Bucked-teeth & fortune cookies

[sandra]

http://i.xanga.com/demi_kasia/header_cookies.jpg

Donned with Charlie Chan-esque imagery, "Mr. Chew's Golfing Fortune
Cookies" (written in "oriental" font) come in various packages including:

"Won Long Drive" for Golf Tournaments
"So-Long Yu" for Retirement
"Ms. Not So Yung" For Retirement Female
"Not So Yung Guy" For Retirement Male
"Sweet Dar Ling" for Valentine's Day
"Sum Hot Stuff" for Adult X-Rated
"Yu Forty Years Yung" for 40th Birthday


Manufacturer:
Innovative Concept Marketing
15 E. Palatine Road
Suite 105
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
800-FUN-MDSE fax 800-FUN-PILL
also 847-808-1119
sales@funmdse.com

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Roth, Luna (EIQPTPOKFI) luna2000@rogers.com
15 McMurrich Street
Suite 105
Toronto, ONT M5R 3M6 CA
416-927-7544 fax: 416-927-1765

Distributor:
FUNSHOP.COM
1145 East 79th Street
Bloomington, MN 55420
Telephone: 952-876-9071
Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (CST)
E-mail Address: Contactus@FUNSHOP.COM
URL: http://store.funshop.com/mrchewfamfor.html

Distributor:
Bachelorette Parties
Email: comments@bacheloretteparties.com
Phone: 1-800-809-0610
URL: http://www.bacheloretteparties.com/rratforcookd.html

Distributor:
1UniqueBasket.com (it's part of the basket)
email: questions@1uniquebasket.com
phone: 866-899-7990
URL: http://www.1uniquebasket.com/mercha...tegory_Code=Fhi


Script for Telephone Calls:
Hello, may I please speak with the owner of this company? My name is (blank) and I'm calling from Yellowworld.org. I am calling in regards to your company's sale of fortune cookies packaged in a manner depicting Chinese Americans with buck teeth and slanted eyes with racist caricature. Is it your personal opinion or the opinion of your company that such a portrayal of Asian Americans is acceptable in this day and age? (get an answer and post it here). Please be informed that by continuing to sell this item, your company is perpetuating and endorsing hate and violence against Asian Americans by portraying us as forever foreigners. If this remains on the market, we will be notifying other progressive organizations around the globe that your company actively endorses racism. Can you tell me now if this will remain on the market? (wait for an answer)

If he says yes, say, "You have been duly notified of our plan."

If he says no, say, "Thank you for your understanding. When will it be pulled?"

If he says he will consider it, say, "Thank you for your understanding. When can I get a definite answer?"

You don't have to say it word for word - the above is just for those who don't have an idea of what to really say. Have fun with this, guys, and work on your negotiation skills. Haha, and if you are reading it word for word, please don't say, "My name is blank." I've done that before =p
**************************************************


Form Email or Fax - feel free to copy and paste or modify (faxing is preferred so they get a hard copy)
(DATE)
Dear (name of Company)

I am writing to express my discontent regarding the line of products you are offering called Mr. Chew’s Fortune Cookies. The packaging of this product bears a racist caricature of a Chinese man with buckteeth, slanted eyes, and large ears. It is shocking and completely unacceptable for such images to be used to portray people of East Asian descent. Caricatures such as these have been historically used to mock and exploit Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans. Furthermore, these images enforce stereotypes which breed discrimination, hatred, and hate crimes against the Asian American community, as a whole.

I respectfully request that this line of products be removed from sale and other distribution immediately. Furthermore, I hope that you will cease all further business relations with the wholesaler of this product. Other community organizations are being made aware of this product line. If it is not removed from sale, we will be forced to escalate this awareness effort. We are also requesting a written confirmation that your company will permanently cease sales and adverstisement of this product. Please send the confirmation to kasie@yellowworld.org at the earliest time possible.

I thank you for your understanding and prompt cooperation in this matter.

Regards,
(YOUR NAME)
(CITY, STATE, COUNTRY)

[sandra]

List of Mafia Members Who Have Called (i promise to give karma - c'mon you karma whores):

1. Moschikat is #1 (but Jackie's been my #1 for a long time anyway =p)
2. Crack_whore (Jason)
3. Chairman_Mah
4. SunWuKong
5. Johnpvee
6. kittygirl
7. nonamerasian
8. Chotto_Mate
9. Achtungbaby
10. Kasia
11. Hooligan
12. Mojo
13. Applehead
14. 537

[moschikat]

So I called him - and the 800 number is his personal line :

Me: Hello! *give script* . . . . errr . . uhmmm . . . so yeah? (Confrontation isn't really my thing . . .can you tell? Kasie told me not to be nice on the phone too!! *puts on war face!*)

Guy: Okay! First of all - who are you and how did you find my website? Second of all - if you guys are from an organization representing Asian Americans and you call yourselves yellow - that's just asking for trouble right there! I mean, we don't call the redmen - red anymore now do we?

Me: *grrr!!* Well, what I think we're trying to say is that by having silly looking images and characters available to mainstream audiences isn't really helping the stereotypes that we all get put into.

Guy: Hmm, well if there are more people willing to contact me, please tell them to feel free and do so - either e-mail me or call me, because if I'm offending people then I'd like to know so I can take it down!
Me: Okay - where can we e-mail you at?
Guy: info@advertisemint.com , is there anything else?
Me: Nope - thank you for your time and understanding! Have a nice day!

KAAAAARRRMAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!! *giggles*

[sandra]

awesome job, jackie. the guy's asking for more phone calls, so let's let him know that how we feel.


johnpeevee is writing an email template for us right now.

[ChairmanMah]

this is what i wrote



Not too funny there dude.

I'm sure no one would like a product such as "Trailer trash Moonshine" or "Negro's cotton Swabs" If this product goes further into market, we will have no choice but to find a way to take legal action that will cost you a lot of money.

Sincerely,


ChairmanMah
Another YW representitive

[sandra]

The product is now off his website, BUT the pictures are still there. Feel free to email to let him know how you feel while I try to get some sort of confirmation from him that he's keeping the products off forever. Once I receive that confirmation, I will so inform all of you.

You guys rock!

[SunWuKong]

he hung up on me. :tongue:

"Hi, I'm calling in regards to the fortune cookie product that you're selling."
"Ok."
"Are you aware that the packaging that you've put the product in is extremely offens..."
*hangs up*

[SunWuKong]

The product is now off his website, and I am seeking an email confirmation from him that it will remain that way forever. Meanwhile, feel free to call or email to let him know how you feel. Once I receive that confirmation, I will so inform all of you.

You guys rock!

yeah, it being off his website is no guarantee that he isn't going to keep using the packaging. if it's not too expensive, i'm going to order some of those cookies if he "confirms" that he's not using that packaging anymore.

[johnpvee]

(DATE)
Dear Mr. David Lonergan:

I am writing to express my discontentment with your offering of a line of products called Mr. Chew’s Fortune Cookies. Your packaging bearing a racist caricature of a Chinese American with buckteeth, slanted eyes, and large ears is a blatantly offensive. I do not feel it is not acceptable to portray Asian Americans in this light. Images such as this exploit and perpetuate negative stereotypes of my community for your company’s financial gains. Furthermore, these images enforce the stereotypes which breed discrimination, hatred, and hate crimes against my community. My community will not stand without action and be portrayed as abnormal, perpetual foreigners.

I respectfully request that this line of products be removed from sale to the public from your direct sale and your distributors immediately. Other community organizations are being made aware of your product line. If this product is not removed from sale, we will be forced to escalate this awareness effort.

I thank you for your understanding and prompt cooperation in this matter. If you have any further questions regarding this matter or my request, please feel free to contact me at (PUT SPAM EMAIL ACCOUNT HERE).

Regards,
(YOUR NAME)
(CITY, STATE, COUNTRY)

-------

ack... sorry i lag... here ya go.

[johnpvee]

oh yah... for your convenience... info@advertisemint.com

[moJo]

I just sent him an email. Unfortunately, I'm at work, and I don't think I can make the phone call here in my little cubicle without being heard, especially if I get into an argument with the guy. But it looks like he's not even letting you guys talk for more than a few seconds.

I pretty much adapted the phone call script Kasie provided, and asked that he remove the product:
My name is Jo, and I'm a member of Yellowworld.org. I'm writing in regards to your company's sale of fortune cookies packaged in a manner depicting Chinese Americans with buck teeth and slanted eyes with racist caricature. Please be informed that by continuing to sell this item, your company is perpetuating and endorsing hate and violence against Asian Americans by portraying us as forever foreigners. This protrayal of Asian Americans is not acceptable in this day and age. I urge you to remove these products from your website and from your product line. If this remains on the market, we will notify other progressive organizations around the globe that your company actively endorses racism.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Jo
Yellowworld.org

[kitty]

hmmm... should i call him? email him? i'm not sure what to do now.


... looks around *confused*... y'all did a lot in two hours. I feel so out of the loop. :D

[kitty]

uhm... is it just me or is the entire site down now?

[moJo]

uhm... is it just me or is the entire site down now?
i don't think so, cuz it just worked for me. maybe when you checked, other YWers just happened to be bombarding it. :)

[kitty]

oh never mind... i'm being stupid

edit... now that he has taken the picture sof the packaging off, was anyone smart enough to save the original pictures??

[sandra]

sorry, i write slow: here's a copy of my email to him-

Dear Mr. Lonergan,

My name is Kasie Lee, and I am one of the administrator's at Yellowworld.org,
an internet activist site dedicated to protecting the civil rights of the Asian community. It was brought to my attention today that your company,
AdvertiseMint.com, is engaging in the sales of fortune cookies that are packaged in boxes with pictures portraying Asians as slanty-eyed, buck-teethed individuals. Accompanying those were names such as "Won Long Drive" and "Ms. Not So Yung," thus making a joke of Chinese names - names that our parents and grandparents gave us.

Many of our members are highly offended by the racist nature of your product. The Asian community has had a long history of being victims of hate and discrimination, and your company's portrayal of us only furthers the
stereotypes that have served as a basis for the hate.

I am aware that some of our members have contacted to via email and telephone to voice their concerns to you. I am also aware that the some of the sample pictures of your fortune cookies have been taken off of your website. However, there remain two pictures displaying the racist caricature. They can be found at http://www.advertisemint.com/catalogcookies.htm. The members of Yellowworld.org demand that all such racist depictions of us be taken off your website at the earliest time possible. We would also like a written confirmation that your company will neither sell nor advertise this product again in the future.

We would truly appreciate your cooperation with us on this matter. Your understand and sensitivity would mean a lot to our community. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at this email address. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Kasie Lee, on behalf of
Yellowworld.org

[kitty]

Okay... I just called.

The guy has taken the stuff off of his website and told me he was going to destroy all of his inventory. He asked not to be bombarded anymore, since he isn't selling the stuff anymore. He is upset and deeply apologetic for having offended anyone. I'm not sure -- should we wait to see if there's any confirmation that this is legit?

Meanwhile, I'll hold on the form letter until Kasia or someone chimes in on how to proceed.

[sandra]

just waiting for a written confirmation =)

[kitty]

just waiting for a written confirmation =)

yeah. he said he wasn't going to write anything on the website and didn't want to give me written confirmation since we were... y'know... on the phone :)

[Faithless]

Okay... I just called.

The guy has taken the stuff off of his website and told me he was going to destroy all of his inventory. He asked not to be bombarded anymore, since he isn't selling the stuff anymore. He is upset and deeply apologetic for having offended anyone. I'm not sure -- should we wait to see if there's any confirmation that this is legit?

Meanwhile, I'll hold on the form letter until Kasia or someone chimes in on how to proceed.

Yeah, I just called the 800-number after I realized from Kasia's post that there was one.

He says that the advertisement will be discontinued and that the product is not even his.

He says that he wishes for yellowworld.org to stop their campaign.

I feel sorry for him, since he sounds "shooken-up". :rolleyes:

[kitty]

I feel sorry for him, since he sounds "shooken-up". :rolleyes:

"My hands are shaky and my knees are weak
I can’t seem to stand on my own two feet
Who do you thank when you have such luck?
I’m in love
I’m all shook up
Mm mm oh, oh, yeah, yeah!"

[Faithless]

"My hands are shaky and my knees are weak
I can’t seem to stand on my own two feet
Who do you thank when you have such luck?
I’m in love
I’m all shook up
Mm mm oh, oh, yeah, yeah!"

Will have to check back with the web site later.

YW is badass! :biggrin:

[Emperor_Mike]

I've sent a letter and I've also forwarded copies to my friends at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto law schools asking them to submit similar notes. We shall see this through to a successful conclusion, I think.

[sandra]

no, but the title banner still shows two of them (not the entire line):

http://www.advertisemint.com/images/header_cookies.jpg

maybe we should save it.

http://i.xanga.com/demi_kasia/header_cookies.jpg

[Faithless]

I thought package was supposed to be appealing if you wanted someone to eat the stuff. Makes me wanna puke.

[applehead]

omg. you guys rock!

[>:^|]

Well, lookie here.

http://www.funmdse.com/store/media/22222s.jpg

http://www.funmdse.com/store/mrchews_01.html

[sandra]

um...i apologize for all my typos in the letter to him. i won't let that happen in the future. was totally multi-tasking.

still awaiting his email confirmation.

[johnpvee]

http://store.funshop.com/mrchewfamfor.html

here, too...

[johnpvee]

and here...

http://www.bacheloretteparties.com/rratforcookd.html

[kitty]

eeeek... they're multiplying like rabbits!!

here be the contact info. no 1-800 number unfortunately

FUNSHOP.COM
1145 East 79th Street
Bloomington, MN 55420
Telephone: 952-876-9071
Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (CST)
E-mail Address: Contactus@FUNSHOP.COM

[sandra]

Well, lookie here.

http://www.funmdse.com/store/media/22222s.jpg

http://www.funmdse.com/store/mrchews_01.html

looks like we only hit one of the distributors (who hopefully will be PISSED at the manufacturer).

can someone investigate and find out who the manufacturer is?

[Faithless]

Well, lookie here.

http://www.funmdse.com/store/media/22222s.jpg

http://www.funmdse.com/store/mrchews_01.html

Well, whaduya fawking know?

[johnpvee]

Okay... let's squash all of the ones we can find TODAY!

Funshop.com
Email: Contactus@FUNSHOP.COM
Phone: 952-876-9071 (sorry, no 800#)
URL: http://store.funshop.com/mrchewfamfor.html

Bachelorette Parties
Email: comments@bacheloretteparties.com
Phone: 1-800-809-0610
URL: http://www.bacheloretteparties.com/rratforcookd.html

-----

(DATE)
Dear (name of Company)

I am writing to express my discontent regarding the line of products you are offering called Mr. Chew’s Fortune Cookies. The packaging of this product bears a racist caricature of a Chinese man with buckteeth, slanted eyes, and large ears. It is shocking and completely unacceptable for such images to be used to portray people of East Asian descent. Caricatures such as these have been historically used to mock and exploit Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans. Furthermore, these images enforce stereotypes which breed discrimination, hatred, and hate crimes against the Asian American community, as a whole.

I respectfully request that this line of products be removed from sale and other distribution immediately. Furthermore, I hope that you will cease all further business relations with the wholesaler of this product. Other community organizations are being made aware of this product line. If it is not removed from sale, we will be forced to escalate this awareness effort.

I thank you for your understanding and prompt cooperation in this matter. If you have any further questions regarding this matter or my request, please feel free to contact me at (EMAIL ADDRESS).

Regards,
(YOUR NAME)
(CITY, STATE, COUNTRY)



Yellowworld.org

[>:^|]

Manufacturer:

Innovative Concept Marketing
15 E. Palatine Road
Suite 105
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
800-FUN-MDSE fax 800-FUN-PILL
also 847-808-1119
sales@funmdse.com

The person who answered the phone at ICM confirmed that they manufacture all the products on their website.

[sandra]

Tel: 416-787-6436 or 1-800-296-5408 - Please call to let him know how you feel. Note that the 416 is a Canadian #. If you get the voicemail, please leave a message anyway. If he asks for contact info - ask him to email me at kasie@yellowworld.org.

^ I still haven't received email confirmation from him, so we don't have to stop calling. I don't know how sincere he is. Let him and the rest know that we are seeking a WRITTEN CONFIRMATION.

here's the script again.
Script: Hello, may I please speak with Mr. David Lonergan? My name is (blank) and I'm calling from Yellowworld.org. I am calling in regards to your company's sale of fortune cookies packaged in a manner depicting Chinese Americans with buck teeth and slanted eyes with racist caricature. Is it your personal opinion or the opinion of your company that such a portrayal of Asian Americans is acceptable in this day and age? (get an answer and post it here). Please be informed that by continuing to sell this item, your company is perpetuating and endorsing hate and violence against Asian Americans by portraying us as forever foreigners. If this remains on the market, we will be notifying other progressive organizations around the globe that your company actively endorses racism. Can you tell me now if this will remain on the market? (wait for an answer)

If he says yes, say, "You have been duly notified of our plan."

If he says no, say, "Thank you for your understanding. When will it be pulled?"

If he says he will consider it, say, "Thank you for your understanding. When can I get a definite answer?"
You don't have to say it word for word - the above is just for those who don't have an idea of what to really say. Have fun with this, guys, and work on your negotiation skills. Haha, and if you are reading it word for word, please don't say, "My name is blank." I've done that before =p

[johnpvee]

ICM
email: sales@funmdse.com
phone: 847-808-1119
URL: http://www.funmdse.com/store/mrchews_01.html

1UniqueBasket.com (it's part of the basket)
email: questions@1uniquebasket.com
phone: 866-899-7990
URL: http://www.1uniquebasket.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1UB&Product_Code=TOFS&Product_Count=14&Category_Code=Fhi

[SunWuKong]

I just sent him an email. Unfortunately, I'm at work, and I don't think I can make the phone call here in my little cubicle without being heard, especially if I get into an argument with the guy. But it looks like he's not even letting you guys talk for more than a few seconds.

I pretty much adapted the phone call script Kasie provided, and asked that he remove the product:

hahha, you know, i actually called Coble's office while i was at work. i wonder if anybody heard me. but i wasn't raising my voice or sounding frustrated.

[DragonKnight]

Hehe, sent out e-mail. Let's see if they respond.

[sandra]

Manufacturer:

Innovative Concept Marketing
15 E. Palatine Road
Suite 105
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
800-FUN-MDSE fax 800-FUN-PILL
also 847-808-1119
sales@funmdse.com

The person who answered the phone at ICM confirmed that they manufacture all the products on their website.


k! THIS is our main target! Has anyone called them?

[sandra]

i contacted all the distributors and the manufacturer. here's the letter i sent to the manufacturer - almost the same, but i mentioned that we contacted the distributors and some are cooperating with us. we should make him refund them.

Dear ICM,

My name is Kasie Lee, and I am one of the administrator's at Yellowworld.org,
an internet activist site dedicated to protecting the civil rights of the Asian community. It was brought to my attention today that your company,
AdvertiseMint.com, is engaging in the sales of fortune cookies that are packaged in boxes with pictures portraying Asians as slanty-eyed, buck-teethed individuals. Accompanying those were names such as "Won Long Drive" and "Ms. Not So Yung," thus making a joke of Chinese names - names that our parents and grandparents gave us.

Many of our members are highly offended by the racist nature of your product. The Asian community has had a long history of being victims of hate and discrimination, and your company's portrayal of us only furthers the
stereotypes that have served as a basis for the hate.

I am aware that some of our members have contacted to via email and telephone to voice their concerns to you. We have also been in touch with all of your distributors. Some have already removed your racist product from their website. The members of Yellowworld.org demand that all such racist depictions of us be taken off the market at the earliest time possible. We would also like a written confirmation that your company will neither sell nor advertise this product again in the future.

We would truly appreciate your cooperation with us on this matter. Your understand and sensitivity would mean a lot to our community. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at this email address. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Kasie Lee, on behalf of
Yellowworld.org

[Faithless]

If the BBB can be of any assistance, here's the Chicago area BBB's web site:

http://www.chicago.bbb.org/

They serve the 60070 zip code.

[nonamerasian]

I just sent a letter, not sure how long it will take for a response.

[kitty]

sent an email :) haven't called yet.

[SunWuKong]

for www.funmdse.com

Registrant:
Roth, Luna

Address:
15 McMurrich Street
Suite 105
Toronto, ONT M5R 3M6
CA

First Registered:
February 07, 2000

Last Updated:
January 14, 2004

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Roth, Luna (EIQPTPOKFI) luna2000@rogers.com
15 McMurrich Street
Suite 105
Toronto, ONT M5R 3M6
CA
416-927-7544 fax: 416-927-1765

Name Servers:
NS1.DYNAMICNET.NET 161.58.178.178
NS2.DYNAMICNET.NET

[sandra]

she wrote me back asking me where i got her info.

[Faithless]

she wrote me back asking me where i got her info.

I think you're protected:

Is my domain registration information public? (http://www.fatcow.com/help/faq/domain.html#faq4)
Yes, the contact and registrant information is public record in the universally available Whois database. Complete and accurate information is required to maintain your domain registration.

[hooligan]

e-mailed ICM, i'll let you know what happens. i'll call when my battery recharges, i have no main line, just my crapppy cell phone.

[sandra]

Dear Ms. Lee

I am an active supporter of the Asian community and frequently
participate in activities that benefit our society and create an
environment that does not discriminate between any race or religion.

I have no authority in this matter; however, I personally respect and
acknowledge your opinion and will immediately bring this matter to the
attention of senior management at funmdse.com for their response.


Ms. Roth

[>:^|]

I wonder if she is management at that company or if she is just a web developer/secondary registrant? I also wonder if she's the same Luna Roth that's involved in that tobacco litigation.

she wrote me back asking me where i got her info.

Heh ... Tell her G_d gave it to you. :biggrin:

[Emperor_Mike]

No reply yet, but if my friends are to be believe, they've all sent one putting the combined total on my side of things at seven letters. I'll have them inform their other friends too and we'll see how things go.

[AngryABCGirl]

The adversment is gone, but www.funmdse.com still has them up.

[Tao]

i sent a e-mail.....should i call?

[Faithless]

Manufacturer:

Innovative Concept Marketing
15 E. Palatine Road
Suite 105
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
800-FUN-MDSE fax 800-FUN-PILL
also 847-808-1119
sales@funmdse.com

The person who answered the phone at ICM confirmed that they manufacture all the products on their website.

That 800 number is just an order number. I was greeted by a clerk, who took my name and (work) number and said they would have someone call me back.

They say they just distribute.

[sandra]

That 800 number is just an order number. I was greeted by a clerk, who took my name and (work) number and said they would have someone call me back.

They say they just distribute.

Registrant:
Roth, Luna

Address:
15 McMurrich Street
Suite 105
Toronto, ONT M5R 3M6
CA

First Registered:
February 07, 2000

Last Updated:
January 14, 2004

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Roth, Luna (EIQPTPOKFI) luna2000@rogers.com
15 McMurrich Street
Suite 105
Toronto, ONT M5R 3M6
CA
416-927-7544 fax: 416-927-1765


You can contact her. I wrote her already & she said she's sympathetic, but then she wrote back saying that she can't reach the senior management until next week. So I'd say that you can feel free to give her a call and to leave messages for the senior management - e.g., letting them know that their product is racist, that we're contacting their distributors while we wait for their response, etc. etc. We want it pulled from the market and we want them to reimburse all their distributors if they choose to return it to them.

If they say that their only the distributors, I think they're lying. It says that they manufacture everything on their site & they sell wholesale.

[sandra]

Got this from Bachelorette Parties.

Thanks for writing Kasie,

Although we do sell X-rated fortune cookies, I don't believe that we fit the
description below. We have
NEVER used the terms "Won Long Drive" and "Ms. Not So Yung," or anything of
that nature. You may be confusing us
with a competitor or the company that makes this product.

Our company markets X-rated fortune cookies here:

http://store.yahoo.com/bacheloretteparties/rratforcookd.html
http://store.yahoo.com/bachelorette-dot-com/an10098.html
and here
http://store.yahoo.com/bacheloretteparty/an10098.html

We operate three websites that all sell the same product (Bachelorette.com,
BacheloretteParties.com, and BacheloretteParty.com).I agree that Mr. Chew's X-Rated Fortune Cookies do have a cartoon man on the
package, that is an unfortunate characture. Otherwise, I
have put some thought into the product and don't see it as overtly racist.
I merely seee them as a parody of traditional fortune cookies.
Substituting the traditional lucky number with 69-69-69 doesn't seem racist,
it merely seems juvenile and
in the proper context, funny. My recollection of the other "fortunes" is
that they are equally dumb. I can send you a sample box if you wish.

It is likely that a competitor does indeed market this product in the manner
that you describe. We definitely do not. I understand
your fight and I think it is a good one. I feel that myself and my
employees understand the effects of racism very well and we do
our best to avoid it in all forms.

If you wish to discuss this further, you can reach me at XXXX (I will call him first. If he does not comply, I'll disclose his direct line.)


Also - don't feel discouraged - I think there are just 3 distributors & one manufacturer, and we've already convinced 1 of the distributors to take it down. we can just repeat what we did yesterday.

Manufacturer = ICM
Innovative Concept Marketing
15 E. Palatine Road
Suite 105
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
800-FUN-MDSE fax 800-FUN-PILL
also 847-808-1119
sales@funmdse.com

Distributors = Funshop & Bachelorette Parties.
FUNSHOP.COM
1145 East 79th Street
Bloomington, MN 55420
Telephone: 952-876-9071
Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (CST)
E-mail Address: Contactus@FUNSHOP.COM

and see above for bachelorette's contact.

[sandra]

My response to Bachelorette:

Dear Mr. Nardone,

Thank you kindly for your response. You are correct in stating that the product that you sell does not contain the racist names as described in my first email to you. However, it does nonetheless have the racist caricature, and it is the position of our group that alone should warrant its removal from the market. We have spoken with perhaps your competitor at Advertisemint.com, and they have agreed to discontinue selling or advertising the product. We have also contacted the manufacturer. As Asian-Americans, we can unequivocally state that the product is overtly racist.

I will give you a call as soon as I can. Thank you for working with me.

Sincerely,

Kasie Lee
Yellowworld.org

[sandra]

List of Mafia Members Who Have Called (i promise to give karma - c'mon you karma whores):

1. Moschikat is #1 (but Jackie's been my #1 for a long time anyway =p)
2. Crack_whore (Jason)
3. Chairman_Mah
4. SunWuKong
5. Johnpvee
6. kittygirl
7. nonamerasian
8. Chotto_Mate
9. Achtungbaby
10. Kasia
11. Hooligan
12. Mojo
13. Applehead
14. 537
15. >:) (you get who i'm talking about)
16. DragonKnight


To the above group that helped us defeat one of the distributors, please don't give up just yet. To the rest of you who would like to add your name to the list, please help us out!

[DragonKnight]

I got a response:

From: "Tom Nardone" <elvis@wwnet.com>

Thanks for writing.

I do not talk to the manufacturer of this product often, but the next
time I do, I will mention it to them. I don't like the picture either. The
product is fun, but the packaging is not cool.

The company is

Innovative Concepts marketing
Chicago, IL

Thanks again for writing.
---
Tom Nardone
President, Isdera Corp. - Specialists in Online Privacy
http://www.IsderaCorp.com and http://www.ShopInPrivate.com

[sandra]

I got a response:

From: "Tom Nardone" <elvis@wwnet.com>

Thanks for writing.

I do not talk to the manufacturer of this product often, but the next
time I do, I will mention it to them. I don't like the picture either. The
product is fun, but the packaging is not cool.

The company is

Innovative Concepts marketing
Chicago, IL

Thanks again for writing.
---
Tom Nardone
President, Isdera Corp. - Specialists in Online Privacy
http://www.IsderaCorp.com and http://www.ShopInPrivate.com

That's perfect - don't delete that email. Now they're starting to point fingers at each other. Yesterday, ICM denied to one of our members that they were the manufacturer. This is proof :)

[TyroneK(prettypretty)]

Manufacturer = ICM
Innovative Concept Marketing
15 E. Palatine Road
Suite 105
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
800-FUN-MDSE fax 800-FUN-PILL
also 847-808-1119
sales@funmdse.com

Distributors = Funshop & Bachelorette Parties.
FUNSHOP.COM
1145 East 79th Street
Bloomington, MN 55420
Telephone: 952-876-9071
Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (CST)
E-mail Address: Contactus@FUNSHOP.COM

I called these numbers. The guy at Funshop said he would stop selling them once he's got them all out of inventory.

Luna Roth at ICM wasn't available, but I left a complaint with her secretary, who promptly told me that they're taking the cookies off the market.

It would be good to get written confirmation from both of these guys though, so keep calling. Also, it might be a good idea to keep pestering them until we know for sure that they're taking this stuff off the shelves just in case these guys were just trying to blow smoke up my ass,

[moJo]

i didn't get any responses to my email yesterday. and i sent out new ones to ICM and Funshop today. hope someone writes me back. Kasie, I kinda cut and paste from the letters you posted, hope they don't notice. :)

[applehead]

all right. i called.
because i saw my name there as one of the people
who called when i actually haven't.
kekekeke. kasie. you so slick.

ICM said they are taking them off the market.
i asked to have a written letter/email from
confirming this and the lady said
she will notify her boss and see what they will do.

[Napoleon Chynamite]

all right. i called.
because i saw my name there as one of the people
who called when i actually haven't.
kekekeke. kasie. you so slick.

ICM said they are taking them off the market.
i asked to have a written letter/email from
confirming this and the lady said
she will notify her boss and see what they will do.

Hey I didn't call either. How come my name's not up there :frown:

[applehead]

call!

[DragonKnight]

Well, well...

From: "Funshop com" <contactus@funshop.com>

To whom it may concern;

I really do appreciate the form letter that you have been sending. We can understand your concern and are happy to know that some humans have no understanding of humor and joking, we maybe willing to remove the product line as soon as we are sold out of the product but it would be very hard for us to lose that amount of money that is invested into the inventory. But at the same time if everyone removed products because it offended people, the human race would be very boring. There is always something that offends on person or another.

Also at the same time I’m offended by the Organization name of Yellow World, because that seems to me that you are tying to promote an Asian only Culture.

Thank you,


Didn't even have the guts to sign an actual name. Assholes.

[sandra]

Well, well...

Didn't even have the guts to sign an actual name. Assholes.

continue calling - we have to let them know that we don't appreciate their humor. and since we can't tell who sent the email, continue calling all the distributors and the manufacturer.

tell the distributors that we are putting pressure on the manufacturer to reimburse them.

[moJo]

Well, well...

Didn't even have the guts to sign an actual name. Assholes.
I just got the same exact email response. There were four other email addresses in the To: list, probably all of us YWers.

Asshole sounds patronizing and, well, assholic. Getting this kind of callous response is so fucking unnerving.

[sandra]

I just got the same exact email response. There were four other email addresses in the To: list, probably all of us YWers.

Asshole sounds patronizing and, well, assholic. Getting this kind of callous response is so fucking unnerving.

Call them back and tell them how you feel.

[DragonKnight]

Call them back and tell them how you feel.
Gonna give them a phone call tomorrow after I arrive in the SF Bay Area. I sent a reply asking for their supervisor's name and contact information. Arg, I have a paper to finish up otherwise I'd call them up and tear'em a new one today. :mad:

[537]

Here is my response:

To whom it may concern;

It is important to know that this type of humor is not appreciated. Efforts are currently underway to have the manufacturer reimburse you as the distributor for the product in question, 'Mr Chew's Fortune Cookies', if your company chooses to return the unsold merchandise.

It is also important to know that the manufacturing company, Innovative Concept Marketing, has agreed to pull the product off the market.

Since the response below did not include the author's name, I am led to believe that it is the entire company's viewpoint on the matter that a product that is intentionally offensive to a particular ethnicity, is proudly sold and advertised.

The question which begs to be asked is this: Does your company wish to emulate this type of racial insensitivity and prejudice outwardly to its consumers?

Respectfully,

Lester
Yellowworld.org




Something tells me this company is housed in someone's garage.

[DragonKnight]

In the meantime, a response to my request for their supervisor's contact info:

From: "Funshop com" <contactus@funshop.com>

I would like to know why you would like this information, Because technically I’m my own supervisor.

Thanks you,

...my own response...

Are you the owner/president of this company? Are you in charge of marketing? Mostly due to the fact that if you are your own supervisor I would expect you to reply to myself and my associates with your full name, YOUR contact information, and company name in your signature. This is also due to the fact that you are a representative of your company and I expect a bit of professionalism on your part.

If you do not have a direct supervisor can I have the contact information of the person in charge of your department? If not, then the president's number, extension, e-mail will do just fine, thank you.

RichOkies, back to finishing up my paper.

[johnpvee]

My response to the funshop.com email...

Dear Sir/Madam,

As you stated in your response, this is not about having a sense of humor. This is about your company making a profit at my community's expense. Members of my community do not appreciate being ridiculed and profited off of a distasteful caricature and mangling of the language our mothers and fathers taught us. You have been duly notified of our action plan if this product is not immediately removed from sale. Thank you for your response.

Regards,
John Phamvan

[VV o n g B a]

my letter, a bit rude but its been a long day:
Greetings to the (most probably) unenlightened ICM employee who reads this email,

I'm sure you received a few emails and possibly some phone calls regarding your new fortune cookie line. I'd just like to add my voice to the growing din and say that your product is extremely offensive and needs to be taken off the market. You might not have any overtly racist words on your packaging, but the caricature is racist nonetheless. Stop producing your racist products or we will focus on cutting your company off from your distributors. The bottom line to you is: are you going to make more money by keeping this product or by removing it. In the long run, I'd bet you will lose by your sheer notoriety. Asian-Americans have had several victories in the past few years regarding offensive product lines such as yours. Abercrombie and Fitch and Disguise.com among others have removed the products that we considered offensive and apologized and hopefully you will too. It's just amazing that in the 21st century there are still companies that are ignorant enough about race relations as to think these products are acceptable. Well, these products are not acceptable, and as an Asian-American I'm not willing to stand idly-by and let you make a profit by hawking racist wares.

Have an ill day (that is unless you are planning to remove your products from circulation),
Dean Li

[537]

I think it should be noted that ICM has agreed to take the product off the market.

Funshop is the culprit that sent out a rude email....

[VV o n g B a]

I think it should be noted that ICM has agreed to take the product off the market.

Funshop is the culprit that sent out a rude email....
erg... oops too late now. i only went thru about half of the 5-6 pages of posts.

[sandra]

I think it should be noted that ICM has agreed to take the product off the market.

Funshop is the culprit that sent out a rude email....

true.

but in the past, most of these companies would promise one thing on the phone but not follow through. their point is to trick us into delaying our actions - which can happen easily if they keep on telling us, "just one more week - we'll discuss it at our monthly board meeting," or some bs like that.

i'd suggest continuing whatever we're doing unless they send either Elbert or I a written confirmation that they will never sell or advertise this product again. if any of you disagree, please do not hesitate to speak up.


edit: i like wongba's email.

[537]

not disagreeing here, just wanted to keep tabs of where we're at

[Faithless]

I don't see the item listed on the ICM catalog. Am I right?

http://www.funmdse.com/store/home.html

And the images appear to be gone from here:

http://www.funmdse.com/store/mrchews_01.html

[deez nuts]

got the same e-mail as dragonknight, mojo, 537 and johnpvee. i was one of the five that was on the header.

To whom it may concern;



I really do appreciate the form letter that you have been sending. We can understand your concern and are happy to know that some humans have no understanding of humor and joking, we maybe willing to remove the product line as soon as we are sold out of the product but it would be very hard for us to lose that amount of money that is invested into the inventory. But at the same time if everyone removed products because it offended people, the human race would be very boring. There is always something that offends on person or another.



Also at the same time I’m offended by the Organization name of Yellow World, because that seems to me that you are tying to promote an Asian only Culture.



Thank you,

[Chester]

What a jerk-off. You know...the way to approach things with someone in business is to appeal to their business sense. Yes, it's offensive and racist (the fortune cookies), but there are plenty of guys who would sell Nazi flags if they could make money off of it.

The point to drive home is not only that the product is offensive (the same way a package of gummy watermelon candy would be if sold with a package featuring a Little Black Sambo character) or that it's wrong to sell racist products, but that doing so will harm his business.

And it's not just about an activist group protesting the business or creating bad publicity for the business...it's also about all the business they lose whenever a prospective Asian customer sees that product in their catalog...and not just Asians, but anyone who would be offended by seeing racism exploited for commercial reasons.

Which is to say that the key is that it would be in their best interests to stop carrying that product, as opposed to them needing to discontinue it in order to please people who "don't get the joke."

[DragonKnight]

Hmm, any consumer watchdog groups we can turn to?

[Faithless]

Hmm, any consumer watchdog groups we can turn to?

Maybe. I thought about contacting this City of Chicago organization:

http://www.ci.chi.il.us/ConsumerServices/ :confused:

[Napoleon Chynamite]

I'll call tomorrow Kasie. I promise. =)

[kitty]

just a strange update. my funshop.com email got bounced back. i'll try again tomorrow...

[SunWuKong]

I don't see the item listed on the ICM catalog. Am I right?

http://www.funmdse.com/store/home.html

And the images appear to be gone from here:

http://www.funmdse.com/store/mrchews_01.html


good sign.

[Tao]

I'll call tomorrow Kasie. I promise. =)

me too....i mean today
:smile:

[sandra]

just a strange update. my funshop.com email got bounced back. i'll try again tomorrow...

That could be the case maybe b/c they blocked all emails from yellowworld?


Just an update - I know all of you have been calling and emailing to voice your complaints, and my opinion is that we should continue doing that.

Other things I had in mind and will be working on this weekend are:

1) Writing a formal letter to each company, letting them know that we'll be contacting their Secretary of State, the BBB, and the legislators in their area, and attaching the letter that I intend to send to those three.

2) I told some people that I'd be sending an email out through the YW list-serv, but that was at a point when I thought AdvertiseMint was the actual manufacturer & that this project was over. Until we come up with something more defined - a solid plan of action - I'm going to hold off on that. I think this weekend will buy us time.

Any additional ideas are welcome - just keep us all in the loop, k?

[537]

I resent another email to Funshop, and still have not received a reply following the asshole's.

[Faithless]

Additional ideas:

Writing letters to the editor of, say, the Chicago Tribune.

Chicago Tribune email form (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-lettertotheeditor,1,681237.customform?coll=chi-newsopinionvoice-utl)

Writing letters to people in the Chicago media area that we would feel would be sympathetic to the issue, like Clarence Page, columnist for the Chicago Tribune -- cptime@aol.com.

[Emperor_Mike]

Alright, I did quick search at my online law resource and came up with the "Federal Drug, Food, and Cosmetic Act" that may be useful (in a way.) Don't have time to look through it now, but if anyone is interested, go a Google Search. I might be useful or it might be rubbish. :smile:

[sandra]

updated list. the rest of you - help us out!
(pm me if i left you out by mistake)

please keep calling to voice your concerns!!!


List of Mafia Members Who Have Called:

1. Moschikat is #1 (but Jackie's been my #1 for a long time anyway =p)
2. Crack_whore (Jason)
3. Chairman_Mah
4. SunWuKong
5. Johnpvee
6. kittygirl
7. nonamerasian
8. Chotto_Mate
9. Achtungbaby
10. Kasia
11. Hooligan
12. Mojo
13. Applehead
14. 537
15. >:) (you get who i'm talking about)
16. DragonKnight
17. WongBa
18. Sktrgrl
19. Tao

[SunWuKong]

Additional ideas:

Writing letters to the editor of, say, the Chicago Tribune.

Chicago Tribune email form (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-lettertotheeditor,1,681237.customform?coll=chi-newsopinionvoice-utl)

Writing letters to people in the Chicago media area that we would feel would be sympathetic to the issue, like Clarence Page, columnist for the Chicago Tribune -- cptime@aol.com.

i'm kind of wary of alerting the media because it would just give their products exposure, and you know there are a whole lot of racist fucks out there that would love to buy those fortune cookie packages.

[Faithless]

i'm kind of wary of alerting the media because it would just give their products exposure, and you know there are a whole lot of racist fucks out there that would love to buy those fortune cookie packages.
I guess.

Sometimes the media becomes an inevitable part of the issue, though -- like with the steak shop and Philly.com printing all the pro-steak shop sentiment.

[Fireblade]

Here's my e-mail.

Dear ICM:

I've recently come across your ads for fortune cookies. It has come to my understanding that caricatures of Asians in Chinese take-out boxes have been stylized to appropriate a stereotype not greatly appreciated of Asian descent. Perhaps your marketing staff and those in charge of product marketing were not aware, but sensitive issues must be placed into consideration. It is quite harmful to those of us of Asian descent to continue to see stereotypes placed into the market, as to further typically "Orient" the population.

Furthermore, it condones further racism against Asians. How is it that during this day and age, there is marketing that takes advantage of these sterotypes, but the money will never be given to the group that's being used? Does this give back anything to the asian community? I suspect it does not. I implore that you cease these reckless biased interpetations of minorities, and educate your company in terms of minority relations.

Of course if you wish not to respond accordingly, I will notify all of your actions. It is the choice of your company to continue to sell these items, and mine to make sure my point is given to civil rights associations.

Thank you for your time.
Clinton Louie

[Irezumi Kiss]

Sorry I'm getting into this late, but I wanted to wait until someone got an email contact and you guys are FAST on this case. Very very good.

I took what Fireblade wrote and modified it a bit. Is ICM still the bottom line in this gig, or what? Seems like the players are switching up.

Dear ICM:

I've recently come across your ads for fortune cookies. It has come to my understanding that caricatures of Asians in Chinese take-out boxes have been stylized to appropriate a stereotype not greatly appreciated of Asian descent. Perhaps your marketing staff and those in charge of product marketing were not aware, but sensitive issues must be placed into consideration. It is quite harmful to those of us of Asian descent (and those of us of other ethnic backgrounds who have genuine interest/relationships/business/cultural exchange with people of Asian descent such as myself) to continue to see stereotypes placed into the market, as to further typically "Orient" the population.

Furthermore, it condones further racism against Asians. How is it that during this day and age, there is marketing that takes advantage of these sterotypes, but the money will never be given to the group that's being used? Does this give back anything to the asian community? I suspect it does not. I implore that you cease these reckless biased interpetations of minorities, and educate your company in terms of minority relations.

Of course if you wish not to respond accordingly, I will notify all of your actions. It is the choice of your company to continue to sell these items, and mine to make sure my point is given to civil rights associations.

Thank you for your time.

Anthony Watson

[sandra]

thanks, guys. for those of you who haven't written an email - please do so.

[DragonKnight]

Hey everyone, just an update. So far no response to my latest e-mail. I'm gonna try again on Tuesday to see if my e-mail address was blocked. I was suppose to call on Friday but got to Norcal a bit late. So I'll give them a call when I return to LA (most likely on Tuesday). I'm a bit busy this weekend with errands and my sister's birthday. But hopefully I'll get some progress done on Tuesday. :wink:

Rich

[rice cracker]

Yeah, I haven't gotten responses to my emails either.

[Fireblade]

no response here too. It's the weekend though, so I'll give them till tuesday to respond.

[seoulone]

I'll ask the changechinkssteaks team if they will send a letter or email too.

[kitty]

I haven't received a response either. I will try calling funshops tomorrow from my cell phone since i can't make LD calls at work.

[Emperor_Mike]

I've called and got a voicemail. Two other friends received the same, but I haven't checked with the other three.

Still sending email, but have only received one (stock) reply. Basically the old wounded diplomat treatment (i.e. "We didn't know. But we'll see what we can do.")

:rolleyes:

The effort continues.

[kitty]

I called funshop.com. the guy was pretty nonchalent about the whole deal and said he wasn't going to pull the merchandise off his website and throw away the $10,000 he spent on it.

I think we need to go to the next step with him, since this is the standard line he's given everyone.

[hooligan]

no response to my e-mail just yet. i will be calling shortly.

[Tao]

i called funshop a couple of times, i keep on getting his voicemail

[kitty]

tao. call *right* now... i got him just a minute ago.

[Tao]

tao. call *right* now... i got him just a minute ago.
i just called and the guy who talked to me (he doesn't claim to be the owner) said that they'd be losing too much money by just throwing the stock away. He said that he'd lose his job and so on and so forth. He said that he doesn't have anytihng against our cause, just that they can't afford to do it. I told him the asian american community would appreciate it if there was any way at all that they can still stay in business but stop selling the product. And again he said that it's not possible, they'd be losing thousands of dollars.
I responded in saying that if we can find a way to help them sell a totally different product through our advertising, and generate the equivalent revenue they would've gotten had they sold the caricature cookie thingy, then would they be willing to discard the product? To that he responded that it might be possible and if that were to happen we can work something out.

I guess what i'm trying to say is that there won't really be a way to get them to stop cold turkey. If we really want to stop this, we can either help them sell something different, and generate for them the revenue they would've lost, or we can just sue them, and put the people outta business. And frankly I don't think we can do either. We probably can't, and won't be willing to help them advertise.....and i doubt we'd win a lawsuit or anything (even if we do win, i'd feel guilty of putting this guy outta work, cause he seemed like a reasonable and polite fella).

[sandra]

I guess what i'm trying to say is that there won't really be a way to get them to stop cold turkey. If we really want to stop this, we can either help them sell something different, and generate for them the revenue they would've lost, or we can just sue them, and put the people outta business. And frankly I don't think we can do either. We probably can't, and won't be willing to help them advertise.....and i doubt we'd win a lawsuit or anything (even if we do win, i'd feel guilty of putting this guy outta work, cause he seemed like a reasonable and polite fella).

omg....they can afford to lose the money. i mean, do you feel sorry about what we did to Disguise.com (http://petition.yellowworld.org)?

we're pushing for the manufacturer to reimburse them, but frankly, regardless - it's his fault he tried to profit off a racist product. and i highly doubt he'll lose his job.

[Tao]

omg....they can afford to lose the money. i mean, do you feel sorry about what we did to Disguise.com (http://petition.yellowworld.org (http://petition.yellowworld.org/))?

we're pushing for the manufacturer to reimburse them, but frankly, regardless - it's his fault he tried to profit off a racist product. and i highly doubt he'll lose his job.
well you can't sue them either...can you? so i don't see a way outta this, unless you bring it to the media's attention.

[sandra]

well you can't sue them either...can you? so i don't see a way outta this, unless you bring it to the media's attention.

yes, we can. just like we were able to sue disguise if the pushed us to that point.

[Tao]

yes, we can. just like we were able to sue disguise if the pushed us to that point.
oh ok then, yeah all right. cause i don't think they'll be anymore sympathetic than they are now (which isn't much)....so it's either work with them, or confront them (law suit). Yeah, i just didn't know that we can sue them. So i thought working with them was the only option.

[sandra]

oh ok then, yeah all right. cause i don't think they'll be anymore sympathetic than they are now (which isn't much)....so it's either work with them, or confront them (law suit). Yeah, i just didn't know that we can sue them. So i thought working with them was the only option.

there are other options, too. public pressure is always one. reporting them to the bbb is another. reporting them to the secretary of state. etc.

[kitty]

btw. the guy pretty much invited us to report him when I talked to him. He said he didn't care about the racist nature of the material and wasn't under any circumstances going to remove the product, even when i explained that we planned to bring him to the attention of other orgs.

[sandra]

btw. the guy pretty much invited us to report him when I talked to him. He said he didn't care about the racist nature of the material and wasn't under any circumstances going to remove the product, even when i explained that we planned to bring him to the attention of other orgs.

that's cool. that's the answer we expected, right? we just need to keep voicing our complaints so he knows it's not just the few of us that are annoyed.

[>:^|]

Is Rice Cracker in Minnesota? It looks like Funshop has a couple of retail locations as well as the online store.

RETAIL STORE LOCATIONS

Mall of America
378 North Garden (Between Nordstrom's & Sears)
Bloomington, MN 55425
952-854-4451

Southdale
2285 Southdale Center
Edina, MN 55435
952-926-9556
952-922-8776 Halloween Store

http://store.funshop.com/info.html

[lethal]

I just posted a very negative rating on bizrate regarding funshop. Hopefully that brings down its rating and deters other people from shopping there.

[hooligan]

that's cool. that's the answer we expected, right? we just need to keep voicing our complaints so he knows it's not just the few of us that are annoyed.
does this mean you will sue funshop?

[rice cracker]

Is Rice Cracker in Minnesota? It looks like Funshop has a couple of retail locations as well as the online store.

RETAIL STORE LOCATIONS

Mall of America
378 North Garden (Between Nordstrom's & Sears)
Bloomington, MN 55425
952-854-4451

Southdale
2285 Southdale Center
Edina, MN 55435
952-926-9556
952-922-8776 Halloween Store

http://store.funshop.com/info.html

I am, but what do you suggest I do? I don't want to harass their employess, since they aren't the ones at fault, but I would be happy to present our cause to the managers, if someone will help me with a plan and presentation.

[>:^|]

Sorry Rice Cracker, I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I was just wondering if you had ever heard of or been to these stores.

[DragonKnight]

Status Report:

Sent a few more e-mails to Funshop.com. No response. Right now I have midterms and am studying my arse off for my first round of midterm exams while taking care of some stuff on my own message board. I'm also running up and down Nor and Socal so I have a ton o things to do. I'm gonna try calling the fugkers up next week since this week is a bit booked up. Hopefully everyone else is getting some success on bringing these pricks down.

[sinisterpanda]

i'm new, but i sent an email to the funshop. if you need me to call i'll do it.

[artsfartsyjanet]

i can never get a hold of anyone but i left a message.

[Fireblade]

no e-mails so from them so far. Somehow I think they're ignoring us. I don't think they take us seriously.

[Emperor_Mike]

No luck on replies. There is legislation in place here in the UK (via the Human Rights Act of 1998 which incorporates the European Convention on H.R. into British law) that has been used to take offensive materials off markets before. Is there an equivalent in the US? I'll do some research in my spare time for Canadian statutes (since what I gather is the manufacturer is based in Toronto) that may be useful to show these people that there are other options in addition to letter writing. I can get in touch with some community legal groups who may take this up if there is an opening for action, but I can't promise anything. Perhaps my American counterparts here on YW may wish to follow suit if time permits?

[sandra]

I sent the demand letters and will be faxing them on Tuesday (I'll be in court all day tomorrow).

I'll try to write up an updated form letter that you guys can fax in within this week.

Emperor Mike & Lethal & VBKao -

I just spoke to a civil rights attorney here in Los Angeles who actually clued me in on a viable cause of action. I'll pm you guys. Any other lawyers/law students/people who are interested in the legal action - pm me, k?

[Emperor_Mike]

I sent the demand letters and will be faxing them on Tuesday (I'll be in court all day tomorrow).

I'll try to write up an updated form letter that you guys can fax in within this week.

Emperor Mike & Lethal & VBKao -

I just spoke to a civil rights attorney here in Los Angeles who actually clued me in on a viable cause of action. I'll pm you guys. Any other lawyers/law students/people who are interested in the legal action - pm me, k?

Let me know and I'll forward the information to the community groups back home.

[sandra]

please, everyone, if we wish to pursue this, it needs to be an ongoing effort. phone calls, faxes, and emails need to be made daily. we also need your help in spreading the word. copy the first post of this thread and send it to everyone in your email address book.

[kitty]

The response I received from 1UniqueBasket.com

> Dear Jennifer,
>
> I am a Jewish Puerto Rican with an Russian father
> and Polish inlaws. Most of my friends are
> homosexual. My Cuban husband sits on the local board
> of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. If there is
> one thing that I have never been accused of is a
> racial slur. The fortune cookies are not meant to
> offend anyone. They are funny, which is why the
> caricature was drawn rather than a realistic
> portrait. They contain fortunes which do not
> degrate or insult Asian Americans but rather
> humorous jokes toward people who are turning 30, 40,
> 50 or 60 lodged into a fortune cookie. We also
> carry a line of products called "OY VEY" that poke
> fun at Jewish customs and traditions as well as
> Pasta that could be considered offensive to
> oversensitive Italians. However, we've gotten rave
> reviews from all ethnic groups that the merchadise
> that we see is as tasty as it is tasteful and I've
> been commended on my efforts to vary stock.
>
> The effort I have made to create this website on
> my own is great! I have found products that are
> original, unique and fun. Mr. Chew's Fortune
> Cookies are part of this effort. They were pictured
> for example with chopsticks and Asian teas for a fun
> birthday gift so someone who is partial to take out
> Asian food could enjoy a birthday cookie afterwards.
> They are also in a box of gag gifts which poke fun
> at the age the individial is turning. We have a
> mug which says "Jewish Pennicillin" which I used
> with chicken soup as a fun gag gift for Jews. It
> was sent once as a racially intended joke with a
> note card that offended me but that is not the
> norm. However, we do have good intentions with
> these products. We hope to give a little smile and
> hope that someone had a special day because of our
> exceptional goods.
>
> If they are offensive to you, I will be happy to
> ship you the remaining products and charge you at
> fair market value. I wouldn't order more and the
> issue will be resolved. I do want you to feel
> comfortable dealing with my company and would never
> choose to offend anyone for any reason, however, I
> am a small company and can not stand to loose this
> inventory. The cookies retail for $6 each box and
> we currently have 36 in stock. Feel free to call me
> with any major credit card and we will happily ship
> you the boxes and will not reorder then as a good
> faith gesture.
>
> Please let me know as soon as your decision has
> been made.
>
> Sincerely,
> Oriane Rembalsky, President


***
MY RESPONSE:

Dear Oriane-

Regarding your response, thank you for taking the time to pen me a personal response, and for addressing this issue. First, however, though I am not accusing you of personally being racist or using a racial slur -- your ethnicity, religion, or number of minority friends does not exempt you from being racially insensitive towards other cultures.

I do not doubt that you may have other products which poke fun at other ethnicities, and I am not questioning the offensiveness (or not) of those products.

However, I am raising the question that the caricature of the Asian man on the fortune cookie box is not funny to many people of Asian descent. A caricature of ethnic physical characteristics is much more racialized than a product that says 'Oy Vey' -- after all, the joke is not playing off of a cultural trait, but a physical one.

Caricatures such as these, with buck-teeth and excessively slanted eyes, have been used to dehumanize and mock Asians since the mid-nineteenth century, and the joke is not to laugh *with* Asians, but *at* us. Similar images were used to demonize and demean the Japanese during WWII to rationalize Japanese American internment.

I am not interested in purchasing the remainder of your product. If I find it offensive, the onus should not be on me to pay you for your product -- instead, it should be your responsibility as a distributor of an offensive product to pull it from the shelves (though this may not be a cost-effective solution).

My organization, Yellowworld.org, will be contacting other Asian/Asian American organizations on this matter, and will be in communication with you regarding legal or other steps that they will be taking in this situation. In the meantime, I hope you will continue to consider my suggestions.

Thanks again for your time.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Fang
Ithaca, NY, USA

[kitty]

Aaaaaand.... 1uniquebasket.com's response to my response...

haven't replied yet. Don't really want to point out how it would only encourage carrying racially offensive material, if they knew they would get their money back regardless.

***

Dear Jennifer,

What a very well written letter. I understand your point of view. I
will be more sympathetic to the plight of the Asians and to the products I
carry. I will not remove these items from inventory, however, unless
financially compensated or unless they expire, whichever comes first. If you are so offended but the content, you should make the motion to have these
removed from my stock by purchasing and then destroying them.

Sincerely,
Oriane

[Emperor_Mike]

Aaaaaand.... 1uniquebasket.com's response to my response...

haven't replied yet. Don't really want to point out how it would only encourage carrying racially offensive material, if they knew they would get their money back regardless.

***

Dear Jennifer,

What a very well written letter. I understand your point of view. I
will be more sympathetic to the plight of the Asians and to the products I
carry. I will not remove these items from inventory, however, unless
financially compensated or unless they expire, whichever comes first. If you are so offended but the content, you should make the motion to have these
removed from my stock by purchasing and then destroying them.

Sincerely,
Oriane

The woman has a point. They aren't the manufacturers and if they take them off the shelves they will incur a loss. The target we should be pursuing is the manufacturer and I believe they are based in Toronto.

[sandra]

The woman has a point. They aren't the manufacturers and if they take them off the shelves they will incur a loss. The target we should be pursuing is the manufacturer and I believe they are based in Toronto.

But I think we should take a stronger stance. They shouldn't have purchased a racist product, attempted to profit from it, and now whine about the fact that they're going to lose money if forced to cease sales.

think about it - what impact will it have on the asian community if we allow them to continue selling the rest of their inventory? each additional person who sees the product will be possibly influenced.

the target is inded the manufacturer, but we should put pressure on the distributors so that they would similarly put pressure on the manufacturer.

[sandra]

The response I received from 1UniqueBasket.com

> Dear Jennifer,
>
> I am a Jewish Puerto Rican with an Russian father
> and Polish inlaws. Most of my friends are
> homosexual. My Cuban husband sits on the local board
> of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. If there is
> one thing that I have never been accused of is a
> racial slur. The fortune cookies are not meant to
> offend anyone. They are funny, which is why the
> caricature was drawn rather than a realistic
> portrait. They contain fortunes which do not
> degrate or insult Asian Americans but rather
> humorous jokes toward people who are turning 30, 40,
> 50 or 60 lodged into a fortune cookie. We also
> carry a line of products called "OY VEY" that poke
> fun at Jewish customs and traditions as well as
> Pasta that could be considered offensive to
> oversensitive Italians. However, we've gotten rave
> reviews from all ethnic groups that the merchadise
> that we see is as tasty as it is tasteful and I've
> been commended on my efforts to vary stock.
>
> The effort I have made to create this website on
> my own is great! I have found products that are
> original, unique and fun. Mr. Chew's Fortune
> Cookies are part of this effort. They were pictured
> for example with chopsticks and Asian teas for a fun
> birthday gift so someone who is partial to take out
> Asian food could enjoy a birthday cookie afterwards.
> They are also in a box of gag gifts which poke fun
> at the age the individial is turning. We have a
> mug which says "Jewish Pennicillin" which I used
> with chicken soup as a fun gag gift for Jews. It
> was sent once as a racially intended joke with a
> note card that offended me but that is not the
> norm. However, we do have good intentions with
> these products. We hope to give a little smile and
> hope that someone had a special day because of our
> exceptional goods.
>
> If they are offensive to you, I will be happy to
> ship you the remaining products and charge you at
> fair market value. I wouldn't order more and the
> issue will be resolved. I do want you to feel
> comfortable dealing with my company and would never
> choose to offend anyone for any reason, however, I
> am a small company and can not stand to loose this
> inventory. The cookies retail for $6 each box and
> we currently have 36 in stock. Feel free to call me
> with any major credit card and we will happily ship
> you the boxes and will not reorder then as a good
> faith gesture.
>
> Please let me know as soon as your decision has
> been made.
>
> Sincerely,
> Oriane Rembalsky, President


***
MY RESPONSE:

Dear Oriane-

Regarding your response, thank you for taking the time to pen me a personal response, and for addressing this issue. First, however, though I am not accusing you of personally being racist or using a racial slur -- your ethnicity, religion, or number of minority friends does not exempt you from being racially insensitive towards other cultures.

I do not doubt that you may have other products which poke fun at other ethnicities, and I am not questioning the offensiveness (or not) of those products.

However, I am raising the question that the caricature of the Asian man on the fortune cookie box is not funny to many people of Asian descent. A caricature of ethnic physical characteristics is much more racialized than a product that says 'Oy Vey' -- after all, the joke is not playing off of a cultural trait, but a physical one.

Caricatures such as these, with buck-teeth and excessively slanted eyes, have been used to dehumanize and mock Asians since the mid-nineteenth century, and the joke is not to laugh *with* Asians, but *at* us. Similar images were used to demonize and demean the Japanese during WWII to rationalize Japanese American internment.

I am not interested in purchasing the remainder of your product. If I find it offensive, the onus should not be on me to pay you for your product -- instead, it should be your responsibility as a distributor of an offensive product to pull it from the shelves (though this may not be a cost-effective solution).

My organization, Yellowworld.org, will be contacting other Asian/Asian American organizations on this matter, and will be in communication with you regarding legal or other steps that they will be taking in this situation. In the meantime, I hope you will continue to consider my suggestions.

Thanks again for your time.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Fang
Ithaca, NY, USA

um...she's mocking you, jen. ugh.

[Emperor_Mike]

But I think we should take a stronger stance. They shouldn't have purchased a racist product, attempted to profit from it, and now whine about the fact that they're going to lose money if forced to cease sales.

think about it - what impact will it have on the asian community if we allow them to continue selling the rest of their inventory? each additional person who sees the product will be possibly influenced.

the target is inded the manufacturer, but we should put pressure on the distributors so that they would similarly put pressure on the manufacturer.

Yes, I know. Ideally people should know better, but I've long since lost my faith in the vast majority of humanity's ability to reason well. In any case, I don't think any merchants will voluntarily take the stock off their shelves unless they either receive compensation or are forced to do so. There are various ways to force them, of course...

The way I see it, if the manufacturer can be convinced to stop putting these horrible things out, maybe they can be persuaded to give the merchants a full refund on their existing stock. Not likely at this juncture, but if we succeed in one way I'm sure the momentum can be used to further the effort.

[kitty]

um...she's mocking you, jen. ugh.

yeah... I started clueing into that with the second response. Don't feel like entering into an email war over it. :)

Can you call in the heavy artillary?

[Fireblade]

yeah... I started clueing into that with the second response. Don't feel like entering into an email war over it. :)

Can you call in the heavy artillary?

Can you PM us her e-mail. Maybe we can bomb her senseless with her response. :biggrin:

[Emperor_Mike]

I've taken the time to send a letter to several Chinese Canadian community organisations to draw their attention to this unfortunate incident. If anyone else feels like sending email this is the link containing the community groups I've contacted:

http://www.asian.ca/community/

[Tao]

Aaaaaand.... 1uniquebasket.com's response to my response...

haven't replied yet. Don't really want to point out how it would only encourage carrying racially offensive material, if they knew they would get their money back regardless.

***

Dear Jennifer,

What a very well written letter. I understand your point of view. I
will be more sympathetic to the plight of the Asians and to the products I
carry. I will not remove these items from inventory, however, unless
financially compensated or unless they expire, whichever comes first. If you are so offended but the content, you should make the motion to have these
removed from my stock by purchasing and then destroying them.

Sincerely,
Oriane

heh, that's the exact same response i got from the distributor funshop.....and i responded just like Mike did....then kasie pointed out the "profit off racism" part...and i realized how obvious that I was in the right...and didn't doubt the cause anymore.

[kitty]

Can you PM us her e-mail. Maybe we can bomb her senseless with her response. :biggrin:

it's on the first page.
Please feel free :) ... mailbomb!!

<questions@1uniquebasket.com>

[sandra]

after tomorrow (friday), i'm going to ask that we cease any contact with any of the distributors & manufacturer.

with respect to all but two, i believe, we've already achieved a half-victory. most companies have already removed the product from their site. all we need from them is a letter stating that they will never sell the product again. Funshop and Unique Basket, are the two that are giving us a hard time, right?

they should have received the demand letter. the letters will be going out to the secretary of state & bbb. (you guys can write to them, too.) if we don't receive a response, i'll consult with you guys and legal team as to what subsequent action we should take.

for now, i will ask that you cease contact with the companies b/c: 1) it is no longer effective, 2) we want to hit them when they least expect it, and 3) we want to protect ourselves.

let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.

[Emperor_Mike]

Here's a reply from the Office of Consumer Affairs:


Sir,

This specific kind of question (racial stereotying) lies outside of the competence of Industry Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs. I can therefore only provide you with a suggestion for organizations that might have some expertise. Since the company in question is based in Toronto, you might wish to check with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, who deal with issues of discrimination in the private sector in that province. For information, see http://www.ohrc.on.ca/english/index.shtml.

Also, a non-profit industry body called Advertising Standards Canada administers a code of advertising standards that forbids discrimination in advertising. For more information, I would suggest you visit the ASC's website, and consider contacting them for more information: http://www.adstandards.com/.

I hope that this information is of some help to you.

[Emperor_Mike]

I've contacted the organisations listed above in my previous post (the one with the letter) and everyone who is interested in doing something ought to do so too.

[sandra]

please take this debate to the fortune cookies thread in the rant room. this thread is reserved for organizing and updates only.

[John0101]

Why can't the Asian American community just sue the company?

[Emperor_Mike]

Why can't the Asian American community just sue the company?

You have to sue them for something that's sue-able. I think that's the biggest problem right now. Kasie mentioned a few posts back that there may be a lead as far as possible legal action is concerned in the US and I'm working with Canadian organisations to find out what can be done there. It's not easy when you're across the Atlantic communicating with people who run on a five or eight hour time difference. :wink:

[sinisterpanda]

What's the news on this situation?

[sandra]

no response. thanks for the reminder...i'll get back on this.