The Los Angeles Times and senior video editor Mark E. Potts came under fire this week for a video posted to social media that showed Potts perusing – and critiquing – the various concessions items available at the Tokyo Dome during the MLB Tokyo Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
In the video, Potts makes numerous comments describing the native Japanese menu items that range from cringe-worthy to downright culturally offensive. The video has since been pulled from both social media, but Farley Elliott of SFGATE shared some direct quotes from Potts in the video before it was eventually pulled from the LA Times’ website as well.
“They are unique; they are fun; they’re different than any ballpark you’ll find in the States,” Potts said. “But quick disclaimer; I didn’t eat any of the fish stuff.”
In a video that was supposedly meant to highlight some of the “unique” menu items at the Tokyo Dome, Potts highlighted items that were decidedly not unique to the venue – or the continent, for that matter. After starting with a whisky highball, he pivoted to french fries, hot dogs, beer, fried chicken, churros, pizza and pasta.
When Potts eventually did try one of the menu items that was native to Japan – pan-fried gyoza – things quickly devolved.
“They gave me some chopsticks,” Potts says. “That was a bad idea. I don’t know how to use chopsticks. Pro tip: You can just stab stuff with them.”
Oh, buddy. Here’s a pro tip for you: do your research before you take on an assignment that requires nuance and culture.
Other Japanese foods Potts tried in the video, including nikuman (a steamed pork bun), ramen and takoyaki.
“It was pretty heavy,” Potts said of the nikuman, adding that it was “filled with all sorts of good stuff I should know, but I don’t.”
Potts wouldn’t even try the takoyaki, which were labeled in the video in English as “octopus dumplings” but are actually a popular Japanese street food.
LA Times deletes cringeworthy and offensive Dodgers-Cubs Tokyo Series food video
After receiving plenty of backlash on social media, Potts was given a chance to apologize for the offensive nature of the video – a chance he did not take.
“I’ve been in Tokyo to cover the Dodgers-Cubs series,” Potts wrote in an email to SFGATE. “Since we cannot shoot video of the actual games, we look for other ways to bring the experience to life for those who aren’t able to attend. My intention was to show the food at Tokyo Dome and poke fun at myself for being uncultured. We took the video down after receiving some comments indicating it was not received as intended.”
No apology; just a critique of the sizable audience of viewers who understandably found the video offensive. Instead of admitting that the video was made and posted in poor taste, Potts continued to make it about himself. Yet another bad look.
More Dodgers content from Dodgers Way
AloJapan.com