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I can't say I disagree with many of Funt or timvp's points. I just think it'd be another double standard for the league.
Are the American people upset because they truly find it offensive or because of the double standard?Whatever the reason, the American people are upset by this. Which is why I think a statement from Stern to make it clear, in no uncertain terms, that the league does not endorse such behavior from any of its players, regardless their country of origin, would be a smart move. Not policing, not official league actions, not suspensions, just a statement.
I can't say I disagree with many of Funt or timvp's points. I just think it'd be another double standard for the league.
I imagine that depends on the person, but a statement would likely satisfy both issues.
It's different when an ethnic group is a majority. In the US, asians are a minority so it is different, imo.
As for the picture, I was shocked when I first saw it. But as I read into the back story, I'm not sure if it's a big deal. It sounds like the spanish team had a chinese sponsor, re-signed with said sponsor, and in a clownish way, tried to show appreciation through a joke. It won't stop me from visiting Ibiza one day.
It's like the posters here that photoshop JohnnyBlaze into asian caricature because of his "slanty" eyes, but he isn't asian at all. If you didn't know any better, you would think they are mocking his race. But it's an inside joke, I assume.
I kid my ethnic friends about their race all the time. But it's different amongst friends because there is a bond and trust there. If someone I didn't know ran up to me and made a "slanty" eyed gesture, I'm not so sure I wouldn't react to it. It would probably depend on the mood I'm in.
I just have to say it after watching Jackie Chan's SNL episode.
Anicient Chinese Secret....................lol
I'm not sure it's quite as easy as that last statement might make it seem. Suppose for a second that instead of a gesture that might be rhetorically ambiguous, we were talking about something much more overt. Suppose that there was a star-level NBA player who hails from another country in which slavery of one racial or ethnic group was legally permissible - let's say blacks for the sake of making this all the more inflammatory. And suppose that during an offseason, such a player was reported to have purchased hundreds of black slaves, housing them in deplorable (yet legal) conditions while being an outspoken advocate for the notion that such people are inherently inferior -- a notion deeply-held in his nation. Would it still be beyond the purview of the league to punish that player (or to dissociate itself from such a star) for those actions? Would that be out of the context of the league?
I'll grant that my hypothetical is qualitatively different than the situation at hand, but if there is to be line drawing, I wonder where those lines should be drawn -- particularly when we admit that the iden y of the speaker seems to define whether his gesture will net punishment from the association by which he is primarily employed.
I also think the Spanish claims of innocence here ring hollow, notwithstanding the racial dynamics in Spanish culture, because the organizing bodies of international sport have taken public stances decrying racism and actions that bespeak racism, regardless of the cultural norms. I can't speak to how successful those efforts have actually been -- though I seem to recall FIFA imposing penalties for racial taunts (I might be wrong about that) -- but the attention to matters of racism are at least getting lip service on the European continent. It's not as if Spanish athletes are unaware of the international concerns for racism (whether this is that or not is a different question), even if those concerns are non-existent within the borders of their homeland.
Ashbeigh was just trying to help the Spanish photog imo.
So, on the next page was there an ad with them all pee-pee'ing in a bottle of Coke?
True....Michael Jackson technically mocks TWO different races everytime he walks out in public.
Actually now that I think about it, just this past postseason, wasn't there an incident with Paul Pierce and whether or not he made some sort of gang gesture to another player during a game? And I believe the league investigated but decided not to do anything....
I remember that commericial.
"Menacing gestures..."
Of course there would need to be a line drawn. But, I'd certainly like to think that the boundary between offensive gesture and potential human rights violation is marked with a pretty thick line.
Completely agree.
seriously...we are all racist...we just have the privacy of our own homes to hide behind...
what did the spanish team do to actually hold any chinese down and prevent them from achieving what they need to...not a god damn thing...
move on...
this isn't roots...
Angel ain't single anymore, so let's stop being sweet to her!
yep. much ado about nothing.
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 cir stances, 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 do entaries 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 phobic. 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.
Angel is a ing moron.
This is the original article that sparked this whole issue:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008...picsbasketball
And then it went global.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008...themedia.spain
Spaniards filled Sid Lowe's (The Guardian's Spain based journalist who first reported the picture) mailbox with hate. He went on to defend himself.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008...sandpublishing
And for those of you who understand Spanish, here's how some Spanish basketball fans reacted. Disclaimer: It may get ugly.
http://foros.acb.com/viewtopic.php?t=316666
Did Shaq get suspended or fined when he mocked the way Chinese people talk? I can't remember and don't feel like googling it.
Good thing Pau doesn't play in a city with a large Asian population or anything.
Wouldn't it be shorter just to list countries where you don't have relatives?
Antarctica and . . . ?
wouldnt matter anyway since we need those wide screen lcds...
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