Shaq Fu: Shaq says Yao comments not racist

[milky_way]

Shaq says mock accent was used jokingly

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press


LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal said he was joking, not being a racist, when he used a mock Chinese accent while talking about Houston center Yao Ming.

A columnist for AsianWeek complained in his newspaper that O'Neal made several derogatory comments recently about Yao, with the Lakers' center saying, "Tell Yao Ming, 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.'''

"I said it jokingly, so this guy was just trying to stir something up that's not there. He's just somebody who doesn't have a sense of humor, like I do. I don't have to have a response to that (the charges of racism) because the people who know me know I'm not,'' O'Neal said Friday before Los Angeles' game against Cleveland.

"I mean, if I was the first one to do it, and the only one to do it, I could see what they're talking about. But if I offended anybody, I apologize.''

Yao, asked about the comments prior to Houston's game at Atlanta, said he believed O'Neal was joking.

"There are a lot of difficulties in two different cultures understanding each other. Especially two very large countries. The world is getting smaller and I think it's important to have a greater understanding of other cultures. I believe Shaquille O'Neal was joking but I think that a lot of Asian people don't understand that kind of joke,'' Yao said.

"Chinese is hard to learn. I had trouble with it when I was little,'' Yao joked.

O'Neal recently received an NAACP Young Leaders Award.

He acknowledged that his attempts at humor don't always work.

"Over my 11 years in the NBA, I know for a fact that most of you guys are going to write what you want to write, and it's our job to either defend it or just let it go. At times I try to be a comedian,'' he said. "Sometimes I make a good joke and sometimes it's a bad joke.

"That's just the ups and downs of trying to be a comedian.''

Lakers coach Phil Jackson was certain O'Neal was just kidding.

"It's an unfortunate situation. I'm sure that Shaq had no meaning like that behind it. I'm sure he was just doing something that was fun-loving or something he thought was humorous,'' Jackson said.

"The meeting between Shaq and Yao Ming next Friday (in Houston ) is going to be an interesting one, anyway, so it should bring a lot of interest to the game.''

Yao is leading O'Neal for the starting Western Conference center spot in fan balloting for the NBA All-Star game.

[milky_way]

Shaq's apology came after this (http://www.asianweek.com/2003_01_03/sports_yaoming.html) article in AsianWeek was printed

:hmm: Shaq really needs to learn to shut his mouth. While i don't find his comments extremely racist, it is completely ignorant, unappropriate, and stupid (in other words, typical Shaq :hmm: ). Well at least he apologized...

[rockin500]

ignorant yes, but if Yao says its alright, who are we to judge shaq. i mean he shouldnt have said it probably, but theres bigger issues than this out there....

[milky_way]

Originally posted by rockin500
ignorant yes, but if Yao says its alright, who are we to judge shaq.
i usually find Shaq's ignorance and stupidity funny, but when you cross the line to race, that's a different story. while his Yao comments (which have been popping up since Yao was drafted, and several of which can be considered border-line racist), are aimed at Yao alone, they are offensive to Asian Americans in general. That article from AsianWeekly was written by one offended Asian fan, and I can completely understand if other Asian fans get offended too.

I don't think Shaq is a racist who hates all Asian people or meant to come off racist, i think he's an "idiot jokester" (his own, self description) who doesn't think before he talks. But at the same time, racial comments are disrespectful and shouldn't be said by someone that's in position to have his comments broadcasted to millions of people :angry: :hmm:

[milky_way]

Originally posted by rockin500
but theres bigger issues than this out there....
true, but this is a pretty big issue if you ask me. What if any non-black player makes 'joking' comments about a black player, mocking his slang or culture? There would be an uproar, and that player who made the comments would face harsh critisizm and would be forced to apologize. Yet isn't that what Shaq has been doing? Making fun of the Chinese language and culture, doing so 'jokingly' but doing it nonetheless? As i've said before, i'm not saying that Shaq is a racist or a hateful person, and i don't think he is, but just because he's not a racist doesn't make his comments acceptable.

[renuszm]

Shaq is gay

[milky_way]

two good reads on the whole Shaq/racist issue:

Shaq didn't use good judgement (http://www.jimrome.com/home/article/shaq.html)
The Right to be Racist against Asians (http://modelminority.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=267)


Brian NYC: Good piece about Shaq on NBA Insider. Do you think he's a racist? I think the comment he made was tasteless and the reporter who wrote the article about it was right that there would be an uproar if a similar comment was made toward an African American athlete. I think an apology and/or an explanation from Shaq is needed. Thanks.

Chad Ford: Were Shaq's comments at Yao Ming racially charged? Absolutely. Did he intend them to be racial slurs? Only Shaq knows the answer to that. But what people tend to lose sight of when we talk about issues like this is that just because there wasn't an intent to do harm doesn't mean that there wasn't harm. I have received a ton of e-mail from Asian readers who were deeply hurt by Shaq's comments. I think Shaq would be surprised. Those close to him say he doesn't have a racist bone in his body and he was just trying to be funny. Of course they said the same thing about Fuzzy Zoeller.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=2976

[BPBlueSox]

Nice job Shaq.

OK, this is not to offend anyone who is African-American, but let's say that Nowitzki or someone says something like "Can I ax you a question" or stuff like that trying to imitate Shaq or another African-American...he would never hear the end of this.

I think this was totally out of line for Shaq and should be punished by the NBA...

[rfc17]

Shaq isnt a racist. He is black. Black people cant be racist. Only white people are racist. Everybody knows this.

[renuszm]

Originally posted by rfc17
Shaq isnt a racist. He is black. Black people cant be racist. Only white people are racist. Everybody knows this.
anyone can be racist, a black person could make fun of white people.

[milky_way]

i think the point rfc was trying to make is that there's a double-standard. If a white man like Jason Williams (the Memphis one) made that comment he'd be fined and everyone would call him a racist. But when Shaq says it its funny. Its a big joke that everyone should just laugh off :hmm: :angry:.

The NBA has just turned thier head to this entire issue. No fine, no suspension, in fact, no media attention AT ALL before that article in AsianWeek. The NBA (or the Lakers for that matter) has to give him at least a fine. Apologies (especially the lame "it was just a joke" one he gave) will only do so much, a fine will tell him to GROW UP and have some respect for others.

[uj4l]

come on he was just playing around. he didnt mean to hurt anyone. yao ming even said he knows he was just joking.

[milky_way]

Originally posted by uj4l
come on he was just playing around. he didnt mean to hurt anyone. yao ming even said he knows he was just joking.
Shaq may not have meant to hurt anyone, but people WERE hurt. As that ESPN guy said, "just because there wasn't an intent to do harm doesn't mean that there wasn't harm." Shaq has to realize that when he's talking to a camera, he's not talking to Yao Ming individually, he's talking to the world.

Yao Ming, from all i've heard, is a very kind and humble person, and maybe he doesn't want to put Shaq in a sticky situation on account of a joke on him. Or maybe its just that he grew up in China and never faced the "ching chong" taunts that Chinese who grew up in America have faced. Either way, this goes beyond Yao Ming. Shaq didn't make fun of Yao Ming's game, he made fun of his ethnicity; he made fun of Chinese in general.

[rfc17]

Originally posted by uj4l
come on he was just playing around. he didnt mean to hurt anyone. yao ming even said he knows he was just joking.

So what? only till that right is granted to all races, he should be labelled a racist.

if im just joking around making monkey noices describing Shaq, then im a racist. But he can mock asian people buts its okay because he is black.

[PissedPrincess]

Shaq. Talent aside, he's a mental midget with the IQ of a mouse.
He's also an arrogant, fugly, obnoxious piece of crap.

I hate the ass.:angry:

[Tigers#1]

Maybe it's a little off the issue, but i think it's funny how every week he picks a small fight with a white basketball player, and no one mentions it. I've always thought of him as a racist.

[lal4l]

Guys it is not a big deal he was laughing yall are turning it in to something big but he was just making sort of fun of the language i guess. He did not mean nething and no1 really got offended my asian friends were laughing when they heard the news. My frined It is all fun and games guys nothing serious. It is just people like you who try to make it in something big.

[milky_way]

Originally posted by lal4l
Guys it is not a big deal he was laughing yall are turning it in to something big but he was just making sort of fun of the language i guess.
making fun of a language is making fun of a race. it's like he's saying that making fun of Chinese is okay and funny. It's not okay nor is it funny, it's wrong and it's racist.
Originally posted by lal4l
He did not mean nething and no1 really got offended my asian friends were laughing when they heard the news. My frined It is all fun and games guys nothing serious. It is just people like you who try to make it in something big.
No one really got offended huh? Well guess what, I'M Asian, and I'M offended by Shaq's comments. His apology is as unsincere and ignorant as his original statements too.

And making fun of Chinese people and thier culture is all fun and games??? :hmm: :angry: Nothing serious, nothing wrong??? :hmm: :hmm:

BTW, "its just people like you who try to make it into something big"...isn't that Shaq's very own words? :hmm: People like us who, what, don't have a sense of humor? Don't understand that its funny to make fun of Asians? :hmm:

lal, i know you're a Laker fan and a Shaq fan, but that doesn't mean you need to condone everything he does. His maturity is equivalant to my five-year-old cousin's.



some more good articles:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/134613887_kell120.html
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/4/015299-4864-036.html

[BPBlueSox]

Excellent post, milky way.

[rockin500]

good point milky way. and good post. the more i think about it, the more i think he was just asinine for saying it. it didnt seem as big an issue at first i suppose cuz its coming from his big yapper and was just another stupid comment from him. thats what i guess i meant.

but thinking on it some more, it was just wrong of him.

[awefullspellare]

(AP)-Shaquelie O'Neal has decided to admit his problem. Tuesday night O'Neal announced that he is truly a racist. He said, "I really do not like the way white man have treated me, I hate them, and they dumb. And about them Chinese they stink, sutpid people!" Shaq is expected to retire tomorow and is rumored to be taking Kobe with him!!! Apparently eveyone has called Shaq a loser.


DEATH TO SHAQ~!!!!!!!! :clap2:

[lal4l]

Originally posted by awefullspellare
(AP)-Shaquelie O'Neal has decided to admit his problem. Tuesday night O'Neal announced that he is truly a racist. He said, "I really do not like the way white man have treated me, I hate them, and they dumb. And about them Chinese they stink, sutpid people!" Shaq is expected to retire tomorow and is rumored to be taking Kobe with him!!! Apparently eveyone has called Shaq a loser.


DEATH TO SHAQ~!!!!!!!! :clap2:

Awerfull what was that all about?

[rockin500]

more ramblings? lol

but kinda goofy ones.

[bballer632]

he's just joking
people should lay off him:Pissed:

[rockin500]

who, jon? i have no qualms with it, cuz im kinda used to it. :) lol

i know jon is jokin. :)

[bballer632]

o

[uj4l]

glad to see another laker fan, y brother lal4l is also one

[cxlx]

Ok, as an asian american, I have dealt with these types of issues here. And it is offensive to me, some what. Tho I know Shaq was joking around, he did take it to another level when you make fun of race, religion, sexual preferences and so forth. I did read that article...and I found it to be alil too sensitive to the issue, but he does have points.

Heres a good one:
What do sports commentator Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder, NBA Head Coach Dan Issell and former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Trent Lott have in common? They all lost their jobs due to comments offensive to blacks or Hispanics
~Irwin Tang

To me, Shaq's appology is well accepted. But thats just me. :)

[milky_way]

Asian Group demands sincere apology from Shaq (http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0117/1494489.html)


"I've already apologized,'' O'Neal said. "Yao Ming is my brother. The Asian people are my brothers. It was unfortunate that one idiot writer tried to start a racial war over that.

"I grew up an Army kid. I grew up around Asians, around whites, around browns. It was a bad joke. Don't try to make a racial war out of it,'' he said. "Because of what I said, 500 million people saw this game. You ought to thank me for my marketing skills.''

the idiocy and ignorance continues :hmm:

[PopTop]

Hard not to agree with just about every post in this thread ... If anyone found it offensive, then it was offensive ... And there are no doubt double standards in this country and this world; some of the double standards work both ways ... And Shaq really didn't display any intelligence in making the remarks with a bloody microphone in his face.

But I'm wondering, all of you who were offended by the remarks, have you ever laughed or shrugged off remarks someone of another culture, religion, gender, etc., might have found offensive? ... It's one thing to be sensitive; it's quite another to only be sensitive when it fits your culture, religion, gender, etc.

I've often joked that not only do I have a lot of skin, what's there is pretty thick ... Is that a remark that is in poor taste to all people who are overweight, or does it simply tell you something about me? ... I've also been a Fightin' Texas Aggie since about 9 months before birth, but I loev to hear new Aggie jokes ... The ability to laugh at one's self, at least I believe, is very important to being tolerant and sensitive to others. Just my $0.02.

Besides, Yao and the Rockets showed Shaq Daddy who's boss last night in Houston ... Did you see Shaq's face when Yao blocked O'Neal's 3rd shot to start the game? Priceless.

[PissedPrincess]

Stop trying to be rational Poptop.:D

We're being sensitive because we hate Shaq.

[milky_way]

Originally posted by PopTop
But I'm wondering, all of you who were offended by the remarks, have you ever laughed or shrugged off remarks someone of another culture, religion, gender, etc., might have found offensive? ... It's one thing to be sensitive; it's quite another to only be sensitive when it fits your culture, religion, gender, etc.

Sure i have laughed/shrugged off jokes about all cultures: comedians make those types of remarks all the time. But the difference IMO between Shaq's comments and a comedian's comments is that Shaq is NOT a comedian. He's a professional basketball player, and he represents the NBA. Comedians say their jokes in an act, and from the beginning, everyone knows not to take them seriously. Shaq is a public figure who said what he said in front of a camera during an interview. The situations, IMO, are very different.

[rockin500]

that was pretty priceless PT. :) Shaq was wonderin what the heck came down the wire! lol

[PopTop]

Princess, you are one funny lady, thanks for the grin.

Milky Way, Peace ... I'm really not defending Shaq or anyone who mailciously mocks anyone else for any reason ... Your comment about comedians is correct, though I would edit the part about Shaq to "Shaq is not a very good comedian" ... He at least has poor timing or doesn't really know his audience.

It's a lot like Fuzzy Zoellar's remarks after Tiger Woods won the Masters several years ago (I believe it was after Tiger's 1st Green Jacket, but could be mistaken about that) ... Zoellar made some joke about the next year's Master's Champions Dinner being a menu of "fried chicken and waltermelon," something like that ... Woods later remarked he'd found Fuzzy's comment funny himself ... But, right or wrong, malicious or not, you can't say something like that to a microphone or in public without catching grief ... If Zoellar says that in the locker room, just a bunch of guys standing around including Woods, my guess is everyone would've laughed it off.

I can get a little bristled behind the neck when someone makes an offhand remark about all Texans being inbred hicks and looking upon capital punishment as a spectator sport ... It's hard to ignore them all, but that's what I try and do ... A lot bigger fish to fry, in my opinion, than some jock's bad judgment with humor.

[renuszm]

I remember this one time my friend was playing the game 'links' for computer against some older guys. And he picked Fuzzy. And then they were like "You know that guy is racist..." and my friend had no ide awhat they are talking about :D

[milky_way]

Originally posted by PopTop
... It's hard to ignore them all, but that's what I try and do ... A lot bigger fish to fry, in my opinion, than some jock's bad judgment with humor.
true. Hopefully Shaq will stop the Yao jokes after this (but with Shaq, who knows :hmm: :ugh: ).

Anyone else hear the commentators of the Houston/Laker game talk about a Christmas card or something that Yao sent the Shaq? i thought that was a little odd, but i was only half listening so maybe i missed something :D

[PopTop]

I missed that remark as well ... But then, I very rarely listen to the television audio for any televised event ... Lost in that game was Francis' effort and results ... It could be a lot of fun watching him and Yao for a few years ... Of course, Mooch is still 'da man! :fro:

[milky_way]

Originally posted by PopTop
But then, I very rarely listen to the television audio for any televised event ...
i don't blame ya! (Walton covered it :barf: )

It is sad that Francis's career game got lost in all the Shaq/Ming hoopla (of course, i couldn't miss it since he's on my fantasy team :cooldude: ). Mobley quietly had a great game too...he ended up with 30 or something...