Boycott The Canadian 2010 Winter Olympic Mascots

http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/Org...eatureStories/2007/11/27/76537_0711271407-872

The Olympics was not an endeavor that Canadians fell into easily. Money was, and still is, and issue. After over-spending almost three-fold, the 2010 olympic mascots were revealed to be a huge marketing ploy that offends both Canadians Ethnic and Euro descent, and Canadian First Nations. These mascots were obviously created for the largely Asian population in the area of Vancouver, BC, and for the anime-loving, Pokemon warriors internationally.

These mascots don't represent Canada, Canadians, or Canadian heritage. They are "bastardizations of First Nations myths," according to one Canadian Ojibwe Carleton University student who also pointed out that "these are shameful profiteering ploys and no profit [of the estimated $45 million according to VANOC C.E.O.] is going back to the BC reserves who are in plight."

I have personally visited Zellers (Hudson's Bay Company) to see these "mascots"' prices. For a small, palm-sized plush toy, you're looking at a whopping $30.00. At those prices, profiteering goes out the window and gouging comes in -- especially when these mascots are employing a large group of people to manufacture these products ... in China. Making the toys: pennies. Selling the toys: thirty bucks a pop. Damage control after huge lead contamination harms children around the world: priceless.

What would I have liked to see? I would have liked to see aboriginals involved in the process of deciding on important myths and legends to include. I would have liked to see the design completed by an aboriginal design artist (there are plenty in Canada), and I would have liked it to also represent Canada's heritage and European discovery. We are a new country and this was our chance to show the world how far we have overcome adversity, gender issues, ethnic issues, etc., and how we have developed our own unique identity as an independent country.

Instead, the Olympic organizing committee decided to take some aboriginal myths and to mix them all together; to make combined mythical/real creatures into anime style, cutesy plush toys; and to charge insane amounts of money for them. Yes, children love them - but children will love anything soft and plushy. I had a plush killer whale from a carnival as a kid and it was my favourite plush toy. These mascots not only embarrass me as a Canadian, but they exploit important and sacred traditional aboriginal stories and creatures. The exploitation will generate a huge revenue, and none of that money will be going towards Aboriginal issues. Their identity has been stolen and mutilated and it won't be returned. As for the rest of Canada, our identity has been ignored in order to make room for the buyer - the Asian population and for consumers of Asian-oriented products and media.

As the Ojibwe university student put it, "Please stop this horrible display of consumerism [that is] disguised as Aboriginal spirit myth. You can stop it by not buying."

 

ha ha.
they are cute.
but im not Canadian, and if it offends our brothers to the north, lets boycott it!!!
fucking mascots!!!

 

A sea-bear, an animal spirit and a sasquatch? WTF?

Why not an animal that Canada is known for like a moose or a goose? Or a maple tree? Or any character from The Red Green Show?

 

Good show. There's nothing uniquely Canadian about these mascots. They look like Japanese toys. Funny, because this is the designer's personal website:
http://www.meomi.com/

 

When I went to BC all I saw were Asian people anyway.

What is a real canadian?

 

1 in 5 Canadians are not born in Canada.


The mascots are horrible but I don't think I would boycott the Olympics over it.

 

Eh. Three in Five Americans weren't born here. I still don't get it. I'd much rather be Canadian.

 

dude, they're just cute mascots. RELAX.
The carebears offend me too, man. PROTEST MY LITTLE PONY!!!

 

I'm not saying to boycott the olympics. I'll be glued to the screen during hockey and speed skating. I'm saying to boycott the MASCOTS, as in, don't buy them.

They're not "just cute mascots". The issues in Canada are pretty bad when it comes to relations with the aboriginal population. What they've done is taken sacred stories, mashed them all up together, gouging the profits, and then they'll probably use the money to further develop reserve land that's been neglected by the government for years.

It's a horrible reality.


Did you go to Vancouver when you were in BC? Like I said in my opening post, most people in Vancouver are Asian, so that's the main buyer, which is why they sacrificed aboriginal heritage with profits.


As for the most important question, "What is Canadian?"

Canadian is the appreciation of the foundations of the country. Canadian is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the amazing wildlife including moose, bison, deer, elk, etc., and the oldest trees in the world, which reside in the west coast rain forest. Canadian is history and hard work. Canadian is discovery and hardships from a wilderness to a society. Canadian is all ethnicities working together to create a utopia. At least it was. Until things like this come along.

 

I reeeeaaaaallllly doubt that a couple (or three) cute little mascots were all one big conspiracy to offend and exploit. While I don't have any money right now, I'm sure I may just buy them, since in my opinion they actually show respect and recognition by actually using these characters.
Not everything is a battle.

 

Your wrong, no where near 3/5 Americans were not born in America.

I dont think 99% of people would ever buy anything so stupid.


What about boycotting the 2010 Olympics (all together) because Canada wont boycott 2008? hmm?

 

lets just boycott everything while we're at it?! seriously though... sometimes I think people get butthurt just to say they're offended by something. GET OVER IT. THERE ARE BIGGER PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD THAN CARTOON CHARACTERS!!

 

I thought Canada was horrible until i saw these mascots. I have just placed an order for a whole case to use as stocking stuffers

i wish i was Chinese so I could live in Vancouver too, up in utopia shooting heroin in the rain

 

YOU'RE obviously not living on either coast.

Also, YOU'RE sadly lacking a sense of humor.

 

No, not everything is a battle. I choose my battles. That's why you don't see a thread about boycotting different things all down the forum by me. Anyway, the points are these:

-Exploits SACRED (keyword) Aboriginal myth
-GOUGES (illegal) in pricing.
-Employs Chinese workers (not Canadian), also potentially dangerous for children.
-Appears to be Japanese (not a mascot for Canada)
-Uses profits to increase tourism and non-Aboriginal parts of Canadian life (money not going back to where it was taken from)


I don't see what's wrong with disliking any of that enough to boycott.

 

These "characters" represent one of the BIGGEST problems in Canada: apathy for Aboriginal peoples and heritage; misunderstanding between cultures; and exploitation of Aboriginals who aren't given the choice through the Canadian government to have the financial means to fight back.

It's a HUGE issue.

 

Actually, aboriginal rights are enshrined in the constitution and independent of the government of the day.

I wouldn't worry about the mascots so much, as the whole Olympics are fubared. "Twelve kids living in dumpsters for every gold handed out."

 

How are they exploiting sacred myth by honoring it???
I believe people can charge whatever prices they want, if people don't like the prices they won't buy it.
EVERYONE employs Chinese workers, so you can't say its solely canada.
Art style is relative.
They made it, they can do what they want with the money.