Culturally and Racially Insensitive

The November 10th edition of the Bolivian newspaper El Deber, published an article on how 36.6% of Japanese couples did not have sex throughout 2008.

I am not discrediting the newspaper's sources and by no means I am disputing the facts presented in the article. What has astounded me, however, is the picture the newspaper used to illustrate the piece.

It is a picture taken from a Korean drama called Winter Sonata, in other words, the newspaper used Korean people to illustrate a Japanese problem.

Great isn't it?

I am sure this was an honest mistake and there was no malice from the journalist and the editor who decided to publish the picture.

But this illustrates two things.
One that the Bolivian newspaper has no regard for copyright laws (this is a very famous picture and is heavily protected). But this issue is besides the point.

What I am concerned about is the issue of cultural and racial insensitivity.

For those who do not know, Bolivia has very serious problems with racism. Not against foreign nationals but within the different ethnicities that live within the country's borderline. Different ethnic groups, within Bolivia, hate one another and we see atrocities fueled by this hate on a daily basis in the Bolivian media.

So, one would have guessed that this problem has taught newspapers to be more sensitive and careful when it comes to issues of nationality, ethnicity and race.

I guess not.

El Deber 10/11/08