Japanese McDonald's Makes Fun of White People

[darthzew]

If this were about a black person, all hell would be out. I think making racist jokes is fine as long as they aren't spiteful or tied with hate.

 

[Florion]

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.

So if a white person is made fun of it's nothing, but if any other person is made fun of it's rascist?

That ad makes white Americans look like geeks who spend 24/7 playing WoW and D&D and all those other stereotypical nerd games. I thought Japan was more "Geeky" than America, what with a Japanese man burning down a house just for some toys, and one killing his mother over a remote? And remember, these are men, not children. If they are going to make any ad, I'd feature a Japanese man on there, who is sterotypically nerdy, shown burning down his mother's house, and then killing her, over toys and a remote

No wait... I get it now. (stop me if you've heard this before, I wasn't prepared to read through 9 pages of comments just to see if I was being original xP)

The stereotype isn't really of white people, but of tourists. I'm sure the "funny European tourist who speaks in charming broken English" character has shown up somewhere in pop culture before and nobody said anything. Yes, we're supposed to think Mr. James is funny because he's so stupid, but I think he's supposed to be stupid because he's a tourist, not because he's white. He's white because sometimes tourists in Japan are white. No big deal.

And besides, just looking at the pictures on the blog (I can't read Japanese... xP), it looks like the desired reaction is not schadenfreude ("Haha, you're so stupid. ") but some sort of comical pity ("Awww, you're so cute and helpless! Of course I'll help you get McDonalds foods! <3"). So already, it's neither promoting a white stereotype nor a hateful one.

 

[SsLordMagus]

I think those kind of ads are fine as long that they do not promote violence or hatred against the person or the group this person represent.

Mr James is a funny looking guy, he just happened to be ''white''.

 

[Xaositect]

So what your trying to tell me is that there is no records of a Japanese person attacking a white person at all in Japan because of his race? my my some one has their head high in the clouds. I dont find this advert offensive but I do find it dangerous to promote this image to a country that already doesn't like foriegners which in turn doesn't help with the racial abuse "outsiders" get.

These kind of adverts do nothing but help promote the idea that "They're not one of us, they're also stupid and cant even speak our language properly" and there for promotes racism. Would you kindly look at the bigger picture? I mean gollies we are a society of intercoursing short sighted babies today aren't we?

And yes white folk are outsiders but theres a diffrence from thinking "He's not one of us" to going "He's not one of us, I wont hire/talk/treat him fairly".

Lets take another example. I'm from Britain a white country when I see a asian person or a black person walking down the street I dont see them as a foriegner until they tell me that they are, I see them as a fellow country man who lives in Britain, the Japanese dont see it this way beginning to understand?.

Edit: I'm well aware that most Japanese folk aren't probably violently racist but what I've seen from first had accounts to reports there is a higher number of violent attackers than in some other countries such as Britain etc percentage wise.

Someone has their head in the clouds? Is that a little stinging retort because you feel you fit neatly into my "whining bitches" category? Well, Im sorry about that. You seem to know an awful lot about Japan (not), apart from the fact that they are one of the most (if not the most) homogenous countries there is. It doesnt take shitty McDonalds adverts to promote xenophobia and racism in countries of predominantly one race, it does it by itself (with the occasional hand from history). I say let them continue to act how they want. Why is it people like you dont seem to grasp the simple concept that all this does is hurt them, and give them a bad rep? Stop bitching about the "racism", and let them sort it out, otherwise fuck em.

And please stop thinking that because we in Britain think we are "multicultural", its the standard way to go (because boy, what a wonderful job its done for us). Barely anyone else around the fucking world does it, so you shouldnt be surprised that plenty countries dont look at a foreigner and see an equal citizen.

Stop thinking everything should go your way, stop taking everything personally, and start treating this shit with the contempt it deserves. If I was a foreigner in Japan, all I would let this do is lower my opinion of Japanese people, unless they were smart enough to see this just makes them look like twats and try and stop it themselves, instead of leaving it up to oversensitive bitching foreigners like you.

 

[DC1]

I think they have a point. Me and my fellow crackers do seem to love Mickey D's.

 

[Hyderm]

Japanese are not truly racist its more of a xenophobic tendency. Look at Japanese history and you see that they had to survive against invasion by various nations over most of their history (excluding the World war II, THEY STARTED IT!). Wouldn't you say you would behave strangely to another race when your people had to fend off attack constantly? I stand by what I said before, but not trying to sound racist their culture had developed with a very "LEAVE US ALONE!!" view in mind. That by no means gives them an excuse to be racist but how hard was it for the U.S. to change its ways after the slaves were freed? About 100 years, so it may take awhile for Japan, all we have to do is be patient.
(to speed up the process I ordered an alien invasion to begin shorty, that should bring the world together... ALL HAIL THE GEMINI EMPIRE!!) This is not a Genre War change of subject, just saying that what brings people together more than almost being exterminated by a alien race.

 

[Ryuu Akamatsu]

Does anybody find Mr. James' expression hilariously adorable? =P

 

[deleted_scifidownbeat]

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[BoogieManFL]

I'm caucasian and I really don't care.

 

[Arbitrary Cidin]

But McDonalds is FROM America! That's like using this American restaurant's mascot for a Toshiba ad campaign.

 

[GrinningManiac]

This is ridiculous. You get the same thing over here (anyone in Britain remember the Jamacian from "Masication for the Nation"?)

However, Japan is an incredibly ignorant, closed-off and racially insensitive culture as it is, though I have to take their side on THIS one

 

[GhostKnifeFish]

Hey! My second name is James!

 

[Blood_Lined]

The commercial should not be labeled as racist by saying that the white foreigner is stupid, if the commercial did not say that he was one, whether or not he was portrayed as one. Leave Japan alone, I would have laughed at it if I saw that commercial myself; Because I, unlike many people whom spend all day surfing the television channels hoping for the opportunity to complain about South Park and Family Guy, I actually have a sense of humor.

 

[mini-moose]

I guess Japan is getting tired of the weeboos. I can't complain as I constantly mock the Japanese tourists because they can't speak English properly and stand around with cameras blocking the roads. "Me rickey pict-chaas!"

 

[SirCannonFodder]

The problem with trying to say something is racist against whites is that 'white' isn't really a race.

How can you stereotype the British, Americans, New Zealanders, Yugoslavians, Croatians, Belgians, and dozens of other nationalities with one stereotype? (and yes I know all those countries have other skin tones in too)

By that same stroke, how is "Black" a race? You've got thousands of different ethnic groups in Africa, dozens in the Caribbean, over a hundred in Australia (not including the several in the Torres Strait Islands), and hundreds spread across various South Pacific islands. Almost all of which have their own languages, customs, social norms, etc.

Or Hispanic for that matter? Or "Asian"?

 

[Dusty Donuts]

It doesn't really bother me, I mean, let the Japanese do what they feel like, until it REALLY becomes offensive. There probably is a clumsy bumbler like him existing somewhere in the world, and how many Americans actually know Japanese?

 

[FinalGamer]

I think after all the shit white people have said and done about other races, they're allowed to take a pop at us now and again.
I mean is anyone actually offended by this or are they just being offended for the sake of being offended?

 

[traceur_]

Oh great. Now white people are complaining about racism.

ITS ONLY RACIST IF YOU WANT IT TO BE.

Hear hear!

Seriously people just need to harden the fuck up. Stop being such whiny bitches and jumping up and down about something someone somewhere might find a bit controversial.

 

[RobotNinja]

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.

Good point. The world would be so much better if we could just laugh at ourselves and not take offense.

 

[BlueMage]

Equal treatment of foreigners in Japan (or any Asian country for that matter)? HAH!

Most racist bastards on this planet. Incredibly polite in doing so, but nonetheless.