Japan Obama Monkey Ad Story-Part 1

Japan's Emobile Ltd. withdrew an offensive ad campaign that portrayed Senator Barack Obama as a monkey following an email complaint by Japan Journal Correspondent, Mal Adams, according to the company's Chief operating officer. But, was it actually an intentional racial slur against Obama and does it really matter if it wasn't? You be the judge. Feel free to voice your opinion.
Go to www.totown.net/journal.htm to view the entire interview.
Totown Media Webmaster

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Obama
• Japan
• Emobile
• Monkey
• Ad
• Totown
• Mal
• Adams
• Documentary

[totownmedia]

Akira-san, let me add one more point. Because Japan has profited from selling its products in international markets it should be more educated about the cultures of the nations where it sells its goods. No, the discourse in Japan is global , not local. We are watching you and listening to what you say around the world...mainly through the internet, which is how this controversy became known to Americans in the first place.

Thank you for your comments.

Malcolm W. Adams

Totown Webmaster

[totownmedia]

Thank you for your comment. Your phrase in English, "cultural invasion", is interesting. Have you considered the phrase, "Cross-cultural exploitation", on the part of this Japanese company? It is they who tried to exploit the image of an African-American leader without understanding the offensive cultural nuances that it represented. Given the history of such abuse against Black people, we will not allow that to go unchecked in the global public discourse. Japan is no longer an isolated nation.

[totownmedia]

OK, Tiyorozu-san. I can't put subtitles in, but perhaps I can do a translation with a voice over in Nihongo. Sore wa ii desuka? Izure, ne.

[MEAGHER79]

just for sake, dont sleep with the japanese woman. they dont need any cross breeding. there country is doing just fine.

[totownmedia]

Too late!

[sakhalinainu]

At least we should know every nation has every history & standard. US standard, whether good or bad, is just one of a huge number of standards in the world.

[sakhalinainu]

Well,,I know Afro-American would feel bad about this ad, of course. But before you get angry, you should know that situations in Japan & in US are quite different.The racism which people know today has been developped mostly in the NEW WORLD like US, Canada, Australia, and etc.

Japan hasn't had the same evil racism or exploitation system based on racism as ones in southern ares of US. Japanese people DON'T SEE Afro-American or other ethnics AS WHITE SEE THEM.

[nud44]

Fukin liberals. Always loking for something that isnt there. The Thought police.

[audallas841]

@sakhalinainu World war 2.... cough, cough...... slaughtered 8-17 million chinese civilians.... cough cough.... because japan considered them inferior.... cough cough...... isolationist nation..... cough cough.... for thousands of years.... cough cough.... because everyone outside of japan.... cough cough.... was a "barbarian.... cough cough

[411American]

America notice it's on a CNN Governmental channel ONLY a commercial in Japan ? meant to arouse the natives, Is the monkey name George? Here cartoon George got someone in Florida in trouble. Why can't sick raciest people get outside themselves and understand it's the situation not some stupid race a bunch of weak sensitive egotistical maniacs with inferiority complexes. America is no longer the land of the brave but the land of chickenshits that is government ploys.

[rbh1138]

Wow! The arrogance and even saying Obama-san to him. So disrespectful. Emobile's mascot is a monkey. Their rival's mascot is a white dog. Maybe you should learn about Japanese culture before reacting. In America the saying is "fighting like cats and dogs" in Japan its "fighting like dogs and monkeys."

[Anjruki]

i wonder if that was the entire black community in japan at the begining of the video haha i didnt know there was that many there that could bring a CEO ...

[terismith88]

@ottam where can I learn more

[terismith88]

@alexjademaru "Most Asians think they are better than most races if not all." Comments like this is what we need to avoid if we want to create tolerance.

[terismith88]

@suhyun did anyone ever address your comment? If not I'd be more then glad to explain.

[drakesolar]

he doesn't look at him, he stares at the table

[spites1]

aw did you hear that from fox news? I hear they like the truth