February 21, 2012
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Chinks and Niggers
An ESPN editor was fired for approving an article that said the New York Knicks had a “chink in the armor” after they lost a game.
Some felt that it was a racial slur used against Jeremy Lin. The editor said it was not intentional. Here is the link: Link
What is interesting is that Jeremy Lin used to have a xanga site and it was called “ChiNkBaLLa88.” Here is the link: Link
One person in a thread said, “Anyone who is not Asian has no right to say that the “c” word is not considered derogatory to them.”
Is it ok for an Asian to use the word “chink” and black people to use the word “nigger?”
Comments (76)
I am sure it is every bit as much fun as being calling a skinny assed white bitch.
They are just words. Use em.
didn’t we discuss this not long ago?
it’s all about context. “a chink in your armor” goes way back before the word was a racial slur; that said using it as a pun for a racial slur is uncalled for and yes, he should have been fired for that if that’s what he did.
Everyone’s so touchy. WHY SO SERIOUS?!
I wish I would have thought of this title for a blog. =(
I think only Asians and Black people can answer that question.
It is so tragic when the same standards applied to other professionals are applied to journalists. Lin can call himself anything he wants. He’s a free man, not a niggah.
Ah. Political correctness.
It’s a mark of immaturity that anyone has to use such words at all. However, if it brings grins and giggles to someone to call him/herself names that were bestowed by ignoramuses, so be it.
Just like how the Spanish word, negro, was twisted and given a different connotation, Cheen-ke was also given a different connotation by the white man (Dutch/English traders… goods/livestock/people o_O).
I grew up with that word for the 1st half of my life in the Philippines. We use the word “chinky” to mean someone with small slanted eyes… which I have. There was no malice or ill-will when we use it. Only when I came here in the US did I find out it was insulting.
I don’t necessarily think the headline was a racial slur per say. Another ESPN anchor used the same phrase and received a 30 day suspension…which I feel is actually too harsh. The issue when dealing with such phrases, and terms like chink or nigger is CONTEXT. The anchor appeared to have used the term within its proper context and did not seem to be making a pun. (He also happens to have an Asian wife). However, it becomes an entirely different animal in print media. The editor had enough time to consider the title, and its obvious pun, along with all possible implications and ramifications. Do I think he’s a racist? No. And yet this is a good example that not all racism is alike. (And Asians often experience unique types of racism) Do I think the editor should be fired? Probably (And the editor himself humbly agreed)….simply because such a mistake can’t be tolerated. ESPN simply has to take drastic action in this case (Though their motives are financially based really) and virtually everyone in print media agreed that simply had to be the case. But I hope there is no backlash against the editor in his personal life and that he finds a new job and learns from his mistake.
On the other hand, I find it very odd that while this story is big, far less people know about Jason Whitlock’s (Fox Sports) racist and offensive tweet. In my opinion Whitlock has always been one of the worst sports writers period. I would have fired him a long time ago for no other reason than sucking. But he sends out a shockingly racist tweet….and somehow still has his job.
He was fired for that? That’s crackers.
Your title alone will incite riots.
We all know that most of the time, people are not fired because they did something disrespectful but because they’re smaller than those who fire them. Furthermore firing can only prevent the words but not the thinking. That could make it even worse.
Nobody should use offensive terms. You can’t actually “re-claim” them and get pissy about it if other races use the term.
I have been called “china” my whole life I have no eyes lol it doesn’t bother me at all.
As a half Korean woman, I don’t even use that word as a joke or an adjective like saying I have chinky eyes. I don’t like to hear any derogatory term, no matter what race it is. My boyfriend is black and our son is tri-racial: Black, Korean, Irish. I dread the day someone calls my son anything besides his name, especially if it’s a racial slur. I used to live in a neighborhood full of KKK affiliates and neo-Nazi’s. Needless to say, race is a touchy subject for me. On the one hand, especially considering I never dated a man who wasn’t black, I don’t pay attention to it, especially when people hurl them at me. (“Why is he with that white bitch?” or “She’s probably just with him because black dudes have big dicks.” and so on and so forth.) However, on the other hand, when I hear anyone say racial slurs, it hurts my heart because people are still putting so much emphasis on race. I don’t even like to use the word bitch, honestly. I consider it like any racial slur – it’s okay when said by particular people or in a particular context, but outside of that it’s offensive. For example: Calling a woman a bitch in general is offensive. However, call a woman a bad bitch or a fierce bitch or something like that, and her face lights up and she goes “Thank you!” … Ridiculous, huh?
In context of this ESPN fiasco, I think that as much as they will insist it wasn’t a racial slur, it will always be in the court of public opinion. Of all the phrases that could have been used, that was the one they picked? I get that people shouldn’t be so sensitive, however they still are, and ESPN and their editors should have been aware of that. Not everyone who watches ESPN is as educated about the previous references, or even keeps up with ESPN enough to know it had been said before. In the end, it all could have been solved and taken in a completely different context by simply using quotations and the words “A chink in THE armor,” which completely changes the headline and the meaning of the phrase, in my opinion.
@sometimestheycomebackanyway - Nice one Curtis.
Are we sure he didn’t just mean… a chink.. in armour….?
Lol, Dan, I know I sound like a broken record but you are so terrible.
You should be allowed to use whatever words you want….but be careful with the words you pick because they point to your character.
The only chink I know is the definition, which doesn’t mean a racist slur.
Fucking honkey crackers trying to keep the niggers and chinks down. Fucking bitches wot?
<—-
That slur was just plain politically Lincorrect.
If they want the word to go away, then they shouldn’t use it. I think blacks use the N-word to mock the white man.
Sure, it’s a slur–oh no! slaps hands on cheeks– but does that mean we need to take it out of the dictionary too? Just to be safe, right? Pulls out eraser. Erases hand. Oops it slipped! hold on a sec. Aww fml! I just erased my pussy too! Tss now there’s no point to life > <
The context is important. Obviously he didn’t mean to hurt anything, except for maybe our stomachs ‘n cheeks! How do we not hurt people’s feelings? Well,.. pulls out duct tape. This should work. We should all wear this and anyone who pulls it off will have to go to jail. Yup, no more smiles for anyone. It’s the price we pay to be nice. Enjoy your dinner! You can suck it up your nose or stuff it up your ass! The choice is yours!
Honestly, he didn’t mean anything negative by it. This is just a case of older gens being retards again
I’m so glad I’m not so touchy about racial slurs. I’ve had so many Mexican jokes come my way, even though I’m Puerto Rican. Just to mess with me. And I’ve learned to own the word spic.
@RighteousBruin - But what about members of the Press? If Rick Santorum has called someone a chink you’d have picked up your pitch fork and led the mob to go get him.
Why is it that you only notice and comment on immaturity and let racist psychosis go unnoticed?
@Shadowrunner81 - People of all creeds and colors have the ability to discuss any moral or political issue. Since skin color has no effect on intellectual or moral capacity your statement:
I think only Asians and Black people can answer that question.
is a racist statement mascarading as tolerance.
Jeremy Lin will bring xanga back!!! Hahaha, I got that from Caka.
Yes. I use the “C” word on myself as jest with friends.
I didn’t even know chick was a “bad word.”
I can not judge the intention of the editor. Did the author mean it as a pun? I don’t know. If it were me, I most definitely would not have allowed it to run as written.
That said, the word chink is not the same as the ‘N’ word because there is no proper use of that word other than to be racist. There is no definition in the dictionary for the ‘N’ word which is not racist. With the word chink, there is.
Now, does that mean it should be used against someone in a racist way? Absolutely not. It is a noun. It should not be used as an adjective to describe a person.But to say that it can not be used in it’s proper context just in case an Asian person may hear it? That is a stretch.
@BlueButterf1y - Really? You own that word? Do you know where it comes from?? I ask because my husband is Puerto Rican and I know exactly where it comes from. In fact, he didn’t until I told him. Someone calling you that is just as bad as someone calling a person the ‘N’ word, imo. I wonder why you would own something so negative. You are a beautiful, young, Hispanic woman. I hope that you reconsider, or maybe you have a different definition of that slur? If so, I would love to hear it.
@saintvi - crackers. ha. I guess only whites are allowed to use that. We should sue Keebler.
Lin probably could have put up more points in the game if it wasn’t for that ”charlie horse” he had that night.
@RazielV - LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NIGGERCHINKNIGGERCHINKNIGGERCHINKNIGGERCHINK.
I say both words, as well as FAGGOT like it’s nobody’s business. By demeaning the word as “racist” you’re preserving it to have hurtful, slanderous meaning to it. Its literally like not saying the name “Voldemort” in Harry Potter. Like, get the fuck over it already.Do I think he should have had the right to say it? Yes. Do I think that he should have gotten fired for saying it in today’s society? Yes. People decide what’s obscene vs. indecent and apparently we can’t get over a couple words. -__-
You can’t consider somebody whose not of that race to be racist for saying a word when you’re the one saying that only certain races are allowed to say it.
So maybe he should have said “a bend in the metal protective covering that will eventually oxidize” – at least he would have been politically correct.
@sometimestheycomebackanyway - Why is it you ASS-ume things about me, when we’ve never met or spoken? I am indeed opposed to any racial or sexual stereotyping, psychotic or otherwise. BTW, there are a lot of things I like about Rick Santorum, and I very much doubt he’d use racial epithets.
@RighteousBruin - I have simply responded to the meaning of your comments. Words actually convey meaning. And meaning comes from the mind and heart of the person speaking or writing those words.
@sometimestheycomebackanyway - My mind and heart are not violent, so I would not be “leading a mob” to get anyone. I do, however, agree that “skin color has no effect on intellectual or moral capacity”. Thus, J.C. Watts is every bit as capable a thinker as Barack Obama. Felipe Calderon is just as competent as Cesar Chavez. Governor Quinn of Illinois is every bit as capable as Governor Haley of South Carolina. Personal ideology, like skin color, does not determine one’s effectiveness as a leader.
I’m not going to read the article itself (I should, I am curious), but if the ESPN editor did not center around Lin as being the sole reason for the loss to the Nets (he did foul out) I don’t see a huge issue. It was an oversight, for sure. Define “OK”. It’s not politically correct. I’d bet it’s not illegal in but a few jurisdictions if any. There are often social/professional consequences to using racial slurs, and I think most people recognize that.
I’m a neanderthal 3.1% or more. Ask Dear Ricky. I consider my 100% european status as 100% cracker. And they’ve been calling me Jewish for years. I went and gotz a genetic test to see. I think my family just says that to play the minority card.
That’s fucking ridiculous. “Chink” can be used as another way of saying there’s a crack or gap and in this instance it wasn’t meant in a racial context at all. However I will agree with previous posters that ESPN’s editors probably should have used another word just to cover their own asses.
I’m usually one of the first people I know to jump on stuff that’s racist against Asians or Asian Americans, but this is stupid.
Yeah, I think that political correctness can go too far sometimes, but when you are of the profession of sending out a message to the world and your actions could cause a potential backlash then it is understandable for a company to fire you. Do I agree wholeheartedly? No. Words are just words, but unfortunately people on both sides on the spectrum don’t get that.
Chink means small hole that something can get through. How could that be a racial slur?
My boyfriend is half chinese, his dad is full chinese, and he doesn’t seem to have obligations towards calling someone a FOB or a chink (extreme cases)
Freedom of speech. Equal rights. If they can say it then I should be able to, too. I don’t, but its only fair.
I don’t think the guy meant it the way they think he did.
@RighteousBruin - If you read my comment you will see that I did not make a personal attack. My comment was about the meaning of the words you used.
Leftist ideology is stuck in your mind and that is where your comment came from. Leftism is inherently racists and bigoted though at first blush it sounds like dew and honey.
Saying that only an Asian can comment on the Lin issue is a racist statement. If you aren’t racist, it would be a good idea to stop making racist statements.
I did not say that only Asians can comment on the Lin issue. That remark came from @shadowrunner. Take the matter up with him. I have nothing further to say to you.
If you do not want the words to be used, then don’t use it yourself. Otherwise, you are being a hypocrite and perpetrating its use regardless of how you feel about it.
As for the editor, I’m not offended as I am more disappointed in him that he didn’t take a few seconds to think “Wait, what if this offends Chinese people?” I also think it’s “kink in the armor” instead of “chink in the armor.”
so does this mean only white people can call other white people cracker?
^ I know that isnt realistic and the answer is YES, it is the way of things apparently.
If blacks and Asians don’t want you using their racist names then don’t use them. Not every black person uses the n-word and not every Asian person uses the c-word.
Some white people are too anxious to take their frustrations out on minorities.
Words are not bad; only people can act badly.
@trunthepaige - Couls be worse. You could be called a fat-assed white bitch!
I thought that’s what editors did, make sure that nothing in the article blows up in their faces…
Anyhow, I think we should really just ease the eff up and stop putting such important meanings on words. If someone wants to act ignorant and use derogatory terms, let them; it just shows how stupid they really are.
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I think we (asa country) are getting too thin skinned. And that is a shame.
aaaactually, “chink” is generally used to describe the Chinese so no it is not ok for all Asians to use that word
For god’s sake, is no one familiar with the idiom? It’s used to describe a weak point in something that’s deemed invincible. Lin was kicking ass, but then bad luck struck when he made his team lose the game. So he SEEMED like an impenetrable suit of armor in the team, but eventually found a weakness in his defenses. Therefore, a chink in the armor. Also, the editor used that phrase more than once.
On one hand I’m thinking “sticks and stones can break my bones…” but then I think this is all just inflammatory bullshit. We all need to grow up and have respect for ourselves and each other.
Don’t worry, when China takes over the world, Im sure the Chinese media will be using racial slurs left and white.
I didn’t think they were referring to his race at all…
…In fact, I never even heard that slur before Lin got popular.
…The xanga’s locked, btw. So no proof.
youre fired
@iones_island - right. And “gay” goes back a long way before homosexuals hi-jacked the word, what are those of us that grew up with the meaning “happy, light-hearted”, supposed to think. Oh, we are old white crackers, sit down and shut up, bro’…
I think that if you don’t like being called it yourself, then you shouldn’t use the word. Plain & simple. There is no instance in when racial slurs are ok or needed. They don’t need to be used by anybody & it doesn’t make it any better to hear the “n” word fly out of a black persons mouth then it would coming from a white one. If anything, it makes you look worse using the word that so demoralizes the race that you are. No class.
@TigersLovePepper – words can only hurt you if you allow them to hurt you. I choose not to allow any word define who i am. To you the word spic has a hurtful meaning, to me it does not. I use it in the very sense that john leguizamo does, im spic-tacular.
I first thought this said “Chicks and Niggers” and was momentarily confused.
I think the whole thing is idiotic. Words aren’t bad or good, they just are. And the same word
used in a different way can have an entirely different
meaning/connotation. It wasn’t being derogatory, it was being punny.
@twilike - My husband is working from home and I hope I didn’t get him in trouble from me laughing so much at your comment.
@VampireOfSeduction - hehe thanks! I try to be open!
Oh so you have a husband?! Is he cute?
@twilike - I don’t know how to answer that. I’m biased, of course.
He can be incredibly adorable. Sometimes I think he’s crazy hot, sometimes I think he’s cute, and sometimes I wonder why I’m attracted to him. But I don’t know that most women would think he’s cute. He’s 6’2 and weighs 300 lbs.
Why do you ask?
@VampireOfSeduction - I dunno… I just like thinking about boys! They me feel good inside for some reason
Keep it up; keep posting more n more n more.
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