Shanghaiist: Spanish teams show remarkable consistency

pleasethink

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:30:12 +0800

i don't care... any mature person would not mock physical traits! spanish women have big butts and cellulite. what would they think if a group of people had on fake butts w. bumps, mocking them? is it funny? spaniards, please understand the word respect. and like i said before, go check out foreign films (in its orignial version please) during your siesta and get a little culture. you certainly need it.

ShanghaiLife

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:58:00 +0800

Being French, and having lived in Spain, China and the UK (as well as many other places), my opinion is that this is only offensive to the British and the Americans, because they live in such a politically correct culture. These are countries where a 'wardrobe malfunction' or politician having a mistress will be discussed 24/7 for weeks. This kind of stuff doesn't even raise an eyebrow in continental Europe. The Spanish guys didn't have bad intentions doing this...it's pretty obvious.

superdani1982

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:37:56 +0800

I´m Spanish and I think this picture is much worse than the other one. I don´t like it. What´s important here it´s to forget about this english-spanish conflict and talk about what Asians and Chinese think about it. I´ve done a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV2DPiI6Z4g) in Beijing and although most people hadn´t seen the picture before, it seems that the more the know the more they don´t like it. I would like to have the opinion of more Asians. If we knew more in Spain about China and Asia there wouldn´t be pictures like that.

nanheyangrouchuan

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 10:35:24 +0800

No racism in Spain, eh? I know its gets under Spanish skin to mention that all of you are descended from black African muslims. BTW, how do Spanish get along with your new immigrants...from northern Africa?

sonyactivision

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:42:07 +0800

USA just beat the spanish basketball team. So now the "worldly" spaniards have learned about karma during their visit to China.

fix

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:21:45 +0800

Hello. A Spanish guy here. First of all, that sign is not seen as racist in Spain. I think that, in fact, it's not seen as a racist thing in a lot of places of the world. So no, they were not trying to offend anybody. Let's be serious: there are some things which identify different cultures and ethnic groups. And being different, guys, is not something to be ashamed, is it? Some examples that I have seen and I have not found offensive (based in people that I have known or trips that I have done): -A German imitating a Spanish talking says "Zazaza zaza zazazaza". Sometimes with a very loud voice -A Chilean or Mexican imitating a Spanish: talk pronouncing 'j' and 'z' very hard, and 'a' very open -A Spanish imitating an Italian: gesticulate a lot with your hands -Anybody imitating a French: I think that everybody in the world has imitated their accent at least once. Has somebody noticed that French people have a characteristic accent, or it's only me? -Lots of countries imitating a Japanese: make lots of reverences I really think that if somebody is offended by any of those things, needs to relax a bit It's curious how British tabloids and American newspapers have talked so much about this issue from the very first moment and how Chinese press ignored it. Maybe they are talking about it now, but I really think that it's because the other media is reporting it... I don't know the reason for that. Maybe because in the USA are real problems with racism while in places like Spain there are no such problems, so noticing the differences between people is not seen as something bad, but as something REAL (again, because we are different, or only I noticed it?) No, I don't like the pictures, but I don't thing that it deserves more than saying "What a bad campaign"

wowwowwow

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:15:58 +0800

fuzi, you mean like ccp?

Fuzi

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:25:22 +0800

Real racism is when people are killed because they are different. When people are fired from their jobs or their houses burned to the ground. When entire groups of people are enslaved simply because they are a minority. That is real racism. That is what should offend you and generate the scorn that's been exhibited. But those things you say nothing about but cry like whipped children over a silly photograph that hurts nobody. That is trivializing the issue and does nobody any good.

Andy Best

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:01:38 +0800

I guess people who don't realise that "laowai!" is offensive also think that when you have people shout 'hallo' at you in a high pitched voice and then laugh that they are trying to be polite. When was the last time anyone here turned a corner and saw someone who looked ethnically different from themselves on the street and then decided to blurt at said person 'hey!, foreigner'. There's a bunch of people here who think that 'heiren' is just practical and not offensve too - so I double dare any of you to shout "oi, darky" at the next person you see on the street who fits the bill. Then you will see the relevance of whether the person doing the speaking thinks it offensive or not (yu888). And what's with labelling people who highlight racism as basically taking themselves too seriously? (fuzi)How you can you look at the Spanish team photos concerned and say that pointing out the racism is to cheapen the world? Do you mean that racism enriches the world and that it's a duller place without it? Really, what are the next standard reactionary responses to people that care going to be? If we follow the same logic then perhaps it'll be "Lighten up dude, just because it's racist doesn't mean that it's racist".

EPM

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:46:18 +0800

From my informal consensus it seems this story is getting a lot more press than the Iranian refusing to swim against the Israel, which seems a shame. Perhaps it's because the world community expected the Spanish to know better, one of those "We're not mad at you Spain, we're just disappointed," moments.

booggerg

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:22:55 +0800

How is Lao Wai offensive in the least? Wai = outside = foreigner Lao = affectionate term used on people you look up and respect (elders) Lao Mao, Lao Zhang, etc.. You Lao Wais on this blog learn your Chinese better than this I hope!

Fuzi

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:54:44 +0800

You don't see the Chinese teams doing it in the media but that doesn't mean they don't do it... Again, I don't think the original picture by the basketball team was meant to be offensive, in fact it could have been an homage to the host country. But the media attention and overreaction by the faux-offended to it drew this response from their fellow countrymen/women, which is obviously a joke to poke fun at the media attention. Lighten up and reserve your righteous indignation for the REAL offenses. When you cry "racism" on trivial matters like this, you only cheapen the word and make the real cases seem less important.

SQ1Q

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:17:28 +0800

WAAAHAHAHAHAAAAA >0)

nrupesh

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:49:12 +0800

I guess so.. but you dont see the chinese team pointing towards the other teams and calling them 'laowai' lol

yu888

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:25:53 +0800

maybe its just not considered offensive in their culture...much like calling westerners "Lao Wai" is not considered offensive to Chinese.

nrupesh

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:15:45 +0800

Damn! How stupid are these guys??