Inflatable Sumo Suit Competition Deemed Culturally Insensitive and Canceled

Wow... Buzzkillington strikes again.

I thought they did that in Japanese game shows every day.

"I thought they did that in Japanese game shows every day."

Only the Japanese may do that. Anyone else who does it is culturally insensitive and must write a two page apology for their racist actions.

Ever been to Japan anyone? There are many places that none of us would be allowed to go, especially a lot of stores and restaurants: "Japanese Only!!!" say the signs in the windows and doors. And if you ignore the sign and go in anyway, you'll be either ignored or given the bum's rush: "You no shop here! Go! Go!"

How far have we come when wearing an inflatible suit is "racist" and requires a 2 page apology letter. In my mind the word racism means something specific and this ain't it. Next I'll be told wearing green on St. Patricks Day means I hate Irish people? Pathetic.

Lame.

Preposterous.

Did this for a friends bachelor's party. Was a blast! I won't be stopping over claims of racism.

Dang, those Sumo wrestlers are pushy.

Sorry to be a party pooper, but it's Queen's University, not college. Just like how it's Princeton University and not Princeton College.

Not at all suprised or indignant about this given the ridiculous zero-tolerance policies in american schools and the complete PCification of the country (nonwithstanding that the national pastime appears to be to shoot tanned people in order to steal their oil).

If some charity staged a game depicting or using elements from the Rape of Nanking then I'd say fair enough, thats not justified. But a 'fun' version of Japans national bloody sport, designed to help the needy? Whoever wrote that letter deserves a proper f*cking kicking

Idiocy beyond belief. Inmates now run the asylum.

wow..... S I C K
people like that (that made this happen) should learn to live. im never a racist. not even once. but this...i guess im VERY "racist" against idiots. i will now go wear the suit and take pics just to f with the nutters :D

@Felixthecat

So when did you start writing fiction?

Um... Queens is called Queens University - not Queens College.

Calling it Queens College is like calling it Yale College.

Oh... and ps.. it's in Kingston, Ontario. Not just "Canada".

ONE complaint and they fold? Stupid pansies.

@felixthecat: I lived in Japan for two years in the mid-80s, and I never saw anything like what you describe.

Jimbags- this occurred in Canada. You'll have to take your Anti-American screed elsewhere today.

Dang! And I so wanted to go!

Up here in Canadia, The Lesser Republic of Canuckislavia, PC pretty much rages across the country-our attitude is easy to explain-we were a commonwealth for a long time, have some crap brit-like manifesto parading as a 'constitution', and were largely settled by European stock. Mostly slavic, Germanic, Brits, and a smattering of whomever wasn't really popular in europe. Thus, our pathetic, neurotic and distinctly no fun attitude. Friggin' sucks up here-any vitality is drowned in a sea of bureacracyand meddlesome hand-wringing.

And as far as the rich cultural tradition of sumo? Well, obviously, yes-but it's still obese clown wrestling to me. Yeah, I'm opinionated-wow, they're getting B-slapped, and backing down, for having a sense of humour about something that's already ridiculous? Maybe the Japanese are more culturally sensitive about sumo being really popular only in Japan.

Now, of course, I'm gonna get some angry person on here. Hee!

This is utterly ridiculous. 1 complaint and this escalates into the cancellation of a charity event. I guess we'll have to resort to pan-handling to raise money *eye roll*

@ felixthecat: Came back from a year in Japan less than 12 months ago and nowhere did I see such signs. Maybe some places are not very welcoming to stranger but most of the time it's places we should avoid anyway (unless you like the company of Yakuza and local criminals)

So... until you spend some time anywhere outside your immediate environment you should abstain from making ignorant statements.

I'm pretty sure felix had his sarcasm hat on there, folks.

Oh yeah. Heh. I'm irony-proof today, it seems.

Japan, the land where "black face" is still considered a fine example of comedic art, and they're whining about padded cartoon sumo suits being racist???

*snort* "@ felixthecat: Came back from a year in Japan less than 12 months ago and nowhere did I see such signs. Maybe some places are not very welcoming to stranger but most of the time it's places we should avoid anyway (unless you like the company of Yakuza and local criminals)

"So... until you spend some time anywhere outside your immediate environment you should abstain from making ignorant statements."

You are either a liar or so PC that you couldn't see the signs. The things are everywhere. I could see them.

"Oh, boo-hoo! Only WASPs like that over-privileged Felix can be racist!!! Not the Japanese. Felix probably wears a sumo suit or is so fat he looks like a sumo!!!"

See:

http://www.debito.org/misawaexclusions.html
http://www.debito.org/japaneseonly.html
http://www.hyscience.com/archives/2005/11/japanese_only_s.php
http://www.debito.org/roguesgallery.html

Oh wait! Maybe these signs are all "fictional"!?!

"Despite being a signatory (since 1995) to the UN Convention on Racial Discrimination, Japan has taken no legislative action to bar businesses and other public places from refusing entry to customers based on nationality and race. Starting from 1993 in Otaru, Hokkaido, and now running unchecked throughout Japan, signs saying "JAPANESE ONLY" etc have gone up, making an unspoken undercurrent of fear of the outsider into clear, present, and brazen exclusionism--following the best traditions of segregation and apartheid."

I wonder if they'll approve my comment refuting my alleged ignorance?

Man, I thought the U.S. was overly politically correct. Canada makes us look like amateurs. Are all of your universities like Queens?

I find the name Queens University to be offensive to the gay community. Time to change it.

lol Wes

what an outrage! i never encounter problems playing homoball in my hometown, and i hope gays never try to claim i'm being insensitive by playing a simple game that doesn't discriminate others.

This comment has also been deemed culturally insensitive and has been cancelled.

Serves them right, insensitive bastards! I wish the Irish also stood up when people get wasted on St. Patrick's with nay a hair of Irish ancestry to their souls. That would be a blast: "fail to capture the deeply embedded histories of binging a group has been indulging throughout the ages".

Felix I guess Jollyboy, MadMolecule and shywarrior lived there but during their visits never learnt to properly read Japanese, Russian or Japenrish...

But there is a clue: "Maybe some places are not very welcoming to stranger but most of the time it's places we should avoid anyway (unless you like the company of Yakuza and local criminals)" - As long as one stays properly hided within the tourist-places, never outside the environment of Western diplomatic hideouts and always accompanied by a nice official Japanese interpretor / guide, one will never ever stumble upon such unpleasantries of any society...

:-P

In the meantime- I had understood that it was the Japanese themselves that started to export these sumo-suits....

Erm, the 2 top sumo wrestlers in the world are NOT Japanese. They are Mongolian. Duh.

Big fat dudes slapping each other is an ethnicity?

My dad and uncle Kurt tend to get a little "ethnic" when they get home from the bar.

I like the way the usual posters like Felix and Von bring in complete non-issues whenever topics like these come up. And I also like the way this article was posted to give an incomplete representation of the story, as it misleads those who do not completely read the links to the article.

The student government and Alma Mater society were the ones that were involved with this incident, NOT the nation of Japan.

In fact, this is the first time I've ever heard of anyone claiming these suits were 'racist,' and they've been around for YEARS. Why is it we never heard of such complaints before?

Geekazoid - ...Perhaps a Pre- April Fool's Day thingy.......?

In all likelihood, the person who complained hasn't even practised sumo wrestling themselves, but felt the need to 'stand up' for the poor sumo wrestlers, who of course, can't stand up for themselves, ya know, cause they're so small and weak. Right. I have a feeling that actual sumo wrestlers will do one of the following:

1. Not give a damn, because they know what their culture is and are proud of it, regardless of what some Canadian University does to hold a fund-raiser for a foodbank. (what an anti-Japan gathering that is... whew... amazing people didn't get arrested)

2. Never know, because they won't ever see this article, nor would they have reason to.

3. Be happy that Canadians are fund-raising for a worth cause and ignore the suits that probably have "Made in Japan" on the tag.

Since I'm culturally insensitive, no benefits for me...