Reception The 2018 and 2019 performances included lyrics and digital displays disparaging atheism and belief in evolution as "deadly ideas" and "born of the Red Spectre", and is a common complaint of attendees of the performance. Reviewers characterized this content as "anti-evolution", "religious sermon", and "cult propaganda." Many viewers and reviewers complain about such elements as misrepresentation of the show's content in Shen Yun's advertising , in a way that "feels more like propaganda than straightforwardly presented cultural heritage." Alix Martichoux from the Houston Chronicle wrote, "For many disgruntled Shen Yun attendees, it's not necessarily that the show itself is bad – though to be fair, some complain it is. Most of the negative reviews were people upset they were blindsided by the political content." Walter Whittemore wrote in The Ledger:
Reception The 2018 and 2019 performances included lyrics and digital displays disparaging atheism and belief in evolution as "deadly ideas" and "born of the Red Spectre", and is a common complaint of attendees of the performance. Reviewers characterized this content as "anti-evolution", "religious sermon", and "cult propaganda." Many viewers and reviewers complain that such elements are misrepresented by the advertising of a show that in the end "feels more like propaganda than straightforwardly presented cultural heritage." Alix Martichoux from the Houston Chronicle wrote, "For many disgruntled Shen Yun attendees, it's not necessarily that the show itself is bad – though to be fair, some complain it is. Most of the negative reviews were people upset they were blindsided by the political content." Walter Whittemore wrote in The Ledger:
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about such elements as misrepresentation of the show's content in Shen Yun's advertising , in a way that
that such elements are misrepresented by the advertising of a show that in the end