Don't Piss Off the Hoi Poloi

Given my fascination with class, I couldn't help but be, uhh, fascinated with this article, in which the mayor of Beijing blasts "outdoor advertisements that promote luxury and indulgence, for fear they would escalate hostility between the rich and the poor."

Here's another snippet from the article:

"Many use exaggerated terms that encourage luxury and self-indulgence which are beyond the reach of low-income groups and are therefore not conducive to harmony in the capital," [said Mayor Wang Qishan].

Apartments and villas that often cost millions yuan (hundreds of thousands of dollars) constantly remind people of the yawning income gap between the rich and the poor, Xinhua said."

Aint that some shit? I can't figure out if the mayor actually cares about the feelings of the poor is trying to stave off a revolution.

Anyway, thank god for the freedom afforded American businesses when it comes to choosing how much and where they can advertise. And how cool is that if the poor actually respond to those advertisements, we have the choice of either blaming them for being senseless idiots or dump it in the laps of rap artists!