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ESPN sorry for offensive headline on Lin story

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tokugawa

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Sep 8, 2005
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ESPN sorry for offensive headline on Lin story/

Amazes me even in this day and age that people still don't understand how derogatory the word 'chink' is! I mean I can understand the average Joe Blow on the street not knowing any better but how can a writer or an editor or a major publication make such a blunder? Not sure if it's ignorance or lack of sensitivities or just plain incompetence. What bugs me most about this whole debacle is why did it have to happen? Anyone with any intelligence would know not to use that word or any word like it (nigger, kike, caffer, etc) in today's world.

Origins of the word 'Chink'
 
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Bartdude

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Unfuckingbelievable. Seriously. Somebody should get fired over that.
 
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jesuschrist

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I believe it.

There is a quadruple anti-Asian thing going on in the US right now.

The first is that Asian Americans are not seen really as Americans. Only Whites and Blacks.

The second is that there is a big hate-on for China.

The third is that there is a big hate-on for foreign students of Asian decent. Asian students have been the subject of harrassment and even beatings on campuses across the USA.

The fourth is that the NBA is dominated by Blacks and Whites, and Blacks in particular are pretty comfortable with their predominance. Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports, for example, made a shocking racist comment about Lin earlier in the week (referring to Asian dick size) that he never actually apologized for. I think that being the ones who were always traditionally victimized, they feel threatened that another minority might bump them from the territority they've claimed as theirs.

So some writer made a bad pun on purpose. Then there are the editorial staff, usually more than one, who would overlook it. You cannot overlook this, so they decided it was OK. Finally it went to publication, where a final editor looks over it, in particular any top story. That person must have seen it and thought it was OK. In my opinion, nobody can claim ignorance or that it was a mistake.

If something like this happened with the Vancouver Sun, many heads would roll. Let's see what happens with ESPN.
 
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Bartdude

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Dgodus said:
Pardon my ignorance but wtf is a caffer?
Click to expand...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffir_(racial_term)

The word kaffir, sometimes spelled kaffer or kafir, is an offensive term for a black person, most common in South Africa and other African countries. Generally considered a racial or ethnic slur in modern usage, it was previously a neutral term for black southern African people.

The word is derived from the Arabic/Islamic term Kafir, which means 'disbeliever' or literally, 'one who conceals [the truth]'.

Portuguese explorers used the term generally to describe tribes they encountered in southern Africa, probably having misunderstood its etymology from Muslim traders along the coast. European colonists subsequently continued its use. Although it was in wide use between the 16th and 19th centuries, and not generally seen as an offensive term, as racial tensions increased in 20th century South Africa and the surrounding countries, it became a term of abuse.

The word was used in English, Dutch and, later, Afrikaans, from the 16th century to the early 20th century as a general term for several different peoples of southern Africa. In Portuguese the equivalent cafre was used.

In South Africa today, the term is used both as an insult, and by some, as a common word for a black person. In any case, the term is regarded by most as derogatory (in the same way as "nigger" in other countries). Use of the word has been actionable in South African courts since at least 1976 under the offense of crimen injuria: "the unlawful, intentional and serious violation of the dignity of another".
 
B

bcneil

I am from BC
Aug 24, 2007
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You know they had that
"chink in the armour" lined up and waiting for when they eventually lost, wether it was 4 games or 20
 
T

tokugawa

Member
Sep 8, 2005
484
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bcneil said:
You know they had that
"chink in the armour" lined up and waiting for when they eventually lost, wether it was 4 games or 20
Click to expand...
Totally agree there. It's unfortunate but this story has no where else to go but down. The media has built this guy up so much that unless this guy succeeds, then anything else is a failure. It's sad! Sort a like the Canucks last year. Every one thought they were going to win and then when they lost, we all know what happened then.....
 
J

joho

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I wonder how far this story will go. Can you imagine if ESPN use N word describing someone like Tiger Woods?
 
wilde

wilde

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Jun 4, 2003
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jesuschrist said:
I believe it.

There is a quadruple anti-Asian thing going on in the US right now.

The first is that Asian Americans are not seen really as Americans. Only Whites and Blacks.

The second is that there is a big hate-on for China.

The third is that there is a big hate-on for foreign students of Asian decent. Asian students have been the subject of harrassment and even beatings on campuses across the USA.

The fourth is that the NBA is dominated by Blacks and Whites, and Blacks in particular are pretty comfortable with their predominance. Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports, for example, made a shocking racist comment about Lin earlier in the week (referring to Asian dick size) that he never actually apologized for. I think that being the ones who were always traditionally victimized, they feel threatened that another minority might bump them from the territority they've claimed as theirs.

So some writer made a bad pun on purpose. Then there are the editorial staff, usually more than one, who would overlook it. You cannot overlook this, so they decided it was OK. Finally it went to publication, where a final editor looks over it, in particular any top story. That person must have seen it and thought it was OK. In my opinion, nobody can claim ignorance or that it was a mistake.

If something like this happened with the Vancouver Sun, many heads would roll. Let's see what happens with ESPN.
Click to expand...
Very well put, my lord;)...
 
B

bcneil

I am from BC
Aug 24, 2007
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Hoff said:
This is a serious question that anyone can answer.

If someone called you - insert any euphemism - does it really make you take stock of your place in society or is it just a word? There is no word that anyone could say to me that would make me run to the press and call foul, or take an introspective look at myself, after all it is just a word. Is this type of solidarity response (as above) a cultured/conditioned response that we have come to expect? Does this type of attention only serve to validate the negativity of the word, i.e. if no one said anything would it go away in its entirety?

I have been met with negativity based upon my skin colour (white) and culture (western) in both business and hobbying and never thought one way or the other about it - I just accepted it and move on.
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If a term is used with the sole intention of disparaging an entire race, its not just a word.
There is no need for this type of behavior. Its like when someone hears a blackman say nigger in a rap song, or standup routine, then run around claiming "its now okay for them to call people nigger too"

It was meant to be a clever play on words by the espn writer. Someone at espn should have the smarts to see it could be seen as offensive.
 
T

tokugawa

Member
Sep 8, 2005
484
3
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Hoff said:
This is a serious question that anyone can answer.

If someone called you - insert any euphemism - does it really make you take stock of your place in society or is it just a word? There is no word that anyone could say to me that would make me run to the press and call foul, or take an introspective look at myself, after all it is just a word. Is this type of solidarity response (as above) a cultured/conditioned response that we have come to expect? Does this type of attention only serve to validate the negativity of the word, i.e. if no one said anything would it go away in its entirety?

I have been met with negativity based upon my skin colour (white) and culture (western) in both business and hobbying and never thought one way or the other about it - I just accepted it and move on.
Click to expand...
Iron Chink



'Iron Chink' pretty nice compliment! When BC Packers was still there in Steveston back in the early 90's, I remember being assigned to that device and was quoted that name by a non-Asian guy but to be honest, I don't think he meant anything derogatory by it; it was just the name of the machinery.

To be honest, that word just reminds of a time (1800s to mid 1970s) when there was a lot of racism i.e., Chinese Head Tax, Chinese Railway Laborers who were paid less than Whites and Blacks, Chinatown slums, Right to Vote (1947), etc. I mean you can say stupid things like FOB (Fresh off the Boat), Richman for Richmond, Hongcouver, University of a Billion Chinese, etc. but I draw the line at 'Chink' and 'Chinamen'! Those are two words that I have no tolerance for!
 
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W

westcoast555

tokugawa said:
ESPN sorry for offensive headline on Lin story/

Amazes me even in this day and age that people still don't understand how derogatory the word 'chink' is! I mean I can understand the average Joe Blow on the street not knowing any better but how can a writer or an editor or a major publication make such a blunder? Not sure if it's ignorance or lack of sensitivities or just plain incompetence. What bugs me most about this whole debacle is why did it have to happen? Anyone with any intelligence would know not to use that word or any word like it (nigger, kike, caffer, etc) in today's world.

Origins of the word 'Chink'
Click to expand...

Unforgivable. Somebody needs to get fired for this. Seriously.
 
johnniejetpack

johnniejetpack

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Feb 6, 2008
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Americans are desensitized to this. Do you think that we could have a first nations team in Canada called the Redskins? (NFL). How about Squaw valley (ski area) or how about Jew Point (florida). Recent articles say that there are "hundreds" of racist names in the US. Thankfully we live north of the border.
 
R

Ray

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2005
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vancouver
I have been met with negativity based upon my skin colour (white) and culture (western) in both business and hobbying and never thought one way or the other about it - I just accepted it and move on.
Click to expand...
It's easier for you to move on because of your heritage.

If you were a member of a minority group, and had spent your entire life being dehumanized because of your heritage, it may not be as easy to 'just move on'.
 
L

luvsdaty

Well-known member
Nov 12, 2006
7,283
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Providing heavenly bliss 3" at a time since 1981
Been called a Chug, wagon burner, asked if i knew who my dad is. Actually couldn't care less when somebody calls me this,if it's an older white guy saying it, i'll usually ask him if he has any rebelious single daughters(that usually pisses them off more than they thought they where gonna piss me off)
I just don't have time for people like that,not to bad here in B.C. but it's a lot worse in Alberta when i was working there.
 
T

threepeat

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Sep 20, 2004
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Ray said:
It's easier for you to move on because of your heritage.

If you were a member of a minority group, and had spent your entire life being dehumanized because of your heritage, it may not be as easy to 'just move on'.
Click to expand...
I dunno... on the other hand, no one really knows what it's like to be in another person's shoes anyway.

This is a silly analogy but maybe it will work... The Oilers used to complain (with some justification) before the NHL lockout that they could never compete with the big clubs because they didn't have enough money to spend. Now that the lockout is over and everyone is on an equal playing field, did the Oilers get any better? Not really, because not only did the Oilers get level with the big clubs but so did 22 other teams. Maybe the whole "small market team" concept was just a crutch and an excuse for why they didn't win.

More to the point, I've noticed that typically white people are the last ones to laugh at racial humour (even a funny stuff or tame stuff) because it's almost like they are afraid to laugh, whereas the minorities usually find it hilarious. Maybe being in the majority is not always so easy either.

(btw I am Asian fwiw)
 
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