Official Spanish federation announcement

[PHANTOMPHOENIX]

Hey I understand that in Spain it might be an acceptable gesture, as rediculous as it is. But in America it's not, exaggerated slanty eyes, buck teeth and bowl hair cuts are typical racist caricatures of Asians. The Spaniards should understand this and should show sensitivity when a great number of Asians, particularly Asian Americans are offended. Instead, they show no understanding of this aspect and instead go on the offensive and are playing the victim. That statement by FEB is unacceptable

Your point about we having the obligation to act according to your own moral standards in our own home (it happened in our own home since the ad was only shown in Spain and for a Spanish public) seems to be pretty authoritarian, racist and lacks a lot of knowledge about how a multi-cultural world works.

You pretend to impose your model to the rest of the world, and that's really offensive. But instead you get offended if the rest of the world doesn't act according to your model, and while you ask to be respected you disrespect a foreign culture.

Bingo

Then Americans wonder why they are hated around the World.

[baroidi]

Hey I understand that in Spain it might be an acceptable gesture, as rediculous as it is. But in America it's not, exaggerated slanty eyes, buck teeth and bowl hair cuts are typical racist caricatures of Asians. The Spaniards should understand this and should show sensitivity when a great number of Asians, particularly Asian Americans are offended. Instead, they show no understanding of this aspect and instead go on the offensive and are playing the victim. That statement by FEB is unacceptable

Your point about we having the obligation to act according to your own moral standards in our own home (it happened in our own home since the ad was only shown in Spain and for a Spanish public) seems to be pretty authoritarian, racist and lacks a lot of knowledge about how a multi-cultural world works.

You pretend to impose your model to the rest of the world, and that's really offensive. But instead you get offended if the rest of the world doesn't act according to your model, and while you ask to be respected you disrespect a foreign culture.

I'm not imposing moral standards to you, I said I understood this act might be acceptable in Spain, fine, that's not my primary concern. I'm just asking the Spaniards to show sensitivity towards asians who have all rights to be offended. Instead the FEB shows none and are playing the victim. The Olympics are a global event and we are living in the internet age, the world is interconnected. If the FEB gets their way and wins thier lawsuit, it will make the act acceptable. Last thing I want to see is white guys pulling thier eyes everytime Yao Ming plays in the NBA.

[rumdiary]

The Chinese call white people "big-noses" ("da bize"), cos our noses are bigger than theirs. Am I offended by that? Are you f***king joking? If you're offended that easily you're going to have trouble getting through life. The media are a bunch of sensationalist, gun happy morons with more moral highground than sense.

[PHANTOMPHOENIX]

Hey I understand that in Spain it might be an acceptable gesture, as rediculous as it is. But in America it's not, exaggerated slanty eyes, buck teeth and bowl hair cuts are typical racist caricatures of Asians. The Spaniards should understand this and should show sensitivity when a great number of Asians, particularly Asian Americans are offended. Instead, they show no understanding of this aspect and instead go on the offensive and are playing the victim. That statement by FEB is unacceptable

Your point about we having the obligation to act according to your own moral standards in our own home (it happened in our own home since the ad was only shown in Spain and for a Spanish public) seems to be pretty authoritarian, racist and lacks a lot of knowledge about how a multi-cultural world works.

You pretend to impose your model to the rest of the world, and that's really offensive. But instead you get offended if the rest of the world doesn't act according to your model, and while you ask to be respected you disrespect a foreign culture.

I'm not imposing moral standards to you, I said I understood this act might be acceptable in Spain, fine, that's not my primary concern. I'm just asking the Spaniards to show sensitivity towards asians who have all rights to be offended. Instead the FEB shows none and are playing the victim. The Olympics are a global event and we are living in the internet age, the world is interconnected. If the FEB gets their way and wins thier lawsuit, it will make the act acceptable. Last thing I want to see is white guys pulling thier eyes everytime Yao Ming plays in the NBA.

That is complete BS.

Maybe you should come to Spain and make a list of things that piss you off while you are at it.

[baroidi]

The Chinese call white people "big-noses" ("da bize"), cos our noses are bigger than theirs. Am I offended by that? Are you f***king joking? If you're offended that easily you're going to have trouble getting through life. The media are a bunch of sensationalist, gun happy morons with more moral highground than sense.

Whites have never been an oppressed nationality or victims of racist caricatures. I guess you would find it equally racist to draw George W Bush as a monkey and Obama a monkey.

[baroidi]

I'm not imposing moral standards to you, I said I understood this act might be acceptable in Spain, fine, that's not my primary concern. I'm just asking the Spaniards to show sensitivity towards asians who have all rights to be offended. Instead the FEB shows none and are playing the victim. The Olympics are a global event and we are living in the internet age, the world is interconnected. If the FEB gets their way and wins thier lawsuit, it will make the act acceptable. Last thing I want to see is white guys pulling thier eyes everytime Yao Ming plays in the NBA.

That is complete BS.

Maybe you should come to Spain and make a list of things that piss you off while you are at it.

What part of Olympics being a global event don't you understand?

[Airness_ACB]

I'm not imposing moral standards to you, I said I understood this act might be acceptable in Spain, fine, that's not my primary concern. I'm just asking the Spaniards to show sensitivity towards asians who have all rights to be offended. Instead the FEB shows none and are playing the victim. The Olympics are a global event and we are living in the internet age, the world is interconnected. If the FEB gets their way and wins thier lawsuit, it will make the act acceptable. Last thing I want to see is white guys pulling thier eyes everytime Yao Ming plays in the NBA.

Yes you are, you ask us to avoid, even in our own home, doing a gesture which is innofensive in Spain but is offensive in your country. The Olympics are a global event, we are living in the internet age and the world is interconnected, but the advertisement wasn't shown at the Olympics in China, nor in the internet, but strictly in Spanish newspapers. What you seem to forget is that this same interconnected world is also a multicultural world, in which you should be respected at your home and in which no one should try to impose their own moral to others.

And if the FEB gets their way, nothing will happen, since nowadays it actually is an accepted gesture in Spain and, since it's not accepted in the USA, it won't become suddenly accepted, because we live in different cultures. The difference is that you don't respect my culture, while I do respect your culture (I'd never do that gesture in your country and I'd never ask you to act according to my model).

[PHANTOMPHOENIX]

I'm not imposing moral standards to you, I said I understood this act might be acceptable in Spain, fine, that's not my primary concern. I'm just asking the Spaniards to show sensitivity towards asians who have all rights to be offended. Instead the FEB shows none and are playing the victim. The Olympics are a global event and we are living in the internet age, the world is interconnected. If the FEB gets their way and wins thier lawsuit, it will make the act acceptable. Last thing I want to see is white guys pulling thier eyes everytime Yao Ming plays in the NBA.

That is complete BS.

Maybe you should come to Spain and make a list of things that piss you off while you are at it.

What part of Olympics being a global event don't you understand?

What part of ....these pictures would have never made the light of day anywhere else if that British paper had not sensationalized it and turned into an international event

Like you would have ever seen the picture otherwise.

Do you read Marca every day? Because if you did, you would know that is the least offensive thing in there.

[Airness_ACB]

What part of Olympics being a global event don't you understand?

And what part of being an Spanish advertisement which only appeared in Spanish newspapers don't you understand?

[rumdiary]

The Chinese call white people "big-noses" ("da bize"), cos our noses are bigger than theirs. Am I offended by that? Are you f***king joking? If you're offended that easily you're going to have trouble getting through life. The media are a bunch of sensationalist, gun happy morons with more moral highground than sense.

Whites have never been an oppressed nationality or victims of racist caricatures. I guess you would find it equally racist to draw George W Bush as a monkey and Obama a monkey.

It should be equally racist. But I concede. You have a point.

[baroidi]

What part of ....these pictures would have never made the light of day anywhere else if that British paper had not sensationalized it and turned into an international event

Like you would have ever seen the picture otherwise.

Do you read Marca every day? Because if you did, you would know that is the least offensive thing in there.

I'm not going to continue this, because whether or not these two photos (womens aswell) would've been seen outside of Spain is not the issue. The point is that it has been seen globally, and it is considered a racist act in America. I'm not telling Spain to change their ways, all I'm asking is for FEB to show an understanding that this act is considered racist outside of Spain, because like it or not this has become a global issue. Whether you understand my point or not, I'm done here

[GuyverX]

What part of Olympics being a global event don't you understand?

And what part of being an Spanish advertisement which only appeared in Spanish newspapers don't you understand?

I've seen you making this statement so many times in the last few days and I have to tell you that you are wrong. Just because it happened in your country doesn't mean it's any less racist or offensive to the rest of the world. Your scope is way too limited. "Oh, it can't possibly be remotely racist or offensive because it doesn't concern the rest of the world since it was intended for Spanish eyes only." This is what you're basically saying over and over and over again. That's completely, utterly ridiculous.

All the Spanish team had to do was apologize for causing any misunderstanding or offense (like Pau Gasol did) and that's it. None of this legal bullcrap need apply.

[PHANTOMPHOENIX]

What part of ....these pictures would have never made the light of day anywhere else if that British paper had not sensationalized it and turned into an international event

Like you would have ever seen the picture otherwise.

Do you read Marca every day? Because if you did, you would know that is the least offensive thing in there.

I'm not going to continue this, because whether or not these two photos (womens aswell) would've been seen outside of Spain is not the issue. The point is that it has been seen globally, and it is considered a racist act in America. I'm not telling Spain to change their ways, all I'm asking is for FEB to show an understanding that this act is considered racist outside of Spain, because like it or not this has become a global issue. Whether you understand my point or not, I'm done here

I'm also done because it is clear you guys don't understand when you are being used as ignorant pawns by the British Media.

[Heat3]

Seriously? Do you think China as nation will alter diplomatic relations with another nation over a stupid picture. It's too bad the Spanish can't take the high road and apologize to anyone that was offended. Instead they jump through hoops to tell people they have ulterior motives for feeling insulted.

[PHANTOMPHOENIX]

What part of Olympics being a global event don't you understand?

And what part of being an Spanish advertisement which only appeared in Spanish newspapers don't you understand?

I've seen you making this statement so many times in the last few days and I have to tell you that you are wrong. Just because it happened in your country doesn't mean it's any less racist or offensive to the rest of the world. Your scope is way too limited. "Oh, it can't possibly be remotely racist or offensive because it doesn't concern the rest of the world since it was intended for Spanish eyes only." This is what you're basically saying over and over and over again. That's completely, utterly ridiculous.

All the Spanish team had to do was apologize for causing any misunderstanding or offense (like Pau Gasol did) and that's it. None of this legal bullcrap need apply.

It is also ridiculous to make racist accusations that have no substance.

[GuyverX]

It is also ridiculous to make racist accusations that have no substance.

The gesture itself is considered racist in other countries. That's substantive enough. Whether or not the Spanish team, as a whole, is racist...I'm not accusing them of that.

[LLcoleJ]

As I posted in another thread.

I dont believe there was any ill intent and or racial motives behind what the Spainards did. However , there has to be some understanding of asians ( no matter where they hail from ) that this could be viewed as offensive.

I dont think anyone here can and would walk around to asians anywhere in this world and make the slant eye move and it not be viewed as not offensive.

I also am not going to paint Spain and all of their people and athletes as racists.

I am not asian -- so I have no dog in this fight. I would hope at the end of the day that we can look at this objectivley. The Spainards were not trying to offend anyone and there are asian people from around the world ( not just the US) who take offense to it.

Both sides are right. Spain was not trying to put out some anti-asian propaganda and some asians dont like that depiction and or sterotype.

At the end of the day, we should learn form this instead of making this into an anti-US anti-Spain type argument.

[PHANTOMPHOENIX]

It is also ridiculous to make racist accusations that have no substance.

The gesture itself is considered racist in other countries. That's substantive enough. Whether or not the Spanish team, as a whole, is racist...I'm not accusing them of that.

There are also phrases in the Spanish language that when translated are racist but not in Spanish. If you want Spain can apologize for every phrase in the Spanish language that might become offensive if translated into some other language. Because it will be offensive somewhere of course.

[Charlie78]

That stament by FEB is ridiculous, it basically says its fine my best friend is chinese. Of course china is not going to make a big deal about it as they are clearly so concerned with their image they dont want to have anything taint their perfect games. I.E. digital fireworks and lipsynching. That does not mean at all that the average chinese person is not offended. I guess throwing bananas at black athletes is also okay because it happens in your country.

[PHANTOMPHOENIX]

I guess throwing bananas at black athletes is also okay because it happens in your country.

See, it is statements like these that illustrate who the real racists are.