The internet is serious business....

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by News.com.au

Japanese 'Obama monkey' ad pulled

A JAPANESE mobile phone firm has halted an advertisement depicting a monkey as a political candidate after bloggers said the commercial was a racial slur against US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

An ad aired by the mobile unit of eAccess Ltd showed the firm's mascot, a monkey, addressing a political rally in Japanese and surrounded by supporters brandishing placards with the word "Change".

Some bloggers said the eMobile ad was racist because it seemed to refer to Obama and his campaign slogan advocating change.

Earlier this week Britain's Telegraph newspaper ran a story saying the ad "apparently portraying Barack Obama as a monkey has provoked a new row about racial depictions of the Democratic candidate".

Monkeys, while revered in parts of Asia, are viewed in some Western nationas as a racial slur if used to depict African Americans.

eMobile said today that the firm never meant to malign Obama but was withdrawing the ad after the outbreak of criticism in cyberspace.

"We had no bad intentions, but this is a cross-cultural gap issue and we have to accept it," eMobile CEO Sachio Semmoto said.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...012572,00.html

Keeping in mind this was a Japanese ad shown to a Japanese market, I can't help but think that some people on the internet have too much time on their hands to be offended on behalf of others! Further, there must be thousands if not innumerable things that are designed and shown in local markets that would be potentially offensive if taken out of context and placed in a foreign market. A classic example is a series of television shows and a movie by an Australian comedian (Nick Giannopolis) which include a word in the title which is massively offensive to use in the UK (almost on part with the "n word") and yet culturally acceptable in Australia.

[TheDarkReaver]

pfft, we all know from the OT forum that some people on the internet take things waaay too seriously.

[HollowBassman]

Wow! A couple of people see a monkey running for President and their first thought is of Obama... and then they have the nerve to call the ad racist!

[TheDarkReaver]

ah, a very good point hollowbassman.

[RiseOfTheWooten]

It's a bit like the thread somewhere else on TB where some people are deeply offended by the use of the word 'guitard'.

[Ray Holt]

Originally Posted by HollowBassman

Wow! A couple of people see a monkey running for President and their first thought is of Obama... and then they have the nerve to call the ad racist!

+1. It's those kind of people that seem to keep reviving racism while everyone else tries to move past it.