Posted on 02/21/2012 10:23:42 AM PST by Impala64ssa
Rep. Judy Chu on Monday slammed the racial slur used in an ESPN headline about NBA phenom Jeremy Lin, saying she did not believe the phrase chink in the armor was an innocent mistake.
The California Democrat said on MSNBC that the headline on the Saturday story about the New York Knickss breakout star was appalling and offensive. The writers word choice, Chu said, was intentional.
I think that the use of the term is appalling and offensive, she said on MSNBC. The c word is for Asian Americans like the n word is for African Americans.
ESPN Editor Anthony Federico, who was fired Sunday, told the New York Daily News that his headline Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lins 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks in Streak-Snapping Loss to Hornets had nothing to do with me being cute or punny.
Im so sorry that I offended people. Im so sorry if I offended Jeremy, he said.
Meanwhile, Lin weighed in during an interview on Sunday, saying he did not believe the headline was intentionally written to reference the racial slur.
I dont think it was on purpose or whatever, but they have apologized and so from my end I dont care anymore, Lin said. Have to learn to forgive and I dont even think that was intentional. Or hopefully not.
Federico told the Daily News he had used the phrase hundreds of times in headlines over the years, a fact Chu called extremely sad.
Federico told the Daily News he had used the phrase hundreds of times in headlines over the years, a fact Chu called extremely sad.
What is extremely sad is that apparently Chu is not aware of english idioms, and so because of her ignorance she is unnecessarily offended by a phrase that is an idiom for a flaw in something otherwise well-suited for a task, with "chink" having a real-world definition of "crack or fissure".
What's really funny is that the 2nd guy, who was suspended for saying the same thing on-air, is actually married to an asian woman.
What's really sad is that, in order to avoid being "offensive", you apparently are supposed to take a person's ethnicity and color into account whenever you say anything, to make sure that a well-known idiom might not accidentally offend the wrong people.
It is hard to respect people when you have to watch out to not offend them all the time.
It’s seems like a pretty slippery slope.
Federico told the Daily News he had used the phrase hundreds of times in headlines over the years, a fact Chu called extremely sad.<<<
The contrast is remarkable. Jeremy Lin, an intelligent, devout Christian, is forgiving, gives others the benefit of the doubt and moves on.
Rep Chu, Democrat, is unforgiving, looking for offense and stunningly ignorant.
I could understand people getting upset about Federico using the common phrase “chink in the armor” in the context of talking about Jeremy Lin making a bunch of turnovers in a Knick loss. It was either intentional or very stupid.
However, for her to say it is “extremely sad” that Federico used the phrase hundreds of times in the past (presumably in situations that had nothing to do with any Chinese people) is moronic.
It is a very common phrase, that has been used for hundreds of years, with no racial connotation at all.
The term chink means a crack, cleft, or fissure: a chink in a wall.
www.dictionary.com
It’s not just a term that is slang against Chinese people.
So yes, it is offensive only to stupid people. :)
>> That said, we are tolerating, diversity and politically correcting ourselves into a point where no one will ever utter a word about anyone ever.
I agree. I know that *I* have certainly become niggardly with expressing my own opinions, criticism and feedback. :-)
How long until asians complain about the need for affirmative action in the NBA? This PC bullshit needs to stop.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!
Is the "c" word "Chu"?
Late night comedians have been making a lot of jokes about Lin that they would NEVER make about a black player.
Things like “Lin is proving that some Asians can drive”.
Funny, but imagine Leno or Letterman making an equivalent joke about a black player, whether it be a reference to dancing or watermelons.
There would be a huge outcry.
Dude should have known better than to use that terminology as sensitive people are now days. BTW, does Jeremy Lin have a Green Card?
I guess it is a good thing that Federico was niggardly with his words and didn’t mention the weather by saying there was a little nip in the air or the wop wop wop of the basketball against the hardwood floor when the chink in jeremy’s armor was exposed.
I believe the upset critics are really saying that they are not very well read and have never heard of a dictionary. They seem to have a very large “chink” in their vocabulary.
chink 1 |CHiNGk|
noun
a narrow opening or crack, typically one that admits light: a chink in the curtains.
a narrow beam or patch of light admitted by such an opening: I noticed a chink of light under the door.
PHRASES
a chink in someone’s armor a weak point in someone’s character, arguments, or ideas, making them vulnerable to attack or criticism.
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: related to chine2.
chink 2 |CHiNGk|
verb
make or cause to make a light and high-pitched ringing sound, as of glasses or coins striking together: [ no obj. ] : the chain joining the handcuffs chinked | [ with obj. ] : they chinked glasses and kissed.
noun
a high-pitched ringing sound: the chink of glasses.
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: imitative.
Chink |CHiNGk|
noun informal, offensive
a Chinese person.
ORIGIN late 19th cent.: irregular formation from China.
Its also a derogatory term, which is the context for its use in this case.
Only stupid people would have a problem understanding.
I wonder what Al Sharpton thinks about Carmelo Anthony’s niggardly approach to passing the basketball?
They need to NIP this in the bud right now!
Not using derogatory racial terms is not PC.
“does Jeremy Lin have a Green Card?”
He was born in California.
I take the 5th!
Political Correctness strikes again and it continues to swirl our country down into the toilet.
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