ESPN Racist Comment on Jeremy Lin

[HFCS]

In any way?

chink
noun
1.
a crack, cleft, or fissure: a chink in a wall.
2.
a narrow opening: a chink between two buildings.

"A chink in the armor"... A crack in the armor". I recall ESPN using this phrase in other articles\headlines in the past when a strong team has struggled\shown signs of weakness.

To say to use it in "any way" is offensive when it has a completely legitimate, non racist meaning, is a bit extreme.

However, someone shouldve recognized that it could\would have come across as racist (intentionally or unintentionally) given the subject being discussed and rejected that headline quickly.

In any way in a story about an ASIAN NBA player. I thought that would be understood.

[Gunnerclone]

My best friend is Taiwanese American born just like Lin and my wife is half Korean.

Using the word "chink" in any way is probably the most racist thing they could have done in regards to an Asian athlete.

Both were shocked, my friend (who has always been a big NBA fan along with myself) was mildly offended and my wife pretty outraged when she heard about it on the radio.

Ya, I get pretty offended when I see things like, "Chalk up another win for <whoever>", or, "<insert team> raises the white flag". It's bullcrap frankly.

[HFCS]

I'm glad you can outright read the minds of those who made these statements.

They may very well be guilty as sin, but you have no idea what was really going on in their heads. You have absolutely know idea what they were truly thinking, and judging someone without having all the facts is flat out just as bad as calling someone a derogatory term.

The intent could have been ignorance, laziness or intentional racism.

The way it comes across is not debatable at all...well I guess it's debatable among the ignorant. If any of you had friends and family in the asian community it would not even be a discussion.

[jdoggivjc]

The intent could have been ignorance, laziness or intentional racism.

The way it comes across is not debatable at all...well I guess it's debatable among the ignorant. If any of you had friends and family in the asian community it would not even be a discussion.

And because you have no idea what their true intent was you don't have the right to label anyone a racist, no matter how many Asian friends you happen to have.

[Tredici]

Racist... yes. Clever... yes.

[rebecacy]

The intent could have been ignorance, laziness or intentional racism.

The way it comes across is not debatable at all...well I guess it's debatable among the ignorant. If any of you had friends and family in the asian community it would not even be a discussion.

My brother-in-law is of Chinese decent and my wife is Latino and both think the debate is hilarious ....... You should know better than to pigeon-hole such things. Some people are worldly enough to be well beyond all this accidental racism BS. It's a small mistake in my and their minds and there are much bigger issues to spend share-of-mind time on.

[rebecacy]

It'll be interesting to see how big this gets ..... since the media govern themselves, I don't expect much reprisal over this. And that is a shame.

Thinking back to other racist things said on sports TV from Howard Cosell to a recent Rush Limbaugh.

Maybe the key here is the audience that is offended?

-keep

I think the key has more to do with the sensitivity of the observer. Why is a downplay a shame?? Given real world problems, why should there be much ado about this ??

[HFCS]

I think the key has more to do with the sensitivity of the observer. Why is a downplay a shame?? Given real world problems, why should there be much ado about this ??

It's not "much ado" in my opinion but that doesn't mean it's not a 100% ignorant thing to do.

There are countless bigger problems and offenses against humanity, that doesn't make having a headline with SP!$ or N!$$ER suddenly some enlightened and OK thing. Ignorance is ignorance.

[AllIowaTeams]

If you're old enough to be writing for ESPN you've heard that insult, and you know exactly what it means. No one in their 20's has lived under that big of a rock. Except maybe that girl in California who was kidnapped and held hostage for like 20 years. She might not know better.

[ISUAlum2002]

I think one thing you need to consider is when making headlines, writers try to make them "witty". I believe this writer was trying to be funny and it came back to bite him in the ***. Whether or not he meant to use it in a racial manner, he should be smart enough to know that this may not go across very well.
It would be like having a black player having a bad game because he was being lazy and having the headline read "John Doe played like a Porch Monkey, while eating watermelon and some fried chicken."

Another interesting headline would be something like "Kobe Bryant reportedly leaves niggardly tip at local restaurant."

[HFCS]

Another interesting headline would be something like "Kobe Bryant reportedly leaves niggardly tip at local restaurant."

Or "**** and Span: Najara cleans up the boards".

It's an actual cleaning product so it's ok to use the word as the first word of the headline about a hispanic player. It sound ridiculous even typing it, yet several in this thread are throwing out the same defense.

[Gunnerclone]

Or "**** and Span: Najara cleans up the boards".

It's an actual cleaning product so it's ok to use the word as the first word of the headline about a hispanic player. It sound ridiculous even typing it, yet several in this thread are throwing out the same defense.

Najara: "I Pledge to do better on the boards."

[jdoggivjc]

Another interesting headline would be something like "Kobe Bryant reportedly leaves niggardly tip at local restaurant."

Or "**** and Span: Najara cleans up the boards".

It's an actual cleaning product so it's ok to use the word as the first word of the headline about a hispanic player. It sound ridiculous even typing it, yet several in this thread are throwing out the same defense.

Najara: "I Pledge to do better on the boards."

Of course, the difference being that "chink in the armor", a commonly used sports metaphor to describe a weakness in a player's game, if used against a player of any other descent (and is often done so) is not considered racist, whereas any of those other examples I've quoted are not common at all and one would have to go out of their way to make such a racist comparison.

The bottom line is once again nobody in this thread truly knows what was going through these peoples' minds. They quite possibly were being racist, but nobody knows for a fact that was the intent. What I find really disturbing is the willingness of people to so quickly judge someone else without having all of the facts in the case.

[Gunnerclone]

Of course, the difference being that "chink in the armor", a commonly used sports metaphor to describe a weakness in a player's game, if used against a player of any other descent (and is often done so) is not considered racist, whereas any of those other examples I've quoted are not common at all and one would have to go out of their way to make such a racist comparison.

The bottom line is once again nobody in this thread truly knows what was going through these peoples' minds. They quite possibly were being racist, but nobody knows for a fact that was the intent. What I find really disturbing is the willingness of people to so quickly judge someone else without having all of the facts in the case.

I agree with you, I think it is all taken WAY to seriously. By turning everything in to a race issue so called "non-racists" are perpetuating racism.

[gogagig]

Reminds me of that idiot politician in virginia who used the word "macacca".