9 responses

• xavier_again Aug 21, 2008
   

  In Spain we're all waiting for the British and American Press to tell us what to think about these pictures, maybe these guys are being racist towards us and we didn't even realise about it! Please illuminate us.

   
• todd Aug 21, 2008
   

  Xavier: do you not think that the spanish picture was racist?

   
• todd Aug 21, 2008
   

  De mi punto de vista, fue claramente racista. Los atletas se estaban burlando de la gente china a manera de que se enfocaron en sus characteristicas físicas. me sorprende que la prensa del estado español no lo reporte así tambien.

   
• todd Aug 21, 2008
   

  "some of my best friends are chinese?!?!?!": "Desde aquí quiero manifestar que tenemos un gran respeto por Oriente y sus gentes, algunos de mis mejores amigos en Toronto son de origen chino..." also, the use of the word "oriente" or "oriental" to gloss over the differences among east asian people is also ignorant and verging on racist.

   
• Jim Cowie Aug 21, 2008
   

  xavier: I agree with you totally: bullfighting is deeply offensive.

   
• xavier_again Aug 22, 2008
   

  Todd, en España ese gesto nunca se ha considerado racista ni insultante. Las primeras noticias que hemos tenido sobre ello han sido a causa de la reacción de los medios anglosajones respecto a la foto, que fuera del contexto de España efectivamente sí se puede considerar racista. En España se considera que un rasgo físico identificativo de los chinos (y de otros pueblos de Asia) es que tienen los ojos rasgados.

   
• xavier_again Aug 22, 2008
   

  Otra diferencia cultural: "Oriental" tampoco tiene connotación racista en España, quiere decir lo mismo que "Eastern" en inglés, sólo indica una situación geográfica. Jim Cowie: to me bullfighting is really offensive too, I hope someday we'll get rid of this stupid tradition.

   
• xavier_again Aug 22, 2008
   

  To stop this nonsense: Please keep in mind that the ad was only meant to be shown in Spain, where this gesture has no racist connotations. No one talked about the photo until a British newspaper did and said it was racist from the very beginning and denying any other possible interpretation. I can assure you that if the Spanish authorities had seen any hint of racism in the ad it would've been removed immediately and many people would've complained about it.

   
• todd Aug 24, 2008
   

  xavier: i remain unconvinced. whether the ad was considered racist in spain or not, it was a racist ad. mocking exaggerated physical differences certainly qualifies as racist behavior. it reduces a whole group of other people to "different" or "other", which is one of the key characteristics of racist behavior.
  
  xavier: many people also believe that "oriental" is not racist in english. they are also wrong, just as i think you are. "oriental" also means "eastern" in english, but it has historically been used to gloss over the differences among all of the peoples from palestine to the philipines. as such, it is part of the sames strategy of reinforcing "otherness".