A clip of Streamer and Youtuber IShowSpeed saying “Konnichiwa” (meaning hello in Japanese) to a fan after the fan insists he is Chinese has gone viral. IShowSpeed has now apologized after being criticized for his racist behavior.
In the clip, a Chinese fan wearing an Argentina jersey appears behind IShowSpeed during a World Cup match and gives the camera a thumbs-up. Speed tells the fan to “come-back” and asks the fan why he is wearing an Argentina jersey. When the fan appears confused, IShowSpeed says “Konnichiwa” several times.
“No no Chinese, Chinese,” the fan replies, attempting to explain that he does not speak Japanese.
IShowSpeed continues to say Konnichiwa and again the fan corrects him saying, “Chinese, no Konnichiwa.”
At the end of the clip, IShowSpeed also appears to mock the language by making several nonsensical sounds.
IShowSpeed was criticized by hundreds of Twitter users for his racist behavior, pointing out that he has also behaved inappropriately in the past.
Several Twitter users also felt the streamer’s behavior shows that casual racism against Asians is “normalized.”
The streamer posted a video apology on Twitter attempting to explain the video. He claimed he thought the fan was Japanese. When he discovered the fan was Chinese, IShowSpeed claimed he tried to say the nickname Chinese fans had given him.
“If I offended any Asian person out there, trust me, man, I’m not racist. I love Asians. I love all, man. So… I apologize if they came out that way. Love you guys. Peace out. Hope you accept my apology,” he said.
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