Yo Argentina. Whassup with the China hate?

[IceColdBrewski]

http://www.faniq.com/blog/Argentina-Womens-Soccer-Team-Caught-Making-Racist-SlantEye-Gesture-Before-Heading-To-The-Olympics-Blog-11184


Another day, another slant-eyed Olympic picture mocking China comes out.

Today's offender is the Argentina women's soccer team. The above photo was, of course, published in the Argentine sports newspaper Ole on August 5th to accompany a preview of the team’s first match of the Olympic tournament against Canada.

Why you'd run a picture of slant-eyed players in a preview about a game against Canada is beyond me. I'd think if you'd want the players holding some Molson Ice and hockey sticks.

Just so you know, Argentina's women's team didn't win a game in Beijing.

But anyway, this marks the third photo to come out in about a week featuring Olympians mocking the Chinese. The previous two were the Spanish men's basketball team and the Spanish tennis team.

Oh, by the way, Madrid is gunning for the 2016 Olympic Games. Or sorry, I should correct that to Madrid WAS gunning for the 2016 Olympics Games.

What's weird about all these photos is that there was no outcry in the countries in which they appeared. And, in fact, some of the athletes even went on record saying that the racist photos weren't racist. This should be entertaining.


Pau Gasol, one of the Spanish basketballers, said it was "absurd" to consider the gesture racist.

What's absurd, Pau, is that you let anyone take the picture in the first place.

Now, I've made a lot of fun of China during these Olympic Games, I've even called them commies (which is true), but that's politics, not race. I don't care what anyone from Spain or Argentina says, those photos are racist, period.

Maybe if the US men's basketball team started running an ad of themselves lounging in hammocks drunk on wine while watching a bullfight, Spain and Argentina would begin to understand why their slant-eye gestures were in bad taste.

Seriously. Is there a nation that doesn't make fun of China?

[BacktoBasics]

No one likes cheaters

[Extra Stout]

Stuff White People Like #101: Being Offended

To be offended is usually a rather unpleasant experience, one that can expose a person to intolerance, cultural misunderstandings, and even evoke the scars of the past. This is such an unpleasant experience that many people develop a thick skin and try to only be offended in the most egregious and awful situations. In many circumstances, they can allow smaller offenses to slip by as fighting them is a waste of time and energy. But white people, blessed with both time and energy, are not these kind of people. In fact there are few things white people love more than being offended.

Naturally, white people do not get offended by statements directed at white people. In fact, they don’t even have a problem making offensive statements about other white people (ask a white person about “flyover states”). As a rule, white people strongly prefer to get offended on behalf of other people.

It is also valuable to know that white people spend a significant portion of their time preparing for the moment when they will be offended. They read magazines, books, and watch documentaries all in hopes that one day they will encounter a person who will say something offensive. When this happens, they can leap into action with quotes, statistics, and historical examples. Once they have finished lecturing another white person about how it’s wrong to use the term “black” instead of “African-American,” they can sit back and relax in the knowledge that they have made a difference.

White people also get excited at the opportunity to be offended at things that are sexist and/or homophobic. Both cases offering ample opportunities for lectures, complaints, graduate classes, lengthy discussions and workshops. All of which do an excellent job of raising awareness among white people who hope to change their status from “not racist” to “super not racist.”

Another thing worth noting is that the threshold for being offended is a very important tool for judging and ranking white people. Missing an opportunity to be outraged is like missing a reference to Derrida-it’s social death.

If you ever need to make a white person feel indebted to you, wait for them to mention a book, film, or television show that features a character who is the same race as you, then say “the representation of <insert race> was offensive and if you can’t see that, well, you need to do some soul searching.” After they return from their hastily booked trip to land of your ancestors, they will be desperate to make it up to you. At this point, it is acceptable to ask them to help you paint your house.

[timvp]

http://www.faniq.com/images/blog/slanteye1.jpg

I didn't know Scola was a two sport star.

[Ginobilly]

I remember I used to do the "slant eyed gesture" when I was little because I admired and wanted to be like Bruce Lee. Was I being racist? Honestly I think we're Misinterpreting(Spain,Arg) their message.

[remingtonbo2001]

http://www.faniq.com/images/blog/slanteye1.jpg

I didn't know Scola was a two sport star.

:lol... was thinking the same thing.

[angelbelow]

lol scola

[JoeChalupa]

Wrong. But that is just me. Perhaps I have a different slant on things.

[Trainwreck2100]

chinga chinga ching ching ching ching ching

[Slydragon]

No one likes cheaters

I LMAO out loud and my daughter gave me the "you are nuts" look.

[Slydragon]

My mother was chinese (slant eyes up)

My father was Japanese (slant eyes down)

Look how they left me (slant 1 eye up and slant 1 eye down)

I remember everyone would say that when I was in elementary.

[Manu'sMagicalLeftHand]

Another day, another slant-eyed Olympic picture mocking China comes out.

Today's offender is the Argentina women's soccer team. The above photo was, of course, published in the Argentine sports newspaper Ole on August 5th to accompany a preview of the team’s first match of the Olympic tournament against Canada.

Why you'd run a picture of slant-eyed players in a preview about a game against Canada is beyond me. I'd think if you'd want the players holding some Molson Ice and hockey sticks.

Just so you know, Argentina's women's team didn't win a game in Beijing.

But anyway, this marks the third photo to come out in about a week featuring Olympians mocking the Chinese. The previous two were the Spanish men's basketball team and the Spanish tennis team.

Oh, by the way, Madrid is gunning for the 2016 Olympic Games. Or sorry, I should correct that to Madrid WAS gunning for the 2016 Olympics Games.

What's weird about all these photos is that there was no outcry in the countries in which they appeared. And, in fact, some of the athletes even went on record saying that the racist photos weren't racist. This should be entertaining.


Pau Gasol, one of the Spanish basketballers, said it was "absurd" to consider the gesture racist.

What's absurd, Pau, is that you let anyone take the picture in the first place.

Now, I've made a lot of fun of China during these Olympic Games, I've even called them commies (which is true), but that's politics, not race. I don't care what anyone from Spain or Argentina says, those photos are racist, period.

Maybe if the US men's basketball team started running an ad of themselves lounging in hammocks drunk on wine while watching a bullfight, Spain and Argentina would begin to understand why their slant-eye gestures were in bad taste.

- Madrid is still aiming for the 2016 Olympics. There wasn't any international outcry, except in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. And most of the protests came from middle-class WASPs who see themselves as journalists because they write a blog. Since they are so politically correct, they feel that the rest of the world should use their same standards.

- Why should be any outcry? A Chinese-owned mini-market is two blocks away from my house, and when you toss with them or make them that gesture, they don't get offended, they take it as something childish. The only Chinese/Asians that get offended by the gesture are those raised in the countries mentioned in the previous parragraph.

- Calling someone a "commie" is an insult? How communist is a country where McDonald's, Coca-Cola, GE, Kodak, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa are sponsoring the event? Not only that, those corporations operate in the country and have developed huge profits in the gigantic market that China represents. The only communist thing left about the People's Republic of China right now is the name.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

If Chinese people should get offended by the slant eyed gesture, then we Argies should be offended every time we travel abroad and people greet us with the "Cheeee" remark. I mean, its only fair...

[JoeChalupa]

If the Olympics were held in Africa should the people not be offended if the athletes were to take their photo in black face? Or is that a bad comparison?

[Manu'sMagicalLeftHand]

If the Olympics were held in Africa should the people not be offended if the athletes were to take their photo in black face? Or is that a bad comparison?

Bad comparision. In many western countries without black population people still use makeup to play black characters. The reason? There's no black people in those countries. The US and the UK history with blackface is actually different and that's why it's a sensitive issue.

a) Africans would probably ignore it, or look somewhere between dazled and bemused by something that childish, since blackface is mainly a problematic issue in the US.

b) Black people in the US (I'm not using the ridiculously PC "African American") would feel outraged, but because they have a different history than blacks in Africa.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

If the Olympics were held in Africa should the people not be offended if the athletes were to take their photo in black face? Or is that a bad comparison?


Actually a better comparison would be, if the Chinese team would have attended the US Olympics and taken a picture of themselves opening their eyes with their fingers. Would the same people be as outraged as they are now? I don't think they would.

[timvp]

Bad comparision. In many western countries without black population people still use makeup to play black characters. The reason? There's no black people in those countries. The US and the UK history with blackface is actually different and that's why it's a sensitive issue.No offense intended but part of the reason why it wouldn't be a sensitive issue in Argentina is because Argentina has the world's highest percentage of white people. 97% of Argentina is classified as white ... which is a higher percentage than every state in the United States and every country in Europe.

Argentina 150 years ago had almost as many black people (percentage wise) as the United States. But then someone in Argentina came up with a plan that they'd offer freedom to slaves if they joined the military. Problem was that they'd be sent off to battles and kept there until they were killed. Pretty ingenious plan as far as genocide goes.

But yeah, I agree with you that this Argentina photo doesn't mean much. Most Chinese people in China don't even understand the supposed racial meaning. Plus being racist in Argentina against a non-white or non-Indian race would be like someone in the US being racist against space aliens.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

No offense intended but part of the reason why it wouldn't be a sensitive issue in Argentina is because Argentina has the world's highest percentage of white people. 97% of Argentina is classified as white ... which is a higher percentage than every state in the United States and every country in Europe.

Argentina 150 years ago had almost as many black people (percentage wise) as the United States. But then someone in Argentina came up with a plan that they'd offer freedom to slaves if they joined the military. Problem was that they'd be sent off to battles and kept there until they were killed. Pretty ingenious plan as far as genocide goes.

But yeah, I agree with you that this Argentina photo doesn't mean much. Most Chinese people in China don't even understand the supposed racial meaning. Plus being racist in Argentina against a non-white or non-Indian race would be like someone in the US being racist against space aliens.

I think that's accurate, but in all fairness, that's exactly what MMLH was saying. That because the US and UK's history of racial tensions is different, people tend to be more sensitive about things even remotely related to racism. Is that not the case? I do however, object to your implication that people in Argentina don't know what racism is. People understand what racism is, they're just not as overly sensitive about it for the reasons mentioned above. Which is not to say that we don't have racism obviously.

but getting back to the original subject of this thread, I think the point to make here is whether or not considering this racism is a bit of a stretch.

[David@SLCC]

MaNuMaNiAc,
Please let me share my take on this. Let me first preface by saying that I'm an Argentine who's lived in the US for many years and I now live in China. Also, my wife is Japanese.

There is not going to be an outcry in China about these pictures because a) Chinese people are not known as revolutionists, b) they are not allowed to protest. However, it doesn't mean they are ok with it. If you take the time to talk to regular Chinese people, you'll probably find out that some of them are very self-conscious about the way they look (particularly their eyes.)

Beauty here is a synonym of Western. If you look at advertisements for beauty products like L'oreal (sp?), Avon and such, you'll notice that they all use American, European, Latinas models. This is what they believe and some younger girls go out of their way to hide their slanted eyes either with make-up or, in the most extreme of cases, surgery.

Before the Miss World (or Miss Universe) was awarded to a Japanese girl, Japan was pretty much the same way. They are just now starting to appreciate their own beauty and promoting it more. Japanese girls are gorgeous.

So, whether the Chinese people who emigrated to Spain or Argentina don't complaint about it, it bothers them. Don't forget that most of them come from extreme poverty and are trying to fit in, work, provide for their family without causing too much noise. The last thing they want is confrontation. This includes the Chinese guy who owns the mini-mart near your house.

Chinese people who have emigrated to the US, UK, Australia and Canada (more developed countries, coincidence?) have taken the time to educate themselves more and organize in an effort to help each other out while living abroad. The fact they are offended by these remarks and pictures doesn't show over-dramatization on their part, just that they've allowed themselves to be more vocal about it.


Anyway, what the Spaniards and Argentines did was offensive. Trying to defend their acts or "to not see the point" just highlights the poor education in our countries and lack of knowledge about what's going on around the world. This includes the press and it's not directed at you personally. I'm not proud of it.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

MaNuMaNiAc,
Please let me share my take on this. Let me first preface by saying that I'm an Argentine who's lived in the US for many years and I now live in China. Also, my wife is Japanese.

There is not going to be an outcry in China about these pictures because a) Chinese people are not known as revolutionists, b) they are not allowed to protest. However, it doesn't mean they are ok with it. If you take the time to talk to regular Chinese people, you'll probably find out that some of them are very self-conscious about the way they look (particularly their eyes.)

Beauty here is a synonym of Western. If you look at advertisements for beauty products like L'oreal (sp?), Avon and such, you'll notice that they all use American, European, Latinas models. This is what they believe and some younger girls go out of their way to hide their slanted eyes either with make-up or, in the most extreme of cases, surgery.

Before the Miss World (or Miss Universe) was awarded to a Japanese girl, Japan was pretty much the same way. They are just now starting to appreciate their own beauty and promoting it more. Japanese girls are gorgeous.

So, whether the Chinese people who emigrated to Spain or Argentina don't complaint about it, it bothers them. Don't forget that most of them come from extreme poverty and are trying to fit in, work, provide for their family without causing too much noise. The last thing they want is confrontation. This includes the Chinese guy who owns the mini-mart near your house.

Chinese people who have emigrated to the US, UK, Australia and Canada (more developed countries, coincidence?) have taken the time to educate themselves more and organize in an effort to help each other out while living abroad. The fact they are offended by these remarks and pictures doesn't show over-dramatization on their part, just that they've allowed themselves to be more vocal about it.


Anyway, what the Spaniards and Argentines did was offensive. Trying to defend their acts or "to not see the point" just highlights the poor education in our countries and lack of knowledge about what's going on around the world. This includes the press and it's not directed at you personally. I'm not proud of it.

Fair enough. I get what you're saying.

[slayermin]

No offense intended but part of the reason why it wouldn't be a sensitive issue in Argentina is because Argentina has the world's highest percentage of white people. 97% of Argentina is classified as white ... which is a higher percentage than every state in the United States and every country in Europe.

Argentina 150 years ago had almost as many black people (percentage wise) as the United States. But then someone in Argentina came up with a plan that they'd offer freedom to slaves if they joined the military. Problem was that they'd be sent off to battles and kept there until they were killed. Pretty ingenious plan as far as genocide goes.

But yeah, I agree with you that this Argentina photo doesn't mean much. Most Chinese people in China don't even understand the supposed racial meaning. Plus being racist in Argentina against a non-white or non-Indian race would be like someone in the US being racist against space aliens.

I have met some Argentines in Los Angeles and they seem like cool people.

But one of my best friends in LA, who happens to be african-american, would always dog me because I would root for Manu Ginobili. He basically stated the same things you posted. It is strange that Brazil has such a strong african influence and Argentina does not.

[Kamnik]

97% of Argentina is classified as white ... which is a higher percentage than every state in the United States and every country in Europe.


You never been to Slovenia I see :toast

I think 99,9% of people here are white.

Mostly because we are not interesting to foreign imigrants who don´t even know where we are located. :lol (and nowadays that is a good thing)

[v2freak]

Well the slanted eyes thing is not Chinese-only; it applies to all Asians. That's why most people don't like the term 'chinaman.' As far as I know, no other Asian race is getting puffy about this. I'm half Asian, and I don't think it's offensive at all (nor would I find it offensive if they gestured only one slant eye, in accordance with my heritage).

[leo_d]

No offense intended but part of the reason why it wouldn't be a sensitive issue in Argentina is because Argentina has the world's highest percentage of white people. 97% of Argentina is classified as white ... which is a higher percentage than every state in the United States and every country in Europe.

Argentina 150 years ago had almost as many black people (percentage wise) as the United States. But then someone in Argentina came up with a plan that they'd offer freedom to slaves if they joined the military. Problem was that they'd be sent off to battles and kept there until they were killed. Pretty ingenious plan as far as genocide goes.

But yeah, I agree with you that this Argentina photo doesn't mean much. Most Chinese people in China don't even understand the supposed racial meaning. Plus being racist in Argentina against a non-white or non-Indian race would be like someone in the US being racist against space aliens.


Argentina didn`t have the same % of white and black people 150 years ago.
And in the front line of the independence war were fought mostly by gauchos, not black people.

the practice of giving freedom to slaves in exchange of fighting for the country was extended and even USA used it. In fact, in the present day, if a latin person wants to get the american citizenship, he could do it by joining the army
¿is that a genocide practice?

There were no sistematic plan to exterminate black people, stop saing that please.

About the picture, you are looking from the chinese perspective (even the american), not the argentinian, in our culture that is not an insult, is more like using a mexican sombrero in mexico, or a cowboy hat in texas, but i agree that it could offend the chinese, in that case you could say that they are shortminded for not to take the time to think what the chinese would say, but they are not racist, there are not trying to make fun of the chinese culture.