WHOA. STOP ALL the things. China have made the rather drastic decision of banning all puns in broadcasts and advertising, saying they are ‘contradictory in spirit to the traditional Chinese culture’.
According to Newsweek, China’s State Administration for Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television made the decision on Thursday to publish the regulations which claim that the likes of puns and idioms are “contradictory in spirit to the promotion and continuance of excellent, traditional Chinese culture”.
They go on to say that–while popular in Chinese language–continued use of such wordplay in the media may confuse children and may result in “cultural and linguistic chaos”.
In an interview with The Guardian, David Moser, academic director for Chinese Studies at the University of Bejing, said there is some speculation it could be down to an attempt to eliminate disguised political references or it could even simply be the result of a few humourless citizens.
Imagine a world without pun coon?
Harrowing.
