Thai retailer apology for controversial Chinese New Year ad

[Benmart]

Thais are oblivious to international racial, discriminatory and/or religious sensitivities. The article mentions but a few Thai transgressions. Conspicuous by its absence are the numerous and pervasive incidents of Nazi and swastika cult and costuming in Thailand, the Hitler store, the children dressed as Nazis..etc.

However do, say, publish anything deemed insulting or offensive to Thais and standby for the backlash.

yes indeed. Thais are extremely hypocritical.

I've not met all 65 million of them, so I can't say the same.

[celso]

 

I am very race blind, as in I don't give a flying eff what people look like and instead focus on what they do and think irrespective of ethnic phenotypes.

So, could someone explain to me, precisely, how is this ad racist and worthy of so much scorn?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chink%20eyed

[ultimate weapon]

what a load of garbage sensitive Chinese crap

You are sensitive.

[AleG]

 

I am very race blind, as in I don't give a flying eff what people look like and instead focus on what they do and think irrespective of ethnic phenotypes.

So, could someone explain to me, precisely, how is this ad racist and worthy of so much scorn?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chink%20eyed

Failed. Next!?

[freedom4life]

Which advertising agency came up with this?

Did no one think it might possibly be the tiniest bit racist? Not even one tiny smidge.

Do you mean race specific? I find it difficult to understand what the term racist means...I find the AD to be kind of funny, but not a hatred/belittlement (if that's what you mean by racist) towards a race...by the way I live in China and wouldn't agree with the statement made in the AD anyway and neither would a lot of Chinese.The amount of injustice, corruption, ignorance pollution and inequality in China, surpasses anything I've experienced

[DrTuner]

This did pique my interest though, never bothered to think why do some Asians have slanted eyes. I guessed it would be protection against harsh enviromental elements and perhaps it indeed is: http://www.ask.com/question/why-do-asian-people-have-slanted-eyes

[Kru Baa]

Gig deal. What's so racist about it? Chinese don't have slanted eyes?

[BradinAsia]

Thais are oblivious to international racial, discriminatory and/or religious sensitivities. The article mentions but a few Thai transgressions. Conspicuous by its absence are the numerous and pervasive incidents of Nazi and swastika cult and costuming in Thailand, the Hitler store, the children dressed as Nazis..etc.

If, as you say, Thais are oblivious... it means that they area indeed very much like their Western counterparts -- often oblivious to cultural and ethnic sensitivities.

So what's new? Humans are human... meaning having faults.

[Braddockrd]

aren't we becoming too damn sensitive? We allow the Chinese to live in all our countries, because they do not like staying put in their own place, they come, installl themselves, isolate themselves and start creating communities where they do not even speak the local language, we have to support them with our taxes, and then we are not allowed to make a joke about them? In our own country? Give me a break!!!

Below is a picture taken as a joke by the Spanish basketball team before their match againts China. Racist? I do not think so. Funny? Hell yeah

[soalbundy]

How i hate the PC brigade, you lot take all the fun out of life, way to serious.

Oh i can't say that they might think i'm racist.......so what ! They could have shown a Chinese person spitting in the ashtray you are using ( if you're lucky,its usually on your foot )

I think my Great Dane is racist, if a farang visits me he doesn't bark, if a Thai visits he doesn't like it one bit and he shows it, useful though, my house has never been broken into although several in my area have been. Bismark had several Great Danes,he once said that a Great Dane is a good judge of character,if you wish to reduce the theft in your farmyard,get a Great Dane. I agree with him

[Torrens54]

Thais are oblivious to international racial, discriminatory and/or religious sensitivities. The article mentions but a few Thai transgressions. Conspicuous by its absence are the numerous and pervasive incidents of Nazi and swastika cult and costuming in Thailand, the Hitler store, the children dressed as Nazis..etc.

BUT!!!

Yes, I understand what you are saying, BUT in the case of the Swastika, you'll see that all around Bali too.

Many years ago when I first saw it in Bali, I asked why??? and only then did I discover that it is an ancient symbol of "Good Luck." The fact that Hitler and associated thugs used it, doesn't mean that other people shouldn't use it as THEIR symbol of Good Luck.

Hope that has cleared up the matter for you. Good Luck!!!

[Maggusoil]

What in earth is wrong with it?

Clever. Nicely done. I wonder which "foreigner commentators" were most offended.

More than likely a politically correct Australian amongst them, you could guarantee that.

What is interesting on Chinese dating sites, most of the girls have had makeovers, some including surgery to look more Western!

For my opinion "ruining" their looks.

You either like Chinese food or you don't. Since when would you change it to taste more western?

Old age has rendered my skin fairly thin, but never that thin, thanks.

[Pattaya28]

Thais should ask themselves why all adverts on Thai television feature non-typical Thai-looking people.

And they know the reason why.

Yet mocking other races is deemed appropriate.

[daoyai]

aren't we becoming too dam_n sensitive? We allow the Chinese to live in all our countries, because they do not like staying put in their own place, they come, installl themselves, isolate themselves and start creating communities where they do not even speak the local language, we have to support them with our taxes, and then we are not allowed to make a joke about them? In our own country? Give me a break!!!

Below is a picture taken as a joke by the Spanish basketball team before their match againts China. Racist? I do not think so. Funny? Hell yeah

1218569787639basketgrandedn.jpg

Actually Chinese immigrant populations in most cases rise to the top in economic terms within 2 generations.

[LarryBird]

There's a funny thai proverb that is equivalent to 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do..' it is:

When Entering the Eyes of the Squinty Eyed People, One should also Squint one's Eyes.

There's also a nursery rhyme about a fat chinese guy with squinty eyes.........

Along the same lines, my wife was reading a Thai book to the kids , I overheard her say 'Open up to the page with the Brown Skinned Monster..'

Ya, racism is cool!

[DrTuner]

You either like Chinese food or you don't. Since when would you change it to taste more western?

Isn't this exactly what has been done in the west, the fast food variety ?

Obviously the eye surgeries have to do with the media blasting away with beauty ideals invented by western companies to sell their products and services. The results are usually hideous.

[geordiel]

I must be a racist, because I fail to see what people are getting upset about.

Im afraid I must be one also. For the life of me I cannot see the problem.

[Braddockrd]

aren't we becoming too dam_n sensitive? We allow the Chinese to live in all our countries, because they do not like staying put in their own place, they come, installl themselves, isolate themselves and start creating communities where they do not even speak the local language, we have to support them with our taxes, and then we are not allowed to make a joke about them? In our own country? Give me a break!!!

Below is a picture taken as a joke by the Spanish basketball team before their match againts China. Racist? I do not think so. Funny? Hell yeah

1218569787639basketgrandedn.jpg

Actually Chinese immigrant populations in most cases rise to the top in economic terms within 2 generations.

That is an overstatement. A few of them do rise. Certainly not all. They do not have any magic traits othen than hard work, and nobody gets rich with just hard work. Even if this was the case, we in our countries are the ones that would have contributed to their rise, by allowing them to settle in, by not pursuing their common tax avoidance, by providing with infrastructure and an education system they are not paying for. Eventually, 50 years later, it all gets even, but let us not forget the origins

[WannabeOne]

Geez. People are too sensitive nowadays.

Seems like someone, somewhere, is always having to apologize for being "racist" or "culturally insensitive".

Get over it for Pete's sake, people.

This forum needs a thread titled, "let's offend everyone".

[Carrerakiss]

Check out the rich people in Thailand! Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, HK, Canada,to name a few countries, and tell me Chinese emigrants don't tend to rise to the top of the economic tree. The west coast of the USA is another place to look.

[WannabeOne]

That is an overstatement. A few of them do rise. Certainly not all. They do not have any magic traits othen than hard work, and nobody gets rich with just hard work. Even if this was the case, we in our countries are the ones that would have contributed to their rise, by allowing them to settle in, by not pursuing their common tax avoidance, by providing with infrastructure and an education system they are not paying for. Eventually, 50 years later, it all gets even, but let us not forget the origins

Take a trip to the Philippines. The Chinese, especially those who have been there a couple of generations, have very profitable businesses. They are, most often, very shrewd businessmen and perform quite well in business, in just about any country in the world.

[Maggusoil]

Thais should ask themselves why all adverts on Thai television feature non-typical Thai-looking people.

And they know the reason why.

Yet mocking other races is deemed appropriate.

This is it. This nails it.

Life, is full of contradictions.

There are a whole bunch of people trying to make it all look the same and iron out the contradictions.

They'll be working a long long time.

[Maggusoil]

We're all full of contradictions. If one is not, perhaps on is a cabbage.

[tonbridgebrit]

Actually, a lot of the Thais do have eyes that look pretty similar to Chinese people.

And you notice how most the rich, and political leaders, also have eyes that are almost the same shape as Chinese people ??

[yourauntbob]

It seems as if many don't know what 'racist' actually means.

This.

Just because you, personally, aren't offended does not mean the ad isn't racist.

Just because you personally are offended doesn't mean the ad is racist.

[GAZZPA]

So should Westerners feel offended when Chinese and other Asians try to look and behave like Westerners?? For starters: double eyelid surgery, 90% of weddings in western fashion (some even in Christian churches, believe it or not, in China), picking up the entire western culture...

Cultural hyper-sensitivity running amok.

Blimey, you need to get with the times. China is growing up fast and ceases to oppress people like it used to.

It's become a leading country in the world today and from my days working there, and in my opinion it gets better all the time. Christian weddings are nothing to do with Chinese people "copying" the Western traditions of marriage, it is because they are embracing Christianity and it's growing fast,, see attachment.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/20/christianity-china/

[partington]

I also don't see the problem with this. It does seem like people do not know what racism actually is, and so merely respond with horror whenever anything to do with racial characteristics is mentioned or even alluded to!

But as somebody has already posted, do people think that Asians don't know their eyes are a different shape than westerners? Everyone: people in different geographic areas have very different and easily recognisable cosmetic differences. Chinese people have black hair, and slanted eyes. Native Ugandans have black skin. Pygmy tribes in the Congo are short. Swedes are pale and white.


To use these cosmetic differences as a basis for discriminating against, insulting, or ascribing inferior status to these groups is racism. To simply mention these differences, use them as a basis for fashion, playful advertising or other positive recognition is surely not in itself automatically disallowable?

Do we now have to pretend we think you cannot tell a Han Chinese person from a Australian aborigine, or that if you can it should not be mentioned?

As one explanation of "offense" caused by that advertisement, somebody posted that in the media characters of other races have been played by westerners for many years and that is shameful. Well it is.

But this cannot explain any offense caused by this ad: in this specific case the model could not be replaced with an ethnic Chinese model and still retain any meaning! It only has a point if the model is Caucasian, because the only point is that this Caucasian wants to look Chinese, because it's good to look Chinese.

Is this idea in itself offensive? Is it intrinsically offensive to try to copy the physical characteristics of another race, even in a complimentary way? I can't see why, but I'm willing to be convinced. My argument is not that it can't be offensive because I myself am not offended, it is that I just don't know WHY some people see it as offensive.

[GAZZPA]

It seems as if many don't know what 'racist' actually means.

This.

Just because you, personally, aren't offended does not mean the ad isn't racist.

Just because you personally are offended doesn't mean the ad is racist.

So, how many people have to be offended before it is racist? Didn't realize it was a numbers game, thought being racist was all about having a derogatory view of people based purely upon their nationality / skin color.

Seems to me this ad could be interpreted badly, it seems a lot of people agree with that from the posts here. If you are not offended, good for you but I think it is offensive. It was a stupid ad and the advertising agency should have known better.

[ginjag]

Mr. and Mrs WONG Chinese man and wife had a baby and it had European eyes and features, goes to prove 2 WONGS do not make a WHITE.

[tonbridgebrit]

aren't we becoming too dam_n sensitive? We allow the Chinese to live in all our countries, because they do not like staying put in their own place, they come, installl themselves, isolate themselves and start creating communities where they do not even speak the local language, we have to support them with our taxes, and then we are not allowed to make a joke about them? In our own country? Give me a break!!!

Below is a picture taken as a joke by the Spanish basketball team before their match againts China. Racist? I do not think so. Funny? Hell yeah

1218569787639basketgrandedn.jpg

We have to bear in mind that the Chinese in China (not Chinese in England or America) are becoming a massive market for a lot of goods in the world.

Now then, a small number of people in England finding whatever advert being offensive, well, the company isn't going to really care. But if that company is trying to sell it's stuff to China, to Chinese people in China, well, the last thing they want to do is do something that offends the potential customers !

Do Chinese customers have a big impact in Bangkok's retailers ? I'm not sure. But, surely, a company will remove adverts IF it thinks that potential customers will actually not buy the product because of the advert ? And for those who feel that the advert is a good laugh, well, how many of them are going to be drawn to the product because of the advert ?

What I'm trying to say, is that adverts get removed by the company itself IF they feel it is harming their sales !!