Shen Yun warning

[Anonymous]

OP here. Happy to see that the thread got some attention while I took a break from the forum. This is great! More people learn that Shen Yun is a show spreading fundamentalist religious propaganda and the cult behind it supports the former president Trump. I am curious how much audience they would keep if these facts were better known in the big cities where they perform. I cannot respond to all the posts (quite busy at the moment), but I will address a few in the near future.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The Shen Yun website specifically references spirituality, specific Eastern religions, and the oppression of Falun Dafa due to their beliefs. Why would you assume this production should be completely secular? It's not the role of the Kennedy Center to censor or provide warnings about religious content, or any content with which you may not agree.

How many times do you “research” a production company before booking something at the Kennedy Center. Most reasonable adults assume that TKC doesn’t promote cults.

NP: I do. If I’m going to see a play, or dance performance, I look up reviews. If I’m going to hear music, I look up reviews and see if there are videos up on YouTube. Something would have to spark my interest before I’d order the tickets, so it would be on me if I decided to order tickets for a performance based on zero information.

The OP apparently tried Google, so I can only encourage them to realize that if I had the kinds of concerns that the OP does, even a cursory glance at the most easily found information would have nudged me to dig a little deeper to determine what all of the readily available to the point of being in-your-face references to things like “divine beings dancing” might mean. The OP “doesn’t want to let it go.” I’m not really sure what that means. Do they want to warn others —who, like them, are easily stunned and fail to do adequate research? Get a refund for the tickets they bought without knowing what they were buying? Blame the Kennedy Center for not screening their wide range of varied offerings according to the OP’s personal and idiosyncratic preferences? Something else?

The KC descriptions/videos are sufficient for every show I’ve seen.

Why can’t TKC provide an accurate description? What’s the issue with wanting that?

I told you what I would do. If, according to you, the KC descriptions are “sufficient for every show you’ve seen” — then I’d guess that the descriptions of this show are sufficient for the vast majority of people who go to see the show. It’s on you, if you have a particular idiosyncratic concern, to do whatever research you feel you need to do. It’s not up to the KC to magically provide what you personally would consider an “accurate description “— because of your personal concerns. The “issue with wanting that” is that you seem to expect something magically tailored to your particular needs.
tldr: They did their bit.

Clearly the description isn’t sufficient which is why this we have this thread. This show is an anomaly.

I’m thinking that the OP —or at least their expectation— is the anomaly. The show has been to the area before, possibly even at the Kennedy Center. If multiple people felt the description was inadequate and brought this to the attention of KC staff, my guess is that it would have been addressed by now, and the materials would have been changed to reflect that.

This qualifies as Appeal to tradition. Not really a strong argument.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Happy to see that the thread got some attention while I took a break from the forum. This is great! More people learn that Shen Yun is a show spreading fundamentalist religious propaganda and the cult behind it supports the former president Trump. I am curious how much audience they would keep if these facts were better known in the big cities where they perform. I cannot respond to all the posts (quite busy at the moment), but I will address a few in the near future.

We wait with bated breath. /s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Shen Yun website specifically references spirituality, specific Eastern religions, and the oppression of Falun Dafa due to their beliefs. Why would you assume this production should be completely secular? It's not the role of the Kennedy Center to censor or provide warnings about religious content, or any content with which you may not agree.

How many times do you “research” a production company before booking something at the Kennedy Center. Most reasonable adults assume that TKC doesn’t promote cults.

NP: I do. If I’m going to see a play, or dance performance, I look up reviews. If I’m going to hear music, I look up reviews and see if there are videos up on YouTube. Something would have to spark my interest before I’d order the tickets, so it would be on me if I decided to order tickets for a performance based on zero information.

The OP apparently tried Google, so I can only encourage them to realize that if I had the kinds of concerns that the OP does, even a cursory glance at the most easily found information would have nudged me to dig a little deeper to determine what all of the readily available to the point of being in-your-face references to things like “divine beings dancing” might mean. The OP “doesn’t want to let it go.” I’m not really sure what that means. Do they want to warn others —who, like them, are easily stunned and fail to do adequate research? Get a refund for the tickets they bought without knowing what they were buying? Blame the Kennedy Center for not screening their wide range of varied offerings according to the OP’s personal and idiosyncratic preferences? Something else?

The KC descriptions/videos are sufficient for every show I’ve seen.

Why can’t TKC provide an accurate description? What’s the issue with wanting that?

I told you what I would do. If, according to you, the KC descriptions are “sufficient for every show you’ve seen” — then I’d guess that the descriptions of this show are sufficient for the vast majority of people who go to see the show. It’s on you, if you have a particular idiosyncratic concern, to do whatever research you feel you need to do. It’s not up to the KC to magically provide what you personally would consider an “accurate description “— because of your personal concerns. The “issue with wanting that” is that you seem to expect something magically tailored to your particular needs.
tldr: They did their bit.

Clearly the description isn’t sufficient which is why this we have this thread. This show is an anomaly.

I’m thinking that the OP —or at least their expectation— is the anomaly. The show has been to the area before, possibly even at the Kennedy Center. If multiple people felt the description was inadequate and brought this to the attention of KC staff, my guess is that it would have been addressed by now, and the materials would have been changed to reflect that.

Or it was a business decision to not change it because if they did they wouldn’t fill as many seats.

Do you have any evidence at all that other people are either as displeased as the OP, or as likely to forego even the most basic research for tickets they are purchasing? It really isn’t a good “business decision “ to bring in a performance THAT HAS BEEN IN THE AREA MANY TIMES BEFORE if people not only dislike it but feel somehow deceived, so kind of an unlikely strategy for a venue as experienced as the Kennedy Center. It’s far more likely that the OP is the anomaly.

Most people wouldn’t want to see religious propaganda pushed by Trumphumpers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Shen Yun website specifically references spirituality, specific Eastern religions, and the oppression of Falun Dafa due to their beliefs. Why would you assume this production should be completely secular? It's not the role of the Kennedy Center to censor or provide warnings about religious content, or any content with which you may not agree.

I expected some sort of spirituality (I was actually willing to learn about it). But I did not expect outright stupidity ("atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit"). Why would I want to pay these people money to spread their hateful / ignorant message?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Shen Yun website specifically references spirituality, specific Eastern religions, and the oppression of Falun Dafa due to their beliefs. Why would you assume this production should be completely secular? It's not the role of the Kennedy Center to censor or provide warnings about religious content, or any content with which you may not agree.

How many times do you “research” a production company before booking something at the Kennedy Center. Most reasonable adults assume that TKC doesn’t promote cults.

Because the consensus is that it is not a cult. That's your opinion and not widely held.

How do you call a religious movement whose leader can heal you without using modern medicine? Here is a caveat: the leader can heal you only if you strongly believe in his power to heal you. Then you die because you refuse legit medical treatment. How did you reach the conclusion that the opinion is not widely held?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Shen Yun website specifically references spirituality, specific Eastern religions, and the oppression of Falun Dafa due to their beliefs. Why would you assume this production should be completely secular? It's not the role of the Kennedy Center to censor or provide warnings about religious content, or any content with which you may not agree.

How many times do you “research” a production company before booking something at the Kennedy Center. Most reasonable adults assume that TKC doesn’t promote cults.

Because the consensus is that it is not a cult. That's your opinion and not widely held.

So you do or you don’t research performances beyond the Kennedy Center descriptions? I’ve gone to many, many shows there over decades and have never googled the production companies.

Why can’t TKC provide an accurate description on their website and promotional materials?

That’s your own failure to plan.

Here you go blaming the victim. Trusting TKC to provide an accurate description of the shows they advertise is not a failure to plan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Shen Yun website specifically references spirituality, specific Eastern religions, and the oppression of Falun Dafa due to their beliefs. Why would you assume this production should be completely secular? It's not the role of the Kennedy Center to censor or provide warnings about religious content, or any content with which you may not agree.

How many times do you “research” a production company before booking something at the Kennedy Center. Most reasonable adults assume that TKC doesn’t promote cults.

Because the consensus is that it is not a cult. That's your opinion and not widely held.

So you do or you don’t research performances beyond the Kennedy Center descriptions? I’ve gone to many, many shows there over decades and have never googled the production companies.

Why can’t TKC provide an accurate description on their website and promotional materials?

That’s your own failure to plan.

So you do or you don’t research performances beyond the Kennedy Center descriptions?

I do. Don’t you read reviews from multiple sources? Casts change all the time in productions and some are better than others.

That's an interesting question. Shen Yun only has promotional material on their website (not actual reviews). TKC doesn't have Shen Yun reviews either. In terms of cast: do you think I should have waited for a show with a different tenor (Zheng Ning) rather than go to the show with Gu Yun? How can you tell which one is better? Do they have a tenor that doesn't squeak fundamentalist religious propaganda?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen the adds for years and I finally googled the name. Everything I read was positive and I decided to give it a shot. What can go wrong in a show presented in a prestigious cultural venue like Kennedy Center? Big mistake. Relatively early in the show you learn that "Between atheism and evolution, Satan lurks." Close to the end, they make sure to send the message again: "Atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit." As atheist and scientist, I was shocked that I ended up supporting a fundamentalist religious group, while the show is advertised as a Chinese cultural experience. I am not sure what options I have at this point, but I don't want to just let it go.

Seems like you are horrified that you were exposed to a different point of view, a different perspective, or a different set of beliefs. This raises the question as to how secure you are in your own beliefs. I could understand your stance if you later discovered that this was a fundraiser for invading forces in Eastern Europe, but exposure to a different set of beliefs is educational, not an endorsement.

Not really horrified, just pissed because I gave them money so they can keep spreading their fundamentalist religious propaganda. You should not be concerned about how comfortable I am with my own beliefs. However, your post raises the question of what you consider education. I wonder what you find educational about the information according to which "atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit". This is the definition of religious propaganda with no educational value whatsoever. This is a fundraiser for a fundamentalist religious cult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen the adds for years and I finally googled the name. Everything I read was positive and I decided to give it a shot. What can go wrong in a show presented in a prestigious cultural venue like Kennedy Center? Big mistake. Relatively early in the show you learn that "Between atheism and evolution, Satan lurks." Close to the end, they make sure to send the message again: "Atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit." As atheist and scientist, I was shocked that I ended up supporting a fundamentalist religious group, while the show is advertised as a Chinese cultural experience. I am not sure what options I have at this point, but I don't want to just let it go.

Seems like you are horrified that you were exposed to a different point of view, a different perspective, or a different set of beliefs. This raises the question as to how secure you are in your own beliefs. I could understand your stance if you later discovered that this was a fundraiser for invading forces in Eastern Europe, but exposure to a different set of beliefs is educational, not an endorsement.

Not really horrified, just pissed because I gave them money so they can keep spreading their fundamentalist religious propaganda. You should not be concerned about how comfortable I am with my own beliefs. However, your post raises the question of what you consider education. I wonder what you find educational about the information according to which "atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit". This is the definition of religious propaganda with no educational value whatsoever. This is a fundraiser for a fundamentalist religious cult.

I’m glad you did. You’re repetitiveness here for weeks is obnoxious. It’s wonderful they got so under your skin your incapable of letting it go. That it cost you money is just the icing on the cake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen the adds for years and I finally googled the name. Everything I read was positive and I decided to give it a shot. What can go wrong in a show presented in a prestigious cultural venue like Kennedy Center? Big mistake. Relatively early in the show you learn that "Between atheism and evolution, Satan lurks." Close to the end, they make sure to send the message again: "Atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit." As atheist and scientist, I was shocked that I ended up supporting a fundamentalist religious group, while the show is advertised as a Chinese cultural experience. I am not sure what options I have at this point, but I don't want to just let it go.

Seems like you are horrified that you were exposed to a different point of view, a different perspective, or a different set of beliefs. This raises the question as to how secure you are in your own beliefs. I could understand your stance if you later discovered that this was a fundraiser for invading forces in Eastern Europe, but exposure to a different set of beliefs is educational, not an endorsement.

Not really horrified, just pissed because I gave them money so they can keep spreading their fundamentalist religious propaganda. You should not be concerned about how comfortable I am with my own beliefs. However, your post raises the question of what you consider education. I wonder what you find educational about the information according to which "atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit". This is the definition of religious propaganda with no educational value whatsoever. This is a fundraiser for a fundamentalist religious cult.

I’m glad you did. You’re repetitiveness here for weeks is obnoxious. It’s wonderful they got so under your skin your incapable of letting it go. That it cost you money is just the icing on the cake.

I have to be repetitive because new posters keep making the same (obnoxious) arguments. It looks like you got the main idea of this thread (and you don't enjoy it anymore), so feel free to move on to a different thread and never look back. It's a free country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen the adds for years and I finally googled the name. Everything I read was positive and I decided to give it a shot. What can go wrong in a show presented in a prestigious cultural venue like Kennedy Center? Big mistake. Relatively early in the show you learn that "Between atheism and evolution, Satan lurks." Close to the end, they make sure to send the message again: "Atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit." As atheist and scientist, I was shocked that I ended up supporting a fundamentalist religious group, while the show is advertised as a Chinese cultural experience. I am not sure what options I have at this point, but I don't want to just let it go.

Seems like you are horrified that you were exposed to a different point of view, a different perspective, or a different set of beliefs. This raises the question as to how secure you are in your own beliefs. I could understand your stance if you later discovered that this was a fundraiser for invading forces in Eastern Europe, but exposure to a different set of beliefs is educational, not an endorsement.

Not really horrified, just pissed because I gave them money so they can keep spreading their fundamentalist religious propaganda. You should not be concerned about how comfortable I am with my own beliefs. However, your post raises the question of what you consider education. I wonder what you find educational about the information according to which "atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit". This is the definition of religious propaganda with no educational value whatsoever. This is a fundraiser for a fundamentalist religious cult.

The lesson was: don’t trust religious nutters with your money

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen the adds for years and I finally googled the name. Everything I read was positive and I decided to give it a shot. What can go wrong in a show presented in a prestigious cultural venue like Kennedy Center? Big mistake. Relatively early in the show you learn that "Between atheism and evolution, Satan lurks." Close to the end, they make sure to send the message again: "Atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit." As atheist and scientist, I was shocked that I ended up supporting a fundamentalist religious group, while the show is advertised as a Chinese cultural experience. I am not sure what options I have at this point, but I don't want to just let it go.

Seems like you are horrified that you were exposed to a different point of view, a different perspective, or a different set of beliefs. This raises the question as to how secure you are in your own beliefs. I could understand your stance if you later discovered that this was a fundraiser for invading forces in Eastern Europe, but exposure to a different set of beliefs is educational, not an endorsement.

Not really horrified, just pissed because I gave them money so they can keep spreading their fundamentalist religious propaganda. You should not be concerned about how comfortable I am with my own beliefs. However, your post raises the question of what you consider education. I wonder what you find educational about the information according to which "atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit". This is the definition of religious propaganda with no educational value whatsoever. This is a fundraiser for a fundamentalist religious cult.

The lesson was: don’t trust religious nutters with your money

I wish I knew they were religious nutters before I gave them my money.

[Anonymous]

Lots of bigots here...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen the adds for years and I finally googled the name. Everything I read was positive and I decided to give it a shot. What can go wrong in a show presented in a prestigious cultural venue like Kennedy Center? Big mistake. Relatively early in the show you learn that "Between atheism and evolution, Satan lurks." Close to the end, they make sure to send the message again: "Atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit." As atheist and scientist, I was shocked that I ended up supporting a fundamentalist religious group, while the show is advertised as a Chinese cultural experience. I am not sure what options I have at this point, but I don't want to just let it go.

Seems like you are horrified that you were exposed to a different point of view, a different perspective, or a different set of beliefs. This raises the question as to how secure you are in your own beliefs. I could understand your stance if you later discovered that this was a fundraiser for invading forces in Eastern Europe, but exposure to a different set of beliefs is educational, not an endorsement.

Not really horrified, just pissed because I gave them money so they can keep spreading their fundamentalist religious propaganda. You should not be concerned about how comfortable I am with my own beliefs. However, your post raises the question of what you consider education. I wonder what you find educational about the information according to which "atheism and evolution are the Devil's deceit". This is the definition of religious propaganda with no educational value whatsoever. This is a fundraiser for a fundamentalist religious cult.

I’m glad you did. You’re repetitiveness here for weeks is obnoxious. It’s wonderful they got so under your skin your incapable of letting it go. That it cost you money is just the icing on the cake.

I have to be repetitive because new posters keep making the same (obnoxious) arguments. It looks like you got the main idea of this thread (and you don't enjoy it anymore), so feel free to move on to a different thread and never look back. It's a free country.

Nope. You could move on with your life. You want to keep bumping this thread over and over to whine, then others can comment and point that out that all you’re doing to whining. Free country and all.