ESPN Employment Opportunity

[Chin Diesel]

ESPN will be posting a job opening (if they haven't done so already).

Pretty Easy Job- write clever, witty, eye-catching headlines.

Only requirement to keep the job is to not use the word "chink" in any headline referencing Asian players.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...-since-deleted-headline-jeremy-192208429.html

 

[champs99and04]

I don't see the big deal here. The term "chink in the armor" is used all the time. It clearly was not intended to offend anybody.

 

[NOTaDIME]

It's not used all the time in reference to a Chinese looking person. Pretty obvious what was implied.

 

[partial]

I regret reading random sentence fragments in that link, but did he just call Lin the most noted Asian-American in nba history?

 

[champs99and04]

It's not used all the time in reference to a Chinese looking person. Pretty obvious what was implied.

It's definitely not obvious. I could easily see myself saying something like that without thinking it through. It's not an unusual term by any means. Should the editor have caught it? Probably. But he or she should not get hammered for it.

 

[Adios]

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/a+chink+in+armor

Look at the first definition. lol Gotta love ESPN's endless drama. They've managed to turn sports into "The Kardashian Show", whatever it was called.

 

[ford82]

That was obvious and a huge mistake.

 

[willie99]

little knowledge is sports a prerequisite, required skills include being able to lie with a smug smile

 

[NOTaDIME]

It's definitely not obvious. I could easily see myself saying something like that without thinking it through. It's not an unusual term by any means. Should the editor have caught it? Probably. But he or she should not get hammered for it.

I respectfully disagree. If it was said about anyone other than Jeremy Lin it would have been fine. However, the irony/inappropriateness of the headline is very clear. While I myself find it very witty, I also understand the obvious implied meaning behind it and that is why it was immediately removed, and rightfully so. I think the chances of this being simply an overlooked mistake are very, very slim.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Doesnt matter, he's been fired:

http://frontrow.espn.go.com/2012/02/follow-up-statement-and-action/

 

[NHUConnfan]

It's definitely not obvious. I could easily see myself saying something like that without thinking it through. It's not an unusual term by any means. Should the editor have caught it? Probably. But he or she should not get hammered for it.

Are you serious? We don't live in the 50s anymore. Chink is NOT an acceptable word. That's one racial slur I actually hold as more offensive than the N-word, because almost always when someone says it in a situation like that, it is meant to be extremely derogatory.

 

[Adios]

How did CNN even get this song? lol

 

[champs99and04]

Are you serious? We don't live in the 50s anymore. Chink is NOT an acceptable word. That's one racial slur I actually hold as more offensive than the N-word, because almost always when someone says it in a situation like that, it is meant to be extremely derogatory.

I never said chink was an acceptable word. And it should have been taken down. However, assuming it wasn't meant to be clever, and the editor simply made a mistake, this is not something that I see as a big deal. You have to look at the context it was used in.

 

[NHUConnfan]

How did CNN even get this song? lol

LOL...that is a great question. Seriously, someone obviously played something on their iPod.

 

[NittanyHusky]

I never said chink was an acceptable word. And it should have been taken down. However, assuming it wasn't meant to be clever, and the editor simply made a mistake, this is not something that I see as a big deal. You have to look at the context it was used in.

Like others in this thread, we did look at the context in which it was used. It was absolutely offensive.

 

[8893]

I never said chink was an acceptable word. And it should have been taken down. However, assuming it wasn't meant to be clever, and the editor simply made a mistake, this is not something that I see as a big deal. You have to look at the context it was used in.

You appear to be the only one on the planet who does not comprehend that the context in which it was used is totally offensive and inappropriate. Not that that is surprising.

 

[NHUConnfan]

I never said chink was an acceptable word. And it should have been taken down. However, assuming it wasn't meant to be clever, and the editor simply made a mistake, this is not something that I see as a big deal. You have to look at the context it was used in.

Right - so if I say you're a ducking asshat...as long as you aren't a ducking asshat, then it's ok, right?

 

[nomar]

I regret reading random sentence fragments in that link, but did he just call Lin the most noted Asian-American in nba history?

As opposed to who else? Rex Walters?

 

[caw]

How did CNN even get this song? lol

Wow, that's just wow. Am I a bad person for laughing. Not at the song (that's just screwed up) but WTF was CNN thinking.

I never said chink was an acceptable word. And it should have been taken down. However, assuming it wasn't meant to be clever, and the editor simply made a mistake, this is not something that I see as a big deal. You have to look at the context it was used in.

Chink isn't an acceptable word when discussing chinese people, but the phrase "chink in the armor" really shouldn't be a big deal.

I read it as what that term usually infers, a crack in the armor (a place to strike) etc. It's a fairly common usage for the word. I had absolutely no problem with it's usage. I take it as an honest mistake more than anything else.

Now if they had a headline saying "Chinks suck" or "Chink losing it" or etc. I would be offended (being chinese-american and all).

 

[8893]

Chink isn't an acceptable word when discussing chinese people, but the phrase "chink in the armor" really shouldn't be a big deal.

I read it as what that term usually infers, a crack in the armor (a place to strike) etc. It's a fairly common usage for the word. I had absolutely no problem with it's usage. I take it as an honest mistake more than anything else.

Now if they had a headline saying "Chinks suck" or "Chink losing it" or etc. I would be offended (being chinese-american and all).

It was intended as double entendre, a play on both connotations of the word, one of which is a racial slur. No one at ESPN has claimed it was an innocent, coincidental mistake. That's why the guy was fired immediately, and another guy who read the intentionally offensive copy written for him was suspended for 30 days.

 

[tzznandrew]

As opposed to who else? Rex Walters?

It's the American part that probably got him. Yao is the most noted Asian ever, but there really hasn't been an Asian-American as well known and good on the pro level as Lin.

 

[champs99and04]

You appear to be the only one on the planet who does not comprehend that the context in which it was used is totally offensive and inappropriate. Not that that is surprising.

chink

1    [chingk] Show IPA
noun
1.
a crack, cleft, or fissure: a chink in a wall.
2.
a narrow opening: a chink between two buildings.

The headline had nothing to do with him being Asian and everything to do with the Knicks losing. Get over yourself, people make mistakes, and if people took it as offense, I'm going to give him or her the benefit of the doubt and assume it was not intended that way.

 

[caw]

It was intended as double entendre, a play on both connotations of the word, one of which is a racial slur. No one at ESPN has claimed it was an innocent, coincidental mistake. That's why the guy was fired immediately, and another guy who read the intentionally offensive copy written for him was suspended for 30 days.

Honestly, there is no way of knowing what the guy was thinking when it was written. ESPN isn't going to claim it was an innocent mistake regardless. It just compounds the problem, even if that is the case.

 

[champs99and04]

It was intended as double entendre, a play on both connotations of the word, one of which is a racial slur. No one at ESPN has claimed it was an innocent, coincidental mistake. That's why the guy was fired immediately, and another guy who read the intentionally offensive copy written for him was suspended for 30 days.

Well if that was the case, then the firing was certainly warranted. I haven't read any statements regarding this issue, but the phrase "chink in the armor" doesn't jump out to me as offensive, even when talking about a Chinese person. If ESPN was trying to be witty than a big failure for sure.

 

[tzznandrew]

Lin is asian. Chink is an offensive term for an asian. The article was about Lin. Nearly every Lin article had a bad pun (Lin-sanity) related to it. The author wrote "Chink in the Armor." The meaning relates to things not being as good as you would think, a weakness.

Put those together, and it's clear that it was in poor taste at best. When I saw it, with the picture, I thought "Wow, someone's going to get fired." And they should.

All sorts of racial epithets have everyday meanings that are not racist. It's how and when they're used that bring that meaning out, intended or unintended.