A Fukudome T-shirt with a racist image is the hottest-selling item at a souvenir stand that sells unlicensed Cubs-related merchandise across Addison Street from the ballpark, according to Mark Kolbusz, who's in his fourth season operating the stand.
On the front of the shirt is the traditional Cubs cartoon bear face but with slanted eyes and wearing oversized Harry Caray-style glasses. It's accompanied by the words ''Horry Kow,'' scrawled in cartoonish ''Japanese'' script. Fukudome's name and number are on the back.
''That's the No. 1 seller this year, by far,'' said Kolbusz, who estimates one in 10 customers complain about being offended.
While Kolbusz was answering questions, two white guys stopped by the stand and pointed at the shirt, with one affecting a 1960s B-movie accent while reading aloud the words on the shirt.
His friend responded in a similar offensive accent, ''Oh, you tink dat funny?''
They walked away laughing.
It continues:
''I don't know what the creator of the shirt meant this to be, but they should make it right,'' Fukudome said through his interpreter after being shown one of the shirts Thursday. ''Maybe the creator created it because he thought it was funny, or maybe he made it to condescend the race. I don't know.''
Regardless, it's not funny. The image feeds not only ugly, arrogant and ignorant Japanese stereotypes, but also the stereotype of the obnoxious, profane, drunken, booing, garbage-throwing Cubs fan.
How much truth is there in either image? And how funny is either one?
Kolbusz said he's ''indifferent'' to the image on the shirt.
''I'm making money,'' he said. ''It doesn't offend me. If other people are offended by it, it's just a silly T-shirt. Nobody is trying to offend anybody.''
As the article and one of the EWC commentors point out, the shirt is unlicensed and was presumably just printed up by a vendor outside the stadium. But, let's not forget the advertisement the Cubs used back in January to advertise the arrival of Kosuke Fukudome to the team.
The Rising Sun Flag in the background of the above ad is one that'd be considered offensive to the Asians who were colonized under it, regardless of how cool the design may look to Americans. Clearly neither the ad nor the shirt are appropriate in the least, and people are quite right to be upset, either by the imagery or by the use of Asian ancestry as a marketing gimmick. Sad, in fact, that only one out of ten---according to the article---are offended. I'll leave the protests to Brian in Jeollanam-do's Chicago bureau. While I don't think the guy should be forced to stop selling his shirts, he could perhaps be shamed into stopping.
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