Some might say I'm overreacting. But I'm just so sick of people keep pointing out so many differences between Japanese and the others. Especially when it comes down to some anatomical differences, I just wanna laugh.
I'm not talking about humors. Jokes are fine. At least those ppl making jokes are making jokes because they can see there's something ridiculous in the situation.
But something like this http://
This is the product page for a baby's pacifier...no, "Japanese" baby's pacifier to be specific.
They have 3 different sizes according to the babies ages, and according to the site, they did a thorough research on the shape of Japanese baby's mouth and because it's so different from the mouth shape of baby's from Europe/America, this pacifier is designed perfectly to fit Japanese babies.
First of all, they took 47 Japanese babies for this research. That's only 15+ babies per size. Maybe my baby wasn't picked for this for some reason, but how did they define the 47 babies as anatomically "Japanese"? Did they ask their nationality? Did they ask the parents if they're not mixed race? In that case, are there any babies who are rejected from this research for not quite Japanese enough??
Also, this copy kills me. (Sorry, this was written in Japanese, so I had to translate this to:)"To make a pacifier that fits baby's mouth perfectly, we did the thorough research on Japanese baby's mouth"
So that means if you're baby's not Japanese, your baby doesn't deserve the perfect fitting passy not to mention the research??
Another sentence reads (again, this is written in Japanese, so I have to translate this to:)"The shape of Japanese baby's mouth is so different from the mouth shapes of babies from Europe/America. Therefore we need the pacifier that's made for Japanese mouth".
Who are the babies from Euro/America? Are my children included in this group? How 'bout my American husband who are also ethnically mixed? Is he included in this group?
This kind of things hugely bothers me because I think if we OK and slip things continuously, our children's future won't be so bright.
"Pacifiers that are not good for non-Japanese", "Diapers that fits Germans only", "Toothbrushes that are not good for non-Germans"(←Didn't we have this kind of trouble in the 40s?), "Medicine that works for Japanese only", etc, etc... What's next? Seriously.
So I wrote Combi a letter. Am I overreacting?
I'm not talking about humors. Jokes are fine. At least those ppl making jokes are making jokes because they can see there's something ridiculous in the situation.
But something like this http://
This is the product page for a baby's pacifier...no, "Japanese" baby's pacifier to be specific.
They have 3 different sizes according to the babies ages, and according to the site, they did a thorough research on the shape of Japanese baby's mouth and because it's so different from the mouth shape of baby's from Europe/America, this pacifier is designed perfectly to fit Japanese babies.
First of all, they took 47 Japanese babies for this research. That's only 15+ babies per size. Maybe my baby wasn't picked for this for some reason, but how did they define the 47 babies as anatomically "Japanese"? Did they ask their nationality? Did they ask the parents if they're not mixed race? In that case, are there any babies who are rejected from this research for not quite Japanese enough??
Also, this copy kills me. (Sorry, this was written in Japanese, so I had to translate this to:)"To make a pacifier that fits baby's mouth perfectly, we did the thorough research on Japanese baby's mouth"
So that means if you're baby's not Japanese, your baby doesn't deserve the perfect fitting passy not to mention the research??
Another sentence reads (again, this is written in Japanese, so I have to translate this to:)"The shape of Japanese baby's mouth is so different from the mouth shapes of babies from Europe/America. Therefore we need the pacifier that's made for Japanese mouth".
Who are the babies from Euro/America? Are my children included in this group? How 'bout my American husband who are also ethnically mixed? Is he included in this group?
This kind of things hugely bothers me because I think if we OK and slip things continuously, our children's future won't be so bright.
"Pacifiers that are not good for non-Japanese", "Diapers that fits Germans only", "Toothbrushes that are not good for non-Germans"(←Didn't we have this kind of trouble in the 40s?), "Medicine that works for Japanese only", etc, etc... What's next? Seriously.
So I wrote Combi a letter. Am I overreacting?
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コメント(8)
My thoughts:
First,
I think it is natural to have different skeleton when one's race is different from the other.
We must admit that fact.
But it just doesn't seem appropriate to separate us like "Japanese" or "Americans" or "Europeans."
Second,
Japan is still close to a mono-ethnic country compared with other countries which have diverse racial difference inside, so when we talk about "Japanese," usually it's easy to imagine what kind of people (I mean, biologically or physically or appearances) we're talking about.
I agree this is less likely to happen in American or European countries.
Third,
For me the number of the samples (around 15 per each) seems ok scientifically, only if they show the statistical parameters such as average and standard deviation.
Last,
Above said, I personally think the product looks crap.
First,
I think it is natural to have different skeleton when one's race is different from the other.
We must admit that fact.
But it just doesn't seem appropriate to separate us like "Japanese" or "Americans" or "Europeans."
Second,
Japan is still close to a mono-ethnic country compared with other countries which have diverse racial difference inside, so when we talk about "Japanese," usually it's easy to imagine what kind of people (I mean, biologically or physically or appearances) we're talking about.
I agree this is less likely to happen in American or European countries.
Third,
For me the number of the samples (around 15 per each) seems ok scientifically, only if they show the statistical parameters such as average and standard deviation.
Last,
Above said, I personally think the product looks crap.
I guess they are looking for some product differentiation but it does seem a little silly....I've noticed that Japanese women sometimes have larger nipples than Western women, but they are still fundamentally the same shape....I mean I've met Western women who have large nipples and Western women who have smaller nipples. So if the nipples are the same shape I imagine the pacifier should also be roughly the same shape......I guess.
I don't know, maybe I should have stayed out of this....I think I'm just making myself look more and more like an idiot.
I don't know, maybe I should have stayed out of this....I think I'm just making myself look more and more like an idiot.
I got a reply from Combi saying that they're sorry they made me feel uncomfortable and sent my opinion to their 広報関連の担当部署(assume that's the Marketing dept)!
> あぽー
I guess what bothers me is the one simple labeling like "Japanese" or "Eur-Ame" (←Now this one's great. Not even separating Europe and Americas). So about the sampling too, like you said, if they've established what exactly kind of babies they're considering "Japanese" on the subject, it would have been fine with me.
> あぽー
I guess what bothers me is the one simple labeling like "Japanese" or "Eur-Ame" (←Now this one's great. Not even separating Europe and Americas). So about the sampling too, like you said, if they've established what exactly kind of babies they're considering "Japanese" on the subject, it would have been fine with me.
From the link you gave, Combi states they used 47 Japanese babies for their studies, but they didn't mention how many Western babies they used. I'd like to call BS on their study, but I couldn't find any studies published by them to read, or anything close to what they are claiming.
But, any parent of a newborn will tell you, at one point the baby will no longer accept the pacifier, in favor of their own fingers.
But, any parent of a newborn will tell you, at one point the baby will no longer accept the pacifier, in favor of their own fingers.
Well, this is just marketing. They want you to think that these products have been tailor-made for a Japanese baby. And if you believe this then you just might buy them. Right?
My guess is that while Combi uses the term "Japanese" and "European/American", the differences they are actually alluding to are East Asian versus Caucasian. While I am not at all sure that the differences between East Asian babies and Caucasian babies actually merit different pacifiers, I think it is easy for many people to believe that East Asian babies and Caucasian babies are a little different. And so it is not such a large stretch to think that maybe there should be different products for these babies.
So, Mama Rabbit, I think you are correct to be skeptical and even disgusted, but I also think you need to remember that it is perfectly acceptable for advertisers to exaggerate tiny little differences to make their products more marketable. We see this all the time as companies try to distinguish their products from the competition. You always need to be very skeptical regarding the claims made in any and all advertising.
And teach your children to be skeptical as well. :)
My guess is that while Combi uses the term "Japanese" and "European/American", the differences they are actually alluding to are East Asian versus Caucasian. While I am not at all sure that the differences between East Asian babies and Caucasian babies actually merit different pacifiers, I think it is easy for many people to believe that East Asian babies and Caucasian babies are a little different. And so it is not such a large stretch to think that maybe there should be different products for these babies.
So, Mama Rabbit, I think you are correct to be skeptical and even disgusted, but I also think you need to remember that it is perfectly acceptable for advertisers to exaggerate tiny little differences to make their products more marketable. We see this all the time as companies try to distinguish their products from the competition. You always need to be very skeptical regarding the claims made in any and all advertising.
And teach your children to be skeptical as well. :)
Overreacting? Maybe. Justified? Yes.
It's just a marketting ploy, of course. Something to make parents want to buy something becauseit's specifically designed for japanese babies.
I doubt that it's any more effective.
Peoples bodies ARE different. Ethnicity DOES make our bodies different. But not in all respects.
Afro hair products are used by many black people because their hair is a bit different to toucan caucasin hair.
Likewise, many Japanese people can't handle the same doses of medicine as English people. This stuff is important to know.
The shape of your mouth? Sorry this varies by such a small degree that such products are ridiculous. Such a marketing ploy is unlikely to work outside of Asia because people would scoff at the idea that it makes a difference. I just left a Xmas party filled with little kids and apart from a pair of twins they all looked totally different to me. The sizes of their mouths would, I assume, also be different.
Rather than outraged, these types of products amuse me.
Japan has a reputation for producing extremely situation dependant products, and that's part of what makes Japan Japan. Some of them are awesome and I love them. Some of them are like the one found in the OP.
It's just a marketting ploy, of course. Something to make parents want to buy something becauseit's specifically designed for japanese babies.
I doubt that it's any more effective.
Peoples bodies ARE different. Ethnicity DOES make our bodies different. But not in all respects.
Afro hair products are used by many black people because their hair is a bit different to toucan caucasin hair.
Likewise, many Japanese people can't handle the same doses of medicine as English people. This stuff is important to know.
The shape of your mouth? Sorry this varies by such a small degree that such products are ridiculous. Such a marketing ploy is unlikely to work outside of Asia because people would scoff at the idea that it makes a difference. I just left a Xmas party filled with little kids and apart from a pair of twins they all looked totally different to me. The sizes of their mouths would, I assume, also be different.
Rather than outraged, these types of products amuse me.
Japan has a reputation for producing extremely situation dependant products, and that's part of what makes Japan Japan. Some of them are awesome and I love them. Some of them are like the one found in the OP.
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