Stupid athletes of the day
The Spanish basketball team posed for a pre-Olympics photo by mocking the eye shape of Asians.
Just stupid. From the Guardian:
Spain’s Olympic basketball teams have risked upsetting their Chinese hosts by posing for a pre-Games advert making slit-eyed gestures. The advert for a courier company, which is an official sponsor of the Spanish Basketball Federation, occupied a full page in the sports daily Marca, the country’s best-selling newspaper.
The advert features two large photographs, one of the men’s basketball team, below, and one of the women’s team. Both squads pose in full Olympic kit on a basketball court decorated with a picture of a Chinese dragon. Every single player appears pulling back the skin on either side of their eyes. The advert carries the symbol of the sport’s governing body.
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This coming from a country that legislates the rights of primates as equal to humans.
Idiots.
What could they possibly be thinking???
That’s ok. It only counts as racism when U.S. white men (I am one) do it.
Well, in a hundred years, there will still be Chinese people. The Spanish will be extinct.
So who gets the last laugh?
ABR, you are making a rather far fetched assumption regarding their actual ability to think.
Atheling perhaps they are refering to their sports teams being equal to humans?
tasteless.
And they talk about Americans as being “fundamentally racist”.
The Spanish can have a strangely inappropriate sense of “humor” in their advertising, like the one that showed two pictures of the New York City skyline pre-and post-9/11, with the caption “You can get a lot accomplished in a day.”
I don’t suppose it’d make for very enlightening conversation to ask those athletes what they were thinking:
“We didn’t mean any harm.”
“OK, then what did you mean?”
“Uh…. uh….”
Just a dumb, unthinking move really. Not everything that happens relates to politics, ideology, nationality, etc. Just a goofy move on somebody’s part.
Lord, what idiots these Spainiards be.
You know, it’s not just the Spanish. Europeans are very racist.
I’ve had conversations with Euros who believe that the only true Americans are white people whose ancestors came from Europe. They don’t regard anyone else as American – certainly not our hostess.
What the hell was Pau Gasol thinking?
As an aside for any fellow hoops junkies out there, watch out for the Spanish men’s team. I really think it’ll end up being Spain vs. the US in the Gold medal game. Spain is very good and could easily win that game.
Wow! Talk about poor judgment now watch the EU fine them for a violation of one of their diversity laws or does that only apply to making fun of a certain religious group known to have a very short fuse.
In which case I guess we are in for a blackface ad…
Go LaBron and company!
PS – if you missed the men’s relay in the pool last night, run to the nearest video…
It’s the Ugly Europeans, again.
On August 11th, 2008 at 7:06 pm, atheling said: Well, in a hundred years, there will still be Chinese people. The Spanish will be extinct.
Awwww, The Spanish will still be around in 100 years… they just won’t drink wine or eat pork.
Hey they’re Europeans, what do you expect? Oops….was that a racist comment? Sorry!!!!
Wow, that really is awfully bad taste. What on Earth were they thinking?
Um, what? There exists no such law in Spain.
dakine, how can they play with their hands like that?
Somewhere, a man in a darkened room places a phone call.
“We’ve got a new assignment for you, Reverend Al. It requires travel…”
Good stuff AG and aj.
AG, that relay was one of the most exciting things I’ve seen in 36 years of watching the Olympics! I was screaming like an idiot the last 25 meters.
Um, right here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4220884.ece
yeah, we “smashed em” lol Ha!
That’s not Spain. That’s Soror.
No joke. That was ridiculous. It is nice for us libs that, every four years, we have an excuse to act all patriotic and stuff without seriously threatening our “Kos Cred.”
#23,
Yes, I was aware of that law.
Where exactly did you read that primates and humans are equal under Spanish law, though?
Yeah we did aj. French swimmers talkin’ trash to Phelps and the boys. You gotta be kiddin’ me!
As an asian-american family used to low-life antics against asians, I try not to be jaded…but I am not surprised.
Was Rosie O’Donnell there or something?
I had no idea you could make up that much time on a guy already swimming at world record smashing speed. It was truly amazing.
Omu,
Not sure if you are a new poster here but atheling tends to gloss over such pesky things as “accuracy” in favor of a much sexier concept called “hyperbole.”
Whoa….everybody slow down! They ARE NOT mocking the Chinese…..they’re mocking the Japanese…can’t you tell the difference?
To a significant degree, Americans have outgrown their racism. It has been relegated to the junk-heap of history — with only tiny groups of aberrant, social rejects that still advocate or cling to such antiquated notions.
My collie says:
Michelle, are you on Facebook? I just want to make sure that the Michelle Malkin who I am now friends with is actually you, and not some person posing as you.
OT I know, sorry
aloha guy, he’s part dolphin.
Cyber,
Not for nothing, and actually I think your last post was pretty true, but does your collie tell you lots of stuff?
Just…uhhh…not that there’s…uhhh…anything wrong with that…okay…don’t kill me, please.
Estupido is as estupido does.
Karma muy malo.
He must be. I guess that’s the “secret” to that swimsuit.
chap, my man…very nice.
AG, my thought as well. No way our guy catches the French dude on that last 50…crazy.
Well at least they not stupid enough to say this little diddy in Spanish…
“Chino Chino Japones
Come caca
Y no me des.”
Translation.
“Chinese Chinese Japanese
Eat excrement
and don’t give me any.”
brooklyn red, BADA BING!
Pretty tame compared to what Spanish Formula 1 fans did to Lewis Hamilton last year. Personally, I can’t wait to see them all living under sharia law.
Come on the advanced Spanish(read Euros)could not be racist …. they just wanted us to see those Spanish eyes better.
I guessed as much.
I spent almost a year in Europe (Ireland, Wales, France and then Germany) and I never saw or heard of racism as a big problem. Not bigger than in the US, anyway. I’m pretty sure the poor taste shown by the Spaniards in this photo is just an idea of humour or something gone horribly wrong and not indicative of a wider problem of racism.
Their Gallic laziness combines with their Latinate voluptuousness with the result that they would rather eat and make love with their faces than swim.
Yeah, I don’t think they were thinking of ways to offend Chinese folks and other Asians. What’s really idiotic is that at some point, somewhere, somebody thought this was a good idea.
That would be this woman
Yeah. I…uh…know of those pictures.
Can you imagine the outrage if China was eating beans and wearing sombreros in a pic? Juan Hernandez would be flying out to the Olympics and boycotting China.
Not smart, not smart at all.
There is nothing wrong with Spain and the Spaniards that another Moorish occupation can’t fix.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Welcome to the world, China. You want to be a world player you better toughen up, you don’t get a free pass. These kinds of people are everywhere.
Good Afternoon, all. I’m a big fan of Hotair.com and Michelle Malkin’s website.
I may be caucasuian, but this is just mean.
BTW, I am attractive to Asian and/or Asian-American ladies. There’s faces are so pretty, and their voices are soothing.
My collie, the visionary, suggested that we share our thoughts with MichelleMalkin.com participants. He was getting a bit “restless” over at HotAir.
Did I mention that he also gives me stock market tips. It’s the main reason why I’m penniless today.
My collie says:
He’s not scheduled for parole anytime soon, is he?
They are not very good ambassadors for their country, are they?
The Chinese were going to try and retaliate this afternoon by pulling their own stunt on the Spaniards, but then they came to their senses and realized neutering themselves would hurt.
Read slowly and carefully:
Evolutionary comrades? What does that imply?
Breaking the species barrier? What does that imply?
Give ‘em 30 years, and they’ll be issuing marriage certificates to humans and primates.
Good ‘un there, RR.
Coming from the lawyer who invokes the Pee Wee Herman defense, “I know you are but what am I”, that’s pretty funny.
And here’s more for you from al Reuters:
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL256586320080625?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews&rpc=22&sp=true
What did you say, Pee Wee? Like I noted, you are some lawyer!
Jeez these are supposed to be adults! Its so stupid I wonder if it is a photo-shopped photo. FWIW, my son, who is of mixed Asian, white parentage expericed this while in 4th grade I think. Got mad, told us and we went the school, who straighten the perps out.
Advertising & PR humor almost never cross cultures well. This Spanish thing is not the worst of the lot.
The most disastrous example I can think of was the first foray by Toyota into the American market. They were trying to sell the Corolla, I think…
“From the people who brought you Pearl Harbor…”
Makes you wonder how many hippies would have bought the VW bug if it had a chrome Swastika on the hood or was signed A. Hilter…
I am enough of a lawyer to know that i) projecting a course of events “30 years” from now is not the same as saying something exists today (I guess you also have issues with verb tenses) and ii) giving an ape rights hitherto limited to humans is entirely different from saying that apes have equal rights as humans. But like I said, don’t let that pesky “accuracy” get in the way of a good rant. We all enjoy them.
Personally………………..I thought it funny.
But then again, I’m not very PC.
Whi cares? Really, who should care about some gesture, or mocking, someone does? Quite a lot of you have been crying and going on about about China’s human rights violations, the evil of rampant communism, murderous military crackdowns in Tienanmen square, making females second class subjects, the facade of the whole Olympiad spectacle…..
…then you get all upset because the Spanish basketball team does Chinese eyes?
0 pleeze!
Sorry about butting in like this but you sound a bit miffed. Is it because we don’t consider lawyers equal to humans. Just sayin’.
That was funny.
The Chinese should give these basketball players a “tour” of the local jail.
Peeved, Pee Wee? Did you forget to pay your legal malpractice insurance?
They should have gone all the way and posed with duct-tape over their mouths while holding pictures of loved ones locked away in re-education camps.
That wasn’t funny. In fact that made no sense. Try to keep up with PatriotRider on the insults, atheling.
And I thought I was “Pharisee” or “scribe” or something like that. I kinda liked those. Had a touch of class to them.
It amazes me that our mainstream journalists so often lead us to believe that only we in the US have the potential of being racist.
I am sitting here my with chin on my key board trying to imagine the teams leadership thoughts behind allowing this. I cannot imagine they would let this represent not just the basketball team, but all of the Olympians participating from Spain as well as representing their Country.
Well, how many medals has Spain won? How many medals has China won? That to me says it all. Spain a once mighty power brought down by their arrogance, I guess they still have not learned their lesson.
C’mon Chappie I was just pokin’ some fun. Besides, I would want to insult a Pharisee or a scribe.
OOOPS! I meant wouldn’t.
I hate to say this but you people (you people? heh!) sound like a bunch of Liberals.
Yes, it was a stupid Pose. In america, we have been conditioned to find it offensive. I’m not sure that is true at all over there in Spain.
In fact, I would be willing to bet that they were showing solidarity with the chinese, as opposed to making fun of them. In their minds, I’d bet the thought was ‘During these olympics, I’m chinese too!’.
Next, there isn’t anything ‘racist’ about their actions – they didn’t discriminate against anyone, nor showed prejudice. And therefore the premise for racial prejudice or discrimination doesn’t exist.
You are Liberals in that you had a typical knee jerk Politically Correct reaction to the picture instead of thinking about it.
Ger.
P.S. I’m allowed to say this, and it holds more water, because I’m asian too!
Patriot,
I wasn’t insulted at all. Your comment was funny.
Being an “Evil White Male”, I don’t often spring to the defense of racism claims. Most of them are blatently false. However, this picture just ain’t right. It just seems to me to be in bad taste all the way around.
Oh get over it you tools!
The Chinese could resolve this easily by issuing a rebuttal photo of a team moonshot in front of a shocked Spanish player…
Mutual assured stupidity…
This whole thing is funny.
It reminds me of when I was in Nuremburg, visited the forum where Hitler gave his speeches, and while standing atop the spot he would have been standing with a Filipino friend from college, and she threw the Heil Hitler. It didn’t mean a damn thing to her, she thought it was funny. It was utter ignorance of the impact her gesture might have had on those around her, plain and simple.
Bah. It’s just a joke. Not a good one, but not one to get offended over. Don’t act like an offended muslim, for Christ’s sake.
Or are we not allowed to poke fun at the differences between people? Is that off limits now? Is that what the pc police are ordering us to do?
I can see the headline, “Spanish basketball team bus collides with tank.” Not that the Chinese would use tanks to get rid of people they do not like. Just saying.
This pose by a Spanish team is not new. The Spanish Federation Cup Tennis Team did an exact pose earlier this year in February when they were about to play against the Chinese team. They explained that it was not a racist gesture, but sign of identifying with the Chinese. Interesting explanation. It really depends on your cultural perspective. LOL.
You have got to understand, these are the same people that run in front of big bulls with big horns. How smart are these people anyway? Once in a while a bull gores one of them then they expect the world to feel sorry for their idioticy. Consider the source, these people are whaco. The Chinese might eat things we consider strange but they are healthy and have enough sense not to run in front of mad bulls.
That was so funny I almost forgot to laugh…
I thought 800s on your SATs was a sign of identifying with the Chinese.
obama said, at least they can speak spanish.
Ahh those openminded Euros acting up again. Imagine the uproar had they been American.
Sorry, but it’s very typical of Spaniards. Try going to a soccer match in Spain and listen to all of the monkey sounds when a black player comes onto the field (and sometimes bananas come flying, too). After living there two years nothing like this surprises me.
I’ll give you an example of something I saw there that was very typical. A TV interview show had a French author on to promote his new book. The interviewer announced him as “Here is the famous black author so-and-so from France to talk about his new book.” When the author came on the first thing he said was “How come when ever I come to Spain I’m always described as a “black” author and not just an author like the other guests?” The interviewer was totally nonplussed and incapable of answering the question because he, like many of his countrymen, sees race before anything else.
I won’t even mention the incalculable number of negative descriptions I heard about mestizo Latin Americans there, much less what I heard in Germanic countries about blacks.
(emphasis mine)
In case you’re intersted, the “philosopher” in question is none other than Princeton’s Peter Singer. He came up with this nonsense. And liberals consider him one of the the great minds of our age.
Yes, he has one of those mighty minds. Mighty empty.
Are they liberals? If so, then it’s ok.
CoffeeGuzzler
But they do stand in front of tanks
Other than Pau Gasau on the Lakers, there are not really any great Spanish basketball players. So I am not sure why they are making fun of anyone! Real Madrid has not won anything recently. They don’t win the Euro Cup even when they import foreign players.
Why don’t they learn how to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ play before they start ridiculing others.
Mmmm…I kinda doubt it. I lived/went to school in Spain for a year. Europeans know you’re American by like, your shoes, and they’d always want to chat us up (often in English, which they didn’t necessarily speak, but you had to admire the effort. But I digress…). We were a racially and ethnically diverse group, and most Spaniards (thanks to images from American media) are used to the idea that there are blacks and whites in America. But one friend of mine, who happened to be Asian — born and raised in Boston — would get asked over and over again where he was from, even after we’d answered “Los Estados Unidos”over and over again (the stock reply: “No. Debe ser chino, no?” — “He must be Chinese, no?”). Countless times we’d have to explain, “Hay de todo en nuestro pais.” Frankly, Europeans are far more provincial than Americans and they tend to live in much more homogenous societies, and consequently, are often — not always, mind you — culturally myopic.
All to say that, sadly, this pic doesn’t surprise me.
This is a bit off topic.
But for all of the people that were upset about the Olympics being held in China.
The Winter Olympics are going to be in Russia.
I guess the Olympics have gone commie.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Winter_Olympics
Maybe its subject to change, I don’t know.
Are they from Barcelona?
I agree with Pureabsolute and blogagog — we’ve become kneejerk PC maniacs. Sure it was juvenile, but Asian folk no doubt do what one of my favorite married couples (he’s white, she’s Asian) do. She lets loose on him with comments that begin with, Okay, “round eye…”
But wait!!! But Wait!!!! Barak Hosanna says our kids should be learning Spanish!!!
…so we can converse learnedly with Spanish PINHEADS like these.
After all, we have SOOOO much to learn from those sophisticated Europeans.
(btw: lgm and tos are sophisticated Europeans, but they’re too modest to say so. However I have it on the best, most impeccable evidence that both are dutiful sitzpinklers. It used to be considered hard evidence that the difference between a man and a woman was that a man could piss through a straw.
Not these guys!)