Racist, "ad" from Spain

[hellokitty]

Did you all see this???? Yes, they are doing exactly what you think they are doing in that "advertisement."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/11/olympicsbasketball.olympics20081

What a slap in the face to China and all east asians! I think they should be booted out of the olympics for this!

[proudsahmof3]

Unbelievable! "No one in the advert considered it inappropriate". Seriously???:thumbsdown: I want to know who the genius is that thought that would be a nice way to highlight the team?

[hellokitty]

I know. I think that the olympic committee should step in and do/say something to reprimand them for it. It's unacceptable in this day in age to think that it would be ok to have an ad like that. It boggles my mind that all of these ppl were involved and not one of them thought that this was wrong??? :32:

[maestramommy]

Oh my. The thing is, inappropriate though it is, I have to laugh because it's so, so, so elementary school! From the 70's!!:ROTFLMAO:

[g-mama]

Oh my. The thing is, inappropriate though it is, I have to laugh because it's so, so, so elementary school! From the 70's!!:ROTFLMAO:


That's so funny - dh (who is Asian) and I were talking about this last night and he said the same thing. It brought back memories for him of his elementary school days when other kids used to do that to him. And yes, it was the 70's!

It's just downright juvenile and ridiculous. So stupid.

[stefani]

Ugh... That reminds me of the time when I was looking for an apartment in a small town in Nevada. There was this garage apartment the agent was showing me, and in the house next door there was a boy watching me and then made that gesture / face. I didn't like the apartment, so I ended up not getting that, but I was tempted to take it so I can teach that boy some respect. In the end I decided that I needed to nurture myself and not worry about the boy (I just graduated from college, moved into that town to take my first job out of college). It has been many years, but I still remember that incident. It was not in the 70s though, LOL!

[hellokitty]

Yes, I too remember dealing with this in the 70's. Of course, I also dealt with this just several months ago when a teenage boy did it to my 4 yr old...

[ThreeofUs]

If I hadn't lived in Spain, I guess I'd be more shocked. One of the reasons I decided not to live there was the pervasive prejudice and xenophobia of the society. This type of thing is really disgusting. I wish they'd grow up.

[hellokitty]

If I hadn't lived in Spain, I guess I'd be more shocked. One of the reasons I decided not to live there was the pervasive prejudice and xenophobia of the society. This type of thing is really disgusting. I wish they'd grow up.

I've heard the same thing from other ppl who said they have lived in spain before. What is irritating is that in one article that I read, they claimed that spain is not racist at all, but quite the opposite and very open minded and accepting. Uh, I think that the whole world would beg to differ on that. They seem to do a good job on their own disproving their argument that they they are not a racist society.

[MNmomtobe]

Yes, I too remember dealing with this in the 70's. Of course, I also dealt with this just several months ago when a teenage boy did it to my 4 yr old...


That picture brought me back to all the mocking and teasing of my youth and it made me mad. I would be twice as angry if someone did that to my DD. However, I do realize that people are ignorant and this kind of thing is going to happen. I don't think my parents really understood what that kind of teasing did to one's self-esteem as a child since they immigrated here as adults. Therefore, they did not have the experience of growing up as a minority. I will be sure to be there for my own DD when these things happen.

[stefani]

Yes, I too remember dealing with this in the 70's. Of course, I also dealt with this just several months ago when a teenage boy did it to my 4 yr old...

I was born grew up in Indonesia, but I am of Chinese origin, so I was dealing with that in 70s growing up (Native Indonesians don't have small/slanted eyes so that gesture was reserved for Chinese Indonesians there). I went to college in California and I guess I never had anyone do that to me so I kind of forgot until the incident I mentioned above.

How do you deal with it now when someone does it to your DC? My DS is hunxie (mixed blood) and for the most part he looks Caucasian, but still when he smiles at times he can look Chinese, LOL. So I want to be prepared :-) I also want to make sure that he understands not to do that to others.

[hellokitty]

I was born grew up in Indonesia, but I am of Chinese origin, so I was dealing with that in 70s growing up (Native Indonesians don't have small/slanted eyes so that gesture was reserved for Chinese Indonesians there). I went to college in California and I guess I never had anyone do that to me so I kind of forgot until the incident I mentioned above.

How do you deal with it now when someone does it to your DC? My DS is hunxie (mixed blood) and for the most part he looks Caucasian, but still when he smiles at times he can look Chinese, LOL. So I want to be prepared :-) I also want to make sure that he understands not to do that to others.

I kind of went ape sh*t when that kid did it. This was at a family restaurant chain. We were traveling from out of state and stopped for lunch in an area we were unfamiliar with, but kind of a touristy area. We got stuck in a booth sharing a window with another dining room, in which a baseball team was having lunch. There was a younger kid who was ready to slant his eyes, but I gave him a really dirty look, b/c I could just tell he was going to do it (started to put his fingers up to his eyes), so he changed his mind. Then his friend, an older teenager came over and did it right to my son's face through the window. My son did not even know what happened.

I immediately got up, ran over to the other side of the window and totally bitched out that kid. He knew he was in trouble as soon as he saw my face and that I was coming over. He would not look at me, he looked down at the table and he kept denying he did anything wrong. The room was totally quiet, I said, "Why did you do that?" He said, "Do what, I didn't do anything." I said, "You slant your eyes at my son, my FOUR yr old son!" He kept saying, "I didn't do that." I said, "Yes, you did, you were being RACIST!" I told him to look at me while I was talking to him. The parents just sat there, they did not try to make this kid apologize. I know that had my kid done something like that to someone, I would have made him apologize. It says a lot about the parents, he probably learned this from them, they did not seem to think that this was a big deal that the kid was a total a hole! I said, "I want an apology." He refused, so I said it again. Finally, one of the loser parents says in a huff, "Just apologize already." Basically, to get rid of me. I did not feel like getting into it with the parents, but boy that made my blood boil that they were being such jerks.

The kid finally apologized and I told him, "Don't you EVER do that again!" I walked off. My voice was controlled and stern, I did not yell, I did not lay a finger on the kid. I know I scared the crap out of him and I am damn glad that I did. He so deserved it. I actually would have preferred to really go off and call him all sorts of awful names and tell him what a POS he was, but wasn't about to stoop that low. However, I think I was civil considering the circumstances and the msg was loud and clear. You aren't going to push THIS asian AMERICAN around. You could tell that he had done this before and gotten away with it and was totally surprised that I called him out on it. The kid was about 14 yrs old and bigger than me. I get really upset when I think about this incident, b/c you would think that, now at the age of 35, things would have gotten better, but in many ways they are just as bad as before, but ppl are *usually* smarter about hiding their racism. I had hoped for better times for my kids. It makes me sick, really sick that my kids will have to go through this. My childhood was very painful due to the amt of teasing I had to endure due to being asian american. We live in an area similar in demographics to where I grew up as a kid and I KNOW my kids are going to have to deal with racism. The population of asian american is less than 1%. It will be a fact of life they will have to face very early on and it breaks my heart.

BTW, whatever you do, do NOT tell your kids to ignore the teasing. Tell them to stand up for themselves. My 1st gen parents taught my siblings and I to ignore it. What basically happened was that the teasing was relentless and our self esteem was extremely low, and the bullies knew they could get away with it, b/c we would never fight back. I am actually angry at my parents for not teaching us to stick up for ourselves. They always said, "Just ignore it, don't cause trouble." Well, my parents, who grew up in taiwan had NO concept of what it was like to be born and raised in a country in which you are always considered an outsider. They felt that since we spoke english w/o an accent that we would never deal with racism the way they had to deal with it. At least they grew up in taiwan as kids w/o dealing with racism, they first exp racism when they immigrated to this country as adults. Like another poster mentioned, my parents just had no idea how bad it was to deal with this kind of stuff as a kid and that was a huge problem, b/c it was like they chose to stick their head in a hole and not deal with it, when we needed them to help us through it. The thing is, a lot of kids will not make racist remarks at african american kids, b/c they are scared of them. However, they think that asian kids won't stand up for themselves, so they think it's easy to pick on asian kids. Much of it has to do with the parents being like my parents and encouraging their kids to basically take it and, "ignore" it. However, that chisels away at your self esteem big time, my siblings and I can all attest to that. I am in no way trying to promote my kids into getting into a physical confrontation with some dumb kid who is teasing them. HOWEVER, I feel that it is very important that they stand up for themselves, for their own self worth. If they get into a fight in the process, so be it. It won't be the ideal situation, but I would rather seem to stand up for themselves and what they believe in, than to let someone make them feel like they are less than human and do not belong. They have every right to be here as they do and are just as, "american" as any other random person. My kids are 3rd gen asian american. 3rd gen of caucasians and african americans are accepted as belonging, but even 3rd gen asians will always be considered the perpetual foreigner, b/c of the rampant racism in this country against asians that continues to be perpetuated and seen as a big joke.

Sorry, I know I went off on a vent. This subject is very touchy for me. I'm in my mid-30's and seeing/hearing about ppl doing slant eyes brings back horrible memories that make my stomach churn. I feel like punching each of those basketball players in the face, plus all the stupid execs and middle men who thought that this stupid ad was a good idea.

[bluestarfish18]

I'm half Chinese and half European mutt, and was teased consistenly for years and years about my race.

When I lived in San Diego (the cutural mixing pot of California), an old lady tried to run me off the freeway, then yelled at me to "go back to China." It still brings tears to my eyes that some people can't accept that our country is turning into a majority of multicultural folks.

Please help us "outcasts" by teaching your kids that we're just like them, and and feelings of hurt that were brought upon us as children still haunt us today.

[stefani]

Thank you for sharing your experience hellokitty.

I have always been an "outsider" all of my life, 3rd generation Chinese Indonesian from my father's side, but 7th generation from my mother's side, and now I am here in the US. I look Chinese, but don't speak / understand much Chinese, Indonesian but don't quite look like it, and American but don't quite have the look and I have an accent... o well... I was also told to ignore those taunting / gestures growing up, and mostly I did. I think you are right though that it does affect me, slowly I am learning to just be me.

Back to the advertisement, it is amazing that it went so far without anybody saying "What are we doing?".

[proudsahmof3]

I think that what makes me so sad about this advertisement is that I thought the olympics were supposed to be an event that brought the world together for two weeks while still respecting our differences; free from racism, stereotypes, and misconceived notions about people of different cultures. As if there aren't a hundred stereotypes or gestures that could be made about people of Spanish origin or any other nationality (imagine what they could do with a photograph mocking Americans - we'd all be eating McD's cheeseburgers and waving dollar bills!). Very sad indeed. :cry:

[maestramommy]

Hello Kitty, maybe you had mentioned this before, but I forgot your parents are Taiwanese, as are mine. Except for one year in Memphis, TN, we grew up in urban areas, but we still go the slant eyed thing. I had completely forgotten about it until Dh and I went to South Africa in 05. We were working in the townships and the kids were swarming all over us, partly because we looked so different. When they did the slant eyed thing I was so taken aback, then miffed, then shrugged it off as well, total ignorance.

That said, we now live in a community that is 98% white. It is supposed to be very welcoming and open to minorities, but I will keep my ears and eyes open in case my kids ever run into that kind of behavior. So sad that we're in 2008 and so little has changed. Well, I guess a lot has changed otherwise this wouldn't be media fodder. :loveeyes:

[hellokitty]

Thanks ladies. It's nice to be able to discuss this topic, w/o being undermined or dismissed by anyone. I usually do not post anything about racism against asians on, "mainstream" boards, b/c I have had bad experiences with it before, ppl denying it and saying that I am being, "too sensitive." I think that many of you who have exp racism before probably understand what I am talking about.

[MNmomtobe]

I applaud you for how you handled the situation at the restaurant. I would not have been as nice. When I was growing up, we were the only minorities on our street. The other kids would relentlessly mock us (my brother and me) on a daily basis, chasing us down the street doing the slant-eyed thing and doing the "Ahhh...so!!!" the and calling us chxxxx and so forth.
I remember telling a teacher at school when some kids were making fun of me this way. She just shrugged her shoulders and told me to not let it bother me. DID NOT even reprimand or talk to those kids!

SO TRUE what you said about the parents. I remember as a child why these kids' parents didn't do anything. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized that they learned these things FROM their parents! They learned that kind of discrimination from them.

I do agree that (I grew up in the 70's also) it is very sad that things have not changed much. I truly don't think many (non-minorities) realize how racist of a country ours still is. When I was pregnant with DD, I remember hoping she would look more like DH (he is caucasian) or have more caucasian features than asian so she wouldn't get teased as much. How sad is that?

[kijip]

When I was pregnant with DD, I remember hoping she would look more like DH (he is caucasian) or have more caucasian features than asian so she wouldn't get teased as much. How sad is that?

:hug: I have a friend who married her first husband (a total mistake, he was an awful man) because she was searching out to reproduce with someone that would make her child look more white so they would have "good" hair and light skin. It's sad, but understandable, that parents who have experienced racism would want to protect their kids, even if it meant hoping the kids would not look like them.

[kijip]

Thanks ladies. It's nice to be able to discuss this topic, w/o being undermined or dismissed by anyone. I usually do not post anything about racism against asians on, "mainstream" boards, b/c I have had bad experiences with it before, ppl denying it and saying that I am being, "too sensitive." I think that many of you who have exp racism before probably understand what I am talking about.
I am glad you shared your story too. I understand your reluctance to post because sometimes, some places, with some people, any mention that racism still exists and is a serious proplem gets you labeled as too sensitive or humorless. I am impressed you handled that boy so well. Maybe I am too optimistic but perhaps he will remember that and think next time. I have an older friend who is biracial (the product of a black mother and a white father who had to actually move states to legally get married in the 50s!) who is very fair and as he has aged, he looks more and more white. He realized he was hearing all sorts of racist things people would never say if people realized he his mother was black. He had a little boy who lived next door make a racist remark and he corrected the boy and let him know that people come form all different backgrounds. The boy was like 8 at the time and a year later he showed up on my friend's doorstep with tears in his eyes saying he wanted to apologize and handed him a letter saying he would never, ever say things like that again. He had been thinking about it and feeling sorry for a year. It was a touching story. The little boy is an adult now, and has kept that lesson in his heart.

[JTsMom]

I just had to say that I'm sitting here with my jaw on the floor reading about some of the awful experiences pp's have had. :hug: to all of you. And hellokitty :bowdown: on handling that kid! The mama bear instinct is so powerful, isn't it? I'll bet that kid will NEVER forget that! I can't believe the parents didn't make him apologize!!!!

My BIL is 1/2 Chinese, and my nephews are 1/4- one looks a tiny bit Asian- they really look more Italian though. Anyway, it never even occurred to me that they might experience racism, and it breaks my heart to hear just how prevalent it is.

[mommy111]

Just saw this post and ad, whoa, just whoa!!!!


I kind of went ape sh*t when that kid did it. This was at a family restaurant chain. We were traveling from out of state and stopped for lunch in an area we were unfamiliar with, but kind of a touristy area. We got stuck in a booth sharing a window with another dining room, in which a baseball team was having lunch. There was a younger kid who was ready to slant his eyes, but I gave him a really dirty look, b/c I could just tell he was going to do it (started to put his fingers up to his eyes), so he changed his mind. Then his friend, an older teenager came over and did it right to my son's face through the window. My son did not even know what happened.

I immediately got up, ran over to the other side of the window and totally bitched out that kid. He knew he was in trouble as soon as he saw my face and that I was coming over. He would not look at me, he looked down at the table and he kept denying he did anything wrong. The room was totally quiet, I said, "Why did you do that?" He said, "Do what, I didn't do anything." I said, "You slant your eyes at my son, my FOUR yr old son!" He kept saying, "I didn't do that." I said, "Yes, you did, you were being RACIST!" I told him to look at me while I was talking to him. The parents just sat there, they did not try to make this kid apologize. I know that had my kid done something like that to someone, I would have made him apologize. It says a lot about the parents, he probably learned this from them, they did not seem to think that this was a big deal that the kid was a total a hole! I said, "I want an apology." He refused, so I said it again. Finally, one of the loser parents says in a huff, "Just apologize already." Basically, to get rid of me. I did not feel like getting into it with the parents, but boy that made my blood boil that they were being such jerks.

The kid finally apologized and I told him, "Don't you EVER do that again!" I walked off. My voice was controlled and stern, I did not yell, I did not lay a finger on the kid. I know I scared the crap out of him and I am damn glad that I did. He so deserved it. I actually would have preferred to really go off and call him all sorts of awful names and tell him what a POS he was, but wasn't about to stoop that low. However, I think I was civil considering the circumstances and the msg was loud and clear. You aren't going to push THIS asian AMERICAN around. You could tell that he had done this before and gotten away with it and was totally surprised that I called him out on it. The kid was about 14 yrs old and bigger than me. I get really upset when I think about this incident, b/c you would think that, now at the age of 35, things would have gotten better, but in many ways they are just as bad as before, but ppl are *usually* smarter about hiding their racism. I had hoped for better times for my kids. It makes me sick, really sick that my kids will have to go through this. My childhood was very painful due to the amt of teasing I had to endure due to being asian american. We live in an area similar in demographics to where I grew up as a kid and I KNOW my kids are going to have to deal with racism. The population of asian american is less than 1%. It will be a fact of life they will have to face very early on and it breaks my heart.

BTW, whatever you do, do NOT tell your kids to ignore the teasing. Tell them to stand up for themselves. My 1st gen parents taught my siblings and I to ignore it. What basically happened was that the teasing was relentless and our self esteem was extremely low, and the bullies knew they could get away with it, b/c we would never fight back. I am actually angry at my parents for not teaching us to stick up for ourselves. They always said, "Just ignore it, don't cause trouble." Well, my parents, who grew up in taiwan had NO concept of what it was like to be born and raised in a country in which you are always considered an outsider. They felt that since we spoke english w/o an accent that we would never deal with racism the way they had to deal with it. At least they grew up in taiwan as kids w/o dealing with racism, they first exp racism when they immigrated to this country as adults. Like another poster mentioned, my parents just had no idea how bad it was to deal with this kind of stuff as a kid and that was a huge problem, b/c it was like they chose to stick their head in a hole and not deal with it, when we needed them to help us through it. The thing is, a lot of kids will not make racist remarks at african american kids, b/c they are scared of them. However, they think that asian kids won't stand up for themselves, so they think it's easy to pick on asian kids. Much of it has to do with the parents being like my parents and encouraging their kids to basically take it and, "ignore" it. However, that chisels away at your self esteem big time, my siblings and I can all attest to that. I am in no way trying to promote my kids into getting into a physical confrontation with some dumb kid who is teasing them. HOWEVER, I feel that it is very important that they stand up for themselves, for their own self worth. If they get into a fight in the process, so be it. It won't be the ideal situation, but I would rather seem to stand up for themselves and what they believe in, than to let someone make them feel like they are less than human and do not belong. They have every right to be here as they do and are just as, "american" as any other random person. My kids are 3rd gen asian american. 3rd gen of caucasians and african americans are accepted as belonging, but even 3rd gen asians will always be considered the perpetual foreigner, b/c of the rampant racism in this country against asians that continues to be perpetuated and seen as a big joke.

Sorry, I know I went off on a vent. This subject is very touchy for me. I'm in my mid-30's and seeing/hearing about ppl doing slant eyes brings back horrible memories that make my stomach churn. I feel like punching each of those basketball players in the face, plus all the stupid execs and middle men who thought that this stupid ad was a good idea.

Yeah for you, I was clapping when I read that post, good for you and every mom and dad who makes sure such racism will not be tolerated in our society!