Japanese McDonald's Makes Fun of White People

[Keane Ng]

Japanese McDonald's Makes Fun of White People

McDonald's in Japan has launched a new ad campaign that centers around a caricature of a bumbling white foreigner who can't speak Japanese and, for whatever reason, happens to love McDonald's.

Baka gaijin! McDonald's in Japan is having a little fun with stereotypes of ignorant Caucasian foreigners with its newest ad campaign. The ads feature one Mr. James, a bespectacled white foreigner who dresses like your stereotypical IT nerd, with an ugly part, geeky shirt and tie and a consistently goofy smile. Mr. James speaks awful Japanese, and can only communicate in katakana, the system used in Japanese for transcribing foreign words. Mr. James is too stupid to know any kanji.

He loves McDonald's food, and is traveling all over Japan to meet people and blog about his experiences in comically broken Japanese. According to some people, Mr. James is also a racist stereotype of white foreigners. Thus a non-profit called the Foreign Residents and Naturalized Citizens Association (FRANCA), has written [http://www.debito.org/?p=4153] an open letter to the McDonald's homebase in the US to shut down the ad campaign.

Mr. James promotes ignorance, undoes progress made on behalf of foreigners for equal treatment in Japanese society and will be a burden on white people living in Japan, FRANCA says. It's an idea they argue should never have flown in the first place, asking "would McDonald's USA (or McDonald's in any other country, for that matter) choose to promote, for example, a new rice dish with a "ching-chong Chinaman" saying, "Me likee McFlied Lice!"? Of course not."

I have no personal experience of what it's like to be white in Japan, but I have to say that it seems like a big fuss over a stupid joke. And here I was under the impression that foreigners were treated like gods in Japan. Anime has led me wrong yet again.

[Via Consumerist [http://consumerist.com/5340185/japanese-mcdonalds-campaign-makes-fun-of-white-people-foreigners]]

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[scnj]

Just seems like a harmless joke to me. People take offense at anything these days.

 

[Sparrow]

And?

Nobody makes fun of white American people nowadays, I think they're well deserving of a good joke. The French, Russians and black people have been in the firing line for too long.

 

[SirSchmoopy]

I really hope there isn't anyone getting upset over this.

 

[Emphraim]

I have no personal experience of what it's like to be white in Japan, but I have to say that it seems like a big fuss over a stupid joke. And here I was under the impression that foreigners were treated like gods in Japan. Anime has led me wrong yet again.

You mean they aren't? All of my knowledge from anime is false? But seriously, from what I can tell of online forums with people who live in Japan, racism isn't that big of a deal, especially in the big cities.

 

[Florion]

For some reason, I can see how the uproar would make sense over the Ching-hong Chinaman, but I just think Mr. James is an adorable joke and I'm not sure why the discrepancy.

 

[Torque669]

Id admit it looks quite funny but I can see why people would be offended. I mean its just taking the piss out of White foreigners and Nerds. Which most of the time are funny little stereotypes which get a lot of good laughs but not promoting fast food.

 

[APPCRASH]

I think this calls for some...EMBARGO! Worked on Cuba.

 

[GodsOneMistake]

Lol, I like this, As I have recently come to believe racism nowadays should be looked upon as humor.... And that Ching Chong Chinaman is a great idea as well.... I've got to use that for something

 

[Captain Pancake]

Ironic that i have a friend called "Mr James".

 

[Quadtrix]

It's only a stereotype if it isn't necessarily true.

 

[MalevolentJim]

Oh boo-fucking-hoo.Us white people have donw far worse in the past.

 

[El Poncho]

I will show them, better get my Union Jack Shorts and practice speaking loud and slowly to foreigners, I will show them!

 

[squid5580]

It is about time someone stood up for caucasians. For far too long we have lived under the white man's heel of oppression.

 

[scotth266]

I can see why they'd be upset. Anyone remember how Taco Bell got sued for the Chihuahua, with some people claiming that it was a racist stereotype? If you don't, that's why it disappeared: some Mexicans thought that it was racist. This is just another version of that. If "Yo quiero Taco Bell" had to go in the US, I think it's entirely reasonable that they would make these demands.

Not that I find anything offensive with it, mind you: I just hate the concept of Acceptable Targets. If you can make fun of one group, and use stereotypes of one group, you should be allowed to do so to all groups.

 

[TheFacelessOne]

Oh, Japan...

At least OUR Ronald McDonald isn't psychotic...


Last time I checked, I believe he was in a strait jacket.

Anyways.

In my opinion, this generation is too soft.

I mean, It's not like they intended this commercial to be offensive, they just tried to make it funny.

No course of action was necessarily needed to be taken, at least not an action like what just happened.

Deal with it.

 

[jonny bhoy]

so its funny when theyre black, gay or fat or any nationalility for that matter but when theyre American its a nono.............. :/

 

[Baby Tea]

I can see how the uproar would make sense over the Ching-hong Chinaman, but I just think Mr. James is an adorable joke and I'm not sure why the discrepancy.

It's called a double standard.
Either it's free game for any group of people, or no-one can do it.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Well, I only have my own experience to go on, but I was treated three different ways when I was in Tokyo. If I was in a service location (hotel, restaurant), everyone was quite nice and tried their best to be helpful to me, despite my inability to speak Japanese. If I was on the street, I was soundly ignored -- just like everyone else. The one and only time I was ever laughed at for not knowing Japanese was at the Tokyo Game Show, but even then it wasn't a "you dumbass" kind of thing, but rather a "well, how the heck am I going to communicate with you?" rueful sort of chuckle.

All in all, a far better reception than I would get in, say, my home city of Philadelphia.