Cubs Use Rising Sun Flag For New Ad

[Mulboyne]

Deadspin: Clearly, The First Cubs' Japanese Player
Because we're hankering for baseball already and need something to get our dander up, here's the new marketing campaign the Cubs have put together for Kosuke Fukudome. Looks great, right? Well ... that image is a rather offensive one for millions of people. On 205th explains (via Wikipedia):

"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."

[The Cubs aren't the first in baseball to think of using the rising sun image:]

[emperor]

[Captain Japan]

Thus far, it seems that the fans are not happy. Here are a few comments:

There goes the Cubs planned exhibition tour of Nanking.

I don't need an interpreter. My cock does the talking.

I don't need a penis. My bayonet does the raping.

[maraboutslim]

50 years of whining is enough. It's time for the Koreans and Chinese to stop being mad at the Japanese for kicking their asses and time for them to start being mad at their own Korean and Chinese ancestors for not being strong/clever/whatever enough to fight off the Japanese.

[soulboy]

Well I wonder how the Iraqis, Vietnamese, Nicaraguans think about the american flag / how the Indians, Nigerians, australian aborigines think about seeing the british flag

[Takechanpoo]

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.

Aussie dudes had already revenged Japan. But uncivilized Aussie dudes seem to have forgotten their own history as assailant and have remembered only one as victim.

[Jack]

50 years of whining is enough. It's time for the Koreans and Chinese to stop being mad at the Japanese for kicking their asses and time for them to start being mad at their own Korean and Chinese ancestors for not being strong/clever/whatever enough to fight off the Japanese.

Well said. The Chinese are nothing but whiners.

[Iraira]

Well I wonder how the Iraqis, Vietnamese, Nicaraguans think about the american flag / how the Indians, Nigerians, australian aborigines think about seeing the british flag

Most of the Vietnamese I knew back in college (UC Irvine...meaning approx 20% of the school was Viet) would get livid if they saw a N. Viet flag or a picture of Ho Chi Minh. One Viet video shop owner hung a picture of Ho in his store in 1999, and there were protests for two weeks until the cops busted him for illegally copying videos (selective enforcement). During the protests, lots of American flags and pro-America speak. A good amount of the Vietnamese in Orange County are diehard Republicans.
When the first Gulf War happened, two Vietnamese guys I knew enlisted in the military, as they felt they owed the US for giving them a life they could never had had in Vietnam....still isn't enough to convert me to Republicanism...but does make a small tear form in my left eye.

[hundefar]

still isn't enough to convert me to Republicanism...

have you considered Fascism? We offer free uniforms and parades. On the downside, the chicks don't really dig it. But we try to make up for it with strong male friendships (not gay...no REALLY, I swear...OK a tad gay maybe..but no more than that).

[Blah Pete]

Most of the Vietnamese I knew back in college (UC Irvine...meaning approx 20% of the school was Viet) would get livid if they saw a N. Viet flag or a picture of Ho Chi Minh. One Viet video shop owner hung a picture of Ho in his store in 1999, and there were protests for two weeks until the cops busted him for illegally copying videos (selective enforcement). During the protests, lots of American flags and pro-America speak. A good amount of the Vietnamese in Orange County are diehard Republicans.
When the first Gulf War happened, two Vietnamese guys I knew enlisted in the military, as they felt they owed the US for giving them a life they could never had had in Vietnam....still isn't enough to convert me to Republicanism...but does make a small tear form in my left eye.

I think the commentor meant actual Vietnamese that live in VietNam. The folks you observed at school are now Americans or however you want to hyphenate them.

[Greji]

....still isn't enough to convert me to Republicanism...but does make a small tear form in my left eye.

John Kennedy sent the first US military reps to Vietnam and the numbers were escallated by Lyndon Johnson. I fought in that war and have a pretty vivid memories of those peace loving democrat's operations in SEA.

On the high side of that, I was able to also ascertain that Vietnamese poontang deserves a YBF stamp of approval.

[kamome]

UC Irvine

Man, you went to YBF central. I wouldn't have been able to get any studying done.

[Mulboyne]

ZakZak says(Japanese) that the Cubs have been a little worried about how people will prounounce Fukudome's name, thinking that it might become "Fuck you, do me" or "Fuck you dome". There were suggestions that his name be spelt "Whokudome" but the player was apparently against the idea. Current moves are to try to get people to use some kind of nickname like "The Domer".

[Iraira]

Man, you went to YBF central. I wouldn't have been able to get any studying done.

Yeah, the Bolsa be-yotches in the BeBe shirts, the Shiseido packing-go-to-church-three-times-a-week K-town girls, and the D&G bra-stuffing Monteray Park boba-ice tea drinking Chinese girls, not to mention the "I can't use a condom when we have pre-marital sex, as that would be two sins" Pinay girls.....life was good.

[ttjereth]

[Uhhuh35]

50 years of whining is enough. It's time for the Koreans and Chinese to stop being mad at the Japanese for kicking their asses and time for them to start being mad at their own Korean and Chinese ancestors for not being strong/clever/whatever enough to fight off the Japanese.

Rotsa Ruck getting that to happen. We could live for another thousand years and probably never see peace between these people.

Just sayin'.

[Greji]

Man, you went to YBF central. I wouldn't have been able to get any studying done.

I hate to be condescending Bird, but I was running search and destroy operations in Pataya Beach while you were still shitting yellow!
Bag of apples went a long way in those days!

[Bucky]

Seems that sun may be setting in Chicago:

Fukudome on a short leash

In barely six months, he went from hero to goat -- from T-shirts, headbands, a Sports Illustrated cover and the All-Star Game to a .217 hitter in the second half, a bench player in September and the target of boos in October.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/1208289,CST-SPT-cub08.article

[Greji]

Man, you went to YBF central. I wouldn't have been able to get any studying done.

He didn't. He's heavy into marmots and groundhogs, so he spent his whole six years wanking at the Leguna Wildlife Park.....

[Greji]

Seems that sun may be setting in Chicago:

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/1208289,CST-SPT-cub08.article

There's some sports writers and bloggers in the Chicago Tribune already demanding his scalp. They know he can't be traded for various reasons and cannot be released to return to Japan, so they are clamoring for him to be sent down to the minors to see if he can learn to hit and specifically, hit a breaking ball....