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Originally Posted by clintjm
Sure making fun with the right friends or one's spouse can be done.
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"Right friends" or "one's spouse" is different than advertising the same feelings on a t-shirt, isn't it?
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Originally Posted by clintjm
No, I think the T-shirt DID get the sterotype correct. The "The" and "L and R" issues are real problems that most Japanese have to overcome with English.
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And that is worthy of a joke on an American T-shirt?
If this shirt is meant to be an educational tool, please let me know now. I don't see it that way.
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Originally Posted by clintjm
I see where you are coming from though on this point, as one without knowledge of the Japanese language may think they are just stupid leaving "the" out, problem with plurals, "L and R". But for anyone to think this is from stupidity or ignorance show that persons ignorance. By putting some thought into it, one can conclude it stems from a difference between the languages though.
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"By putting some thought into it" one would see this shirt is in poor taste.
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Originally Posted by clintjm
Seriously ... you are taking this to the extreme. There isn't any racism here.
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The racism is clear and bold-faced. The denial of the offensiveness of it is what I would consider extreme.
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Originally Posted by clintjm
Innate or not, again in one part they are saying they are sterotypically smart and the other sterotypically dumb. If the innate part is true, then that makes the rest of the world innately stupid towards math.
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You have no idea how offensive it is to be told your brain is not like a human, but a computer.
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Originally Posted by clintjm
I assume "innately calculators" means born well at math; which anyone knows no one race is born well at anything. This can go back to physical traits of the race where black races were once thought to be better at particular sports. So if anyone states that anyone is born with calculus in their genes it is obvious that they are the one that are ignorant.
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Exactly. To say one race is "innately" made to do one thing in 2010 is going to be considered a racist statement because it is not based in fact.
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Originally Posted by clintjm
Most people that would read a shirt like that not knowing the Japanese language differences wouldn't get the joke, the one that would understand the joke would probably laugh because it happens often. Most Japanese I know would too. Most people I know laugh about the hurdles and silliness of things they can't do. The ones that don't feel so great will most likely continue to practice to correct their issue.
Its a different thing if the shirt was talking directly to someone with this problem and was laughing at them for it, but it isnt; because its just a shirt. Even if one would laugh at them for it, it just shows the one laughing in a lower light.
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If they don't "get the joke" then that kind of shirt only promotes the stereotypes you are defending.
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Originally Posted by clintjm
Guess you didn't like those three movies either. Would you be surprised that all three of those movies have played in Japan with moderate success and not being banned.
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Really?
I have seen Mr. Baseball, Gung-ho, and Lost in Translation multiple times, and each of these movies DEALS WITH stereotypes in their own ways.
This shirt does not DEAL WITH stereotypes...it just propagates them. It promotes them. That is the difference between a movie and a t-shirt.