ESPN Apologizes For Tasteless Jeremy Lin Headline And Question

Bravo on not addressing any of the valid points I raised.

I will concede that much.

However, to admit that something has a negative meaning when used randomly in a broader context, and then to blankly ascribe malicious intent to every single case of it’s use, I would say is lazy.

Each case deserves to be judged on it’s own merits. If this was a case of late night non-thinking when writing the headline, for me the apology from ESPN and a reprimand of the employee responsible is all that is required. Some have called for firings and the like. I find that absurd. Unless the individual responsible did this intentionally (which, admittedly, is hard to prove) or has a history of such actions, then I think everyone should have a chance to improve after they make a mistake like that and we shouldn’t rush to judge. Would you (I should say they, because I have no idea if you think people should be fired over this) be calling for his firing if he had only misspelled a word? Probably not, unless maybe you were looking to take his job or something. But the point is that people make simple, non-malicious mistakes all the time. If this is a case of that, there is no reason to assume that it is automatically racist in motivation, even if it is racist in interpretation.

And that also brings up another point. While many people would find it offensive simply because they did not know the other meaning before-hand, or because the offensive term is what they though of first, is this not part of the problem?

I think we should be teaching our kids not to judge other people by their skin color, as opposed to teaching them that you can’t say certain phrases to certain ethnic groups because it sounds similar to this other phrase which could then be deemed offensive.

I guess my point it, if you see something offensive in that headline, it says just as much about you as the author. What it says about you, obviously, would vary on a case by case basis. Just because something could be deemed offensive by even a majority of the population, does not mean that it is, ipso facto, offensive.

Obviously, this is a complicated topic. I don’t think there are any hard rules you can use that can evenly be applied to all cases across the board that would work. But I just think people need to stop rushing to judgement so quickly and wait for the facts to come to light for each case. The world would be a better place for it.

When talking about chinks in armor, for example. I have heard that phrase so many times in my life and this is the first I’ve ever heard it in reference to a performance by someone of Asian descent.

I did know that it also had a racial slur, but the fact is that this is a commonly used phrase, still today, and I do not find it that incredible that someone would not make that connection right away. But that’s just me.

I know you can make more puns than just about his race, but that isn’t what I’m saying here. I am actually saying that, in fact, this may have actually been a “no pun intended” headline.

As a history major, I actually have a very extensive knowledge of the history of this country, and am appalled at much of what has occurred here, as well as around the rest of the world. But I also don’t feel the need to form a witch hunt every time there is slightest chance that something might have been meant in an offensive way, when there is just as much chance that it could have been innocuous.