Calpis / Antiblackness / Japan
since conversation about blackface in japan is springing up again and summa y’all want to act brand new as if this is isolated and never happens let’s talk about the original mascot of Calpis, used from the 1920s until the fucking 1980s. Lemme also link one of my old videos about an experience with blackface drag in 新宿二丁目。
literally walked past a vintage ad for Calpis with this character on it yesterday at an antiques store in Kamakura; that was my first encounter with Calpis’ history with this character. can’t say i was surprised, but definitely disappointed.
to this day, not only blackface but also redface and yellowface (re: depictions of people of other asian ethnic groups) is still very much alive and well in Japan– especially in the 芸能界 / entertainment industry.
and without fail, every time something like this happens– if it even makes it into the spotlight of social media at all– there are always people who decry whatever offense is taken from it with “But this is Japan, not America….!!”
ah, never-ending fallacious arguments made in defense of Japan based on the fallacy that is racism– but especially antiblackness– as some kind of novelty of the past turned Americanism because it only ever existed in or only persists on in America.
*sips tea*