A photo of an Asian Apple Watch specialist sporting a “pigtail” on an Apple website has triggered selective outrage from some unknown number of social media users (likely, as usual, an extremely small, yet extremely vocal handful of people) who accuse Apple of “cultural insensitivity.”
Yes, Apple Inc., the woke poster child for first identifying race, tallying it all up on some internal equity scorecard, and then portraying minorities — in many cases, extreme minorities — as super majorities in every bit of their bizarro world marketing in the name of “inclusivity.” That Apple Inc.
The topic began trending on Sunday on Chinese microblogging site Weibo after a video singling out for attack the generic visual of an Apple Watch specialist, who appears to be Asian and is sporting a single braid, went viral on video-sharing site Bilibili.
The video incorrectly claimed that Apple assigns customer specialists with pigtails to service the Chinese market.
Some netizens were swift to blame the American tech company for taunting Chinese consumers, as the pigtail, or queue, is a symbol of repression during the Manchu-led Qing imperial rule.
The controversy comes as China is mulling over punishing anyone sporting clothing that “hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation” – a proposal that attracted immediate criticism for being too vague and potentially giving too much power to rank-and-file law enforcement officers.
Some spoke up in defence of Apple, pointing out that the same picture of the customer care employee is used in the company’s other country-specific websites and not just China’s.
An editorial in the official China Daily on Monday cautioned against wanton nationalism and reacting to the slightest perceived provocation.
“While the pigtail is anathema for a Han, one should understand that in many cultures it is natural for men to sport plaits, single or plural, on their heads. It is just a style and those sporting it mean no offence to any other culture,” said the editorial.
MacDailyNews Take: More proof that, no matter how much you make it corporate policy to see skin color first, no matter how much you distort reality in your marketing materials, you can never satisfy the emotionally damaged, perpetually aggrieved Karens of the world who should not be endlessly placated and appeased, but instead told to shut up and grow up, if not simply ignored.
Of course, as we all know by now, any “news story” can be ginned up from picking and choosing a relative handful of “social media” posts to create whatever impression a “media outlet” desires.
Obviously, Apple is the last company on earth that would intentionally use “the wrong image” to “taunt consumers.”
Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!
Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.
Mike Wallace: How are we going to get rid of racism?
Morgan Freeman: STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!
Those who constantly talk about race, who always see race first (Democrats, Biden, Tim Cook, etc.) are the real racists.
Skin color doesn’t matter.
Kudos to MDN for communicating the objective issues of our time.
To represent “Asians”, Apple should hire Apple Bitz host, Brian Tong — who I love, by the way — because he colors his hair with a stripe down the middle so that he looks like a skunk.
For even cooler hair, I hereby nominate Rufio:
This looks like one of the standard photos of the staff from the local Apple Store. Maybe this is just how this person wears their hair?
Basically, since the original post is a non-story, MDN picking it up makes it a “real story” or even more of a non-story? YMMV.
I guess this is somehow different to how the right wing ‘Karens’ get triggered the moment a transgender person appears on a beer can ad?
Because only malleable pawns who have been brainwashed to believe that the mentally ill guy below is a “woman” are allowed to boycott companies with whom they do not agree.
Just like the brainwashed right wing simpletons who think a man who wants to be a woman is somehow a danger to them?
Here’s the difference: That’s an Asian dude with a braid. There is no such thing as a “transgender” person. There are only two genders.
Looks like a whole lot of Karen’s just got triggered again by men wanting to be women. (Two genders by the way)
The intolerance and utter hatred spewed here, over a non issue defies logic.
How do these people personally affect you? If you can’t a give good reason, then STFU.
It has nothing to do with them wanting to be women or true women wanting to be men and everything to do with them demanding (at the loss of jobs, sporting outcomes etc) that we accept this mental illness as fact.
You’re not a man because you think you’re a man. You’re not a woman because you think you’re a woman. – Ben Shapiro
It was my understanding that there are only 2 genders, however ‘transgender’ people do exist as persons in transition from one gender to another. As such IMO they are their birth male/female gender till they complete their transition to the gender they want to become.
Your “understanding” is wrong. You are simply parroting what you’ve been told to think by evil people. Use your own brain.
The only thing to which a trans has transitioned is to the physical manifestation and public display of mental illness.
Same chromosomes. Same man hands. Pumping cancer-feeding opposite sex hormones and mutilating mentally ill people is criminal.
Pretending otherwise is insane.
Obviously—the solution—according to a respected author, professor and cultural spokesperson (elite), is to combat this w/ retributive racism, or “anti-racism.” (Kendi is Lu-lu.)
Falling back onto the non-progressive mindset of a guy named Martin Luther King might be a better path (and Morgan Freeman’s stmt above), let’s consider his character and dismiss his hairstyle and, or skin color? (After all, we have to dodge and combat all of the disruptive and dumb ads and cookie-accepting reqs that make visits anti-pleasurable).
I can relate, as I get aggravated seeing a dweeb sporting a man bun.
ok…any chance he is of Native American descent?
Would explain a lot….
What’s the problem?
If this person wears their hair in that style, it’s fine.
Did apple fake the photo or something?
@Bringing Knowledge
Please give me a single example of how jobs were lost because of the LGBTQ movement. That is just utter horseshit.
The governing bodies of most sports have put in place stricter rules, regarding transgender competitors. Any athlete that has gone through male puberty cannot compete in women’s sports. Whether this evens the playing field, time will tell.
“ You’re not a man because you think you’re a man. You’re not a woman because you think you’re a woman” – Ben Shapiro
Why do you think they go through a painful operation and lifelong hormone treatment?
They know they are different. Why do you think they identify as transgender?
Whether you think they are mentally I’ll or not, they should be at least tolerated.
Quoting a right wing conspiracy nut job that got triggered by the fucking Barbie movie is not a convincing argument. Just another right wing Karen.
Get out of your right wing echo chamber, travel the world, you might learn something.
When you can formulate a reply without resorting to profanity & insults then I’ll happily engage in discourse with you.
OMG!! How dare they misgender that hair style. It is a Ponytail, not a Pigtail.
I wish this site were more politically objective, or better yet, made no political comments at all. That’s not what it’s here for.
So, what are you looking for, mel?
You want MDN to instead side with offended Karens and blast Apple for “cultural insensitivity?” In other words, you want MDN to suddenly turn stupid and woke. Or do you want MDN to not comment on this at all lest your wrongheaded sensitivities be tweaked?
Do us all a favor and hold your breath waiting for MDN to do either one of those options.
Why don’t you tell us where you think MDN is wrong above? I know I could use a laugh.
Then why not go back to AppleInsider, MacRumors or the hundreds of other sites you post on if this place bothers you so much?