Jackie Chan: Martial artist, comedian, movie star, and America hater? Say it ain’t so! It’s sad but true; the actor absolutely slammed America as “the most corrupt” country in the world in a recent Chinese TV interview.

"Where does this Great Breakdown [financial crisis] come from?” he asked the host. He then continued, “It started exactly from the world, the United States …” He also criticized any Chinese citizen that speak ill of China, especially to foreigners. He said, “If our own countrymen don’t support our country, who will support our country? We know our country has many problems. We [can] talk about it when the door is closed. To outsiders, [we should say] ‘our country is the best.’”

Chan has long been a critic of freedom and a proponent of government control. In 2009, he told an audience, “I don't know whether it is better to have freedom or to have no freedom. With too much freedom, it can get very chaotic … Chinese people need to be controlled, otherwise they will do whatever they want.”

It’s ironic that the actor has amassed a reported net worth of around $130 million due in large part to his successful film career in the United States. You know, that corrupt country where people freely choose to spend their own money to watch him karate-chop the heck out of bad guys onscreen.

What the heck is wrong with doing whatever we want anyway? Isn't that what’s great about America? So long as you don’t infringe upon anyone else’s rights, you can make your own decisions. You control your own life, from what kind of movies to watch to your chosen profession to who you marry and how many children to have. Freedom is awesome!

There is no perfect system, and there will probably always be corruption of some form or another in any given country. But to say that America is the most corrupt in existence is unfair, untrue, and uncalled for.

What do you think of Jackie Chan’s remarks? Is America really corrupt?


Image via Brittanylynae/Flickr