Made in China - If the caricature fits...

WARNING! this is a panda-free post. regrets CP2!

Asians Decry Adidas Shoe as a Misstep
"A new, limited-edition shoe from Adidas-Salomon AG, part of the "Yellow Series" and decorated with the face of a character who has buck teeth, a bowl haircut and slanted eyes, has provoked a heated debate about the lines dividing racism, art and commerce.

The character on the shoe is the creation of a San Francisco graffiti artist, Barry McGee, who is half Chinese. McGee, who calls the character Ray Fong after an uncle who died, said the image is based on how the artist looked as an 8-year-old."

I couldn't link to the WP close-up of the shoe, but in this pandologist's opinion, it's adorable. Unfortunately it actually looks a lot like me when I was eight! (yeah yeah we look alike, especially at that age.) Sad too, because the bowl cut and buck teeth really don't do a heck of a lot for the playground 'cred of an elementary school age boy, much less a GIRL!! : /

"The shoe was released April 1, with 1,000 pairs on sale at a dozen boutiques in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Tokyo, Hamburg and Denmark. It retails for $250 and comes with a graffiti art fanzine. Since then, several blogs and message boards have been consumed with fervid debate over the shoe, and Asian American organizations have said it evokes damaging and long-standing stereotypes.

"You're kidding me, right?" read an entry on the Web site Angry Asian Man. " That's racist! "

I wonder what other reaction one would expect from a site called "Angry Asian Man"?

I also wonder how well these shoes sold in Tokyo.

And what, if anything, did the Asian factory workers have to say about the shoes as they were being manufactured? (Is that a racist thing to say? I don't think so--I own several pairs of Adidas and they ALL say "Made in China"...)

"The Organization of Chinese Americans, which is based in the District, has received about 40 complaints from its members, according to communication director Anh Phan. The organization has sent a formal letter of complaint to Adidas, asking for removal of the shoe from the market.

"We initially didn't think it would become that big of a deal, but our members seem to think otherwise," said Phan. "Taken in context with all the mentions of yellow, it's upsetting. We want people to be mindful of that when trying to promote their products."

4-0? FORTY? Since when does 40 constitute a "big deal"? Out of HOW many Chinese Americans living in the District, or for that matter, in the United States?

Dorothy Wong, the group's executive director, said such images define Asians as foreigners. "And it fuels an anti-immigrant sentiment that has been coming to the fore lately," she said.

Dang, and here I thought I just me, not wearing enough deodorant lately ...

"Still, said Frank H. Wu, dean of the Wayne State University Law School and author of the book "Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White," the images have an effect that cannot be ignored."

"The problem with this is not that it's done by bigots, because it's not," he said. "It's also not that it offends people, because in many ways, that's what art is meant to do. The problem is that these images, even though crude and cliched, are powerful, almost indelible. They write the scripts that we expect others and we ourselves to follow. You can't read all that into a shoe, but it's part of a pattern."

"The controversy also addresses the issue of removing a potentially subversive image from the context of art and introducing it into the world of commerce, where there is no means to indicate that the image may be a wry commentary on stereotypes, rather than perpetuation of the stereotype itself."

These are the most intelligent paragraphs in this entire article. I don't agree that THIS particular image necessarily "write(s) the scripts" that dictate how Caucasians perceive Asians (and to an extent how Asians perceive Caucasians as perceiving Asians in 'White America') in American society. But I do agree that "images have an effect that cannot be ignored".

"We live in such a cynical, postmodern society that if you are offended by something like this, people say, 'Lighten up, it's ironic, it's a joke.' And that's really nice if you're a student of art history," Wu said. "But how many 10-year-olds talk about irony? When you get teased, it doesn't make it any better to know that they're also calling it ironic. It sends the message that it's hip to make fun of Asians."

Lighten up! it's a joke! hahaha...?

I didn't read anywhere in the article (and its the only one I've seen so far) that Adidas was marketing these shoes TO 10-year-olds, which raises a very different issue. Marketing cigarettes to adults is fine by me-marketing cigarettes to children is definitely not. I can see it now: "Hey kids! Act now and get a free scientific calculator, pocket protector and a pair of chopsticks with every Adidas shoe purchase! Limited time only.")

But we are liv-in' in a material world,
and I am a material panda.

I agree with the point about the dangers of taking art out of the art context and into the vacuum of commerce. I have no good answer in opposition because I LOVE IT! I love the fact that the "Ray Fong tag" was once graffiti-ed (sp?) in an alleyway in SF, and now its on an Adidas sneaker. There's something very cheap and wonderful in that and I'm no art historian but there's artistic context in that too, be it good or bad (I hear the cries of "sell out" but what-ev.) I also like my Monet greeting cards and tomato soup can screen printed tees-thank you very much! Judge away!

I think its wonderful (in a way) that Adidas has selected graffiti artists and the like for their mainstream products. You can't get more mainstream than sneakers. Yes, its a little slanty-eyed Asian dude. It also is ART. Some might say that putting "Ray Fong" on a shoe devalues it as art--some might say that makes it "iconic". Some might say that Adidas is merely exploiting the artist and the character, for corporate greed. I don't doubt that Adidas has done so here. I have no sympathies for corporate America (being as dependent and shackled to them as much as the next American--oh look, it's time for my 12:15 pm venti macchiato!). But I also don't think that Adidas is subversively underminding Asian-Americans through a shoe campaign. At worst, they should've conducted better market research for their target demographic (Couldn't I be, the next, Apprentice?) and not pissed off a few potential customers.

At best, it's a sneaker that happens to have a cute Asian guy on it. I want a pair. Size 6.5 ladies.

I think my point is that FWIW, it's still just a shoe. This event is just an anecdote, or more accurately, a biopsy of Asian American persona, and how Asian Americans are still trying to figure out who they (oops I mean WE! who WE are!) and where we're going with all of this outrage.

There are a lot of bigger issues that we minorities can concentrate on right now. Not to belittle the feelings of those outraged (but as Mr. Wu says, art is supposed to outrage) but there are more important battles to be fought right now, and quite frankly our math skills and work ethic are sorely needed (that too was a joke, Angry Asian Men out there.) At present, we're dealing with HUGE disparities on what to do about immigration reform. Why not let our voices be heard in the context of something that really MATTERS and is happening RIGHT NOW as we type. For instance, I've been seeing this video of immigrants walking through a hole in a fence in Texas, towards freedom. I honestly don't have a problem with anyone who wants to come to America and work for cheap, the problem is HOW to balance immigration reform with national security. It's just a matter of time before ill willed terrorists find that hole, and what's to stop them from marching through that fence with bombs in hand? A shoe, no matter WHAT is on it, is the least of my worries right now as both an Asian and an American.