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."
I wonder if Asians get offended only hearing about Tiger’s blackness? Is he not half-Asian?
Sorry for the late acknowledgement of your wonderful photo gallery. I couldn’t get to my computer until now for a reply.
Thank you.
Afterwards, I was also thinking I would also love to watch these PC folks faces turn purple and sputter. That would be the highlight of my shock and awe to them. What are they going to say to me? I can’t use those words to describe myself?
LOL!!!
My understanding is he is white, black, and asian.
Mine too, but you only hear about the black part. The white most likely comes from his Dad’s side, so he’s probably more Asian than black.
"Should he have said “the golfer of Chinese origin” instead?"
Well, I was corrected by my daughter when, in conversation with her, I referred to a neighbor as oriental. She tells me that the proper term is Asian. I had no idea that oriental was now unacceptable.
I’m sure it was purely occidental.
When I served in the navy, homeported in Norfolk, I was told about signs on the lawns that said "no dogs or sailors allowed". Never saw one, though. Also heard about the ads for jobs many years ago with the tagline "no Irish need apply".
I think maybe the best way to deal with ignorance is to ignore it.
Growing up I (and probably a lot of people) didn't hear the terms used that way, which may explain the confusion. But from the perspective you described I can understand why someone would be offended. Kind of the same phenomenon as with "Negro", perhaps?
Considering that "Yank" and "gay" are now used as a pejorative in many parts of the world, I wonder if those terms will become forbidden in 10 or 15 years.
No, that is called semantics.
Why is that a slur?
He's a Jap?
Boris Karloff as Dr Fu Manchu circa 1934,
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