Supposedly racist Japanese commercial
By Dyske July 4th, 2008
A Japanese cell phone company apparently created a TV commercial where their mascot monkey imitated Obama, and this is drawing a barrage of criticism from the blogsphere. This Guardian article has an interesting story behind it.
It’s difficult to say what constitutes racism when the offender was unaware of the stereotype that exists in a culture that is foreign to him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si-lSLv9b4E
guy manly says:
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:23 amabout 25 seconds in the obama monkey cell phone pusher whatever ….clearly says cock ..that was about all i could understand out of all that (korean?) jibberish
Rod says:
July 26th, 2008 at 5:08 am(hhhmm) Oh wow no comment on this video crap!. lol But wait oh hell naW… why did he have to be a damn monkey what a messed up ass commercial. (it was kind of funny lookin)
I’m not gonna be screaming “racist” because that’s so played out by now but y’all have to atleast agree maybe it could be considered prejudice to Black people. Who really knows I really wish I understood the Japanese language in the commercial. But yeah I got the point come on the change signs clearly gave away that the monkey was playing Obama.Ha HA Whoever did this commercial really thinks that Obama, looks like a monkey??.(hhmm) Well he does have them big ears but he is way better looking than some monkey I am sorry but just stating the facts!. HaH Seriously on my first watch that did sort of shock me some.(Black male) What a rude ass commercial in my opinion. Maybe the Japanese, should do one on Bush, instead now he’s the REAL freakin’ “monkey” not Obama. Ha ha well let me take that back maybe they really didn’t know that it could have been considered offensive like the entry says. But yeah they should know that monkey, can be known as a racial slur, or insult towards my people. I guess maybe they are just ignorant when it comes to these facts. Interesting post anyways it has me wondering if it was just some ignorant ass commecial mistake or a str8 up disrespectful one….Yo OBAMA 08!. 😛
wikithis says:
July 27th, 2008 at 1:55 amguy manly, if you look at the line above your post, “Supposedly racist Japanese commercial” you would know it was Japanese “gibberish” not Korean. Two very different cultures but whatever all asians are the same right? And Rod, if you youtube the CNN version, they say the monkey was a mascot for the phone company, appearing in other ads. A possible unlucky coincidence. The Japanese are historically racist though. They believed they were the Aryian race of Asia, superior to Chinese or Koreans even though their ancient culture and arts were heavily borrowed from these countries.
James says:
July 29th, 2008 at 11:06 pmHey it’s either a global world or it isn’t. If the creator of this commercial are savy enough to be picking up on the buzz of Obama, which is certainly world wide, great, on the one hand. However if they are also ignorant that RACE is an issue in the world what’s up with that. Come on Monkeys and Black Presidential candidates don’t get combined in the same bit unless you want to draw some heat it’s very simple.
Somebody has to step up and call this for what it is, an attention grabber that juxtaposes a monkey and a Black Man. It’s hot button issues that grabs our minds because racism is pervasive in all cultures and when we see it like this it gets our attention. If your Black and I am the you don’t get a chuckle or a whimsical feeling from this commercial you get a sick feeling.
So I would not say that the commercial it self is racist but I would say that it’s intent and success depend on the well established racist views of people to react to images and ideas in a certain way. You can’t juxtapose the imagery of the Presidential candidate Obama (a Black man) and a monkey and plead innocent.
Do you think these guys would make a commercial with a monkey in a Green Jacket on a golf course making a cell call and not expect to get a call from Tiger Woods?
The good news is Obama is going to be President of the United States and that is what really matters.
Vo says:
August 14th, 2008 at 4:18 am“The good news is Obama is going to be President of the United States and that is what really matters.”
Really?
catnarok says:
August 19th, 2008 at 7:41 pminteresting that when you compare George Bush to a monkey, nobody bats an eyelash, but when a japanese company, unfortunately unaware of american racist rhetoric, with a monkey mascot makes a commercial like this, everyone flips out.
it’s context, you idiots. are you the same people who think that the old question about how many angels could fit on a pin head is really a matter of 5 angels versus 20?
tina says:
September 4th, 2008 at 10:35 amokay… The word ‘racist’ gets thrown around way too easily. Prejudice would be more sufficient, but even that’s stretching it. This commercial is being looked into just a little more than it should be.
One more thing… we are all prejudice in one way or other. It’s the racist fuckers you have to watch out for.
alice says:
September 7th, 2008 at 3:19 pmoh wow, for ages i was reading it as ‘osama’ and thinking what the hell does this have to do with bin laden? i’m an idiot. but anyway, i think the whole ‘black people look like monkeys’ thing is so overplayed – they don’t & we need to move on from those days. monkey’s make funny adverts. and they’re well-trained.
alice says:
September 7th, 2008 at 3:26 pm“You can’t juxtapose the imagery of the Presidential candidate Obama (a Black man) and a monkey and plead innocent. ”
yes but you should be able to without being called racist.
if it was mccain being represented nobody would care, but just because obama’s black it must be racist.
guest says:
September 27th, 2008 at 7:35 pmobama is a monkey as we knew.
mulet the great says:
October 6th, 2008 at 4:10 amThats a HTC tytn II the monkey has!
I have that phone! its an awesome phone.
Clever monkey!
Henrietta says:
October 13th, 2008 at 2:35 amThat is like soo funny!
Richard says:
October 19th, 2008 at 3:14 amWhat kind of idiot would think this is ‘racist’? I think the most racist thing is that people are associating blacks with monkeys, as this is an association that must be made in order to facilitate the notion that this is indeed racist in the first place…
Really? says:
November 6th, 2008 at 9:24 pmWho cares?! No one. It’s a commercial!
Yen says:
November 15th, 2008 at 9:28 amHm, I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned this yet, but the “change” that’s probably what gets people to associate this with Obama, is more likely referring to a very popular 2008 Japanese TV drama titled “Change”… http://www.nt2099.com/DORAMA/c_change2008.html
anon says:
November 27th, 2008 at 12:13 pmThat’s odd, Old GWB was compared to a monkey a lot wasn’t he? And nobody said anything. Double standards much?
Ben says:
December 1st, 2008 at 7:08 pmOh my gosh! How racist! Haven’t the Japanese learned political correctness like Western nations?!
Reverse Twinkie says:
December 5th, 2008 at 11:47 pmHaha, I didn’t get it at first and my dad is old school rascist! whoosh! I bet he’d be ashamed lol. So, from my perspective it seems like the people that instantly saw and labeled that are the rascists, after all they’re the ones who ‘recognized’ it. It’s like this joke that gets thrown around to see if you’re a rascist: What do you call a black person who can fly a plane? How you answer tells whether you really thought about it or are instantly rascist. [The answer obviously is ‘A pilot.’]
Reverse Twinkie says:
December 5th, 2008 at 11:55 pmAhaHAha! I just noticed something that went totally unnoticed… It’s Emobile… EMObile… As in emo, and he’s crying. And then people get all upset and angsty about it… Yeah it sounds weaker as I type but I thought it was hilarious.
copykatya says:
December 6th, 2008 at 2:10 pmChalk this one up to a bunch of Westerners taking shit out-of-context, as usual. Obama is a big deal in Japan because of his oratorical style, and he’s a fresh, current thing-of-the-day, too. As has been mentioned, the monkey is a mascot of the company. If this same thing had been done by Softbank with their mascot white dog, no one would blink. God forbid Westerners put something from East Asia into context before they comment upon it.
KarlMarl says:
December 13th, 2008 at 11:26 pmWait… where is the monkey ‘imitating’ Obama? Was it the tear at the end? I don’t remember Obama shedding a tear during the campaign. I googled it, but all I found was for his grandmother’s death and that was well after the first posting here. Was it because of the ‘change’ signs? If the cell phone company’s mascot has been used in several other commercials with different themes, I only see the company as trying to appeal to users of other cell phone brands and taking one American presidential candidate’s slogan to represent that. McCain kept trying to distance himself from Bush’s politics and if his slogan had been ‘A New Path’ or anything along those lines, the ad company would just as likely have worked with that. No images of Obama were used. They could just as well as had the monkey furiously working at his computer and used ‘Think different.’ …They’d get sued, of course. America’s wave of political correctness is certainly honorable in its intentions, but it’s made us all too hyper-sensitive. I’m fer Obama and I’m fer the cell phone monkey. Viva ’em both!
Yellow_Love says:
December 23rd, 2008 at 2:26 amI don’t see what all the excitement is all about. It’s simply a parody, not once did I see the name “Obama” directly mentioned. I think that YOU are racist for thinking this is an Obama parody. haha!
Seriously, would you want a black president to lead your country? Just try to be honest answering that question please. A negro in charge of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea or Vietnam? Please people.
Most Chinese call negros “monkeys”. Most Britons call negros “darkies”. Most Japanese call negros “blacks”. Most Americans call negros “niggers”. Most American blacks call each other “nigga”.
Everyone is racist to some degree. If you can’t admit this truth, you aren’t being honest with yourself. Asians discriminate and look down on other Asians. Blacks discriminate and look down on other blacks. And surprise! Whites discriminate and look down on other whites. Is this because blacks have the simplest DNA sequence? Is this because some Asians (Japanese) claim to have a different type of stomach than other Asians? It’s all because we’re ALL racist and ignorant to some degree.
Oh, what’s that you say? You claim NOT to be racist, huh? Ok, please marry a negro, move into all black area, and send your kids to school at an all black school system. Didn’t think so. I forget which black comedian said this, but he said something similar to, “even for a million dollars, you wouldn’t trade places with me and become black, would you?”
If anything, America is on the brink of a racial war, a war without winners, but only losers. Timing is important in life, and often dictates history. With as weak as America is currently, with the war in Iraq, the failed auto industry, failed financial industry, record jobless claims (highest since 1974), and in a depression, forget recession, this is a depression, I don’t think America is ready for an open dialogue on race currently.
Remember folks, tolerance, harmony, and open minds yield peace.
Happy holidays!
chewie says:
December 24th, 2008 at 10:47 pmCouldn’t agree more 🙂
Many are in denial and will not admit it. Thanks for getting the message out.
April says:
December 28th, 2008 at 12:56 amNot Racist at all …
rahs says:
December 30th, 2008 at 6:23 amI didn’t see anything racist in the commercial. If anything, it could be argued –by a die-hard instigator– that they’re reducing American presidential candidates to primates. What does a monkey have to do with cell phones anyway??
@Yellow_Love: I agree with *most* everything you said.
“I don’t see what all the excitement is all about. It’s simply a parody, not once did I see the name “Obama” directly mentioned. I think that YOU are racist for thinking this is an Obama parody. haha!”
Or just too PC.
“Seriously, would you want a black president to lead your country? Just try to be honest answering that question please. A negro in charge of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea or Vietnam? Please people.”
A Black person is currently running my country and I have no problem with it. LOL. People’s honest & candid answer would most likely be no. I think it has more to do with what people *think* would happen if a Black person were their president rather than what *would* happen. It’s no juvenile, after school saying that “Life is made of choices”. More important than deciding what clothes to wear, people decide (consciously and subconsciously) what influences their opinion(s) of other groups. These influences are what validates a person’s decision to cross the street when a young Black man approaches for fear of theft, but overlook the race of the former banks executives that have stolen their life savings or the race of the industry leaders begging Congress to raise your taxes so they can afford their million dollar bonuses and lavish vacations.
I reiterate, for most people, the honest & candid answer to your question has more to do with what people *think* would happen if a Black person were their president. Images of Blacks fed to people by movies, TV, music, news programs, the internet would not paint a positive image of Blacks. What we “know” about this group via word of mouth, our own experiences, and our imagination plays a role in reinforcing this initial image. Depending on the person, negative experiences/ideas would reinforce this image while positive experiences/ideas would have little influence. (What doesn’t help is that some Blacks buy into such negative and pervasive images of ‘themselves’ that they know to be untrue of who they really are and what they’re really capable of achieving.) The image of Blacks that has been created is what the answerer will draw upon prior to deciding no.
Logic + Common Sense + Life Experiences + Critical Thinking = The ability to change bias ideas that we have for/against other races/ethnicities. Unfortunately, many so-called smart people are too dumb to understand/utilize this.
“Most Chinese call negros “monkeys”. Most Britons call negros “darkies”. Most Japanese call negros “blacks”. Most Americans call negros “niggers”. Most American blacks call each other “nigga”.”
Not necessarily most, but a significant portion of each group mentioned.
“Everyone is racist to some degree.”
I wouldn’t agree that everyone is racist; I’d say biased. The degree to which people choose to take that bias, however, determines whether they are prejudiced, discriminatory, or racist/bigoted.
“Oh, what’s that you say? You claim NOT to be racist, huh? Ok, please marry a negro, move into all black area, and send your kids to school at an all black school system. Didn’t think so. I forget which black comedian said this, but he said something similar to, “even for a million dollars, you wouldn’t trade places with me and become black, would you?””
I think it was Chris Rock that said that, not sure. Whoever it was, he wasn’t lying. I college and university professors who have taught courses in sociology, diversity, etc. In assignments involving choosing a minority race/ethnicity you are interested in/admire/would choose to be, *no one* who isn’t already Black chooses Black as their response. For the most part, I don’t think it has anything to do with Blacks being ‘step down’, I think they wouldn’t show an affinity towards or choose to be Black because they know how harshly Blacks are treated and viewed.
“If anything, America is on the brink of a racial war, a war without winners, but only losers. Timing is important in life, and often dictates history. With as weak as America is currently, with the war in Iraq, the failed auto industry, failed financial industry, record jobless claims (highest since 1974), and in a depression, forget recession, this is a depression, I don’t think America is ready for an open dialogue on race currently.”
Agree 100%
what racism is and isn't says:
January 19th, 2009 at 6:50 pm“Everyone is racist to some degree. If you can’t admit this truth, you aren’t being honest with yourself. Asians discriminate and look down on other Asians. Blacks discriminate and look down on other blacks. And surprise! Whites discriminate and look down on other whites. Is this because blacks have the simplest DNA sequence? Is this because some Asians (Japanese) claim to have a different type of stomach than other Asians? It’s all because we’re ALL racist and ignorant to some degree.”
No, we are not all racist to some degree, however, it is clear that YOU are. This is typical behavior from some racists who try to JUSTIFY their own personal FAILINGS by painting everyone with the same brush, since racism is looked on unfavorably nowadays in the US, they try to excuse their beliefs by saying everyone does it, to try ro excuse themselves!
So if everyone was a pedophile, you’d become one too? Or a murderer??
Sorry, but not everyone is as IGNORANT as you. Just because you share the same beliefs as the Nazis doesn’t mean everyone does. (Godwin point reached)
People like YOU try to justify the INJUSTIFIABLE. That’s really SICK. Without racism, there would have been no holocaust, segregation etc! The US wouldn’t have nuked Japan twice!
And your message shows you don’t know JACK about racism. You either are racist or NOT. You can’t be a litttle racist. Racism is an ideology, it’s not a natural state or anything, either you believe in it or not. Saying everyone is racist is damn retarded, is everyone communist??
It’s an ideology that posits that humanity is divided in several races, and that these races are unequal. If
you believe in this you ARE a racist, period. You don’t need to advocate for genocide or segregation to be racist. That’s an extreme manifestation. Even the people who say that Asians are so smart or that Blacks can run so well are racist.
But it’s still a f*cked up ideology. Of which genocide is the logical extreme! People like you are the kind of people who condone genocide. Since people are supposed to be of different races, their differences are held to be innate, inscribed in their genes.
It’s a belief of a different nature than xenophoby for example, or contempt towards other culture. You can always adopt someone else’s culture, but you cannot change your “race”. Cultural conflicts can end with the imposition of one culture over the other, but racist ones always call for physical elimination of the people designated as inferior.
The threat of another Holocaust will still loom as long as a significant number of people will believe in racism.
MrCrassic says:
January 21st, 2009 at 7:34 pmWell, considering that Japan endorses Barack Obama and was very welcoming to his inauguration, it would be quite a stretch to look into the racial implications of this commercial.
Egirisujin says:
January 28th, 2009 at 12:29 pmWhy is it so hard for people to realise that nowadays,
people, especially the younger generation actually do consider,
content of character to be the most important thing when it comes to an opinion of a person.
Not everyone is racist, to any degree!
Everyone has people they don’t like, but don’t anyone tell me that everyone dislikes someone simply because they’re a different race.
It doesn’t enter my head at all when I meet people.
The closest I or any of my family and most of my friends come to thinking like that is when we meet a new person and a cultural difference is displayed for the first time, then perhaps we begin to think about the culture of this person and how it was influenced by the ways of their parents homeland or even their own homeland.
To say everyone is racist is stupid.
if you harbor subconscious or unintentional racism then that’s bad for you,
but don’t decided everyone else does based on your own experience.
This advert is from Japan! A completely different nation, with completely different culture and insults and stereotypes, put it into context before you start throwing the word racist about.
it’s the intention not the broader face.
and the intention was clearly to advertise the phone.
not insult a major (and very likable) world leader.
or in fact a whole group of races.
“Black” isn’t an ethnicity or a race.