China bowdlerized "Fight Club." When will artists say "enough"?

Vice reports, “A source familiar with the matter said the film was edited by the copyright owner and then approved by the government before it was sold to streaming sites for distribution.” Whether that approval came from Disney, which now owns rights to the film following the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, or someone else remains unclear.

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Here’s what is clear: There’s no good reason for David Fincher or Edward Norton or Brad Pitt to be silent about the mutilation of the film. There’s no good reason that they shouldn’t be penning op-eds for Variety denouncing this and demanding that it cease. There’s no good reason this defacement for the sake of state control should be allowed to pass unremarked.

There is, however, a reason to remain silent: fear of Chinese retaliation against their films in the future. Fear of losing money. Fear of losing jobs. Fear of financial duress.

Fear is always a reason to avoid doing the right thing. But it’s a bad reason.

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