Her name is Fan Bingbing. She is one of the biggest stars of Chinese entertainment, an actress and singer. A state investigation found evidence of tax evasion against her (of the kind that is commonplace for such personas in the West): dual contracts. One contract with the company showing the actual earnings, and another contract filed with the tax authorities, with significantly lower figures.
So far, nothing unusual. However, the Chinese state has a high-rating television program where the audience scores the stars of the entertainment industry on their social responsibility, based on three criteria: their professional quality, their charitable work, and their personal integrity.
In these “exams” Bingbing scored zero. A perfect round 0. This is unusual by Western standards, where not only are transgressions allowed for “stars,” but they also function as a “model” (or excuse).
However, Chinese capitalism is not ethical – although it tries to appear so. The public star-rating of their “social responsibility” is an excellent way to accustom the population to the idea that everyone must be monitored for it.
And then comes the universal digital panopticon: every citizen is (going to be) rated not only by the “authorities” but also by the rest of their fellow citizens; an evolution of the familiar “likes”… As if to say: “society will judge your social responsibility” (after all, that’s how it works for every Fan Bingbing, right?). Those who achieve high scores will be rewarded by the state. Those who fail? Hmmm…
How does it look to you? Simple and elegant – nightmarishly elegant…