Well this ad has certainly stirred up a shit storm. Japan’s All Nippon Airways ran an ad that shows two Japanese gentleman in ANA pilots uniforms talking to each other at the airport. They mention that the airline now flies to Hanoi and Vancouver and comment on how this change relates to the perception of Japanese people.
During the exchange, one man asks the other, “Want a hug?” Japanese men hugging in public is usually frowned upon. The man then says, “Let’s change the image of Japanese people.” We then see the other man “transformed” into a non-Japanese person complete with a blond wig and a large nose.
Many are crying racism against white people. But many are pointing out it’s the Japanese making fun of themselves. Other are just laughing because they think it’s funny. And every conceivable angle on racism, bigotry and stereotyping is being shared in the video’s comments.
We’re actually not going to share our opinion on the ad here. Why? Because we’re tired of every article on this topic turning into an unresolvable shit storm of epic proportion.
