a source of contention within the South China Sea – with its potential to incur Chinese military presence if their ownership claim is proven true.
Will Barbie be accused of communist notions or will we find out the truth behind the ‘nine–dash line‘? Until then, Campos–Duffy‘s questions will remain answered.
