Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus caused quite a stir when this photo of her and some friends began making the rounds on the internet:
The Asian American organization The OCA issued the following statement to TMZ:
The photograph of Miley Cyrus and other individuals slanting their eyes currently circulating the Internet is offensive to the Asian Pacific American community and sets a terrible example for her many young fans. This image falls within a long and unfortunate history of people mocking and denigrating individuals of Asian descent…Not only has Miley Cyrus and the other individuals in the photograph encouraged and legitimized the taunting and mocking of people of Asian descent, she has also insulted her many Asian Pacific American fans. The inclusion of an Asian Pacific American individual in the photo does not make it acceptable.
What these folks don’t realize is that Miley is just preparing for an international marketing campaign instigated by Disney to combat the flailing US economy and declining profits for the entertainment giant. There were a number of ethnically insensitive Hannah Montana clones in the works, including the one that inspired the controversial photo:
Needless to say, the show has been scrapped, as have the following equally offensive projects:
Mexicanna Montana
Hannah Talibantana
Tranny Montanny
Afghanistanna Montana
Hannah Guantanamontana
Perhaps Disney should try a more positive approach, like Yes We Canna Montana.
****UPDATE 2/9/09 – Miley has finally surrenderred! Check out her white flag aporogy here.
