Mr.ジェームス

[keatonatron]

MacDonald's has a new mascot now... his name is "Mr.ジェームス" and he is a stereotypical (for Japanese) white guy who "loves MacDonald's" and talks all in katakana.

And he shares my name



I don't think I like this marketing ploy.

[Harisenbon]

He looks like you too!

j/k

I had actually seen the big poster of him at the mcDonalds around here and was wondering what the hell was up with that.
I hope this marketing campaign is over soon.

It's funny though, he really looks like a guy I know who used to work in Sekigahara.

[keatonatron]

It doesn't help to quell the "Foreigners just loooooove Macdonald's!" stereotype

Especially because he's a foreigner that says "I just loooooove Macdonald's!"

[furrykef]

But we do, don't we?

[keatonatron]

But we do, don't we?

No.

People are always asking me "what do you eat when you're back home?" and when I say that I never go to Macdonald's in the states, they always seem so surprised.

[furrykef]

If I go to Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if McDonald's ends up being almost the only there that I'd eat. I'm not crazy about McDonald's or anything, but it'd be easy western food.

As for the ad campaign, I agree that it doesn't really make us look good, but 1) it's really only fair with the way we've stereotyped Asians, and 2) there are idiots like that guy in Japan.

I suppose if I had to deal with discrimination on a daily basis in Japan, though, it might be a different story...

- Kef

[JaySee]

If I go to Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if McDonald's ends up being almost the only there that I'd eat. I'm not crazy about McDonald's or anything, but it'd be easy western food.

If you want easy western food, then at least go to Mos Burger. Their 'fresh burger' is amazing... though it seems to have disappeared from the menu on their website, so maybe they stopped selling it

Edit: I think they might still sell it after all, they just rebranded it. It's now called サウザン野菜バーガー.

[Harisenbon]

But we do, don't we?

No.

The number of Brazilians outside the McDonalds in Ogaki at lunchtime is completely staggering.
It really feels like I've been transported to some alternate Brazil where only the McDonalds are in Japanese.

[keatonatron]

Here, it's the Indians outside Wendy's

[Harisenbon]

Here, it's the Indians outside Wendy's

I so miss Wendy's. The closest one to me is in the Byoubuzan SA, but you have to be driving on the Chuou Expressway to get there.
Who the hell dives on the Chuo anyways?!?!

[chikara]

It doesn't help to quell the "Foreigners just loooooove Macdonald's!" stereotype

Especially because he's a foreigner that says "I just loooooove Macdonald's!"

Macca's have being running the "I'm lovin it" campaign here for some time. *cringe*

Not Everyone Is Lovin' Japan's New McDonald's Mascot

Does "foreigner" equal (North) American in the eyes of most Japanese people?

I know I was regularly asked if I was Amerikajin but I expected that, based on the odds, that was a reasonable guess.

You have to love stereotypes though as it makes it so easy to recognise a character's nationality. On a flight recently the movie "My Life in Ruins" was playing. I was listening to my iPod and reading but caught enough of it too pick which of the charcaters were the Aussie couple. Just about every shot I saw them in they were holding cans of Fosters. I don't know anyone here who actually drinks that stuff.

[hyperconjugated]

The next campaign is probably for the KFC:
Big-lip Bubba just loves a generous slice of watermellon with Colonel's chicken
whenever massa's whip ain't cracking!

[kayuu]

If I go to Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if McDonald's ends up being almost the only there that I'd eat. I'm not crazy about McDonald's or anything, but it'd be easy western food.

Me and my mum ended up at McDonalds quite a lot. Reason being it was the only food we could get that we could believe was perhaps almost vegetarian (meals of chips and McSalad). My mum doesn't eat meat or fish or even anything with fish stock in it, so it was really hard to find places to eat. Even TGI Fridays didn't have vegetarian options when we went there (seriously, not a single veggie option. I think she ate chips and onion rings in the end). It was a stark contrast to here in the UK where it's pretty much a requirement to provide alternatives to veggies.

P.S. Hate the marketing ploy.

[chikara]

.... Me and my mum ended up at McDonalds quite a lot. Reason being it was the only food we could get that we could believe was perhaps almost vegetarian (meals of chips and McSalad). ....

Did you try Subway?

[keatonatron]

Does "foreigner" equal (North) American in the eyes of most Japanese people?

Yes.

Well, mostly.... Hollywood has so many movies here, that the only "white person" media that the Japanese get comes from America. Therefore, it's hard to distinguish between people from the US, England, Germany, etc. All white people look like the ones in the movies, so they must be American!

Although, people always guess that I'm from Europe (England mostly). Maybe it's because I'm not fat