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Naomi Osaka called racist after posting meme in response to COVID-19 cases

79 Comments
By grape Japan

As a tennis superstar and now the highest paid sportswoman in the world, Naomi Osaka has recently been using her platform to raise awareness of racial injustice and specifically give support to the Black Lives Matter movement. Her recent emphasis on the stance, particularly on Twitter, comes in the wake of the May 25 murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by police, which sparked protests throughout the United States.

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In an interview with Reuters, Osaka said "I’m vocal because I believe in the movement and want to try to use my platform to facilitate change...George Floyd’s murder and the situation generally in America has had a big impact on me. Being silent is never the answer. Everyone should have a voice in the matter and use it."

Osaka currently resides in and has spent most of her life in the U.S., but she has both Haitian and Japanese parents and is a major star in Japan. While her support of BLM and stance against racial injustice has made media rounds, it's garnered more attention from Japanese internet users since organized BLM protests have taken place in Japan.

That attention intensified, particularly from trolls and racist detractors of the tennis star and her stance in Japan after Osaka shared the monkey puppet meme on her Twitter account. The meme uses a stunned looking monkey to express shock and confusion.

The post, which has no accompanying text, was in response to tennis colleague Novak Djokovic and others testing positive for COVID-19 at the Adira Tour event (as well as rising cases in the U.S.). As Osaka notes below, however, she received backlash from Japanese Twitter users claiming she was pushing the "Yellow Monkey" slur.

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Even a quick glance at the responses to the original image confirms this. In both English and Japanese, many responded without knowing the context of the meme calling Osaka a hypocrite for supporting racism against black people but attacking Japanese, telling her to leave Japan (where she does not live), and a slew of gorilla-related images:

"You say to not discriminate against black people but do so against Asians. You're the worst."

"This is racial discrimination against Asians. You're saying Asian monkeys ignore black people problems? I don't consider you Japanese anymore. Please don't participate in the Tokyo Olympics."

"After you talked all that talk about discrimination, you post this? I'm shocked."

"It's because of you black people keep being hated and now I hate you. If you want to be treated like you're Japanese, speak and write in Japanese."

"In order to prop up black people you have to say "yellow monkey" huh."

"Naomi = black monkey?"

And there is much more. A lack of familiarity regarding memes and their usage excuses some confusion, but certainly not to the extent of such a hateful response. It's worth noting that there are a number of Japanese Tweets explaining the situation, what memes are, and how the image is in no way a racist attack against Japanese people.

Osaka, as usual, seems to be taking things in stride.

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© grape Japan

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

79 Comments
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Victimhood mentality at its finest!

14 ( +18 / -4 )

The Japanese meme scene isn’t as strong as in western countries. If the average Japanese person was able to browse and understand reddit, they’d be exposed to all the “mainstream” memes which includes the side-glancing monkey.

27 ( +29 / -2 )

One poster said “I don’t consider you Japanese.”

How is that an insult!? It’s a compliment if nothing else

-4 ( +19 / -23 )

Racist Japanese cry racism while being racist.

44 ( +52 / -8 )

Anyone can be accused of racism nowadays. You just have to say something that someone else disagrees with, which can then be spun to be racist.

14 ( +27 / -13 )

Why people even bother with Twitter is beyond me.

I read it but Tweeting just leaves people open to attacks/trolling from the professionally outraged and real racist trash.

24 ( +25 / -1 )

Another irony is that the "yellow-monkey" slur is pretty much obsolete; it's only really mentioned by Japanese and hearkens back to Meiji times.

And the posters are saying she's being racist against Asians. Well, the offence triggered among Chinese seems to be precisely zero. And historically, the Chinese had it much worse when it comes to racial abuse, as these Japanese posters should know (being, undoubtedly, some of the chief perpetrators).

I think what many of the posters are really trying to say is: "How dare you commit racism against Asians? That's OUR job!"

25 ( +26 / -1 )

wow get all that from a picture, since when do asians have red hair and big eyes like in the monkey photo,

be pretty stupid of Naomi to make a racist Asian joke when her mother is asian and shes half asian!?

16 ( +18 / -2 )

This whole rascim ting has gone too far and is driving off the road. Clearly there was no rascist intent in usig the monkey meme by Osaka.

17 ( +20 / -3 )

Naomi Osaka has recently been using her platform to raise awareness of racial injustice and specifically give support to the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Naomi is apparently unaware that BLM is a Marxist organization that is involved in money laundering and has done a lot of damage to the U.S., which I notice she has spent most of her life and currently resides in despite making the huge mistake of renouncing her citizenship in order to represent Japan in the Olympics.

-21 ( +17 / -38 )

Calling Osaka a "superstar" ranked at #10 is a real stretch of the language. Oh, and by the way, she is half Haitian, NOT half black. If you ever call a Haitian person "black" they would be highly offended -- its a cultural thing...

-12 ( +9 / -21 )

Welcome to the world of identity politics Naomi. Stay as far away from the asylum as possible. No body is ever woke enough to survive.

just be your natural cool self. Everyone loves you anyways.

8 ( +15 / -7 )

If this is racist then everything and everyone is racist. Hmm maybe that is it .. eureka everyone is racist

5 ( +10 / -5 )

lol

They don’t know the meaning of the meme and are only judging on what they THINK is racist. It’s ridiculous to even think that monkey = black people. Just about everybody calls their 2-4 year old kids monkeys because of the way they act.

They are way off base here.

4 ( +12 / -8 )

Welcome to our (white) world Naomi.

Any innocent comment or cartoon by a Caucasian, is twisted by the PC’ers, & we are called racists

4 ( +21 / -17 )

There is nothing racist about the pictures. They are typical cute animal images one sees all over Japan. What is racist is Japanese right-wing racism against a black Japanese in creating a problem where no problem exists.

13 ( +27 / -14 )

Calling Osaka a "superstar" ranked at #10 is a real stretch of the language. Oh, and by the way, she is half Haitian, NOT half black. If you ever call a Haitian person "black" they would be highly offended -- its a cultural thing...

I would call her a superstar. Definitely in Japan anyway and well known across the world.

In her brief career she has been world #1 and won two grandslams. She is currently #10 because that's the way the ranking works - she'll be back up before long (but well done for checking her ranking).

I didn't know that Haitians didn't like to be called black, especially as French speakers it sounds surprising that they would be offended by the most common descriptor of someone with African genetic heritage. How do they describe themselves?

I think you are more interested in attacking Naomi Osaka than making valid points, but I'm happy to play along.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Almost the same BS as the race car driver and his imagined noose attack.

The crazies are runnin the show. Grab your popcorn!

3 ( +16 / -13 )

I wonder what the Japanese rock band The Yellow Monkey has to say about all this fuss?

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Japanese accusing an American Japanese of racism? Interesting. This whole country is brainwashed into jingoism.

Take for example last nights NHK news. It's a typical example of the brainwashing here. Headlining with a domestic Japanese issue of over 50 new cases of Covid19 in Tokyo. No information on who or where this has happened. No investigative story. So what do they immediately cut to as the film piece accompanying this Covid19 outbreak? A Qatar Airways flight arriving at Narita with all the foreigners being tested and film of women wearing their burkha. Then the head of immigration at Narita complaining of not enough staff and how no more foreigners should be allowed into the country. All carefully orchestrated (he was the head of immigration) into NHK's government brainwashing for the masses. You see how it works?

So for anyone Japanese to dare to use the accusation of racism against Naomi Osaka of all people is beyond comprehension.

And forget watching NHK news anymore, if you're non-Japanese it will turn you against this wonderful country.

16 ( +19 / -3 )

jeancolmarToday  05:23 pm JST

There is nothing racist about the pictures. They are typical cute animal images one sees all over Japan. What is racist is Japanese right-wing racism against a black Japanese i

How do you know they are "right wing"? Racism does not necessarily have to be poltically connected.

2 ( +14 / -12 )

Why do news websites nowadays make entire articles out of tweets from a few random nobodies?

12 ( +13 / -1 )

A quote from "Brave New World" comes to mind

"We were red in tooth, fangs, and words. I marched with the mobs. I bowed to their demands. I transformed myself into what they demanded. When they ran out of targets the mob then came for me."

14 ( +14 / -0 )

How do you know they are "right wing"? Racism does not necessarily have to be poltically connected.

True, but it does tend to have a more natural home on the right these days. This isn’t a partisan point.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

True, but it does tend to have a more natural home on the right these days. This isn’t a partisan point.

I'd disagree. It mostly comes from the left.

-7 ( +6 / -13 )

That puts paid to any future Naomi Osaka statue.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Naomi Osaka should get her American citizenship back and play for the US team. Japan is simply not a place for her. She is much better at the US rather than a xenophobic place such as Japan.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

TigesTokyodome

And forget watching NHK news anymore, if you're non-Japanese it will turn you against this wonderful country.

You will be shocked, the private channels are not any better.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Yellow Monkey? Since when were asians consider yellow skin? I think they look more like the traditional Japanese Snow Monkey bathing in the winter hotsprings with their pink monkey face if want to talk about comparison. I don't understand why people compare monkeys to asians and africans. If you said " Im going to go eat chinese food" people would say your racist for calling it chinese....

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Racist people or people who discriminate against others suffer from inferiority complex,are retarded,slow thinkers,have low education levels,hate themselves,mostly come from families with problems,envy their targets so much but because they cannot get to that level,they become jealous and spew forth a lot of vitriol,malice,fury and hatred.Some of them try to hide under some guise but even a kid can clearly read their minds,some even comment on this thread and will not hesitate to down thumb you because they hate and loath the truth..such people usually lead an unbelievably miserable life.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Vernon WattsToday  05:02 pm JST

Calling Osaka a "superstar" ranked at #10 is a real stretch of the language. 

What... winning the US and Australian Opens and being a former #1 in the world, DOESN'T qualify 'superstar' status?

You're setting the bar mighty high...

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Serrano

Naomi is apparently unaware that BLM is a Marxist organization that is involved in money laundering and has done a lot of damage to the U.S.

Marxist... organization...

Someone reading too much right wing tabloid newspapers.

7 ( +12 / -5 )

Marxist... organization...

Someone reading too much right wing tabloid newspapers.

It wouldn't surprise me if it was heavily influenced by Marxist ideology - most Marxists are very supportive of groups fighting racism. The ANC that led the fight against apartheid and had Nelson Mandela as its head was a Marxist organisation, and it has been governing SA for thirty years.

Obviously the right do not really support black rights, so that leaves a massive hole in the market for the left to enter and fill, so almost inevitably they are going to be left-wing. The right and centre-left should ask itself why it needs groups on the extreme to fight for fairly basic rights for minorities.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

The headline is unfair as it makes it sound like she has said something potentially offensive, which isn’t the case. The casual browser who doesn’t read the whole article could easily get the wrong impression.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

This girl rides the fence which ever way the wind blows.

That doesn't make her a racist, just an opportunist using all she's got.

She ought not to line herself up too heavily with the victim set, she is not one of them.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Sometimes a picture is just a picture.

Of course Ms. Osaka is a racist.

Anyone who has any opinion that someone else doesn't like is a racist according to the self-appointed race-police. Because she is very wealthy, she will always be called a racist. The only way out for her is to give 95% of that money away, but only to the "correct" causes, because anything else would also be called racism.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

blue in green, agreed. She’s just an opportunist like many “celebrities”. Self promotion is

second nature for them. I guess she thought she was on

safe ground joining the current BLM cult that seems to be sweeping the virtuous. Wrong. Now shes been called out by her fellow japanese.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

Oxycodin

don't understand why people compare monkeys to asians and africans.

We are all "monkey boys and girls." 98.8% of our DNA is the same as a Chimpanzee's. I don't think it has anything to do with race. My parents called me "monkey boy" all the time. I was fairly acrobatic into my 20s. Kids can act like monkeys. Some adults do as well. I love getting into a hot tub after a day skiing in the mountains. That's monkey behavior, since I bet they were doing it long before humans did.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I bet part of the problem for Japanese is they simply don't understand the memes, so easily misinterpreted.

Its like comedy, westerners usually don't get(or even want to) J-comedy & same for Japanese with the westerns versions....

And as some posted, Naomi might be better by staying out of the fray sometimes. And one of the reasons I don't like watching ""news"" is that there is just so much UN-newsworthy crap on & the amount of time wasted on these tiny weeny ""issues"" just leaves me shaking my head.

But then maybe I should take my own advice & not post on this thread LOL!!!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Bit of a stretch that her twit was even refering to "Asians" in general even without the meme context. And if not, how is it even racist.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

As Osaka notes below, however, she received backlash from Japanese Twitter users claiming she was pushing the "Yellow Monkey" 

Speaking of yellow monkey, I recommend everyone check out this Kick@ss Japanese rock band. By far the greatest Japanese rock-n-roll band past and present. Odd though, nobody accused me of racism when I wore a yellow monkey tail to their reunion concert a few years ago.

invalid CSRF

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Osaka can run for President, because of her birthright

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Its hilarious. Osaka thought she would cash in and be popular and cool with the BLM thing. But hypocrisy will always reveal itself.

Now shes forever tainted as a racist. It wont go away.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

Hang in there Naomi,

the world will be whole one day and maybe soon. Narrow minded righties will be crapped out into the stellar unko pile.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Not sure it's worth sacrificing sponsor money Miami...

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

It's a good thing that Naomi speaks out. Japan will be better because of people like her. Many Japanese, like myself, support her despite everything. Go, Naomi! I am with you.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

How do you know they are "right wing"?

You don't. But when you hear hooves, you think of horses, not zebras.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

As Osaka notes below, however, she received backlash from Japanese Twitter users claiming she was pushing the "Yellow Monkey" slur.

A slur? Afaik, Yellow Monkey is a Japanese rock band. Never heard anybody complaining about "Yemon".

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Japanese people should be very proud of Naomi instead of accusing her of being racist. Naomi is Japanese and Asian, so how can she make racist jokes about Asians? It is Japanese who commit racist acts against people of mixed Japanese heritage everyday.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

My Father-in-Law pointed to himself on our first meeting in a suburb just outside of Hiroshima-shi and said "Yellow Monkey? Huh?" several times. I had NO IDEA what he was talking about having never heard the epithet and having much confusion on the color description. I had not nor have ever seen a 'yellow person'. I'm looking forward to it. And his question to me was, in fact, racist in that he carried a prejudice of MY opinion as a White Monkey of him. The fact that I apparently loved his daughter was not enough to suspend such 'feelings' in him. We all have childhood programming regarding 'difference'. That is the Human's failing, able to be persuaded that 'difference is dangerous'. When provoked, it can even cause fratricide. And it is a political disease laid upon us by those wishing to control our behavior and is most easily aroused in our least capacious fellow monkeys, whatever 'color', religion, perceptual memes, et alia, that can be used to arouse our fears to hatred of the 'other'. It's a science, and has been for many thousands of years (see: Edward Bernays' "Propaganda" (1928)).

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Calling someone a "monkey" means they are less than human and definitely meant has a racist slur.

In your opinion. Thankfully, we can see that opinion isn't the majority.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

One poster said “I don’t consider you Japanese.”

Fair enough. While a small child, her Japanese mother and Haitian father made a conscious decision to escape Japan for the US, and to this day, America is where Naomi chooses to live.

She's technically Japanese, but really, she is not. Just like I am Canadian, not English.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

... in the wake of the May 25 murder of George Floyd ...

Innacurate churnalism by JT. The man was was "killed", or "died". The case is ongoing and the police officer involved has NOT been found guilty. His bail has just been set. It isn't murder unless a court finds him guilty or murder and we are a long way from the start of a trial, which may find Floyd died accidentally, given possible pre-existing conditions, his toxicology at the time if the incident, and other scenarios currently unknown.

US media are reporting that some groups are calling it "murder" but JTs story today says it IS DEFINITELY MURDER, hence breaching subjudice laws. Suggest a rewrite of this story. The alleged killer would be within his write to seek legal action against JT.

(Media Law was a strong point when I was training young journalists)

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Oops... Typo: "guilty OF..." and "within his RIGHT..."

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

The word "racism" is so over-used that it is almost devoid of meaning, except as a way to try to win your argument

I once heard it said, in order to survive in Japan, you must become racist yourself in order to maintain some sort of dignity. . There is a mentality of us vs them, we Japanese vs the rest of the world and no effort is made to even try and understand others. All the pandering will just exhaust you. There isnt a week that goes by where I dont hear somebody in a restaurant or event kitchen, when yours truly arrives on scene, and while sitting while being gaijin, all sorts of "gaijin blah blah" suddenly are heard. I didnt even get a chance to introduce myself, and Im already being talked about. There is no discussion about the "G" word and its long term effects on the mental health of us.

She's technically Japanese, but really, she is not. Just like I am Canadian, not English.

I dont think she really understood the implications of choosing Japanese nationality. If she tweeted in Kanji, I would see and there would be the usual rabbit hole army of Nihonronjin nasties who would attack, just like we saw with the halfu miss Japan young lady.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

"It's because of you black people keep being hated and now I hate you. If you want to be treated like you're Japanese, speak and write in Japanese."

Classic. How many times do we hear that? but there seems to be a disconnect; if she wont tweet in Japanese then many Japanese feel its an insult, or that she is not Japanese enough or talking down to them because due to their education system, she has the advantage. The catch is, once you start in Kanji, you already lost.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I like Naomi as a tennis player, but I think she should think again about her career as a political activist. Just stick to tennis, Naomi, and you'll feel less pressure, which was something you were complaining about not too long ago.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

I disagree, I think she and other mixed Japanese are highly intelligent and come with insight and truth to a very real issue and problem in Japan.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

One other thing, that photo at the very top is one of her best. She looks great.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

She still has the fresh gaijin look about her, whereas the young lady who was raised the majority of her life in Japan and was miss Japan, had that more native look, connected to the real. If she moves to Japan and goes in deep, with all her mannerisms being challenged and the huge struggle that comes with the wash, I think she would look different.

Boku no kokuseki sono mama kekko desu. Even with all the moronic things going in the US Im not changing my nationality to Japanese.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Call me a monkey, means that I lack 0.2%of the genes that a human has?

Well, no problem!

And if Naomi were to start a school for minorities to address the racial inequalities, then the positive outcomes would far outweigh her presence on social media.

How about Naomi?

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

She has never been accused of being smart!

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

First of all, she is no superstar, she acts as a spoiled kid that doesn't know her nationally from a hole in the ground. She only denounced her citizenship because she would never had made the Olympic team in the US, however, in Japan, yeah a superstar. Bet ya she will not medal there either.

As far as, Black Lives Matter, she has no clue what they are all about, just jumping on the bandwagon like everyone else. Her mom is Japanese, however, I speak more Japanese than she does, and I am not even Japanese.

Again, in my books, she will not medal in the Olympic Games, then watch her childish reaction.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

First of all, she is no superstar, she acts as a spoiled kid that doesn't know her nationally from a hole in the ground. She only denounced her citizenship because she would never had made the Olympic team in the US

She never "denounced" her citizenship. She may have renounced it, though we don't know.

This whole thing is an example of people project their own failings unto others. The ones who scream "racist" the quickest are the ones to watch out for.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Why is Ms. Osaka supporting a racist and violent organization? Change will come via ballot but NOT violence.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

I guess this will stop a few self-entitled here to stop considering her Japanese again. Talk about overreaction! Just because the trolls in question aren't the focus of attention on racist issues and desperate wish for a cause does not at all make her post in the least bit racist. Hopefully this will make her think a little more carefully when choosing nationality.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

It would be a sad thing if the kind of unrestrained mutual hatred regarding racial matters in the US were to infect Japanese society. Rational debate is good. What is happening in the US is not it. Banning the police, pulling down historical statues, shaming people who misspoke a couple of words, etc, is more like the Chinese communist Cultural Revolution being replicated in US society. Japan wants that too?

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

B. Jay:

Japanese people should be very proud of Naomi instead of accusing her of being racist.

There is no need for Japanese people to be told by you. We, Japanese, love her.

She was the most favorite female athlete in Japan according to the Oricon ranking in 2018.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Welcome to our (white) world Naomi.

Any innocent comment or cartoon by a Caucasian, is twisted by the PC’ers, & we are called racists

Poor white people. So misunderstood.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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