European Union's 'racist' martial video

[GeneChing]

Follow the link to see the vid.

EU withdraws £106,000 'racist' propaganda video (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/9126457/EU-withdraws-106000-racist-propaganda-video.html)
The European Union has withdrawn a £106,000 propaganda video promoting itself as a force for world peace after complaints of “racism”.
By Bruno Waterfield, Brussels
3:45PM GMT 06 Mar 2012

Last week’s short “viral” internet film shows a white woman, dressed in gold and blue clothes, the colours of the EU’s flag, overcoming threatening, dark-skinned martial arts assailants.

First the EU heroine, modelled on the martial arts film Kill Bill, is menaced by a Chinese Kung Fu master. Then a second threat appears as a urbaned practitioner of Kalaripayattu, a southern Indian martial art, levitates towards her brandishing a scimitar.

As she turns to face the new menace, a third black assailant with dreadlocks cartwheels aggressively towards her before striking a Capoeira pose, the Brazilian martial art.

But staring at the men, the woman does not fight. Splitting into 12 versions of herself, the number of stars on the EU’s flag, she encircles the men, who drop their weapons and aggressive fighting stances.

All then sit cross legged on the ground talking and the 12 identical women morphs into the EU’s flag with the slogan, “the more we are, the stronger we are”.

European Commission officials were forced moved to pull the film from YouTube on Tuesday after thousands of complaints that the video promoted “imperialism” and “stereotypes” rather than the EU’s “neighbourhood” policy.

Stefano Sannino, the official in charge of the Commission’s enlargement and neighbourhood policy, insisted that the film, targeting 16 to 24-year olds, had been well received by target audiences and focus groups.

“The clip featured typical characters for the martial arts genre: it started with demonstration of their skills and ended with all characters showing their mutual respect, concluding in a position of peace and harmony. The genre was chosen to attract young people and to raise their curiosity on an important EU policy,” he said.

But following many complaints, Mr Sannino said that, despite the €127,000 production cost, the two minute video would be axed.

“The clip was absolutely not intended to be racist and we obviously regret that it has been perceived in this way,” he said.

“We apologise to anyone who may have felt offended. Given these controversies, we have decided to stop the campaign immediately and to withdraw the video.”

One YouTube viewer posted the comment: “White woman defends against Black, Asian and Indian men... racist much? UK taxpayers' money should not be used to promote an agency to which the public is so diametrically opposed.”

[Lucas]

i suppose they could have had a snooty french savate guy...but no one would have really gotten what he was supposed to be...it'd be like "whos the arse with the boxing gloves on in tight shorts, and whats he supposed to be??"

maybe they coulda had a back street rocky balboa boxer type guy or something...

[sanjuro_ronin]

Well... if you are gonna go with a MA motif AND you are trying to show that battle that is happening between the EU and China, India and Brasil in terms of outsourcing jobs and such, this is video does just that.
The fact that a Chinese Kung fu guy looks like that and that an Indian MA looks liek that and that the typical brasilian capoeiraist looks liek that too is NOT stereotyping.

[David Jamieson]

Fear of the brown horde is equally as strong in North America.

Unfounded, stupid, racist and ignorant...but there it is in all it's glory.

yeesh. :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

i suppose they could have had a snooty french savate guy...but no one would have really gotten what he was supposed to be...it'd be like "whos the arse with the boxing gloves on in tight shorts, and whats he supposed to be??" France is in the EU, so that makes no sense at all.


Well... if you are gonna go with a MA motif AND you are trying to show that battle that is happening between the EU and China, India and Brasil in terms of outsourcing jobs and such, this is video does just that.
The fact that a Chinese Kung fu guy looks like that and that an Indian MA looks liek that and that the typical brasilian capoeiraist looks liek that too is NOT stereotyping. They withdrew the vid and apologized. They wouldn't have done that if it was NOT stereotyping. The fact of the matter is that there are more people in India practicing TKD than Kalari. Kalari is pretty rare, even there.

[Lucas]

ya but they're french!!!

[GeneChing]

I...um....ah.

Good point.

I got nothing.

:o

[sanjuro_ronin]

France is in the EU, so that makes no sense at all.

They withdrew the vid and apologized. They wouldn't have done that if it was NOT stereotyping. The fact of the matter is that there are more people in India practicing TKD than Kalari. Kalari is pretty rare, even there.

Big ado about nothing.
Europe and the EU has always been racist, what else is new?

[David Jamieson]

Big ado about nothing.
Europe and the EU has always been racist, what else is new?

lol, and we live in completely undivided societies over here in NA...

wait..what? :p

[sanjuro_ronin]

lol, and we live in completely undivided societies over here in NA...

wait..what? :p

LOL !
Didn't say that.

[Jimbo]

France is in the EU, so that makes no sense at all.

They withdrew the vid and apologized. They wouldn't have done that if it was NOT stereotyping. The fact of the matter is that there are more people in India practicing TKD than Kalari. Kalari is pretty rare, even there.


I'll bet there are also more people in China doing TKD than kung fu (except maybe Taiji). When I lived in Taiwan, TKD was the biggest MA by far, and probably still is there.

[David Jamieson]

I'll bet there are also more people in China doing TKD than kung fu (except maybe Taiji). When I lived in Taiwan, TKD was the biggest MA by far, and probably still is there.

TKD is still the most widely practiced asian martial art in the world as far as I know.

[bawang]

white people being passive aggresive. whats new?

[David Jamieson]

white people being passive aggresive. whats new?

Is that the same as Asians being passive aggressive what's new? Or Blacks? Or South east asians?

No one has the market cornered on racism and it certainly ain't white people that own most of it these days.

[bawang]

everone can be pasive aggresive, but you guys turn it into an artform.

come on man, that video is rediculous.

[mawali]

The video is great!
Other than that, NATO is no guarantor or provider of world peace when compared to the US /Canada in that regard. Many times, NATO refuses to condemn and appease those nations seeking to do harm so it is more of mixed mesageswith NATO. Otherwise, the vid is good.

[mickey]

Greetings,

Saw the video. There is a swastika on the horizon.

I liked it because it did not pull any punches about what the EU is about. People have been talking about the potential for fascism since the EU's beginnings. Now we know it is there for sure. Those "hued" peoples may still want to delude themselves about what they saw; but it is is very much there. the question is, what will they do about it? The video suggests ethnic cleansing and all out genocide of the peoples represented. What will be done about it? Time will tell. Hopefully, there will be a global response to this.

The EU could have made the message a little more covert if each guy got a little sum-sum before disappearing.

The commercial popped back up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUlNgJfJip4

mickey

[GeneChing]

...and what martial art would have been stereotypically American? MMA?


I'll bet there are also more people in China doing TKD than kung fu (except maybe Taiji). When I lived in Taiwan, TKD was the biggest MA by far, and probably still is there. In the mainland, it's still kung fu and wushu, by a long shot. There's some TKD and Judo because they are Olympic, but that's far overshadowed by CMA in the PRC.


TKD is still the most widely practiced asian martial art in the world as far as I know. TKD might have the most schools and the largest tournaments, but tai chi is much larger when you factor in all the people doing it in China as well as all of the seniors doing it. It's just a lot quieter than TKD because the bulk of tai chi practitioners just do it for the love of it. They don't compete or participate in any public demonstrations at all.

[Lucas]

actually gene, I think you are right. It would be a big burly white guy in mma shorts and gloves with a tribal tattoo and a shaved head. they could have bill goldberg be the actor

[sanjuro_ronin]

actually gene, I think you are right. It would be a big burly white guy in mma shorts and gloves with a tribal tattoo and a shaved head. they could have bill goldberg be the actor

Goldberg is Jewish.

[Lucas]

hehe ;) :eek:

[Drake]

white people being passive aggresive. whats new?

Because you guys cried when we burned your cities, and vaporized two of them, so now we have to play nice and just give you SARS.

:eek:

[David Jamieson]

Goldberg is Jewish.

That doesn't make him any less American. Or white for that matter. :p

[diego]

is there lots of interracial babies between India and China?. I read online the older generation would prefer thier Chinese daughters to not marry a Pakistani so the babies will grow up how they and thier Grandparents grew up?.

I've always wanted to start a racial issues and ethics thread on this forum, but I mean where do you start...

[sanjuro_ronin]

That doesn't make him any less American. Or white for that matter. :p

Tell that to Bubba.
:D

[David Jamieson]

Tell that to Bubba.
:D

we all know bubba is a dang idjit. :p

[Jimbo]

actually gene, I think you are right. It would be a big burly white guy in mma shorts and gloves with a tribal tattoo and a shaved head. they could have bill goldberg be the actor

Goldberg actually lost a real-life backstage fight to pro wrestler Chris Jericho.

Yeah, I think the white MMA guy would be a good stereotypical representative of an American fight specialist. Or a wiry African-American boxer. Or a collegiate wrestler from the Midwest...:)

[sanjuro_ronin]

Goldberg actually lost a real-life backstage fight to pro wrestler Chris Jericho.

Yeah, I think the white MMA guy would be a good stereotypical representative of an American fight specialist. Or a wiry African-American boxer. Or a collegiate wrestler from the Midwest...:)

My vote goes to the pro wrestler in the stars and stripes shorts !

Or Hulk Hogan.

[GeneChing]

is there lots of interracial babies between India and China?. I read online the older generation would prefer thier Chinese daughters to not marry a Pakistani so the babies will grow up how they and thier Grandparents grew up?.

I've always wanted to start a racial issues and ethics thread on this forum, but I mean where do you start...I'm not sure about Indo-Chinese babies, but their cuisine is the tastiest!


My vote goes to the pro wrestler in the stars and stripes shorts !

Or Hulk Hogan.Spot on, s_r.

[Syn7]

They withdrew the vid and apologized. They wouldn't have done that if it was NOT stereotyping.

Governments cave to pressure all the time. Even when they are canning somebody who did nothing wrong, like Shirley Sherrod. Yet the spineless Obama admin fired her in spite of being fully exonerated by the real evidence and proved the Breitbart had submitted doctored evidence. But they still fired her. Even when the NAACP came out and said "we are so very sorry, it seems the evidence was skewed, faked and taken out of context" and she was still fired. And just to show how spineless the Obama administration really is, after that No Drama Obama caved to pressure and offered her another job on the slide.So just because they remove the vid that isn't an admission of guilt. I haven't seen the vid. I dunno if it's bad or not. I'm just commenting on that one little part of what you were saying. Dropping something is not an admission of guilt. just like paying out a settlement to make something just go away is not an admission of guilt and in those contracts the plaintiff gives up all claims.


I'll check the vid when I get a chance. Is it really that bad?

[mickey]

Greetings.

That video had absolutely nothing to with stereotyping. It promoted an US vs THEM mindset within their own borders and the eradication of THEM, creating a better EU.

mickey

[David Jamieson]

I read the last few posts too quickly and became amused with the idea of Gene eating indo-chinese babies as some form of specialty cuisine....


carry on...


carrion...

[RenDaHai]

Two things I don't understand about this video,

1. How it cost 106 grand

2. How is it even slighly racist?

I think people have forgotton what racism is.... Its a big problem with todays societies that we don't know.

They chose 3 iconic martial arts and had the person of correct ethnicity performing them. It doesn't have to be taken as 'Vs' it can be seen as uniting. They don't fight, they all sit down together.

In my opinion people who see racism where there is none are the ones who are racist.

I mean, it shows that the EU can be as strong as huge places lie China, India and Brazil if it stands together. They could have added a Russian for good measure, you know some guy like Zangief from street fighter.

Or Dolf! that would've been cool.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CXVtm97fWDo/TOoyCBzawdI/AAAAAAAACGc/Nffo33E-GH8/s1600/Ivan+Drago.jpg

[GeneChing]

Right. Well, to get back OT, here's what the Atlantic has to say on the matter.

The European Union's Racist and Unintentionally Revealing TV Ad (http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-european-unions-racist-and-unintentionally-revealing-tv-ad/254100/)
By Heather Horn
Mar 7 2012, 9:53 AM ET 3

Before the EU was forced to pull the ad, it offered the world a glimpse into two fundamental problems with the European project.

By now, the viral disaster of a European Union TV ad, wherein various non-Western martial artists confront a white brunette, who symbolizes Europe, has made its way around the internet a few times. The European commission recalled the ad Tuesday and apologized for any offense. Here it is, above, an ugly masterpiece of stereotypical dualities. Male to female. Armed to unarmed. Barbaric to civilized. Brute force to intelligence (the men menace with sword and muscle; the woman thinks herself into a circle).

This ad isn't just racist. It's also totally incoherent. What is a lady in a yellow and blue jumpsuit (the colors in the EU) being threatened by foreigners, beating them back by multiplying herself in a ring around them, supposed to mean? Stand unified so we can keep the evil immigrants in? Don't hang out in abandoned train stations? Thank God we shelled out for the Kill Bill costumes?

The European commission's explanation was as follows: "The clip featured typical characters for the martial arts genre: kung fu, capoeira and kalaripayattu masters; it started with demonstration of their skills and ended with all characters showing their mutual respect, concluding in a position of peace and harmony."

A position of "peace and harmony" where the identical white brunettes seal off all the dangerous non-white men, apparently.

Idiocy and breathtaking racism aside, this ad highlights two real and pretty serious problems in the European Union right now. The first is one of identity. With the proposed entrance of Turkey and now the possible exit of Greece from the euro, the E.U. is having to decide what it's actually about. The traditional narrative, the one politicians are eager to promote, is that it's all about politics and prosperity -- state-based, in other words, rather than nation-based. This ad is, whether intentionally or not, part of a certain identity-based trend. Opposition to Turkish entrance and the nasty north-south rhetoric in the sovereign debt crisis both suggest, in fact, that it's about ethnicity, or at the very least a common culture. It's normal, if not particularly pretty, for ethnic tension to surface in times of economic hardship, as I've pointed out before, but eventually the E.U. is going to have to resolve the politics-versus-ethnicity question. This ad was a sharp veer off course for a commission whose message, up until now, has been more about harmony and cooperation.

The second problem this ad hilariously and unintentionally draws attention to is one of money. This is not an ad that suggests much of a budget for political consultants. In fact, it barely suggests a two-tiered editing process. I'd be interested to know how such a concept got past the brainstorming phase, and, even more amusing to contemplate, what ideas it beat out (something with turbans and the Marseillaise, perhaps?).

As an attempt to distract from Europe's current financial mess and highlight the union's strengths, this ad is a disaster. The picture we're left with is of political leadership that can't even toss together a couple of bucks and an extra pair of eyes for a decent storyboard, let alone deal with its race problem.

[bawang]

I mean, it shows that the EU can be as strong as huge places lie China, India and Brazil if it stands together.

it hints at europe nations enveloping the darkies and making them disappear. but because they are giant poosies, they are scared to show it openly so the video ends up vague and confusing.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Two things I don't understand about this video,

1. How it cost 106 grand

2. How is it even slighly racist?

I think people have forgotton what racism is.... Its a big problem with todays societies that we don't know.

They chose 3 iconic martial arts and had the person of correct ethnicity performing them. It doesn't have to be taken as 'Vs' it can be seen as uniting. They don't fight, they all sit down together.

In my opinion people who see racism where there is none are the ones who are racist.

I mean, it shows that the EU can be as strong as huge places lie China, India and Brazil if it stands together. They could have added a Russian for good measure, you know some guy like Zangief from street fighter.

Or Dolf! that would've been cool.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CXVtm97fWDo/TOoyCBzawdI/AAAAAAAACGc/Nffo33E-GH8/s1600/Ivan+Drago.jpg

Dolph is Swedish.
:D

[Drake]

And it's in British pounds. Double the number for the USD =.

[rett]

Right. Well, to get back OT, here's what the Atlantic has to say on the matter.


"The second problem this ad hilariously and unintentionally draws attention to is one of money. This is not an ad that suggests much of a budget for political consultants. In fact, it barely suggests a two-tiered editing process. I'd be interested to know how such a concept got past the brainstorming phase, and, even more amusing to contemplate, what ideas it beat out (something with turbans and the Marseillaise, perhaps?)."*—The Atlantic

There's more to it than that, sadly. From my understanding of how things like this work in the EU, the contract to conceptualise and produce the film was almost certainly awarded to some firm on the basis of cronyism. There would be a play-pretend bidding process, and then the company with the contract would boost their profit margin by play-pretending to do the work correctly.

Not unique to the EU, but rampant here I'm afraid.

[mickey]

Greetings,

I dedicate the first 18 minutes to all the people in the EU. I sat through this. It was not easy. And through watching this I resolved to continue to move forward and away from the ills of the times presented towards a better world for all. And it is something we all must do.

Forever keep love in your heart:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR83EdugcZI&feature=related


mickey

[Hebrew Hammer]

Fear of the brown horde is equally as strong in North America.

Unfounded, stupid, racist and ignorant...but there it is in all it's glory.

yeesh. :rolleyes:

Uh Dave, I know you're a Cannuck but where I'm from, it has become the brown horde. The thing I'm digging down here is that it's getting harder and harder to tell what ethnicity people are....my own little melting pot, and zee ladies are fine!

As far as I'm concerned they're aren't enough Brazilian women here as it is...

It's hard to imagine any racism stemming from Europe strictly based on past performance. :D