A Message from the Founder
Kai Tietjen
As CEO and founder of Mister Wong, I feel it is my obligation to make a personal statement regarding certain allegations made about Mister Wong relaying a poor image of Asians in general.
It was never my intention, nor that of my company, to hurt anyone with the use of the illustration. We are extremely sensitive to this issue and the feelings of others. We removed the original illustration off the top of the page some time ago, when the issue first arose, in hopes that no one would be offended by it any longer. Though this was met with great disappointment from many of our users, we felt it was the right thing to do.
We consider each individual comment and suggestion made to us with all sincerity. We would like our users to feel as though they are part of our team by knowing that their opinions count. We’re a social bookmarking site that welcomes 2.5 million international visitors each month, which makes the social part very important to us.
However, certain comments have been made that I feel were below the belt, unfounded, and inappropriate. Even these we take into account, because what is first and foremost important to us, is the satisfaction of our users and that no one feel wrongfully harmed,
especially in such a manner.
We welcome your opinions and are open to discussion.
Sincerely,
Kai Tietjen
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July 27th, 2007 at 17:44
As most Germans, I am amazed at the comments towards Mister Wong in this regard. Once learning about them, I do understand where they come from, but there are two things which stick out for me:
This is ’suddenly’ a world which is connected 24/7 on a global scale. There is no possible way I know about every little taboo or every little implication somewhere on the world. It is not possible to know everything anyone somewhere might feel about it, that is a work in progress which needs to be taken step by step.
At the same time I feel that this is not only in your case YOUR obligation to do something. I expect from others a bit of understanding as well. Not on the issue, but why this was done.
There is not one single way how the world ticks, there is no one single way how “the people” think, there are several different ones. And I would like to see a bit of understanding from the other side as well - instead I see a lot of hatred and a lot of “how dare they and THEY have to change everything”.
I have read some of those comments and have to say that I feel sorry for you. Some of the accusations and visible moves to ralley a negatve buzz around it are just horrendous to see - lead by example should apply here.
My view of this icon, which I think many do agree on over here, is that it portraits a clever person to help me on with the plattform, funny and wise. You can have a different opinion on how it is reveived by you, but you can’t declare this is how everybody felt.
Hint: The fact that I as a female am very outspoken is a an offence for some people as well. Shall I stop posting now, because it does not fit into what society thinks a women should do in certain areas of the world? I don’t think so.
July 27th, 2007 at 18:28
The connected world we live in - of stereotypes and their limited range of exposure….
There has been quite some discussion around a German social bookmarking service called Mister Wong. The service is a nicely designed application and all that, but since some time some remarks are made about the icon of the company - a chinese guy hence…
July 28th, 2007 at 06:53
..what if instead the site was named ‘Mr. Kraut’ w/a caricature of an overweight man w/his arm raised in a sieg heil manner, or perhaps, the site was called ‘Mr. Jew’ w/picture of a man w/big nose, ears..
Something is very wrong if people, regardless of nationality, do not see that this sites name and branding is taking advantage of popular negative stereotypes of Asian men.
July 28th, 2007 at 08:21
[…] The CEO contacted us today to say that they never meant to cause offense, and they’ve now removed the character from the logo (he remains in the favicon, but I’m sure that will get switched, too). He also issued an apology on the site’s blog. […]
July 28th, 2007 at 09:05
[…] The CEO contacted us today to say that they never meant to cause offense, and they’ve now removed the character from the logo (he remains in the favicon, but I’m sure that will get switched, too). He also issued an apology on the site’s blog. […]
July 28th, 2007 at 10:07
[…] The CEO contacted us today to say that they never meant to cause offense, and they’ve now removed the character from the logo (he remains in the favicon, but I’m sure that will get switched, too). He also issued an apology on the site’s blog. […]
July 28th, 2007 at 10:32
Kai, I think you gave a good response and I think that you are not faulty in this way. The truth in here lies in the middle. It’s not a wrong or right issue here, I hope people realize this.
p.s. nemrut: just in case… i registered mister-kraut.com 5 minutes ago LOL!
July 28th, 2007 at 10:44
Nemrut, that would be with Lederhosen. And it would be very fine with many Americans, just go and visit Disneyland to see Germany presented that way (somebody correct me if they really have changed that).
Come to think of it, even a Mr. Kraut done in Lederhosen would be only midly annoying [and I am not from Bavaria, but northern Germany]. I can’t speak for the other example.
And those popular negative stereotypes you are referring to which “everybody has to recognize” is a very simple view on the world. It is NOT a negative stereotype everywhere.
Does this mean it is okay to use it because it is not one everywhere? Nope. But the solution is not just “stop doing it because”. The solution has to be along the lines of “how do we go on from here”.
July 28th, 2007 at 10:54
[…] Mister Wong-Blog » Blog Archive » A Message from the Founder: honestly now, is this guy just an idiot? Or misinformed? Are we living in 2007? I’m a white Jewish guy and still offended by the title of this thing. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. […]
July 28th, 2007 at 11:38
[…] The CEO contacted us today to say that they never meant to cause offense, and they’ve now removed the character from the logo (he remains in the favicon, but I’m sure that will get switched, too). He also issued an apology on the site’s blog. […]
July 28th, 2007 at 13:33
[…] The CEO contacted us today to say that they never meant to cause offense, and they’ve now removed the character from the logo (he remains in the favicon, but I’m sure that will get switched, too). He also issued an apology on the site’s blog. […]
July 28th, 2007 at 13:39
Nemrut:
Why negative? (your last paragraph) Where does that come from? Nothing wrong with ping pong, King Kong, not even ching chong, unless one chooses to seek hidden meaning behind this.
As the founder of Simpy[1], a “competing” social bookmarking service, I could jump on this bandwagon and point fingers at Herr Wong and people behind it, but instead I’m against the increasingly sensitive world where people just look for an opportunity to get offended and, if there is money to be made from a law suite, sue organizations.
[1] http://simpy.com/
July 29th, 2007 at 09:31
I’ve only really just come into this issue, but I find it hard to comprehend the uproar.
Why be offended by a logo / slogan / site name? Is your life that void that you are personally affected by an obviously unintentional branding mistake? Why are people so touchy-feely, I mean, I’m English - Ask Jeeves, anyone? We are not all posh butlers. But I really, honestly, truly, don’t give a shit if someone portrays our population as such. It doesn’t affect my life.
I am now going to test out your service, thank you.
July 29th, 2007 at 14:15
I’ve been using Mister Wong for a short time. I hadn’t given much thought to public reception that the developer might be exploiting an ethnic stereotype. More charitably, and probably closer to the truth, the oriental icon was conceived in innocence and fun.
That said, any purity of motive by the developer, and any innocent perception of fun by a typical new user, like me, doesn’t matter. The prevailing popular perception will, well…erm…will ultimately prevail, dictating the semantics, good or bad. There’s no exception to this rule because individuals have zero control over our most public gift, language. Original intention by the individual is rendered moot .
In conclusion, I’m thankful the critics have pointed out Mister Wong’s hubris. The question is not whether they are right or wrong, but rather the simple “possibility” that anyone or any group may find offense, and that the offense could prove to be viral, even fatal.
For this reason I will keep my del.icio.us account current. Personally, I don’t find the Mister Wong image offensive, but I have to grant that others might.
Hope things go well for everyone, even if Mister Wong must morph into something new and emphatically neutral.
bob
July 29th, 2007 at 17:02
[…] The CEO contacted us today to say that they never meant to cause offense, and they’ve now removed the character from the logo (he remains in the favicon, but I’m sure that will get switched, too). He also issued an apology on the site’s blog. […]
July 29th, 2007 at 21:17
[…] Here is the entry on 8asians, here on mashable, the excuse of Mr. Wongs CEO and here the opinion of Nicole Simon. […]
July 29th, 2007 at 22:08
@ Otis and other Germans who responded. If no offense should be taken, then the name should not matter. Therefore, why not rename the site to ‘Mr Muhammed’ or ‘Mr Attaturk?’ I can only gues what response you would get from the large Turkish, yet poorly integrated, population residing in Germany.
Enough people around the globe have raised this issue as offensive. Why is justification needed to validate the offense? Unless you’re part of a minority that has been, and continue to suffer, marginalization by the dominant population–in this case people of European descent, then you’re in no position to speak for those who have.
July 29th, 2007 at 22:35
These allegations are absolutely ridiculous.
July 30th, 2007 at 08:38
[…] Einen fulminanten Start in die Woche legt sicherlich der Bookmark-Dienstleister Mister Wong hin, wenn man die Kommentare in der Blog-Bekanntgabe von der Vorwoche liest. Wegen den Vorwürfen des Rassismus durch Sprüche wie “ping pong, king kong, Mister Wong” ist eine internationale Expansion gefährdet, da diese Sprüche dem zumindest in den USA sehr stark verbreiteten “Ching Chong” Problem ähnelt und letztendlich nicht die geforderte political correctness wiedergibt. […]
July 30th, 2007 at 10:40
…instead of beeing angry about a ping pong logo in a website, the people should use this energy for other things! For example to fight against Bushs World Attacks and oil-robbery….
July 30th, 2007 at 10:40
Nemrut, you are talking bull.
Attaturk is the founder of a nation, Muhammed a prophet.
What is Wong known for?
Not people around the globe, but americans (*to them that is “people around the world”)
have been overstressing political correctness.
Nothing else to brag about,rite.
Talking about poor integration….how is that bill goin’ with the mexicans?
July 30th, 2007 at 10:58
This is a sad discussion, initiated by sad indiviuals.
Being a German I am constantly and everywhere exposed to stereotypes.
Going to Disneyworld or any “Hofbräuhaus” in America I should be furious about how me and my fellow countrymen are pictured as fat-stupid-beerdrinking-bratwurst-eating idiots.
But you know what? I am not furious at all. What a boring world this would be if we didn’t have these funny pictures. I am glad to be a part of this colorful and diverse world and for my part, I am able to laugh about myself.
July 30th, 2007 at 11:06
Mister Wong Logo…
Vor 5 Minuten dachte ich schon, dass der Beitrag über den Datenschutz wegen Urlaubs nicht mehr zu toppen sei. Jetzt lese ich gerade, dass der Social Bookmarking Dienst Mr. Wong sein süßes Logo entfernt hat, weil das Logo einen Bürger asiatischer Ab…
July 30th, 2007 at 11:30
Lächerlicher geht es wohl nicht mehr! Ich will, dass sofort jede Werbung/Webseite in Amerika verschwindet, wo Deutsche nur brezelessend, masskrugtrinkend und in Lederhosen rumlaufend dargestellt werden. Ich esse keine Brezel, trinke kein Bier und besitze auch keine Lederhose. Sorry, ich fühle mich daher diskriminiert.
Gruß als Norddeutschland.
July 30th, 2007 at 11:33
[…] Nichtsdestotrotz sollte dieses Problem jetzt behoben sein, Wong-Gründer Kai Tietjen hat sich im Unternehmensblog entschuldigt und das Logo wurde ja auch entsprechend angepasst. Bleibt nur zu hoffen, dass Mister Wong auf dem amerikanischen Markt Fuss fassen kann und deutsche Gründer und Unternehmen erfolgreich repräsentiert. […]
July 30th, 2007 at 11:34
It’s a funny discussion about Mr. Wong. But guys, you have to change the favicon also, otherwise tomorow came the next person who is affronted about that ;-)
July 30th, 2007 at 11:38
[…] Das Logo ist nun verändert worden und auch Wong-Gründer Kai Tietjen hat sich im offiziellen Unternehmens-Blog entschuldigt: “Es war nie meine Absicht, oder die des Unternehmens, die Gefühle andere mit dieser Illustration zu verletzen.” […]
July 30th, 2007 at 11:39
Good. Get rid of this crap.
It is unfortunately true that Germans still don’t seem to be overly sensitive towards other people.
Come on, find a logo that’s good and not cheap. It wasn’t funny, it actually made the whole service look idiotic.
My 2 cents.
July 30th, 2007 at 11:58
Am so sorry that what could have been an intelligent dialog has kind of degenerated into accusations and counter accusations. Maybe a lecture on “cognitive dissonance” would do some ppl a lot of good. As an “integrated” foreigner living in Germany (and no - I am not a “radical” and the only radical viewpoint I hold is that the summer of love unfortunately lasted one summer ;-) ) I am often surprised at the insensitivity of people here in calling up images or using vocabulary that is used to describe physical features or looks (eg. “Lets got to for lunch to the slit eyed guy” which is an euphemism for Chinese, Thai, Viet etc. food or the use of the word “neger” to describe a person of black origin) ) I always try and educate people that this kind of language could cause offense among ethnic communities or people of a different skin colour, which comes as quite a shock to the people concerned once they are aware that they could be indulging in “fringe racism”. (I always tend to give somebody the benefit of doubt.) I wouldn’t go so far as to call them “racist” since they are not really aware that they are being discriminatory. I have found the best way to make them aware of the pain that these expressions can cause is by asking them if they like being referred to as “Nazis”or being quizzed about their “Nazi” connections when they are abroad. I personally know how hurtful this is when some idiot asks my wife this question when we are traveling (especially in the middle East) . As much as I don’t like to use this terminology (Nazis) I have found found that this is the only way, that I can get my point across.
So to get back on track I am not at all surprised that the Logo on Mr.Wong has been raising such a storm. That’s globalisation for you! ;-) You can’t please everyone all the time !!!
July 30th, 2007 at 12:02
Mister Wong muss sich von “Mister Wong” trennen…
Ui. Was muss ich da am Montag-Morgen nach einem netzfreien Wochenende entsetzt bei Mister Wong lesen:
“As CEO and founder of Mister Wong, I feel it is my obligation to make a personal statement regarding certain allegations made about Mister Wong…
July 30th, 2007 at 12:05
[…] nachdem Mr Wong in den USA in die Kritik geraten ist, haben sie den Slogan und das Logo entfernt. Gute Entscheidung, nicht unnötig dran festzuhalten. […]
July 30th, 2007 at 12:06
[…] Doch jetzt werden sogar altbekannte Logos von Bookmarkdiensten entfernt, weil sich Leute auf den Schlips getreten fühlen. So geschehen bei Mister Wong und dessen „grinsenden Männchen”. Weil dieses Männchen einen asiatischen Touch hat, fühlt sich die asiatische Welt offenbar gedemütigt. Der Gründer von Mister Wong Kai Tietjen, berichtete schon am vergangenen Freitag im Wong-Blog darüber. […]
July 30th, 2007 at 12:09
Mr.Wong hat sein Gesicht verloren - politisch korrekt natürlich…
Ich gebe ja nicht so viel auf diesen Social-Bookmarking-Kram, aber natürlich kenne ich Mr.Wong genauso, wie mir del.icio.us ein Begriff ist. Nun aber hat Mr.Wong sein Gesicht verloren - und zwar in mehrerer Hinsicht:
Die Macher nahmen die drollig…
July 30th, 2007 at 12:19
My 5 (german) cents:
I liked the logo. Yet I never thought all asian people looked like that, nor do I think that all asian people are busy managing bookmarks for dopes like me.
If you start such discussions, you should probably be extremely busy pointing out the stereotypes used in Hollywood movies for all sorts of nations. But I guess you ARE already very busy doing that. Good for you.
If you are offended by this name and logo: you are absolutely entitled to be so. As you are entitled to be offended by the english “mister” if you live in a non-english speaking country, or by the colour, if by chance your religious belief connects it to evil things.
I further think that the discussion of integrating immigrants has nothing to do with this topic. Because almost, if not every nation fails when it comes to integration. And most immigrants do, too. Don’t tell me that all the german, greek and turkish people are each by default moved into their part of the city. If you think that’s true, get a life.
Lastly, I think that the reaction by the owners of Mr. Wong is completely wrong. Instead of removing the potentially offending icon, they should have offered an icon for each ethnic group on the planet. So the users can decide who they think is most capable of doing one job better than everybody else: keeping their bookmarks. Alongside, they could have offered the possibility of changing the name as well. Maybe I would have chosen “Mr. Nemrut” instead? To quote Frank Zappa here: “Every ethnic group has characteristics that are generally being made fun of by other ethnic groups.” There is no problem in that, it’s natural.
And to throw it out: Imagine how utterly ridiculous you would feel if the makers of “Mister Wong” could present a friend of theirs, an asian dude in his 50ies, called Mr. Wong, who looks very much like the icon and who helped develop the service? Who actually owns one third of the company? Then you would suddenly be accusing a real person of being a stereotype. My word, I can see you blush now. But: It won’t happen. Nice throught, though.
July 30th, 2007 at 12:36
Sorry for that, Kai. I think, your logo was one of the best in the Internet. But some stupid people in the U.S. think, they have the one and only view in the world. It is no racism to use a logo like yours - it’s racism to blame you as a white man to imply you with racism.
In the U.S. there is no political correctness anymore. It is a witch hunt for all sane people in the world - and a basis for the lawyer industry in the U.S. It is one of the causes that 70% of all lawyers live in the U.S.
July 30th, 2007 at 13:00
Das ist doch lächerlich! Mister Wong hatte halt dieses Gesicht. Hätte dort ein weißer Mister Smith gestanden hätte sich wahrscheinlich niemand aufgeregt. Man kann es mit politischer Korrektheit auch übertreiben.
July 30th, 2007 at 13:04
Ich bitte auch den roten Stern zu entfernen, aus Respekt vor den Millionen Opfern der kommunistischen Regime. Eure Reaktion auf ein paar dahergelaufende Blogger, finde ich peinlich.
July 30th, 2007 at 13:07
Wie armselig. Anpassung an die verlogene “political correctness” bis zur Selbstauflösung. Was kommt als Nächstes ? Rauchen nur noch in der Besenkammer, natürlich mit schlechtem Gewissen gegenüber Staat, Arbeitgeber und Gesellschaft ? Himmel, Herr Tietjen, Du hättest den Wortführern der Beschwerde ganz amerikanisch “go, get a life” an´s Herz legen sollen.
July 30th, 2007 at 13:08
Oprah Winfrey’s skin is black, my skin is white, asians have slit-eyes…
SO WHAT?
The simple fact of picturing or naming these facts is neither judgemental nor in any way harmful. So i will call a black person black and not “african american” and i will call myself “white” and not caucausian.
The bad part comes way after that. It is treating people bad because of this. And this is the important part you PC-people should put your eye on.
July 30th, 2007 at 13:10
brown noser… =:-(
stopp licking the butt of a few freaks in the U.S. To what such a behaviour leads can be seen day after day in the news there: ingnorance, intolerance, and everything but brains.
July 30th, 2007 at 13:15
Mister-Wong muss Lächel-Chinesen entfernen…
…
July 30th, 2007 at 13:31
[…] Daraufhin wurde das Logo auf die reine Wortmarke reduziert und der Gründer und CEO von Mister Wong entschuldigte sich. Ich muss gestehen, dass ich die Idee und das Logo mit der Comic-Figur eigentlich lustig und nicht beleidigend und rassisitsch fand - aber wenn das US-amerikanische Asiaten anders sehen… […]
July 30th, 2007 at 13:52
Lol. ??
epic fail
July 30th, 2007 at 13:56
Das Fav-Icon müsste dann auch angepasst werden?
July 30th, 2007 at 14:06
Und was ist mit dem Fav-Icon? Den IE- und Firefox-Toolbar Buttons?
July 30th, 2007 at 14:14
I has to be all stylish, nowadays, don’t you see? It’s part of body & beauty cult, with roots reaching way back *not* just to the Nazis. The antithesis is and will be to loath style, the synthesis will be being simply what the opinion leaders want us to be …
July 30th, 2007 at 14:45
LOL.
July 30th, 2007 at 14:53
[…] Nachdem sich amerikanische User über das Mister Wong Logo empört haben, hat Construktiv reagiert und den lachenden Asiat aus dem Logo entfernt. Auf dem Mister Wong Blog ist jetzt auch eine öffentliche Entschuldung zu lesen. Wirkliche professionelle Pressearbeit… 2 x gelesen […]
July 30th, 2007 at 15:06
Oh no, those politically correctness-kiddies found a way out of their graves…
I wouldn’t be surprised if those who are trying to feel so much offended by the “Mister Wong” illustration are Whites and not Asians. Saying that I found the comments of “Nemrut”…
July 30th, 2007 at 16:05
[…] Nachtrag: Im englischen Blog gibt es eine Stellungname. […]
July 30th, 2007 at 16:06
[…] Aber im Ernst: Obwohl ich die Figur keineswegs als “herabwürdigenden Stereotypen” bezeichnen möchte, ist diese Entscheidung und die Reaktion von Kai Tietjen - Gründer und Geschäftsführer - m.E. völlig in Ordnung: It was never my intention, nor that of my company, to hurt anyone with the use of the illustration. We are extremely sensitive to this issue and the feelings of others. We removed the original illustration off the top of the page some time ago, when the issue first arose, in hopes that no one would be offended by it any longer. Though this was met with great disappointment from many of our users, we felt it was the right thing to do. […]
July 30th, 2007 at 16:54
Mister Wong - Der rassistische Social Bookmarkservice?…
Die Darstellung “Mister Wongs” ist rassistisch?! Die Verbildlichung unseres asiatischen Bookmarkverwalters Mister Wong finden einige Amerikaner rassistisch. Daher wurde nun das Abbild Mister Wongs im Logo der Social Bookmarkplattform entfer…
July 30th, 2007 at 17:25
It’s never too late to make a good judgment call… What surprises me is how long it took them. Several months ago, one of our Germany-based clients was considering including Mr. Wong on their website serving US customer/members. We successfully advised against it, for obvious reasons…
What puzzles us now, even more than the cultural insensitivity in this one case, is how many media in Germany label this a case of US-driven “political over-correctness.” Suggestion: Just get more folks with a diverse ethnic background on your teams, and you’ll find that not everyone laughs about the same - old - jokes.
July 30th, 2007 at 17:26
[…] after receiving serious (see Google Blogoscoped, Spiegel) flack over their supposedly stereotypical logo-design, german del.icio.us-competitor Mister Wong finally gave in and removed the lamented artwork, featuring the image of a man of asian ancestry alongside dumb taglines in the likes of “Ping Pong, King Kong, Mister Wong” (I mean, seriously??). personally, I tend to believe Mister Wong’s founder, Kai Tietjen, who claims in this blog-post: “It was never my intention, nor that of my company, to hurt anyone with the use of the illustration. We are extremely sensitive to this issue and the feelings of others.” […]
July 30th, 2007 at 18:16
[…] Bitte? Das Logo des Social Bookmark Dienstes Mister Wong scheint der politischen Korrektheit wegen rausgeflogen. Geschossen wurde gegen den sympathischen Schlipsträger aus dem 8Asians Blog. Daraufhin Schützenhilfe vom Mashable und Klarstellung im Mister Wong Blog. Jetzt sucht man das Maskottchen auf der Seite vergebens, nur noch ein pinker Stern. Schade! […]
July 30th, 2007 at 18:17
[…] Nun entschuldigte sich der Gründer von mister-wong seinerseit auf seinem Blog und entfernte das Logo. Zu sehen ist nun kein Bildchen mehr, sondern ein paar Wörter. […]
July 30th, 2007 at 20:17
[…] Der Social-Bookmark-Dienst “Mister Wong” hat sich nach Rassismusvorwrfen von seinem Comic-Maskottchen getrennt. Der verschmitzt lchelnde Asiate kam im Land der unbegrenzten Mglichkeiten nicht gut an. Kurz vor dem Start des Bookmark-Dienstes in den USA kann Kai Tietjen, Geschftsfhrer beim Betreiber construktiv, eine solche Diskussion gar nicht gebrauchen und schickt das eigentlich recht lustige Comicfigrchen kurzerhand ins Datennirvana. Im amerikansichen “Mister-Wong”-Blog nimmt er zu den Sache ausfhrlich Stellung: “It was never my intention, nor that of my company, to hurt anyone with the use of the illustration. We are extremely sensitive to this issue and the feelings of others”. […]
July 30th, 2007 at 20:35
[…] Mister Wong entfernt Mister Wong yigg_url = ‘http://www.baynado.de/blog/mister-wong-entfernt-mister-wong/’; Zu meinem erstaunen musste ich heute bei Basic Thinking lesen, dass Mister Wong , den Mister Wong entfernt. Hintergrund war eine negativer Bericht in den USA auf Mashable und dem 8asian Blog. Nun gab der CEO von Mister Wong nach und entfernte den Slogan und Mister Wong. Also ich konnte jetzt keine rassistischen Züge am alten Design erkennen. Da sieht man mal wie schnell man die Gefühle anderer verletzen kann. Ich bin ja mal gespannt, wann die ersten Tierschützer YiGG mit Klagen Drohen, wegen Tierquälerei, schließlich läuft das Hamster Masskottchen Marvin täglich in der Nachrichtenwelt und sucht nach den neusten News. […]
July 30th, 2007 at 20:54
[…] Stattdessen gibt es im Mister Wong Blog sogar eine Entschuldigung! Kai Tietjen scheibt dort wörtlich: “Es war nie meine Absicht, oder die des Unternehmens, die Gefühle andere mit dieser Illustration zu verletzen.” […]
July 30th, 2007 at 23:11
[…] Update: Sehe gerade beim kleinen, sympathischen, chinesischen SEO Nachbarn, dass es doch schon ein Statement gibt - und zwar in Englisch. […]
July 31st, 2007 at 09:47
[…] Bereits vor mehreren Wochen entschied sich das Unternehmen hinter Mister Wong, die Print-, Online- und PR-Agentur Construktiv, die Comic-Figur des Mister Wong als Zeichen der Kompromissbereitschaft aus dem Logo der Seite zu entfernen. Am vergangenen Freitag legte Construktiv-Geschäftsführer Kai Tietjen mit einer offiziellen Entschuldigung nach, die ebenfalls bei Mashable landete. Während der “Vorfall” bisher in Deutschland nahezu unbeachtet blieb, sorgte Kai Tietjens Statement im Unternehmens-Blog für ein enormes Echo in der Blogsophäre und gelangte gestern auch zu Spiegel Online. […]
July 31st, 2007 at 10:27
Ahhhh, and another non-american doubling over to the rule of the american way of life. How sad. If caricatures of a *holy person* makes believers freak out, then it’s “those damn islamic hot-heads, who don’t know about freedom (of speech)”.
If someone is using a logo that uses a chinese name and shows a fat chinese (in caricature style), then this is certainly an outrageous insult to all asians.
I find it really sad, that everyone is giving in, when some americans found something again (after looking hard and everywhere) to feel insulted.
July 31st, 2007 at 10:54
[…] The name is a bit strange… unfortunately the range of icons (favicon, Firefox toolbar icon) might actually be considered offensive to some users since they draw on ethnic stereotypes. On the other hand they might just be a bit of fun. You decide! [edit 31st July] The CEO has written a post about this on the Mister Wong Blog. […]
July 31st, 2007 at 11:41
I think the reaction to the logo is strange. I cannot see any negative context in it. Regarding Nemrut’s comment: Yes, the Nazi-Stuff is a negative stereotype about Germans. But the Mr. Wong Logo did not use a negative stereotype. I would rather compare it to a logo with a Austrian guy in traditional leather-trousers and yodel. Most of us do not wear leather-trousers and most of us do not yodel - but it does not hurt if somebody is shown yodelling and wearing leather-trousers.
July 31st, 2007 at 12:39
Eine Bitte an die Damen und Herren von 8Asians: Eine Vielzahl asiatischer Restaurants wirbt mit einer beleidigenden und herabwürdigenden Darstellung von Asiaten. Hier werden Asiaten klischeehaft überzeichnet dargestellt. Es ist beschämend und macht mich jedes Mal soooo wütend!
Wer mit offenen Augen durch die Welt geht, findet viele weitere Fälle beleidigender Darstellungen von Ethnien. Beispielsweise Nintendo mit ihrer Klempner-Figur “Super Mario”. Es liegt vielleicht daran, dass die Hersteller aus einem Land kommen, in dem die Achtung vor fremden Ethnien nicht so ausgeprägt ist, wie beispielsweise in Nordamerika. “Super Mario” mit seinem schwarzen Schnauzbart und seinem Grinsen ist eine geschmacklose Darstellung eines Italieners.
Die Universität von Notre Dame verwendet ebenfalls eine klischeehafte Darstellung einer ethnischen Minderheit in den USA, die vor Hunger und Armut geflüchteten Iren, die nun in beschämender Weise als streitlustige Männer mit Hut dargestellt werden. Es macht mich jedes Mal so wütend. Vielleicht liegt es daran, dass die Universität von Notre Dame in einem Land liegt, in dem die Achtung vor fremden Ethnien nicht so ausgeprägt ist, wie beispielsweise in Norwegen.
Das gleiche ist über die klischeehafte Darstellung des Nordeuropäers durch den Football-Club Minnesota Vikings zu sagen. Vielleicht liegt es daran, dass Minnesota in einem Land liegt, dessen Achtung vor fremden Ethnien nicht so ausgeprägt ist, wie beispielsweise in Italien.
Aber vielleicht beruht es wiederum auf ethnischen Vorurteilen, wenn man aus einem Einzelfall den Schluß zieht, dass es vielleicht an der Herkunft der betreffenden Person liegt, bzw. es sich hierbei um etwas für das Herkunftsland typisches handeln würde. Wie weit ist National-Chauvinismus von Rassismus entfernt? Aber das liegt vielleicht daran, dass ich aus einer Region komme, die in diesen Fragen anders tickt, wie beispielsweise Nordamerika …
July 31st, 2007 at 13:16
Meiner Meinung nach war dieser Gehorsam wegen der Meinung ein paar Weniger völlig unnötig.
BTW.: Der Blogger von Web2.0Asia - ein “echter” Koreaner - versteht das Problem auch nicht ganz. Siehe http://www.web20asia.com/117.
July 31st, 2007 at 13:22
[…] Der Geschäftsführer von Mister Wong, Kai Tietjen, reagierte in einem Blogbeitrag meiner Meinung nach mehr als angemessen. […]
July 31st, 2007 at 13:48
favicon is still there isn’t it?
July 31st, 2007 at 14:34
Hi Kai, sorry to hear that. I thought the smiling Mr. Wong was a positive and likeable logo for your bookmarking site.
And to all, I know Mr. Tietjen personally and he is a well mannered, educated and sensible man who wouldn’t do anybody intentionally wrong.
July 31st, 2007 at 18:56
[…] Persönlich frage ich mich, was man im “Nachbar- Online Marketing und SEO Blog” wohl mit mehr als angemessen meint, wenn dort geschrieben wird: “Der Geschäftsführer von Mister Wong, Kai Tietjen, reagierte in einem Blogbeitrag meiner Meinung nach mehr als angemessen”? […]
July 31st, 2007 at 21:20
[…] Then Kai Tietjen, the founder of Mister Wong, removed the illustration from the logo. It was never my intention, nor that of my company, to hurt anyone with the use of the illustration. We are extremely sensitive to this issue and the feelings of others. We removed the original illustration off the top of the page some time ago, when the issue first arose, in hopes that no one would be offended by it any longer. […]
July 31st, 2007 at 22:47
[…] Keine Aufschreie in den Weiten des Netzes? Mister Wong hat sein Gesicht verloren. Bei der Einführung im Ausland ist die Abbildung von Mister Wong leider nicht so gut angekommen. Kai Tietjen, Geschäftsführer von construktiv und Gründer von Mister Wong, hat sich hier dazu geäußert. […]
August 1st, 2007 at 00:22
I think you did the right thing - you changed or you will change to a different logo. No need to argue. I think Mister Wong was never been famous for its logo nor its name. Its known for the collection of its interesting links. I hope also Asian Americans, German Americans, Mexican Americans, Irish Americans, English Americans, French Americans etc. will finally like it and use it.
August 1st, 2007 at 06:14
It’s a plain fact now, like it or not, that the oriental caricature is controversial, the subject of increasingly vitriolic debate. The business angle should be obvious–distance yourself, steer clear, back off, don’t get messed up in the morass.
It’s not surprised that one stereotype begets another, that is, how Mister Wong’s defenders, some anyhoo, have stereotyped Americans as pathological in their political correctness. I’m a Canadian, and even though I’m wearing a Royal Canadian Mountie hat and hockey skates in my igloo office, just getting inside from felling a few thousand trees, first tapping them for the maple syrup, it’s only by accident that I happen to take the neutral view, finding no offensive in Mister Wong, but granting that some people might.
Ha!
bob
August 1st, 2007 at 08:05
At various occasions (Berlin 07 conference and in written form) I have pointed out to Mr. Wong reps the unfortunate choice of their logo. My point is the following: Almost all bookmarking apps and other web 2.0 apps refrain from depicting a particular human being in their designed logo. It might be a P.R. decision, but certainly ensures not to alienate anyone depicted or not depicted. Abstract forms are inclusive, they generate systems of belonging.
Especially if one intends to expand o.s., cross-cultural sensitivities, existing legislation and cultural practices must be taken account of. (Anschlussfähigkeit)
As it has the best functionalities of the German bookmarking apps, I look forward to also not have the logo in my tool-bar.
August 1st, 2007 at 08:11
On other occasions (Berlin 07 conference and in written form) I have pointed out to Mr. Wong reps the unfortunate choice of their logo. My point is the following: Almost all bookmarking apps and other web 2.0 apps refrain from depicting a particular human being in their designed logo. It might be a P.R. decision, but certainly ensures not to alienate anyone depicted or not depicted. Abstract forms are inclusive, they generate systems of belonging.
Especially if one intends to expand o.s., cross-cultural sensitivities, existing legislation and cultural practices must be taken account of. (Anschlussfähigkeit)
As it has the best functionalities of the German bookmarking apps, I look forward to also not have the logo in my tool-bar.
August 1st, 2007 at 08:19
I mentioned at a blogger conference in Berlin this year that this logo was unsuitable and objectionable. Listen to the feedback. If you want to go on the international stage, listen to the international voices when they come to you, rather than when you go to them.
August 1st, 2007 at 10:29
What an interesting discussion. In my eyes Mr. Wong was just a friendly looking asian buisnessman who was the logo for a smart service. I still cant see anything else.
Please tell me, what was wrong with Mr. Wong. His eyes? His friendly smiling? What? In my eyes he was a very positiv charakter. Why did you see something else, and what did you see?
August 1st, 2007 at 10:34
In Germany there used to be a TV show where Turkish guys made fun of Turkish stereotypes. In Japan a book about why Japanese annoy everyone else has become a bestseller. In Russia… Well, we make fun just about everything. I just don’t get it why Americans seize the slightest opportunity to get offended. I’m really curious about whether any of the offended people were actually Asian. Somehow I get the feeling that most of them would have been bored white men.
Before you start screaming at me, I’m a female jewish immigrant from Russia living in Germany. One could hardly belong more a minority that could rightfully be offended at something than I do. Still I would have no problems with an already suggested site called mister Jew with a jewish character on it. Guess why? Because it is truly my belief that we can only overcome natonal diversities by laughing at them. As long as making fun of Jews is tabooed the Holocaust will never be overcome.
“For this reason I will keep my del.icio.us account current. Personally, I don’t find the Mister Wong image offensive, but I have to grant that others might.”
Get a life.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:35
[…] August 1, 2007 at 9:35 am · Filed under politiical correctness, satire reading this: <a href=”http://blog.mister-wong.com/a-message-from-the-founder/2007/07/27/”>Mister Wong-Blog - A Message from the Founder</a> it occured to me: […]
August 1st, 2007 at 12:40
Mister-Wong Logo - Rassismus?…
Mister Wong ist rasistisch? Der Social Bookmarking Dienst Nr. 1 in Deutschland musste heute sein Logo entfernen, auf Grund “schwerwiegernder Vorwürfe” aus den USA.
Der lachende Asiate Wong ist verschwunden weil sich amerikanische Nutz…
August 1st, 2007 at 13:36
Wongs Kopflosigkeit: eine Ching-Chong Affäre…
Mister Wongs Logo-Asiate sieht sich Rassismus-Vorwürfen ausgesetzt. Resultat: die beliebte Social Bookmarking Seite präsentiert sich ab sofort kopflos.
……
August 1st, 2007 at 15:50
[…] Das wäre meine Message an den Founder. […]
August 1st, 2007 at 22:08
[…] While I thank Mister Wong’s web team for taking substantial steps to alleviate and mediate, the overtly insulting responses to Ernie’s post were not constructive in any way whatsoever and only showed just how necessary it was for 8Asians to air our disturbance in an open marketplace of ideas. […]
August 2nd, 2007 at 06:40
As the author who wrote a blog entry criticizing mister-wong.com’s mascot, I’ve received a lot of… passionate debate on the matter. Some of it extremely vitriolic and obscene, but that’s not the reason why I’m writing this comment.
After talking with many people with a variety of opinions about the subject, I don’t believe that the staff chose the logo with malice, and I emphasize with the team and the user of mister-wong.com that a piece of important branding was taken away by what many people see as an interest group. Many people have asked what I personally found upsetting about the mascot, and Akyrpti, a fellow writer of one of the blogs I post on, as written a more eloquent post that I wouldn’t be able to write as well. The post is here:
http://www.8asians.com/2007/08/01/an-eggshell-psyche-mister-wong-and-why-8a-took-a-stand/
You can come up with your own conclusions - while other commenters interpret the mascot as “warm and whimsical,” I (and MANY other Americans, not just Asian-Americans) interpret as offensive and reminiscing of darker times.
Does that mean Americans are overly race-sensitive and politically correct? Perhaps. Overly so? Is it justified? That’s up for debate, but because there is racism and discrimination, both subtle and overt, in the United States (actually, EVERYWHERE) there needs to be methods and practices addressing this.
And it boils down to the following: If Mister-wong.com wants to make an international presence in the United States, it must be mindful of the cultural norms in the country they are releasing a product to; it just makes good business sense.
That’s why the website exists, right? Which is why, as both an Asian-American and as someone working in the Internet industry, I appreciate Kai and his team listening and acting on decisions such as this. The executive team could have looked the other way and shrug this off as American PC group-think; but it would have made for dreadful business sense.
PS: To the Jewish woman who comments above saying that a “Mister Jew” character wouldn’t be offended because the best way to combat stereotypes is through humor, believe it or not, I actually agree with that, and good for her. Unfortunately, I don’t trust the rest of humanity to do the same. And from a business point of view, that battle shouldn’t be waged on a social bookmarking engine, but I could be wrong.
August 2nd, 2007 at 18:02
[…] For the international beta (=English) 1,000 beta testers added another 150,000 bookmarks to the system. But this was not the main reason Mister Wong was getting so much attention in the last weeks, it was their mascot, a Chinese guy. Due to this, the guy was removed from the logo and CEO Kai Tietjen posted “A Message from the Founder” It was never my intention, nor that of my company, to hurt anyone with the use of the illustration. We are extremely sensitive to this issue and the feelings of others. We removed the original illustration off the top of the page some time ago, when the issue first arose, in hopes that no one would be offended by it any longer. Though this was met with great disappointment from many of our users, we felt it was the right thing to do. […]
August 2nd, 2007 at 19:07
[…] The CEO decides to remove the mascot, resulting in many responses from Germans and floods this site with comments as to the loss of their mascot. […]
August 2nd, 2007 at 21:05
Mister Chong wrote:
Want Mister Wong back alive? It’s possible! Mister Chong bring back Mister Wong!
If you use FireFox do the following:
1. Install this extension https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/748
2. Install the Bing Bong Mister Wong Script http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/11082
3. Mister Wong is back again!
August 2nd, 2007 at 21:25
[…] Crowdsourcing bei Mr Wong August 2, 2007 at 9:25 nachmittags | In Web 2.0 | Der ein oder andere hat bestimmt vom “Mister-Wong-Skandal” gehört. Kurz zusammengefasst: Acht Asiaten (in den USA) stellten beim Surfen durchs www fest, dass im Logo von Mr Wong die Charikatur eines Chinesen abgebildet ist. Uhuuu, die bösen rassistischen Deutschen wieder… Dass Mr Wong in Wirklichkeit ein kluger (weiser) Mann ist, der den Usern beim Organisieren der Bookmarks hilft und damit ein absolut positives Image hat, hat man nur in China so verstanden. Dort ist Mr Wong m.W. der erfolgreichste Bookmarkingdienst (also noch vor del.icio.us). Und so ging eine Welle der Entrüstung ging durch Nordamerika und Teile Europas… Najaaa. Ist stark übertrieben!! Sagen wir: In der Blogosphäre wurde kontrovers diskutiert. Nur so viel: Das Wort Ausschwitz fiel mehr als einmal… Schon traurig. Das Ende vom Lied: Der arme Kai Tietjen musste den symphatischen Mr Wong in den Ruhestand schicken. Und jetzt wirds spannend: Mr Wong sucht nun ein neues Logo und wendet sich dabei an seine Nutzer. Insgesamt 12.000€ sind zu verdienen. Super Idee. Ich finde das gesamte Krisenmanagement von Mr Wong wirklich absolut spitze. So macht man aus einer Krise einen PR-Erfolg. Würde mich nicht wundern, wenn es diesen Fall bald als Havard Business Case gibt. […]
August 3rd, 2007 at 06:08
[…] Die typische Bildmarke der “Social Bookmarking”-Anwendung wird seit einigen Tagen nicht mehr angezeigt. Wo ist Mister Wong? Visum abgelaufen? Verschleppt? Nein, es hat einen anderen Hintergrund. In den letzten Wochen gab es einen weiteren Karikaturenstreit. Diesmal in den Neuen Medien. Man möchte politisch korrekt sein und reagiert damit etwas überstürzt auf absurde Rassismusvorwürfe. Man geht ja auch nicht hin und unterstellt den weltweiten stereotypen Darstellungen von Lederhosen tragenden Figuren, sie wären eine Beleidigung für alle Deutschen. Aber genau das macht einer der Autoren von 8Asians, indem er den Machern von Mister Wong vorwirft die Zeichnung eines verschmitzt grinsenden Asiaten wäre anstößig. Kai Tietjen, den Gründer von Mister Wong hat er jedenfalls überzeugt. Klar, im Zuge der weiteren Expansion versucht man Stolpersteine aus dem Weg zu räumen. Ein schlechtes Image wäre da sicherlich wenig hilfreich. Bei Deutsche Startups und auch im Netzlogbuch kann man mehr dazu lesen. Wie dem auch sei. Nun soll ab kommenden Dienstag in einem großen Logo-Wettbewerb ein neues Signet gefunden werden. Insgesamt werden hierfür 12.000 US$ ausgelobt. Man darf gespannt sein. Vielmehr noch als die Form dürfte die politische Sauberkeit hierbei im Vordergrund stehen. […]
August 3rd, 2007 at 07:56
Mister Wong ist wrong…
Ist aus arbeitsbelastungstechnischen Gründen an mir vorbeigerauscht, aber aus dokumentatorischen Gründen sollte man mal dort klicken, das beachten (vor allem die Google Ads unten, hihi) und das da lesen.
Die Leute von Construktiv (Disclaimer) ha…..
August 3rd, 2007 at 09:34
[…] Viele dürften mittlerweile den Social-Bookmark dienst mister-wong.de kennen, der neben den ganz großen wie del.icio.us grade in Deutschland sehr beliebt ist. Wie die Werben & Verkaufen heute berichtet, muß sich das bisherige “Comic-Maskottchen” ein neues zu Hause suchen: Der deutsche Social-Bookmark-Dienst Mister Wong schickt sein Comic-Maskottchen vorzeitig in Rente. Der asiatische Halbglatzenträger kam bei der potenziellen US-Kundschaft nicht an. Vor allem chinesischstämmige Amerikaner sollen sich an der Bildmarke gestört haben. Jetzt rudert Kai Tietjen, Chef des Website-Betreibers Construktiv, zurück: “Es war niemals meine Absicht oder die meiner Firma, irgendjemanden mit der Illustration zu verletzen”, versicherte er im amerikanischen Mister-Wong-Blog. “Wir sind bei diesem Thema und mit Blick auf die Gefühle anderer extrem sensibel.” Zum Start des US-Ablegers ließ der Bremer das Logo darum komplett überarbeiten. […]
August 4th, 2007 at 04:06
[…] 8 Asians […]
August 4th, 2007 at 11:13
[…] Ping Pong, Mister Wong Posted August 4, 2007 Während an vielen Stellen über die Rassismus-Vorwürfe gegen Mister Wong berichtet wird, fehlt mir bei der Berichterstattung oft das folgende, kleine Detail, das man sehr einfach über die Google-Suche verifizieren kann und auf das ich durch Mike Schnoors Blog gestoßen bin: Kräht ein Hahn auf dem Mist, heißt das nicht, dass ein ganzes Land kräht oder sich damit identifizieren kann. Zwar ging das beim Fall “Flickr Zensur” sehr schnell, aber ein klares Statement seitens Mister Wong hätte genügt um der Argumentation von 8asians, die ja scheinbar zu der Yahoo-Clique gehören und damit auch im amerikanischen Platzhirsch del.icio.us verstrickt sind, sämtlichen Wind aus den Segeln zu nehmen. […]
August 6th, 2007 at 01:12
Sehr schade. Ich fande den Kerl echt dufte.
August 9th, 2007 at 23:23
Aha… so ein BS
und das nächste Mal wird dann Disney von Tierschützern verklagt, weil es tierfeindlich ist, wenn man Enten Gamaschen oder überhaupt Kleidung in Cartoons tragen lässt…
Also ich kann bei dem Asia-Mandl weder eine Beleidgung noch eine Rechtsverletzung erkennen und würds nicht einfach entfernen weil ein paar (die es immer gib) rum motzen…
christoph c. cemper
August 10th, 2007 at 00:41
[…] I’d say this is a wise guideline, because we all know what happened with the last “logo.” No! Settle down. Focus on the present. Aside from being a brilliant lemonade-from-lemons marketing strategy for Mister Wong, I think this is a great opportunity for everyone who had an opinion about that logo (aesthetic or political) to get creative. […]
August 10th, 2007 at 15:47
[…] Nachdem Mister Wong sein bisheriges Logo nicht mehr verwendet, sucht der Social-Bookmark-Dienst nun ein neues Maskottchen. Webdesigner, Grafiker und andere Pixeljongleure sind aufgerufen am “Wong and Only Logo Contest” teilzunehmen und haben damit die Chance auf das Preisgeld von 12.000 US-Dollar. […]
August 16th, 2007 at 15:05
[…] Amerikanische User hatten sich über das Mister Wong Logo (lachender Asiat) aufgeregt und nun wurde von Mister Wong der lächelnde Asiat entfernt. Auf dem Mister Wong Blog kann man sich jetzt eine öffentliche Entschuldigung der Macher durchlesen. […]
August 17th, 2007 at 22:34
As many others have mentioned, I want to reiterate that 1. Corporate (and generally-speaking) best practices for localization are to omit ANY image of a person or people to best suit the global audience; and 2. The purpose of the image is to help the business or associated content. However, even with strict attention to this, some people will never be satisfied. It is the bane of the social bookmarking phenomenon–the key word is “social”–which relies on people, and people are unreliable, fickle, are inclined to mob-mentality (piggybacking), and often hypersensitive…but ultimately I think in any public-facing forum, people want to support you. They want you to succeed. They want you to provide meaning and value. Keep on keepin’ on, Mister Wong. You’ll figure it out as you go!
August 27th, 2007 at 02:01
Das neue Logo mit dem “Roten Stern” dürfte aber auch nicht allen gefallen. Cameron Diaz wurde für ein ähnliches “Vergehen” in Peru kritisiert. Sie hatte einen roten Stern auf ihrer Tasche. Die Peruaner erinnert das Symbol an die Grausamkeiten der Terroristen vom “Leuchtenden Pfad”. Siehe z.B. hier: http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/leute/0,1518,490291,00.html
August 31st, 2007 at 21:58
Ich fasse es nicht mehr - man kann ‘political correctness’ auch auf die Spitze treiben. Ich glaube, jeder normal denkende Mensch hat hinter diesem Logo keine rassistischen Gedanken vermutet. Warum auch, dann dürften so manche Comicfilme nicht mehr ausgestrahlt werden, in denen ein kleiner chinesischer Mann mit Zopf *wirkennenihnalle* breit lachend über den Bildschirm flitzt. Und solch ein Logo mit Mr.Kraut und Hitler-Gruß, Mr. Jew und dicker Nase etc. in Verbindung zu bringen - ja hallo, geht’s noch? Diese Vergleiche sind für mich viel schlimmer, als ein kleiner asiatischer Mann, der freundlich von einer Website lächelt.
Leute, euch fehlt einfach ein bisschen Humor, ein bisschen auch sich selbst auf die Schippe nehmen zu können und ein bisschen Lässigkeit. Vielleicht sollte man mal die Asiaten fragen, ob sie sich von dem Logo gestört oder diskriminiert fühlen. Ich denke, die meisten werden das verneinen, denn es gibt sehr viele Asiaten, mit viel Lässigkeit und viel Humor. Und selbst wenn dort ein Mr. Kraut in Lederhose und mit Gamsbart (hallo Klischee, wie auch der lächelnde Asiat) drauf gewesen wäre - ich als Deutsche würde mich davon in keinster Weise diskriminiert fühlen.
Nach Abmahnwelle im Internet folgt nun anscheinend eine ‘ach wir sind so korrekt’ Welle? Das kann eine sehr langweilige Zeit werden. Vielleicht sollten sich all die, die sich an solch einem Kikikram aufziehen, mal an die wirklich wichtigen Dinge in dieser Welt machen. Auch vor ihrer Haustür können sie so einiges tun, damit z.B. Jugendliche nicht abdriften, zu Gewalttätern, Ausländerhassern oder, oder, oder werden. Und da wird ein kleiner, lächelnder Mann (gleich welcher ethnischen Gruppe) wohl das kleinste Problem sein. Solch ein Logo macht Menschen nicht zu Rassisten oder Gewalttätern…
September 14th, 2007 at 23:57
OMG wie sinnlos.. ich bin nicht rassistisch, aber aus irgendeinen Grund will ich jetzt das Logo auf meiner Seite haben! Schon aus Trotz :D
September 30th, 2007 at 19:40
“Nicole Simon Says:
July 27th, 2007 at 17:44
As most Germans, I am amazed at the comments towards Mister Wong in this regard. “
As most Germans , I … ???!!
Well I only think by myself but … should I say as most French , i am amazed at that sentence ?!
October 1st, 2007 at 01:11
This is supposed to be an ‘international’ blog about an ‘international’ contest for an ‘international’ website , right ? Right ??!
May german people ( who are known to speak a good english ) have the intelligence of talking in ENGLISH ?
Tai vi toi khong biet noi tieng duc ! Hieu khong ?!!!!!!
October 5th, 2007 at 20:53
[…] Mister Wong ist nach den Querelen um den pummeligen Asiaten auf der suche nach einem neuen Logo… […]
October 8th, 2007 at 15:43
We can discuss, if it was a good idea to use such a logo in the first place or what the logo might have to do with a social bookmarking service.
But, I more and more have the impression, that people all over the world start looking at things just to find something which might make someone feel offended. Noone is really offended, but the thought that I might be offended is enough to start a ralley against whatever.
Is this the future we all want to have? Just use a little common sense and cool down before being offended!
April 6th, 2008 at 16:08
Nicht schlecht. :)