Christian Dior have pulled promotional posters in China which feature actress, Sharon Stone, because of her controversial comments about China’s recent earthquake which has left more than 67,000 people dead and many more homeless.
Earlier this week Stone caused outrage in China after suggesting to a news channel the earthquake could be put down to “karma” for the country’s treatment of Tibet.
“I’ve been concerned with how we should deal with the Olympics, because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine,” she told the news channel. “And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened and I though, is that karma – when you’re not nice that the bad things happen to you?”
Because of these comments, Christian Dior China have pulled the ads which feature the actress.
A spokesman at the company’s Shanghai headquarters said, “We don’t agree with her hasty, unreflecting remarks and we deeply regret them.
“Dior was one of the first international brands to enter China and has won the affection and respect of the consuming public. We absolutely do not support any remark that hurts the Chinese people’s feelings.”
As the angry comments are flooding in on YouTube, Stone has released a statement apologizing for her comments.
“Due to my inappropriate words and acts during the interview, I feel deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people. I am willing to take part in the relief work of China’s earthquake, and wholly devote myself to helping affected Chinese people.”
Questions: Is it right for an actress to say something like that when people’s lives (who has nothing to do with how the Chinese government are acting) have been devastated? Isn’t “karma” suppose to come back and bite the discussion makers in the backside and not innocent people who are thousands of miles away from the Chinese capitol?
Well I think Sharon Stone was kind of right about karma and all…being a good friend of the Dalai Lama.
After all the Chinese have told her to:
KARMA THIS!
I guess her bottom line is more important than any integrity. She is a Hollywood hypocrite who jumps into the ban wagon for any publicity just like Richard Gere. What’s so holly about a gerbil anyways? Just more people who claim they are on a moral high ground… Don’t we know too many of these already?
The biggest problem with this is thinking that anyone gives a rats ass what Sharon Stone says or thinks.
Sharon pleeeez,
Let’s worry about the native Americans (or is it that the best indian is still a dead indian?), aboriginals in Australia, IRA (Irish) and countless other injustice in the 1st world before we tell others how to handle separatist. Maybe she should go hang out with Tom Cruise and get more enlightenment.
she is like a prostitute
Not to forget that only 4 decades ago blacks could not go to same schools as whites in America. Vote intimidation against blacks is still prevalent in the south. And the race problem in the US is far from over as we can see. Just she should ask some black friends she probably doesn’t have about how they feel about democracy and rights for blacks today! They would probably say what democracy? No wonder Michelle Obama said she felt proud for the 1st time about her country.
I don’t think they should pull down her ads just because she’s a brainless s**t.
Her remark has caused another horrible earthquake in the minds of all Chinese people who had just suffered a lot physically and mentally by the quake that occured on May 12. God will not forgive her. She should know that the earthquake was happening in a region mostly occupied by Tibets. Where is Dalai Lama while Chinese gov are doing its best to rescue?
The thing is, she just said out loud what a lot of people are thinking and for that, she’s pretty stupid. Some things are meant to be kept quiet.
I agree with Lars.
For example, Mel Gibson and a bunch of others just unfortunately speak their minds out loud. For God’s sake after his apology he had to hang out with jews whom he despises (obviously) and hugely depends for business.
C’mon if politicians can’t be held accountable for their incompetent actions and lack of speaking abilities, at least those who make a living faking it should!
Nobody is thinking what Sharon is! Or if they are, then I guess all the victims in Katrina had it coming and all those unfortunate souls who are born in awful living standards around the world, etc. Never mind being born of color. And who knows what else we can blame on bad karma…being born in Iraq?
I see a lot of people need some enlightenment! Anyways we are all born with the original sin, aren’t we? So we all have bad karma from the start! Let’s enjoy it while we are here.
And Angela, they shouldn’t pull her ad. Watch them! She should know better. She was never a great actress (if not for her crossing legs scene). She can’t make a buck in China as an actress ‘cos all movies are bootlegged. So Dior campaign was the best thing she had in a country with over 1 billion potential new customers where she can feel like a super star (again?).
Don’t forget you are paying $4 a gallon (if in the US, $9 in the UK) for gas partly because of China.
Oh well there is always India after this. Just don’t do the Gere stuff (another friend of the Dalai) or it would be deja vue. I wonder is that Karma? So not all is lost for her.
C’mon damn right they should pull all her ads and if they (chinese) have any integrity not ever let a simple apology be enough…cos we know what’s on her mind! That goes for Mel too.
Her only Karma is the mighty cashing!
I’m christian I don’t believe in karma.
Get over it really. Not about her karma comment but the ad being pulled down.
She’s just another model there. What is Lily Donaldson said this? Or Catherine McNiel? Would they pull their ad down too?
P.S. Anyways, anybody who can speak of human tragedy and suffering on a “matter of fact terms” has no heart or soul. Perhaps she is in her Basic Instinct role? Even as Christians we are taught to turn the other cheek. Don’t know what they may be teaching in Buddhism these days but maybe the Pope has to give the Dalai Lama some lessons learned from centuries of mismanagement and oppression.
So she is a senseless and brainless person who wants to sell you shit and offend you at the same time. And preach too!
Lastly, I want to comment on something a bit unrelated. Some Hong Kong people with the encouragement of outside influence have been anti China ever since the mainland took over. Claiming they have no democracy, etc. While these movement has began to die down, it is an agenda being still pushed by outsiders.
To set history straight. Hong Kong people during the many decades of British influence HAD NO democracy. Were mere second class citizens up until the ’80s. In the ’60s Chinese could not go to white neighborhoods, etc. Sound familiar?
So China has given Hong Kong an actual level of democracy that THEY NEVER HAD. All those people who do not travel or understand world history should read up! Why the Brits couldn’t give a HK colony democracy?
Double standards? Talk is sooo cheap! Always…
Anybody who has a brain should watch what’s going on between China and Taiwan. The sense of reconciliation and unity. Not Cold War mentality imposed by others. Just look at North and South Korea. I think they opposed US beef imports more than friendly relations with the dictator from the north…if you ask me.
The only reason the west does this is to sell more weapons. Stop thinking US went to Iraq to give democracy. We went to take their oil and have cheap oil…but sometimes plans don’t go as planned…but in this case there was no plan!
Some people like dalai lamai and say supporting human rights. This is very rediculous because when dalai governed the Tibets, more than 50% (even 90%) of the tibetans were slaves and those slave had no any humen rights at all like the black in american (before civil war). How can these people (if they have no political reasons) support Dalai and meanwhile support human rights!
Dalai definitely is not the representative of the Tibitans, and he is just the remaining old governers and representative of less than 5% of Tibetans.
As a chinese myself I think China is on it’s own. The US is very anti-china.
Laszlo are you a teacher? Or are you just.. very opionated?
Angela dear, if Lily or Kate or Vodianova had said something so senseless, it would be no first page news! But sure they would take the ad down.
I don’t think you like the Avon lady knocking on your door and telling you how ugly decorated is your house or that you are a bad parent…do you? Would you buy the $1 lip gloss and the 50 cents soap in her basket?
THINK PLEASE.
So Dior should pull her ads all over the world…just as I would think many jews should boycott Mel’s movies and refuse to finance him.
Wow, this is more and more like 4inchheels…
i’m sure you’ll be anti angela there aswell.
It was just my opinion, you don’t have to argue.
Avon ladies… I haven’t had one of knock on my door since my mum worked as one.
No Argument.
I want people, including Sharon, to have REAL common sense. If they cared about lives…anybody’s…they would not say something like that. Can you imagine the Pope saying: Well that’s punishment for your practicing and allowing communist to rule you but here buy more bibles while we’re at it?
At least for the readers here: just think about the issue. Would it be nice to be insulted? Never mind the Karma issue. Would you buy or want to see a picture of the person who offended you?
NO. ABSOLUTELY NO!
That’s all…
wow. just read through all 17 comments. by far this is the the most sensible bunch i’ve seen. and this is a fashion blog! see, you can be both fashionable and smart 😀
you know how the west has twisted the facts about tibet and china and i’m glad that you guys see dalai lama for what he really is – a politics-playing a$$hole who is trying to restore the dark autocratic feudal serfdom, all in the name of humanity. he disgusts me.
and Laszlo, i agree with you completely regarding the hong kong issue. i live in HK and i hear all these hypocrites on TV complaining basically on a daily basis about how democracy is dead in hong kong and crap like that. i mean, hello did we get to elect our own governor back in the british days? why didn’t those people speak out then? is that democracy or demagoguery?
oh and about sharon stone, wow, idiocy truly abounds. she should consider changing her name to moron stone. Dior should totally fire this brainless witch because there are lots of gorgeous women who are younger than 45 and do not develop verbal diarrhea that will put your business at risk.
Sharon Stone is quite good at pretending to be someone who she is not, at parroting back words that have been written for her by others, and at making the correct movements and gestures at the appropriate times. Where she falls down badly is when she opens her mouth and speaks her own words and thoughts. She cannot keep her foot our of her mouth. In these regards, she is very similar to Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama.
I did a posting on BBC. But funny it was never posted!
Democracy in the west is an illusion to make you comply. Coached participation. Particularly, these days.
For instance, if you protest without proper filing and approvals you go to jail.