Patterico's Pontifications

2/22/2012

Anthony Federico Speaks Out

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 12:44 pm



The evident unfairness of ESPN’s firing of the editor for his “chink in the armor” headline about Jeremy Lin becomes even more evident:

I wrote the headline in reference to the tone of the column and not to Jeremy Lin’s race. It was a lapse in judgment and not a racist pun. It was an awful editorial omission and it cost me my job.

I owe an apology to Jeremy Lin and all people offended. I am truly sorry.

Actions speak louder than words. My words may have hurt people in that moment but my actions have always helped people. If those who vilify me would take a deeper look at my life they would see that I am the exact opposite of how some are portraying me.

They would see that on the day of the incident I got a call from a friend – who happens to be homeless – and rushed to his aid. He was collapsed on the side of the road due to exposure and hunger. They would see how I picked him up and got him a hotel room and fed him. They would see I used my vacation time last year to volunteer in the orphanages of Haiti. They would see how I ‘adopted’ an elderly Alzheimer’s patient and visited him every week for a year. They would see that every winter I organize a coat drive for those less fortunate in New Haven. They would see how I raised $10,000 for a friend in need when his kids were born four months premature. They would see how I have worked in soup kitchens and convalescent homes since I was a kid. They would see my actions speak louder than my words. They would see that these acts were not done for my glory, but for God’s. They would see that each day I live and will continue to live a life of joy and service.

It never has been or will be my intention to hurt anyone.

Not only a racist but a Godbotherer too? Good riddance.

In all sincerity, people really should rally around this guy and insist that he get his job back. Starting with Jeremy Lin, and continuing with all his former colleagues at ESPN.

Then someone needs to explain to him that he doesn’t owe an apology to anyone.

Via Hot Air Headlines.

UPDATE: Via Dana, here is the ESPN contact form. I just wrote them to express my disgust and to urge them to give Federico his job back. I encourage readers here to do the same.

63 Responses to “Anthony Federico Speaks Out”

  1. ESPN must be so proud

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  2. I am confident that ESPN decided the business risk inherent in being cajoled into reinstating him, was far less than being harried into firing him.

    Also, they knew that the PC crowd would be far more virulent than the common-sensers.

    jim2 (6482d8)

  3. Not so fast! The fact that he meant no harm when using a colloquialism older than he and Lin together is of no moment.

    His “crime” was to be caught on the wrong side of the constantly shifting PC line.

    The one that let Norah O’Donnell conclude that using basketball and Obama in the same sentence is racist. That let Imus, a crude man to be sure, be fired for trying to sound hip and using the same language as one hears on Sirus every day. The one that used to lead to the ouster of soviet party members who slipped up and failed to notice that Chairman Stalin now approved the growing of corm in June.

    Now, like a party comrade that foolishly backed a position condemned this morning, he must do pennance! He must grovel his way back into the status of a human being. Tell us the good things you’ve done! Prove yourself worthy! Grovel!

    The rest of you can see what happens when you think without first asking “is this PC?”

    PS: Now banned: “get your cotton picking hands off me;” “chinese wall,” (its an ethical wall); chinese chicken salad;

    Harcourt Fenton Mudd (329cc1)

  4. Federico and Lin are both Godbotherers (OMG!!!!), so they can forgive each other and move on.

    In fact, Lin already told people to forget about it.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  5. He did owe the apology — his carelessness caused hurt. And Lin should accept the apology — no hurt was intended. And then, having accepted the apology, Lin should call ESPN and ask for the guy to be reinstated. This really needs dialing down, though.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  6. Anthony Federico isn’t the only person who blasphemied with the word “chink” and was punished for it:

    ESPN also suspended its anchor Max Bretos for 30 days because last week Wednesday (Feb 15) he asked former Knicks basketball player Walt (Clyde) frazier about Jeremy Lin, saying:

    If there is a chink in bthe armor, where can he improve his game?

    Nobody noticed at the time, but it is on videotape and after the furor they went looking.

    Bretos’ wife is Asian, by the way.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/jeremy-lin-slur-honest-mistake-fired-espn-editor-anthony-federico-claims-article-1.1025566
    (read firfther in the article)

    Now also Spero Dedes disciplined by the MSG Network.

    He used the term “chink in the armor” following the Knicks loss to New Orleans on Friday night.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-knicks-radio-voice-spero-dedes-disciplined-msg-network-offensive-phrase-espn-hot-water-article-1.1026764?localLinksEnabled=false

    In a statement MSG said Dedes “deeply regrets the error” and didn’t “intend to offend anyone.”

    “We took appropriate disciplinary action dealing with this matter, but will keep the details internal to the organization,” MSG said in its statement.

    Dedes, in a statement, said: “I am deeply sorry that my unfortunate choice of words offended anyone, it was completely inadvertent. I have apologized to Jeremy (Lin) and I apologize to the Asian community if others were offended. I will be much more sensitive to my choice of words moving forward.”

    The “disciplinary action” administered by MSG apparently is not nearly as stringent as the measures ESPN took against employees who used the same phrase. ESPN fired Anthony Federico, an editor, for using the phrase as part of a headline on its mobile website early Saturday morning. The Worldwide Leader hit anchor Max Bretos with a 30-day suspension for voicing the phrase Friday night during an interview with Walt Frazier.

    The Daily news said that bretos use dthe ophrase on Wesdnesday.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  7. I apologize in advance for the use of the word “furor”

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  8. He owed no apology, and is a bigger person than those that called for his head, demand he apologize, etc ….

    JD (516dcc)

  9. If Jeremy Lin asks ESPN to reinstate Anthony Federico, he might be reinstated; if Mr Lin chooses not to do so, Mr Federico won’t be reinstated.

    However, when you make a mistake on a national television network, you’ve made a big mistake, and that’s what Mr Federico did. A lot of people never get a second chance, and there are plenty of other people who are willing to fill Mt Federico’s old position; his position may already have been filled.

    We see typos on television banners all the time, and most are meaningless, and have no bad results. But ask yourself: what would happen to the guy who made the innocent typographical error and put down something about Martin Luther Knig?

    However, when I consider ESPN’s reaction to an obvious mistake, I wonder: is it possible that Mr Federico was already a marginal performer, and this was an easy way to get rid of him?

    [note: fished from spam filter. –Stashiu]

    The realistic Dana (f68855)

  10. Dana provided a contact form last thread on this, and I wrote then noting ESPN should stand by their own in times like this, and that because there is a clear explanation of the comment that is not racist, it is wrong to jump to a conclusion it was racist. A Brandon replied he would pass my sentiments along.

    I don’t think isolated honest mistakes on the job justify apologies or firings. I think they justify training.

    This is a mistake any of us could make. The potential to say something someone out there is offended by is very high.

    Had no idea this man was such a selfless guy.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  11. Dustin – I would not even concede that he made a mistake.

    JD (516dcc)

  12. UPDATE: Via Dana, here is the ESPN contact form. I just wrote them to express my disgust and to urge them to give Federico his job back. I encourage readers here to do the same.

    Patterico (17e5f6)

  13. Greetings:

    Having grown up in the era of “Sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never harm you.”, it’s hard for me to wrap what’s left of my mind around this type of nonsense. How was young Mr. Lin harmed ??? What business is it of anyone else ???

    I’m quite convinced that liberals never received the benefit of those two important fairy tales; the “Sky is Falling” chicken and the insufficiently mattress-ed young lady of “The Princess and the Pea”.

    Give me a break. Grow the hell up.

    11B40 (55bc5e)

  14. Dustin – I would not even concede that he made a mistake.

    Comment by JD

    Actually, you’re right. I stand corrected. What’s wrong isn’t Mr Federico. Wrong wrong is a society that looks for any way to read offense into anything it sees so it can burn the witch at the stake. Also wrong is an organization so weak it lets its valuable people pay for crimes they didn’t commit.

    I assume there was some instruction from ESPN to not be offensive in edits, but why must anything with a potential offensive meaning be offensive? All this drama with absolutely nothing to show for it.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  15. http://www.montgomerysportsgroup.com/contact

    Lin’s agent – probably the one to contact to get Lin to make a plea to get this kid’s job back

    EricPWJohnson (afc785)

  16. I never would have considered the ESPN viewing demographic to be overly politically correct. It is kind of surprising that ESPN does. I guess they know more about their audience than I do.

    Huey (dc6026)

  17. A friend of mine had a “racial incident” at the Naval Academy. They were having an argument over who was more annoying than whom, and her roommate started complaining about something my friend did that was annoying. But her roommate was a bigger offender.

    So my friend said “Well isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black.” Yup. You guessed it. The roommate was black. So she files a formal complaint about racism. It gets blown way out of proportion.

    The thing is, my friend’s Vietnamese who was one of the boat people who escaped. English is her second language. She was just using what she’d been taught was an appropriate expression for the situation. She didn’t have a clue it was going be perceived as racist.

    It’s disgusting how people can dare to accuse others of thinking what they’re thinking when they hear or read a certain combination of words.

    Steve (a2816e)

  18. Amen, Steve.

    JD (516dcc)

  19. I don’t understand why people can’t accept that if you embarrass your employer, you risk getting fired. Plain and simple.

    No one owes this guy a job and if he can’t recognize that he shouldn’t write “chink” under a picture of Lin then he’s not a very good editor.

    Why are so many commenters willing to portray this guy as a victim? We need less victimization, not more. Lin isn’t playing victim and Federico seems to also accept that if you screw up in a competitive industry, you’re gone.

    Businesses are allowed to fire employees that make stupid mistakes.

    Chris (eb8f6c)

  20. I don’t understand why people can’t accept that if you embarrass your employer, you risk getting fired. Plain and simple.

    You risk getting fired basically any time you have a job in a free society. No one is arguing that ESPN doesn’t have the right to fire anyone they employ.

    But for getting something wrong, once, with no ill intent? What kind of organization fires people for that? It’s no way to build a strong company.

    The error in this case is not even on Federico. It’s on those who see the racism in something that wasn’t racist. Bowing to this idiocy makes the world a crappier place. Why should anyone want that? It wasn’t racist.

    The stupid mistake was firing Federico, which is tantamount to admitting he did something racist. They should have instead noted the actual meaning had nothing to do with the old racial slur, and that its reporting of Lin doesn’t need to be different than Jones just because Lin is Chinese.

    This guy actually is a victim of a nationwide smear of his good name. If this account is accurate, it’s a very good person (and that matters to me).

    Dustin (401f3a)

  21. he was fired publicly and labeled a racist most foul by the Disney Corp

    sucks to be him

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  22. And just to be clear, when I say “getting something wrong”, I mean as an editor trying to keep a company out of drama situations with race hustlers.

    JD’s right. What’s wrong with describing chinese folks with non-racist metaphors that sound like racist terms you never heard of? Nothing.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  23. _________________________________________

    The evident unfairness

    That was immediately apparent to me after learning just the basic aspects of the matter.

    I place the idiocy of the case of ESPN’s editor against the backdrop of Nidal Hasan and the Fort Hood massacre — truly the epitome of political correctness run amok (and most truly an example of just how dangerous such absurdity can become or is becoming) — then factor in the official figurehead of this society in 2012 (ie, “Goddamn America” in the White House), and the phrase that comes to mind is “the inmates are running the asylum.”

    Mark (31bbb6)

  24. the backdrop of Nidal Hasan and the Fort Hood massacre — truly the epitome of political correctness run amok

    It’s the gold standard of PC insanity.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  25. You’re in some serious denial if you believe putting the word “chink” under a picture of Lin is “not racist.” There are blindingly obvious problems with a headline like that only an incompetent editor could miss. Seriously, any of us would have enough good sense to realize the headline was a bad idea. Applying judgment like this is an editor’s job.

    This guy was fired for incompetence that resulted in a big blunder for his employer. “No ill intent” is not always a valid excuse for adults who do a bad job.

    Whether he says it was racist or not afterwards doesn’t change the way it was received. Businesses don’t get to choose the world they live & do work in: they just sell to the customer, every day. If some moron has a bunch of customers pissed off at you, it is totally understandable to fire him. Federico gets this and has not cried foul.

    Maybe I am more biased on this because I am an employer myself and customer opinion / PR is important in my business.

    Chris (eb8f6c)

  26. Dustin, you can’t be serious if you think Federico has “never heard of” the term “chink.” We’ve all heard it and heard it used.

    Chris (eb8f6c)

  27. He will not be rehired. Just because he is not all that important. Online interns that become headline editors come in by the busload and he is no more irreplaceable than a pair of take-out Chinese chopsticks. That he is innocent doesn’t matter. There is a danger of a dink in ESPN’s image and that’s enough.

    And this time, I am bitter — not funny. I don’t watch or listen to ESPN, anyway, and they can go #$%^ themselves sideways.

    nk (4f82ce)

  28. sideways is how they can go #$%^ themselves

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  29. ESPN might just be stupid enough to take me literally and try it.

    nk (4f82ce)

  30. _____________________________________________

    “No ill intent” is not always a valid excuse for adults who do a bad job.

    Your sentiment is quite touching and noble — or should I say it’s hard not to respond sarcastically — in the context of our modern society being so hip, tolerant, sophisticated, wonderful, generous, humane, sophisticated, beautiful, wonderful, tolerant, humane, civilized, hip, cool, tolerant, generous, beautiful and humane, that incidents like the following are occurring…

    losangeles.cbslocal.com, February 10, 2012:

    A firestorm of controversy erupted Friday when it was revealed that the Los Angeles Unified School District had entered into a $40,000 settlement with a former Miramonte Elementary School teacher — accused among other things of blindfolding his students and feeding them his bodily fluids — in a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked Los Angeles.

    When the Board of Education initiated steps to fire [Mark] Berndt in February 2011, Berndt immediately fought his dismissal through an appeal hearing process with the State Office of Administrative Hearings, which every permanent certificated employee has the right to under the Education Code.

    Mark Berndt, meet Nidal Hasan. Nidal Hasan, meet Mark Berndt. Meanwhile, Anthony Federico is out of a job.

    Mark (31bbb6)

  31. Mark, clearly I agree that the LA Board of Ed should be able to fire Berndt. That’s a terribly sad story. Not sure what it has to do with Federico. I guess they both should have been fired is your point?

    Chris (eb8f6c)

  32. Dustin, you can’t be serious if you think Federico has “never heard of” the term “chink.” We’ve all heard it and heard it used.

    I don’t understand why you people keep trying to convince eachother that it is impossible for someone not to have heard an expression like that.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  33. Well think, then, Dustin, how many adults do you know who haven’t heard of the specific term that got this guy in trouble?

    I’m pretty sure that at least 95% of the people I know have heard that term, including my grandparents when they were alive and all my relatives from my parents’ generation.

    No one except you is arguing this guy couldn’t possibly have known better.. was he raised in some part of the world where you don’t learn about curses & racial slurs & which words are offensive to whom?

    Chris (eb8f6c)

  34. __________________________________________

    I guess they both should have been fired is your point?

    Chris, even beyond that, you describe the story of the difficulty in booting the molesting teacher as being “terribly sad.” My reaction is that it’s far more than sad. It’s appalling, disgusting and outrageous. It’s even dangerous. Do you think that your level of discomfort — I won’t even say outrage — is higher, lower or similar to your reaction to the “chink in the armor” headline from ESPN?

    My point goes way past who should or shouldn’t be fired. My point is that we live in such a screwed-up, ass-backwards era — in which far too many people believe their sophistication, compassion, tolerance and generosity are the answer to everything and place them almost beyond reproach — that what truly deserves condemnation and outrage is far too often accommodated or tolerated, and what truly deserves the benefit of the doubt instead generates an ironclad “no tolerance policy.”

    I wonder if the person (or people) who sacked the ESPN employee is a devout liberal? His or their reaction to Federico is so lacking in common sense and sensible proportion, that I bet we’re dealing with a bunch of foolish people who fancy themselves as so wonderful, tolerant, humane, generous, lovely, beautiful, forgiving and sophisticated.

    Mark (31bbb6)

  35. Mark, the people who fired him were businessmen making the decision about what was best for their company. That’s their job and only consideration, and I think it’s clear firing this guy was in keeping with the goal of preserving ESPN’s brand & value.

    Of course your Berndt story is disgusting and terrible as well as sad. There’s simply no comparison to Federico – I wasn’t particularly offended by “chink,” my point is just that you have to be crazy or incompetent not to see a problem before you click “publish.”

    Dustin, you’re living in an invented, fantasy world if you believe putting the word “chink” under a picture of Lin is “not racist.” There are blindingly obvious problems with a headline like that only an incompetent editor could miss. This guy was fired for incompetence that resulted in legions of a rising star’s fans becoming angry at his employer. (Lin jerseys are the Knicks’ top seller now.)

    Whether he says it was racist or not afterwards doesn’t change the way it was received. Businesses don’t get to choose the world they live & do work in: they just sell to the customer, every day. If some moron has a bunch of customers pissed off at you, you fire the moron to please the customers. Federico gets this and has not cried foul.

    Sorry for driving this conversation so hard. It’s just I was struck by how much everyone was whining about this and playing dumb games like emailing ESPN to whine more. This is a business and they reacted just as they should under a free enterprise system.

    Chris (eb8f6c)

  36. “In all sincerity, people really should rally around this guy and insist that he get his job back.”

    Sure, Federico lists all the good stuff he does to support his “lapse in judgement” excuse. Ace cites a post from Empire of Jeff which raises some doubts:

    “Volunteer in Haiti orphanages = “underage sex tourism”

    Adopting Alzheimer’s patient = “Medicare fraud”

    Fundraiser for premature kids = “human trafficking”

    Working soup kitchens and convalescent homes = “inner-city drug dealing”

    What a piece of sh*t this guy is.”

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  37. I never trashed the guy’s character. A nice, great, charitable guy still can make a bad call and get fired for it. No amount of extracurriculars can really impact that decision. He’s 28, he’ll find something else.

    Chris (eb8f6c)

  38. ____________________________________________

    I wasn’t particularly offended by “chink,”

    But you nonetheless believe ESPN’s use of the phrase “chink in the armor” was racist. If so, shouldn’t you therefore be quite offended?

    Chris, I don’t know what makes you tick, but I do have suspicions about the gut biases of any person whose immediate reactions make him attach the word “sad” to a story about a defiant pedophile in a public school, and, in turn, rigidly declares that a headline from ESPN was racist, never mind the who, what, when, where and why of Anthony Federico.

    If I’m pegging you correctly, you shouldn’t feel alone. You, in fact, are among lots of company in our sophisticated, hip, wonderful, tolerant, beautiful society. After all, look at all the fools in no less than the US military — again, the US military (and, no, not the ACLU or Green Peace) — who were a good deal more ass backwards when it came to Nidal Hasan and the specter of “Islamophobia.”

    Mark (31bbb6)

  39. __________________________________________

    Ace cites a post from Empire of Jeff which raises some doubts:

    He left out another indication of Federico’s dark side…

    Married to an Asian women = “Homophobic.”

    Mark (31bbb6)

  40. Screw ESPN.

    If they offered me a job, I wouldn’t take it. If I have to work, I at least want to do something useful..and, besides they’re total jerks.

    The guy is better off not working for them.

    Dave Surls (46b08c)

  41. I don’t understand why you people keep trying to convince each other that it is impossible for someone not to have heard an expression like that.

    It’s not completely impossible for some random person (people do have gaps in their knowledge and experience in the oddest places),but note that he has never claimed that he’d never heard that slur before. You’re making a claim on his behalf that he’s declined to make even in the blizzard of character references he provided for himself.

    M. Scott Eiland (003254)

  42. “…volunteer in the orphanages of Haiti.”

    There ya go. Now, you can do that full time, and you’ll be doing something that’s actually worthy of respect.

    Dave Surls (46b08c)

  43. Anthony Federico: “I wrote the headline in reference to the tone of the column and not to Jeremy Lin’s race. It was a lapse in judgment and not a racist pun. It was an awful editorial omission and it cost me my job.”

    — Question: Did ESPN fire Federico for making a ‘racist pun’? or, for ‘an awful editorial omission’? Seems to me that all Federico is doing here is claiming “I stand accused of the things I said.” I mean, seriously, who (other than the usual race-card playing suspects) has claimed that Federico intended it to be a pun? Answer: nobody.

    Now, was termination an excessive punishment where suspension should have been sufficient? Probably. And his résumé certainly proves that he’s no racist. But again, he wasn’t fired for being a racist; he was fired for “a lapse in judgment.”

    Icy (9d05aa)

  44. You’re making a claim on his behalf that he’s declined to make even in the blizzard of character references he provided for himself.

    Comment by M. Scott Eiland

    And those saying everyone must have heard the term are setting up a guilty until proven innocent standard. Where is their evidence?

    I’ve never heard this expression used and only was dimly aware of it, to the extent that it took me a few moments to understand the racial slur was even there. I think the idea this wasn’t written with that in mind is actually much, much more likely than not, even before we learn anything about the author. I think it’s obscure and I don’t see why it even needs to be taken down.

    The “chink” was a reference to a defect in a strong performance. That’s fine.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  45. “I don’t understand why you people keep trying to convince eachother”

    “you people”??? RACIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Colonel Haiku (60474f)

  46. Comment by Dustin — 2/23/2012 @ 4:16 am

    There might be a generational thing involved here.
    I knew the term from childhood on, and knew it as a racial insult, same as such words as “dago” and “wop” and some other terms I’m not sure will pass through the spam filter, and it had the same level of insult as The Word Beginning With N. It was my stepfather’s preferred term when he talked about the enemy he and his fellow Marines fought against in the Korean War, and quite obviously he didn’t think very well of them.

    So to me at least the offense was obvious from the first time I heard of it, and although I don’t watch ESPN very much, I don’t see this as an example of political correctness; I see it as appropriate response by ESPN.

    Perhaps the fact that you and Federico never heard of this term as an insult means it’s passing out of common usage, which is probably a good thing, political correctness or no. But that doesn’t change the fact that “chink” is a very insulting racial term.

    JBS (38f6c3)

  47. There might be a generational thing involved here.

    I think that’s exactly right.

    which is probably a good thing

    I think it’s great. At least in one sense, that folks are just treating a Chinese player the same as non-Chinese one. There is the problem of us unlearning lessons if we are totally ignorant of racism in the past, but being well versed in every racial slur doesn’t seem all that necessary.

    o. But that doesn’t change the fact that “chink” is a very insulting racial term.

    It is up to us not to take offense when someone says there is a defect in a strong performance of an athlete, AKA chink in the armor, which is a reference I’ve seen a few times. Even though there is also a racial slur “chink”, I don’t see any insult in using that word without the racist intent.

    I don’t think ESPN should terminate a good man who intended no wrong. Some honest mistakes are bad enough to justify that kind of reaction… entering in the launch codes, inverted flight in a 747, driving your fuel truck on the wrong side of the road. But failing to abide by the speech codes of those who initially granted this was unintentional? Firing is overkill, to say the least. ESPN helping brand their employee a racist is also quite wrong.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  48. _________________________________________

    And how many of those most comfortable with or blase about the termination of the ESPN employee are the very same ones who rationalize away both the meaning and symbolism of Obama embracing — until controversy forced his hand — a bigoted fanatic like Jeremiah Wright?

    Mark (411533)

  49. And those saying everyone must have heard the term are setting up a guilty until proven innocent standard. Where is their evidence?

    Um, the fact that he’s not saying, “I wasn’t familiar with that meaning of the word” either before or after he was fired? It’s not a difficult sentence to construct, and the only one that would really exonerate him if it was believed. Why hasn’t he said it?

    M. Scott Eiland (003254)

  50. You’re in some serious denial if you believe putting the word “chink” under a picture of Lin is “not racist.”

    I luv how Chris is trying to create a new fact set. Had he done what Chris claims, this would be a different discussion.

    JD (9c662e)

  51. I never trashed the guy’s character.

    Nope. Never. Calling him racist and incompetent were compliments.

    JD (9c662e)

  52. Why are people still talking about this slant-eyed god-bothering rice-eating basketball-playing chink? I thought the kerfuffle was over.

    “Perhaps the fact that you and Federico never heard of this term as an insult means it’s passing out of common usage”

    JBS – It seems pretty clear that Federico is not claiming he has never heard of the term as an insult since his excuse is that it was a lapse in judgement on his part rather than a deliberate racial pun.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  53. Where is Sharpton with the bullhorn?

    Oh wait, Lin’s not black. Never mind.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  54. Comment by daleyrocks — 2/23/2012 @ 9:12 am
    Correction accepted. However, the insulting meaning is so obvious to me that I would say this was so bad a lapse in judgement that I don’t find ESPN’s reaction to be unreasonable.

    JBS (FL 20, Judaism) (38f6c3)

  55. There needs to be a list of all of the codewords, and century old phrases that are simply beyond the pale.

    JD (9c662e)

  56. I just wrote them–does no one there understand the use of the English language. Aren’t they the racists for seeing racism in a perfectly legitimate phrase?

    rochf (f3fbb0)

  57. It’s not a difficult sentence to construct, and the only one that would really exonerate him if it was believed.

    I don’t think you’re right.

    He already said he didn’t intend racism and has frequently explained that’s not his motivation. That’s good enough. Obviously.

    What evidence do you have that he intended the racist meaning and not the completely OK and nonoffensive meaning? Why should we treat chinese folks differently than everyone else just because of some obscure term most folks do not encounter?

    Why does ESPN need to pretend this guy was so offensive and awful he must be terminated instantly? What ever happened to loyalty and benefit of the doubt?

    Dustin (401f3a)

  58. “However, the insulting meaning is so obvious to me that I would say this was so bad a lapse in judgement that I don’t find ESPN’s reaction to be unreasonable.”

    JBS – Between two threads here only one commenter has claimed to be unfamiliar with the slur so I agree with obvious conclusion, especially with the picture in juxtaposition. Not sure I agree with ESPN’s reaction of publicly claiming a scalp.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  59. Dustin–what I’m saying is:
    1)The word “chink” is a deeply insulting term when applied to Chinese or East Asian people in general–as insulting as the “n-word”.

    2) I’m quite willing to believe that Federico had no racist intent in using the word

    3)However, he used a word that is an extreme insult regarding Chinese people while referring to a Chinese-American.

    4)That he didn’t think of the racist overtones implies, for me, that he’s plain dumb.

    5)If I were an employer, I wouldn’t want to have an employee as dumb as that.

    He could have come up with another headline–maybe something that refers Achilles’ heel (one example that immediately occurs to me). Unless, of course, being the product of modern education, he’s never heard of Achilles.

    One other thing–does ESPN really have its procedures arranged so that no one gives stories and headllines and such a final okay before publication? Even if Federico didn’t realize what he was doing, there should have been someone to catch it and say “I don’t think you may want to use that phrase here”. Of course, perhaps Federico is simply being made the fall guy.

    JBS (38f6c3)

  60. BTW, while waiting for my car to get serviced today, I was watching ESPN’s afternoon show, until I got sick of the blather, much of which was devoted to tonight’s game between Lin and LeBron–including a reporter who was excitedly speculating that Obama (who’s in town for some speechifying and fundraising today and tonight) might attend the game.

    But of course that’s the sort of reason I don’t watch ESPN in the first place.

    JBS (2578f0)

  61. Dustin–what I’m saying is:
    1)The word “chink” is a deeply insulting term when applied to Chinese or East Asian people in general–as insulting as the “n-word”.

    True, when used in isolation. When used in the phrase “chink in the armor” it has a completely different meaning.

    JD (5506f8)

  62. UPDATE: Via Dana, here is the ESPN contact form.

    Thx. Done.

    I Got Bupkis, Fomenter of "small-l" libertarianism (8e2a3d)

  63. JBS:

    1) I personally don’t give a rat’s patootie if someone is offended by the term, as long as it clearly was not used in that context.

    The term chink in this context has not one solitary thing to do with the racial epithet (from Dictionary.com):

    Origin:
    1350–1400; Middle English; perhaps chine1 + -k suffix ( see -ock)

    2) I have no reason to presume that, unlike you and so many libtard idiots, Mr. Federico is NOT a racist, and probably thought, like me, of Mr. Lin as an AMERICAN, not someone automatically “Chinese” just because of the facial features or the last name.

    You see, you have to actually BE a racist in the first place to give that much of a damn about race that you’re spending time searching for any possible racial epithet that one might throw at someone 24/7.

    3) ESPN should have altered the headline to remove the potential joke, made a quiet apology, and just forced the matter to slide by blowing it off, as it well deserved to be. It’s a blatantly ludicrous overreach of PC insanity searching for any possible excuse to keep other people off-guard and on the defensive. It’s already wasted too much time of too many peoples’ lives.

    4)

    “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
    where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
    but by the content of their character.”

    It is people who actually are determined to MAKE SURE that people see Mr. Lin as ONLY someone Chinese in heritage that make the above impossible.

    How does it feel to be one of those bricks in the wall still holding off Mr. King’s dream, fifty years later, JB?

    This whole event smacks of evil in every way, and supporting it is enablement of evil AT BEST.

    I Got Bupkis, Fomenter of "small-l" libertarianism (8e2a3d)


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