Disgrasian scrutinizes Japan Probe
Oh laaawd! Disgrasian doesn't care about white people! Or should I say, "Wow! Disgrasian doesn't care about white people? Really? That's a strong statement! I guess that my post on the newest foreign face of McDonald's Japan, Mr. James, is deemed safe or tame, considering the feedback previously received when questioning "selective rants from other bloggers on things right or wrong in Japan."In this case, Japan Probe responded to Disgrasian's post on some foreigners in Japan riding the fence on racial issues, crying wolf, or comparing the Mr. James ad campaign to stereotypical images of Asians (and others) in the US (and other) media. As Disgrasian bluntly stated: "“Karma’s one wacky bitch, isn’t it?” Read the update/response to Japan Probe below and tell us what you think!
[Disgrasian] "Oh dear. It seems that we've ruffled a few feathers. Last week, I wrote about a McDonald's ad campaign in Japan featuring one "Mr. James," a wacky gaijin nerd who speaks in broken Japanese (pictured), and the outrage that's ensued over this depiction of white foreigners there. Regarding that outrage, I cited the blog Debito.org, written by an American who's now a naturalized Japanese citizen, who 1) compared Mr. James to Stepin Fetchit--a reference that has since been removed from Debito's post, although it was mentioned on Japan Probe, too--and 2) suggested that if McDonald's put a "full-body 'ching-chong-chinaman' with funny glasses and protruding teeth saying 'Me likee McFlied Lice,''' it would never fly over here in America.I've enjoyed Japan Probe in the past, but here their reading of my post is just fatuous and dumb. It's not that I don't think Mr. James is an unflattering stereotype of white people in Japan. And it's not that I don't care. But I find the outrage leveled at this Mr. James character by certain people to be verging on histrionic. Comparing Mr. James to Stepin Fetchit? Really?"Click here for the rest of the Disgrasian story. By the way, it seems Time Magazine is looking for the teeth or beef in the McDonald's Mr. Jame's advertisement.[ad#468x60-ad]
