上班族必備軟實力

[Richard is tall, puts ketchup on all his food, and has a big nose.]

Foreigners get upset about some of the commercials shown on TV in Taiwan. Even some product names can upset the expatriate community.

Some advertisements may seem innocent to the people of Taiwan, but outsiders can be much offended. Reactions may include revulsion, anger, or laughter, but they are not intentionally insulting. These mistakes came from unawareness and not from hatred or ill will.

For example, there once was a German-made air conditioner for sale. The Taiwan seller wanted to emphasize its German roots, so in the advertising, they had a cartoon Hitler. He said it was because German products have a good reputation for dependability, and when people think of Hitler, they think of Germany. The ad cause a stir and even some official condemnation from foreign governments.
 

Toothpaste is for everyone.

Black Man toothpaste outraged a lot of people before the name was changed. The company liked the contrast between white teeth and black face from the old, racist minstrel shows. They changed the English name from Darkie to Darlie in 1989, but the Chinese name remains the same.

Most foreigners in Taiwan think that the “big nose” label is insulting. An advertisement for a local English school that should have known better showed a young boy who spoke English so well that others could not tell him from a native speaker. To show this, the boy wore a big, false nose.

Thin-skinned Westerners often howl about anything that offends them, but they often forget about any Western movies and television shows that insult Asian people. I am writing another article about that. Thank you for reading this one, most honorable reader.