Posted on 04/14/2008 5:55:11 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3
Another ethnic slur has reared its ugly head from the golf world, and once again, it's from a golf announcer. Bobby Clampett, a former pro and CBS announcer, referred to Chinese golfer Wen-Chong Liang as "the Chinaman," on the air on Friday.
Clampett issued an apology, albeit a rather weak one, on the air: "It has been a privilege to be here with you the last two days describing action of the players. In describing the Asian player Wen-Chong Liang if I offended anybody please accept my sincere apolgies."
These are sensitive times in the golf world. Golf is trying hard to join the 21st Century and be part of he the diverse world, but there are times the old world, too often the Old South, shows up at the microphone. The Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman was suspended two weeks in January for saying that the Tour's young players who want to challenge Tiger Woods should "lynch him in a back alley."
You mean even “Oriental” is now considered a slur? I need to check the PC dictionary more often. How should someone refer to a Chinese golfer, who is actually from China? Maybe it is best not to refer to someone’s nationality at all, lest anyone be offended.
Can I call you “gringo?”
You’re right - but it’s all gotten so very one-sided.
We really are becoming ninnies.
If a Mexican joins a group named “La Raza”, we say nothing.
If an African-American who has never been outside their home state insists they’re African, we nod in agreement.
If a Chinese person owns a business, and hires exclusively other Chinese, nobody bats an eye.
But if anyone, anyone, for any reason, at any time, decides they are “offended” by someone white.
We go nuts.
That’s what’s wrong. We’ve bought into a massive double standard. And we’re immobilized.
Frozen in fear, as things just get worse, by the day.
One set of standards, for everyone please.
Just as MLK had envisioned, in his dream.
I'm still not sure I buy that it's a slur. The reference you make here refers to the high death rate of Chinese railway workers back in the 1800's. It was not meant as a slur, but as an alternative way of saying something like "your chances are slim to none." It was a fact of their life back then, not a racial slur.
It can be. But it grows seriously tiresome at times. I get that golf ratings go up significantly when Tiger is in the hunt and the announcers are told to push Tiger all they can, regardless of where he is, but it gets ridiculous when, like yesterday, he makes a putt on 11 to get within six strokes of the lead and the announcers--even the normally excellent Nick Faldo--are saying stuff like "Here comes Tiger!" Really? He's going to make up six strokes in seven holes?
Stewart Cink shot the same score as Tiger yesterday: 72. Cink was in the same group as Woods. How many of Cink's shots made the air yesterday? I'm sure that I'm forgetting some, but I can remember three. Meanwhile, every stroke that Tiger took was aired. That's ridiculous, especially considering that, for much of the day, he was six or seven strokes back.
It's not Tiger's fault, but it gets seriously old.
“Chinaman” originated as a term of disrespect towards Chinese workers in the early 1800’s.
How about Red Chinese Commie frontman?
China-man = a man of Chinese origin
Irish-man = a man of Irish origin
One is an insult, the other is a description. Can’t you see the difference???
< /sarc >
The term meant that Chinese people were going to Hell.
It’s kinda funny to hear white people say “I don’t know they get upset with the word Chinaman. It doesn’t bother us”
Here is another unbelievable story out of Panama for the PC crowd.
There are a lot of small Chinese stores in town, which sell basic household essentials and basic canned foods. Some even cut keys. The women in the house for some reason run them. She manages the cash register. Her name is always, in Spanish, “China” (“Chinawoman”) to the patrons. No one says it as an insult, and it is not taken by her an as insult.
Your father was right. I checked my pocket Constitution, and nowhere does it mention the right to never be offended. Adults today act like 4 year olds on a playground, whining whenever they get their feelings hurt. If my comments have offended any 4 year old playground visitors I would like to offer my deepest, heartfelt, sincere (albeit phony) apology.
I remember being called Lao Wai on a daily basis during my brief time in Nanjing. Wai Gui came up less frequently, but it was still there. Good stuff. I had it better than the blacks, though. One of my students in China was a police officer. He told me how his commander had given explicit orders to his men to find and beat the hell out of a black guy who was known to be dating a Chinese national. They weren’t too keen on the black folk.
sorry, not enough coffee apparently
“How should someone refer to a Chinese golfer, who is actually from China?”
The most obvious choices are by his or her name, or as a Chinese golfer.
“I remember being called Lao Wai on a daily basis during my brief time in Nanjing. Wai Gui came up less frequently, but it was still there.”
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Wai Gui. Hadn’t heard that before.
“Yang Guidze” is the version I heard (about). Never heard it used. That for readers, is literally “Foreign Devil” - or ghost actually, I suppose.
Point I’d like to make, is the entire world is racially centric. Everyone.
Every people, in every country, consider their group to be good, and other groups to be not good.
We’ve convinced ourselves, if we just change the way white people think and act, that will change the world.
White people are actually only a very small portion of the world.
Changing the way white people think and act, really only hinders white people who are increasingly in global competition with others, who have no such compunctions.
That’s what we need to be looking at.
As a nation, we’re really incapable sometimes, of perspective.
“It’s not Tiger’s fault, but it gets seriously old.”
Ok, so Tiger makes the putt to go -5 on 11. I believe at the time Immelman was no better than -10, probably -9. So, at that point, he was within 5 with 7 holes for him to play and 9 for Immelman. On a notoriously difficult course, on one of golf’s biggest stages, and considering Tiger’s resume, yep, I too was thinking here comes Tiger. Tiger was slightly off, he missed some very makeable putts on 13, and 14, and one other I believe. As it was, he finished 2nd, 3 strokes back.
Ok, I’m a fan. The hype doesn’t bother me. :)
OH MY, VICTIMHOOD, VICTIMHOOD. My ancestors were Scottsmen. What’s wrong with being called a Chinaman, if the fellow is from China? My gosh...this pc crappola is getting beyond reason. Pretty soon we won’t be able to call an illegal from the country bordering the Rio Grand a Mexican.
No, I refer myself as an American of Irish and Japanese ancestry./Just Asking - seoul62........
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