Olympic Controversy - Spanish Team in Offensive Photo - Page 2 - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

ironpham · 08-13-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poppinjay

.

What line and who drew it? You? Have you written letters of disgust to Margaret Cho for her mockery of Asian cultural ethos?

I grew up in the south, and I love things that mock southerners. I watch Squidbillies and think, "my God, they're in my hometown."

Congrats on your driving record. Mine solidly reflects the C I got in driver's ed.

Sure, I drew it. What does it matter to you? You offended me by calling me and the rest of the Asians of the world bad drivers. What happened to the rest of the drivers in the world? Does no one else get in car accidents? Does no one else drive like an idiot? Why does a bad driver automatically constitute that the person is Asian (or a woman I guess)?

Congratulations on being able to "mock southerners". I can mock my own people too, but I try not to mock other cultures because much like jorgelito, I've been on the ass end of it and I know how it feels. There's a difference between insulting your own culture and insulting others.

Willravel · 08-13-2008, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorgelito

Haha, the secret's out (you make it sound like a disease :LOL

. No but seriously, I don't go around looking to be offended, just sharing my experience and trying to evolve. You have to look at context too. I grew up as the only Asian kid in my school until about grade 7. Racism was not uncommon. However, most of my Asian friends that grew up in major Asian areas like LA and the Bay area did not experience these types of things or at least not as often. It makes a difference.

You must have grown up in one of the inland valleys. I lived near Stockton for a bit and it was a lot different than San Jose. It also explains why you're a conservative. California is liberal by the majority, but there are defiantly conservative areas. When the revolution comes, those will be the battlegrounds....

LoganSnake · 08-13-2008, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironpham

Congratulations on being able to "mock southerners". I can mock my own people too, but I try not to mock other cultures because much like jorgelito, I've been on the ass end of it and I know how it feels. There's a difference between insulting your own culture and insulting others.

I've also been on the ass end of it, so? Yeah, it sucks, but you move on. Doesn't stop me from mocking other cultures.

Not to hurt the person, mind you, but in jest.

And a little off topic, yes, there are plenty of idiot drivers out there. However, 70% of them in MY case are women.

KellyC · 08-13-2008, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halx

Are there any asians in here who are offended or is it just we unaffected folk who are taking up the flag?

Nope. I can't for the life of me find anything offensive about the picture. Although this is not the first time the Asian community has overreacted over trivial things people do. I agree with whoever said people tend to overreact.

I am offended that they are offended.

LoganSnake · 08-13-2008, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KellyC

I agree with whoever said people tend to overreact.

It was LoganSnake.

ironpham · 08-13-2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoganSnake

I've also been on the ass end of it, so? Yeah, it sucks, but you move on. Doesn't stop me from mocking other cultures.

Not to hurt the person, mind you, but in jest.

And a little off topic, yes, there are plenty of idiot drivers out there. However, 70% of them in MY case are women.

I know most of the time mocking to harm is not intentional (spelling?). I'm sure poppinjay didn't mean to harm either. But, sometimes it does (a good example is the Spain photo to China) and sometimes people do mean offense. That's why I try not to.

Yeah, I did make a big fuss out of this. That's my point. You might not mean to make offense, but that doesn't matter. Some people will take offense.

And, actually, I'm glad I've gone through what I have. Much like jorgelito, I got beat up and mocked all the time in middle/high school. The positive is it taught me how to fight. Now people don't fuck with me because they've seen what I've done to people that have.

jorgelito · 08-13-2008, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaya

Well, this might make me a hypocrite, but I'm all for making fun of your own people group... just not anyone else's. Luckily, I'm half-white (European, even!) and half-Asian, so I can get away with a lot.

What this team did is just plain disappointing and rude. I am not personally offended by it, but I don't think it's funny, nor is it something that should be joked about in any capacity; if other people find it offensive (whether they are Asian or not), who am I to take that right away from them? I find it disappointing when these kinds of things happen, and even more disappointing if they go by unnoticed (e.g. without anyone "overreacting" to them). I'm afraid I have to disagree... because it's not just the Chinese who do this. Plenty of people groups take themselves quite seriously, to the point where you might say it's a universal human trait. I don't think it's fair to say that "all the Chinese are so defensive," when many groups (or even just individuals within those groups) would react in similar ways. Not that this is a very positive trait, but it's certainly understandable given the context and history.

But, in case it's not clear by now, I am the type of person who is quite fine with being PC, and I am much more comfortable erring on the side of being "ultra-PC" than with the possibility of offending others. As was discussed in another thread, I see it as being an issue of manners and respect. You can't go wrong by showing too much respect--if someone unearns the respect you've given them, then that's their mistake.

Wow, very nicely written Abaya. I really have nothing to say except that I wish I had written this. Thank you for your thoughtful contribution.
-----Added 13/8/2008 at 03 : 34 : 41-----

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willravel

You must have grown up in one of the inland valleys. I lived near Stockton for a bit and it was a lot different than San Jose. It also explains why you're a conservative. California is liberal by the majority, but there are defiantly conservative areas.

Actually I grew up in Boston (go figure).

Quote:

When the revolution comes, those will be the battlegrounds....

Doh! You went there!

-----Added 13/8/2008 at 03 : 38 : 20-----

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoganSnake

I've also been on the ass end of it, so? Yeah, it sucks, but you move on. Doesn't stop me from mocking other cultures.

Not to hurt the person, mind you, but in jest.

It's good to know that you are not intending to hurt anyone but just bear in mind this type of behavior often does. Not you perhaps, but this is very real and used to purposefully hurt others in a very real way. Yes, we move on, for sure I agree, and part of that moving on is expressing our displeasure and objection to things like this. Nothing wrong with that right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoganSnake

And a little off topic, yes, there are plenty of idiot drivers out there. However, 70% of them in MY case are women.

LoganSnake · 08-13-2008, 12:02 PM

Yeah, I went there.

Willravel · 08-13-2008, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorgelito

Actually I grew up in Boston (go figure).

Beaner.

Vigilante · 08-13-2008, 12:37 PM

Ah, such a serious world we live in.

I'm gonna go against the grain here. I find it hilarious.

If the chinese team had a sense of humor, they would have made a picture of the team dancing around sombreros wearing flamenco shoes, or even darkened their own skin and pulled their own eyes into an exaggerated downward slanted look with a scoreboard behind them showing the chinese winning the game. Is this juvenile? Yes, absolutely. However if you show anger when someone pokes at you, you lose. Laugh and poke back, and everyone gets the joke. The chinese gov't has the collective sense of humor of a hornet's nest though (and I wonder of about some people here, come on folks) so this reaction of outrage is not surprising.

To me, this is why we don't get along, folks. It's not the ignorance, it's the reactions.
-----Added 13/8/2008 at 04 : 38 : 28-----

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willravel

Beaner.

That's my wife's nickname.

Psycho Dad · 08-13-2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

It seems to me that we're being force fed the idea we have to have some sort of instant offended button when it comes to race/religion. It's absurd.

Sums it up. Couple this with the fact that the media likes to make these things bigger than they are we will all have something to talk about for a day or two. Then we can move on to the next world "crisis".

kutulu · 08-13-2008, 02:46 PM

What is wrong with people just being aware that this type of behavior is inappropriate and not acting that way?

jorgelito · 08-13-2008, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kutulu

What is wrong with people just being aware that this type of behavior is inappropriate and not acting that way?

I wonder the same thing. It seems most people in here blame us for being offended rather than condemning the behaviour itself.

abaya · 08-13-2008, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kutulu

What is wrong with people just being aware that this type of behavior is inappropriate and not acting that way?

Well, if you ask me (and actually, I just started a related thread about this)... one of the problems is that people don't want to feel guilty for being okay with this kind of behavior. So they make a joke out of it, or tell others to "lighten up," or condemn the person for being offended. I would say that it's a pretty strong component of human nature--I see it in myself all the time, when I feel guilty about something and get defensive, or start minimizing the other party's feelings--but that's getting pretty psychological here. I'll mention it in the other thread.

MSD · 08-13-2008, 03:39 PM

The way I see it, the less seriously we take our differences, the better we're doing. If we can joke about it and all laugh, we're doing it right.

Ayashe · 08-13-2008, 04:23 PM

It was an idiotic ad, though the ones truly responsible for it would have been whoever was running that photo shoot. I would have to say that the team was not the one being sold in the photo but the product. The manufacturers of the product have a lot more say in what is being represented in their advertisements then the team that was simply trying to cash in and pay expenses. I doubt it was their choice to pose in that manner. It doesn't make it more right.

Halx · 08-13-2008, 04:30 PM

All the Spanish players in the ad are confused about the controversy. Can't we all take a cue from them and be a little blissful about it?

Vigilante · 08-13-2008, 04:44 PM

As I said in a somewhat wordier fashion above, I agree. Learn to laugh at yourself, and laugh at juvenile humor. Quit suing for stupid crap, quit creating outrage over little school shit that can be laughed at, or better yet poke back in a similar fashion.

It's stupid, it's grade school humor, and it's FUNNY. I'm a honkey, he's got slanted eyes, the black guy has the biggest penis every time, and it usually backfires. Let's just laugh it off and have a beer, margarita, whatever.

Ayashe · 08-13-2008, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halx

All the Spanish players in the ad are confused about the controversy. Can't we all take a cue from them and be a little blissful about it?

You make a very good point, however I cannot really speak of how I would feel if I felt the joke were on me.

Vigilante · 08-13-2008, 04:47 PM

If they put on white powder, made their lips pinkish and started dancing very badly, what white person wouldn't laugh? A KKK member maybe. It's just funny, if you step back and acknowledge the silliness.

jorgelito · 08-13-2008, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSD

The way I see it, the less seriously we take our differences, the better we're doing. If we can joke about it and all laugh, we're doing it right.

I agree 100% and I love this attitude. However, it doesn't occur in a vacuum nor does it occur overnight. It takes some time and process to get over and resolve previous wrongs. When there is parity then we will see things like this as no big deal. Just talking about it makes a big difference.
-----Added 13/8/2008 at 09 : 00 : 23-----

Quote:

Originally Posted by luciferase75

As I said in a somewhat wordier fashion above, I agree. Learn to laugh at yourself, and laugh at juvenile humor. Quit suing for stupid crap, quit creating outrage over little school shit that can be laughed at, or better yet poke back in a similar fashion.

It's stupid, it's grade school humor, and it's FUNNY. I'm a honkey, he's got slanted eyes, the black guy has the biggest penis every time, and it usually backfires. Let's just laugh it off and have a beer, margarita, whatever.

Sure, but we're not quite there yet. It's a process. But we can still have our beer and margaritas eh?

Bear Cub · 08-13-2008, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luciferase75

If they put on white powder, made their lips pinkish and started dancing very badly, what white person wouldn't laugh? A KKK member maybe. It's just funny, if you step back and acknowledge the silliness.

Sure, it would be funny to us, but its an apples to oranges comparison given that the Chinese culture is far less free spirited than our own.

Would you walk into a business meeting with a Chinese corporate executive with your fingers pulling at your eyes? Would you sit down in a Chinese restaurant and make slanty eyes when you order?

No. Well, maybe if you were a huge prick.

There's a time and a place for everything, and even assholes like myself will acknowledge this. The prestige and location of the Olympics makes it neither the time nor the place for even "light hearted" racism.

As far as the Spanish players in the ad being "confused" about the controversy, that's a cover your ass position to take if I've ever seen one. A 4th grader could have come up with a better excuse.

Vigilante · 08-13-2008, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jorgelito

But we can still have our beer and margaritas eh?

Absolutely. Have blender, on mission.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bear Cub

Sure, it would be funny to us, but its an apples to oranges comparison given that the Chinese culture is far less free spirited than our own.

Would you walk into a business meeting with a Chinese corporate executive with your fingers pulling at your eyes? Would you sit down in a Chinese restaurant and make slanty eyes when you order?

No. Well, maybe if you were a huge prick.

There's a time and a place for everything, and even assholes like myself will acknowledge this. The prestige and location of the Olympics makes it neither the time nor the place for even "light hearted" racism.

As far as the Spanish players in the ad being "confused" about the controversy, that's a cover your ass position to take if I've ever seen one. A 4th grader could have come up with a better excuse.

You make a point. However coddling is not necessarily the way to answer a crying baby. This is just me, ok? I like to poke people until they get irritated, and then see if they can start acting a bit immature themselves. This is how I've been for years, ever since I got out of that stupid 18yo piss-and-vinegar stage. Sure I might get slapped, kicked or punched, but I know it might happen and I roll with it. I might even poke a little right after the strike. It helps to loosen up the rigid ones. Some emotion is better than none.

So in my mind, this is just one little poke to get the quiet kid to come out of his shell a little.

Poppinjay · 08-13-2008, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Sure, I drew it. What does it matter to you? You offended me by calling me and the rest of the Asians of the world bad drivers. What happened to the rest of the drivers in the world? Does no one else get in car accidents? Does no one else drive like an idiot? Why does a bad driver automatically constitute that the person is Asian (or a woman I guess)?

Only old people, asians, Marylanders, young people, middle aged people, folks on their cell phones, people with hair, those guys, those other guys, anybody on the road, and YOU, yes YOU, drive poorly, according to where I am and what lane I want to be in.

In other words, hell is other people. Get it. Accept it.

You seem smart, I appreciate your dialogue. We're at loggerheads. But you're teaching me a new level of acceptance. Thank you.

willynilly · 08-13-2008, 06:39 PM

-+-{Important TFP Staff Message}-+-
racist and insensitive remarks have been removed.

ktspktsp · 08-14-2008, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bear Cub

Would you walk into a business meeting with a Chinese corporate executive with your fingers pulling at your eyes? Would you sit down in a Chinese restaurant and make slanty eyes when you order?

No. Well, maybe if you were a huge prick.

There's a time and a place for everything, and even assholes like myself will acknowledge this. The prestige and location of the Olympics makes it neither the time nor the place for even "light hearted" racism.

Well said.

willynilly · 08-14-2008, 06:18 AM

Well apparently sarcasm is lost here. My point is that everyone has areas that they consider important to them. What the Spanish players did was offensive. Is it a crime? No, being offensive is not a crime, it is just low-class. It was not light-hearted humor. What if Chinese team all came out wearing afros during their games with the US or African nations?

LoganSnake · 08-14-2008, 07:04 AM

I would laugh my ass off.

Many people would probably overreact and a member of the black community would make a thread.

willynilly · 08-14-2008, 07:17 AM

Yeah, when I was a kid I probably would have laughed as well. But now that I have grown and matured, I have no time for that.

Everybody has things that they consider important to them. For example, many mentally handicapped support groups are offended by the movie Tropic Thunder because of the repeated use of the word retard. I am sure that there are people on this board who have retards for relatives. My brother-in-law's sister has downs syndrome, and then she was hit by a truck as a child. She has lived in a group home her adult life. She cannot help the way she was made. However, this is an R-rated movie, so the situation is a little different. You have to expect that you may find something offensive in a movie. The basketball team is appearing in an ad for a Spanish company, and no one has pointed that out.

At any rate, logansnake, I am sure that you have your sacred cows, Maybe a little respect for other's viewpoints will be inyour future.

dlish · 08-14-2008, 07:26 AM

i'd probably make the thread... but im not a member of the black community.

i find the photo an offence being a non asian (although technically speaking lebanon is part of asia) that someone would be so insensitive and silly enough to not have common courtesy for your hosts, irrespective of your view on them.

maybe its because i have seen my friends, family, vilified and in some instances attacked because they happen to be arab or muslim. i've been called names, she-lish has been heckled in the street and on public transport and forced to get off the train for going about her business.

the only people who cannot see the racism in the teams actions probably havent been vilified against.

its a sad day for the world when we refuse see that all we ask for is a little respect

LoganSnake · 08-14-2008, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willynilly

Yeah, when I was a kid I probably would have laughed as well. But now that I have grown and matured, I have no time for that.

At any rate, LoganSnake, I am sure that you have your sacred cows, Maybe a little respect for other's viewpoints will be in your future.

Ooooh, that hurt!

In any case, I have things that I would find offensive if they were being made fun of, sure. Physical disabilities, deformities and mutations. What the Spanish team did was funny. I see your point, really I do. But don't bellitle me for my opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlish

The only people who cannot see the racism in the teams actions probably haven't been vilified against.

I wear the Star of David around my neck (as an accessory, not as a religious symbol). Let's just say I wouldn't even think of doing that in Ukraine for the fear of my physical well being. Let's leave it at that.

Slims · 08-14-2008, 02:22 PM

Do you remember the Fighting Whities? That was no less 'offensive' than this picture. Why weren't we offended? Because it was a joke and so is this.

If Tiger Woods had shown up to a major golf tournament made up to look like the stereotypical grumpy, old, white golf pro, I would have doubled over laughing.

When SNL has an asian skit, it's funny. When Dave Chappelle makes fun of either black stereotypes or white ones, it's funny.

People need to lighten up.

pig · 08-14-2008, 02:41 PM

I do remember the Fightin Whities. The humor there, in my opinion, was the social satire of the use of Native American symbolism/cultural icons as school mascots. It was a tongue-in-cheek humor, which I thought was clever. I don't really see a socially-redeeming value to this image. How does it point out stereotypes or make any cultural statements? I do see that they were probably only making what was intended to be light-hearted joke - to be taken in the sense that Nikki alluded to earlier. However, I think it's a bit disingenuous to say that you can't see how people - Asian or otherwise - would be offended at it. I'm not about to take to the streets to protest it by any means; however, I think it probably wasn't the best idea. I think if you took the same concept and put an Asian team in the picture with them with little wigs cut out and pasted to their backs, you might have something that was more appropriate. If they showed some mutual skewering of national/ethnic stereotypes, then it might be a different story. However, this image to me, based on the little that I know about it, doesn't seem to make any statement making the racial stereotype seem absurd...but if anything, seems to playfully perpetuate the symbolism of the gesture.

All in all, I think it was a bad idea.
\

lotsofmagnets · 08-14-2008, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abaya

...(lots of words)... What this team did is just plain disappointing and rude. I am not personally offended by it...(several more words)...

+1. it just wasn´t a good idea.

Supple Cow · 08-14-2008, 06:00 PM

Hey guys, remember the episode of Firefly where Inara goes to the ball with that rich dandy, and then Mal and Kaylee end up there too because they're trying to score a job, and then things get a little heated between Mal and the dandy, some insults are dropped about money changing hands and then BOOM! Mal decides to deck the guy? Remember how later, in a private moment with Mal, Inara sums up the very same conundrum we are all faced with here? "You'll lay a man out for implying I'm a whore, yet you keep calling me one to my face."

What was Mal's response? "I might not show respect to your job, but he didn't respect you. That's the difference."

...So what I'm hearing a bunch of you saying is that it would have been a way better episode if Mal had been all, "Haha, yeah! She is a whore! Let's get drinks, man." What an awesome idea! Nobody gets hurt (well, except Inara but she's just a woman) and everybody gets to play happy and not discuss uncomfortable topics! Seriously, I think you guys are on to something - somebody go tell Joss Whedon, STAT.

speshul-k · 08-18-2008, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willravel

It was kinda dumb, but I don't have direct evidence there was ill intent. As such, I can only fault them for ignorance to racially inappropriate behavior.

I agree with Will on this one. Seems like it was intended to be harmless but of course they should have known better or at least questioned the implications of this campaign!

evilbeefchan · 08-22-2008, 03:55 PM

What were we talking about again?

Ayashe · 08-22-2008, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evilbeefchan

What were we talking about again?

I guess someone had to do it. Had me laughing out of my seat.

08-13-2008, 12:02 PM	#48 (permalink)
LoganSnake We work alone Location: Cake Town	Yeah, I went there. __________________ Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

08-13-2008, 04:30 PM	#57 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	All the Spanish players in the ad are confused about the controversy. Can't we all take a cue from them and be a little blissful about it? __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

08-13-2008, 04:44 PM	#58 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	As I said in a somewhat wordier fashion above, I agree. Learn to laugh at yourself, and laugh at juvenile humor. Quit suing for stupid crap, quit creating outrage over little school shit that can be laughed at, or better yet poke back in a similar fashion. It's stupid, it's grade school humor, and it's FUNNY. I'm a honkey, he's got slanted eyes, the black guy has the biggest penis every time, and it usually backfires. Let's just laugh it off and have a beer, margarita, whatever. __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

08-13-2008, 04:47 PM	#60 (permalink)
Vigilante Broken Arrow Location: US	If they put on white powder, made their lips pinkish and started dancing very badly, what white person wouldn't laugh? A KKK member maybe. It's just funny, if you step back and acknowledge the silliness. __________________ We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

08-14-2008, 07:04 AM	#68 (permalink)
LoganSnake We work alone Location: Cake Town	I would laugh my ass off. Many people would probably overreact and a member of the black community would make a thread. __________________ Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

08-13-2008, 02:46 PM	#52 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	What is wrong with people just being aware that this type of behavior is inappropriate and not acting that way?

08-13-2008, 03:39 PM	#55 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	The way I see it, the less seriously we take our differences, the better we're doing. If we can joke about it and all laugh, we're doing it right.

08-13-2008, 04:23 PM	#56 (permalink)
Ayashe Psycho	It was an idiotic ad, though the ones truly responsible for it would have been whoever was running that photo shoot. I would have to say that the team was not the one being sold in the photo but the product. The manufacturers of the product have a lot more say in what is being represented in their advertisements then the team that was simply trying to cash in and pay expenses. I doubt it was their choice to pose in that manner. It doesn't make it more right.

08-14-2008, 06:18 AM	#67 (permalink)
willynilly Banned	Well apparently sarcasm is lost here. My point is that everyone has areas that they consider important to them. What the Spanish players did was offensive. Is it a crime? No, being offensive is not a crime, it is just low-class. It was not light-hearted humor. What if Chinese team all came out wearing afros during their games with the US or African nations?

08-14-2008, 07:17 AM	#69 (permalink)
willynilly Banned	Yeah, when I was a kid I probably would have laughed as well. But now that I have grown and matured, I have no time for that. Everybody has things that they consider important to them. For example, many mentally handicapped support groups are offended by the movie Tropic Thunder because of the repeated use of the word retard. I am sure that there are people on this board who have retards for relatives. My brother-in-law's sister has downs syndrome, and then she was hit by a truck as a child. She has lived in a group home her adult life. She cannot help the way she was made. However, this is an R-rated movie, so the situation is a little different. You have to expect that you may find something offensive in a movie. The basketball team is appearing in an ad for a Spanish company, and no one has pointed that out. At any rate, logansnake, I am sure that you have your sacred cows, Maybe a little respect for other's viewpoints will be inyour future.

08-14-2008, 07:26 AM	#70 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	i'd probably make the thread... but im not a member of the black community. i find the photo an offence being a non asian (although technically speaking lebanon is part of asia) that someone would be so insensitive and silly enough to not have common courtesy for your hosts, irrespective of your view on them. maybe its because i have seen my friends, family, vilified and in some instances attacked because they happen to be arab or muslim. i've been called names, she-lish has been heckled in the street and on public transport and forced to get off the train for going about her business. the only people who cannot see the racism in the teams actions probably havent been vilified against. its a sad day for the world when we refuse see that all we ask for is a little respect __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

08-14-2008, 02:22 PM	#72 (permalink)
Slims Eccentric insomniac Location: North Carolina	Do you remember the Fighting Whities? That was no less 'offensive' than this picture. Why weren't we offended? Because it was a joke and so is this. If Tiger Woods had shown up to a major golf tournament made up to look like the stereotypical grumpy, old, white golf pro, I would have doubled over laughing. When SNL has an asian skit, it's funny. When Dave Chappelle makes fun of either black stereotypes or white ones, it's funny. People need to lighten up. __________________ "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

08-14-2008, 02:41 PM	#73 (permalink)
pig pigglet pigglet Location: Locash	I do remember the Fightin Whities. The humor there, in my opinion, was the social satire of the use of Native American symbolism/cultural icons as school mascots. It was a tongue-in-cheek humor, which I thought was clever. I don't really see a socially-redeeming value to this image. How does it point out stereotypes or make any cultural statements? I do see that they were probably only making what was intended to be light-hearted joke - to be taken in the sense that Nikki alluded to earlier. However, I think it's a bit disingenuous to say that you can't see how people - Asian or otherwise - would be offended at it. I'm not about to take to the streets to protest it by any means; however, I think it probably wasn't the best idea. I think if you took the same concept and put an Asian team in the picture with them with little wigs cut out and pasted to their backs, you might have something that was more appropriate. If they showed some mutual skewering of national/ethnic stereotypes, then it might be a different story. However, this image to me, based on the little that I know about it, doesn't seem to make any statement making the racial stereotype seem absurd...but if anything, seems to playfully perpetuate the symbolism of the gesture. All in all, I think it was a bad idea. \ __________________ You don't love me, you just love my piggy style

08-14-2008, 06:00 PM	#75 (permalink)
Supple Cow Americow, the Beautiful Location: Washington, D.C.	Hey guys, remember the episode of Firefly where Inara goes to the ball with that rich dandy, and then Mal and Kaylee end up there too because they're trying to score a job, and then things get a little heated between Mal and the dandy, some insults are dropped about money changing hands and then BOOM! Mal decides to deck the guy? Remember how later, in a private moment with Mal, Inara sums up the very same conundrum we are all faced with here? "You'll lay a man out for implying I'm a whore, yet you keep calling me one to my face." What was Mal's response? "I might not show respect to your job, but he didn't respect you. That's the difference." ...So what I'm hearing a bunch of you saying is that it would have been a way better episode if Mal had been all, "Haha, yeah! She is a whore! Let's get drinks, man." What an awesome idea! Nobody gets hurt (well, except Inara but she's just a woman) and everybody gets to play happy and not discuss uncomfortable topics! Seriously, I think you guys are on to something - somebody go tell Joss Whedon, STAT. __________________ "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." (Michael Jordan)

08-22-2008, 03:55 PM	#77 (permalink)
evilbeefchan Addict Location: Alhambra, CA	What were we talking about again?