Sony Pictures on Wednesday canceled The Interview, a comedy about the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after the studio recently suffered a cyber attack believed to have originated from North Korea.

US theaters also postponed the screening of the comedy after the hackers threatened 9/11-style attacks on filmgoers.

Sony Picture's compromise has drawn criticism in the US, with many saying withdrawing the movie is against freedom of speech.

Any civilized world will oppose hacker attacks or terror threats. But a movie like The Interview, which makes fun of the leader of an enemy of the US, is nothing to be proud of for Hollywood and US society.

Americans always believe they can jab at other countries' leaders just because they are free to criticize or make fun of their own state leaders. Actually the countries targeted in Hollywood movies are very selective, such as the Cold War era's Soviet Union, North Korea and Iran.

China used to be also portrayed in a negative light occasionally. Now that the Chinese market has become a gold mine for US movies, Hollywood has begun to show an increasingly friendly face, just in order to attract more Chinese viewers.

Some in Hollywood argue that countries made fun of in their movies should have a sense of humor and not to react too strongly against the mockery.

But what if the targets of assassin in the movies were the kings of Saudi Arabia or Thailand, or the state leaders of Indonesia or Singapore?

The protests would be exceptionally strong, and the entertainment companies in the US might also end up in big troubles.

No matter how the US society looks at North Korea and Kim Jong-un, Kim is still the leader of the country. The vicious mocking of Kim is only a result of senseless cultural arrogance.

The US society stands on the upper stream of global competition of culture. It needs to show some good manners instead of being too aggressive. The American elites should not just speak like gentlemen, but behave like them.

The biggest motive for Sony Pictures may be the box office, by putting out a sensational story. However, if the movie really was shown on a large scale, it would further upset the already troubled US-North Korea ties.

Some people in the US have complained that China has been suppressing Hollywood's freedom of creativity through economic power. Actually China should further stick to principles when dealing with Hollywood.

Apparently, it is easier to show them the economic consequences than trying to reason with them.