Politically Lin-correct
by RAF KATIGBAK
February 23, 2012
Well, it happened. Not long after I wrote my last column, wondering when some sports writer was going to drop an awkward, culturally insensitive headline in regards to the Asian-American NBA sensation Jeremy Lin, ESPN ended up disciplining two staff members for using the phrase “Chink in the Armor.”
To be completely fair, I believe one of those incidents was an accident. Watching the replays where ESPN anchor Max Bretos used the phrase when asking Knicks legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier about Lin, it’s clear to me the offense was unintentional. A poor choice of words, yes, but without malice. While it might be no excuse to point out that Bretos has used that phrase before on the air, and is also married to an Asian woman, I think it’s safe to conclude that it was just a poorly chosen slip.
While blurting out something absentmindedly live on air is one thing, using it in a headline is another. Such was the problem with a writer for ESPN.com, who used the phrase in a headline on their website this past Saturday. As a writer, I know that headlines are something writers and editors scrutinize and agonize over. Writing something down takes a lot more forethought than just shooting the shit, and as everyone in the journalism biz knows, headlines are key to grabbing readers’ attention. It strikes me as extremely unlikely that the potential offensiveness of this could have been missed.
While no one is defending the headline, some question if the writer should have been fired. Well, consider this: If that same writer, covering a slam-dunk competition, titled his piece “NWA: Niggerz With Altitude,” would people be as forgiving?
In all honesty, I don’t really give a shit what ESPN writes; I’ve written them off long ago. After all, this is the same network where announcer Bob Griese was suspended for saying NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya was so far out of the standings that “he’s out having a taco” (doubly ignorant as Montoya is from Colombia and tacos, of course, are a Mexican dish). Expecting to get a balanced, nuanced, considered view from most sports writers would be like going to a hair salon and expecting them to also be good at car repair. If I wanted interesting and thoughtful sports writing, I’d go to Grantland.com (and I do, seriously, check it out).
That said, I think there is a danger of being too PC in this day and age. I’d hate to get to the point where we can’t say anything nuanced and all language is neutered. But discussions on race are, and always will be, a topic that’s best left to the experts. And by “experts” I mean “comedians.”
Again, I’m not talking about minority comedians obsessing about how their family is soooo different and how their parents say the darndest things. That’s too easy. But people like Louis CK—who I consider one of the funniest men alive—Chris Rock and Sarah Silverman. They don’t make racist jokes—well okay, they do, but they’re also jokes about racism. It’s social commentary, it’s wrong and we know it, but somehow it’s also smart and funny. That’s their job: to go to strange and interesting places and explore what it means to be offensive, and what it says about us as a society. And then throw a dick joke or two in there for good measure.
Let’s face it. The sports world can be a scary place. Anyone who’s ever played organized team sports knows that it can be filled with racism, homophobia and small-minded, pop-eyed, slack-jawed mouth-breathers who like to deal with their insecurity by bullying others. Maybe it’s sad, but I’ve come to get used to it. Especially in Quebec, where cultural isolation has had me run into an inordinate amount of ignorant people ready to point out my otherness in all sorts of embarrassing ways (embarrassing for them more than me). I’ve also learned that there are racists everywhere. Chinese people hate Koreans, Malaysians hate Indonesians, Indians hate Pakistanis. Many of these have historical and cultural reasons driving the animosity.
Perhaps the saddest thing of all is that I’m used to it. People can call me Jackie Chan and I just roll with it. For better or worse, I’ve learned that people are ignorant and I’ve come to terms with that. It’s not a matter of “us against them.” Everyone is an idiot. If you’re looking for a chink in my armor, you won’t find one. However if you’re looking for a Flip who just wants to chill out and enjoy some basketball, you found him. ■
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