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Is this disgusting Chinese ad the most racist ever?

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DailyBite
DailyBiteMay 28, 2016 | 17:52

Is this disgusting Chinese ad the most racist ever?

We in India often look up to China as a role-model in technology, infrastructure and so on. But, it looks like China is also aping India, though, in a not-so-respectable department - racism.

Only two days ago, on May 26, a 23-year-old Congolese national, M T Oliva, was beaten to death over an argument with some men in New Delhi.

Now, there haven't been any deaths in China, but a blatantly racist advertisement for a laundry detergent (yes, you read that right) has gone viral on social media.

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The ad (shown above), for detergent Qiaobi, shows an attractive Chinese woman doing laundry. A paint-streaked, and seemingly salacious young, black man appears and whistles at her. Nothing special. In fact, you can see where this is going, right? Wrong!

After briefly toying with him, the woman stuffs a detergent capsule in the man's mouth, and pushes him into the washing machine. And when she is done washing, lo and behold, out comes a young "clean" Chinese man. The detergent , apparently, turns the "dirty" black man into a "clean", sparkly and white Chinese fellow!

The ad is shockingly racist. Period. It not only plays out the usual prejudices about skin colour, but also perpetuates the stereotype about black men as being overtly sexual.

In the past also, many people, incuding dark-toned Chinese, have voiced how racism and prejudice thrives in China. The ad, it seems, only confirms this. 

Recently, during the promotion of the Star Wars film, a similar example came to light. In China, posters for Star Wars: The Force Awakens were altered to minimise John Boyega, a black actor who plays Finn, a central character in the film.

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Now, India and China have finally found their rightful place in the world as powererful, booming economies. This blatant and ever-increasing racism, especially towards black people, doesn't bode well for these two developing superpowers.

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The racist detergent apalled viewers from across the world, including China, and many took to social media to express their disgust:

Last updated: May 28, 2016 | 22:52
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