Cubs fans love their Asian stereotypes

Maybe the Chicago Cubs brass did know what they were doing when they created an offensive advertising campaign touting their newest signing Kosuke Fukudome back in the spring. It seems that the campaign turns out to have been targeted perfectly to the racist fans who frequent Clark & Addison.

On the front of the shirt is the traditional Cubs cartoon bear face but with slanted eyes and wearing oversized Harry Caray-style glasses. It's accompanied by the words "Horry Kow," scrawled in cartoonish "Japanese" script. Fukudome's name and number are on the back.

"That's the No. 1 seller this year, by far," said Kolbusz, who estimates one in 10 customers complain about being offended.

While Kolbusz was answering questions, two white guys stopped by the stand and pointed at the shirt, with one affecting a 1960s B-movie accent while reading aloud the words on the shirt.

His friend responded in a similar offensive accent, "Oh, you tink dat funny?"

They walked away laughing.

Fukudome thinks it's pretty funny though. Oh wait, no he doesn't. He thinks they are jackasses.

"I don't know what the creator of the shirt meant this to be, but they should make it right," Fukudome said through his interpreter after being shown one of the shirts Thursday. "Maybe the creator created it because he thought it was funny, or maybe he made it to condescend the race. I don't know."

Cubs officials had no official comment on the shirts. Smart move.

Sun-Times

The Chicago Cubs have no problem offending people

Below you see the new marketing campaign the Cubs came up with to introduce their latest hopeful, Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome.



Cool looking, huh?

One problem though. The Rising Sun Flag image that they used... yeah it's offensive to millions of people. Nice job. Team President and marketing wiz John McDonough's been gone, what, two months and the Cubbies marketing is already effing things up. Glad to see things are getting back to normal on Clark and Addision.

The Rising Sun Flag is the military flag of Japan. It had been used as the ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army until the end of World War II. It is also presently the ensign of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the war flag of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

This flag is often considered offensive in countries which were victims of Japanese hostility, particularly China, Australia, United States and the Koreas, where it is seen as alarming, nationalistic and hostile. (Wikipedia)

Well, as long as it's only small countries they are offending I guess it's ok.

UPDATE: My man, Don, in Japan, gives us his take on this.