A Star Wars: The Force Awakens promotional poster aimed at the Chinese market is creating havoc on social media.
The Chinese promotional poster shows the main character played by black actor John Boyega shrunken down to microscopic proportions. At least he’s there.
Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron, Maz Kanata and the wookie Chewbacca are deleted from the poster entirely and replaced by a stormtrooper.
The poster redesign is a reflection of Chinese culture. Everyone knows China is one of the worst places for black people to travel. The black population in China is zero (and, for that matter, so is the wookie population). So why is Boyega’s shrunken causing such controversy on social media?
Global Times writers dismiss complaints that the Chinese promotional poster is racist.
“Since the poster is merely a promotion method and an individual case, it would be unfair to criticize Chinese audiences for discriminating against the black actor,” said Chen Qiuping, head of the scriptwriter branch of the Beijing Film Association.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters in China on December 17th.
Thanks to loyal reader Ernest O. for the tip.
