# Rudy Of A Different "Slant"... (merged)



## ABM (Dec 30, 2002)

Wowsers...



> Players for the Spanish men’s and women’s basketball teams posed for a pre-Olympic newspaper advertisement in popular Spanish daily Marca, in which they are pictured pulling back the skin on either side of their eyes to narrow them.
> 
> Britain’s The Guardian newspaper says the men’s and women’s teams are pictured making the gesture in separate ads taken out by a courier company that sponsors the Spanish Basketball Federation.
> 
> ...


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## Miksaid (Mar 21, 2005)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

Hm, well, that sure was a smart idea.


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## sabas4mvp (Sep 23, 2002)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

I don't care at all just like I didn't care about the whole hyperdunk thing. I know that some people are probably offended and that is their right/opinion. End of story.


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## HAAK72 (Jun 18, 2007)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

...in America, I don't think this ad campaign would fly [it is much less "P.C." than the recent Nike ads IMO, but personally, I think it is comical and I enjoy seeing the players playfully slant their eyes for support]


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## Miksaid (Mar 21, 2005)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

The idea may be lost on me but I don't "see" how slanting their eyes translates into showing support for the Spanish team.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

it is hilarious to me that they were dumb enough to do this. i mean it's not actually a big deal or anything, just incredibly stupid of them.


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## Driew (Oct 20, 2007)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



Miksaid said:


> The idea may be lost on me but I don't "see" how slanting their eyes translates into showing support for the Spanish team.


To them I think they were trying to show support for the Chinese by doing that. As in "we want to be like them--we adore them because we want to look just like them"...very poor choice IMHO.


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## J~Rush (Jul 6, 2008)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

That's hilariously lame. But hilarious nonetheless.


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## HispanicCausinPanic (Jul 2, 2005)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

"Ancient Chinese Secret, Huh?"


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



HispanicCausinPanic said:


> "Ancient Chinese Secret, Huh?"


Just ring it up with the dong tea.


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## Miksaid (Mar 21, 2005)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



Perfection said:


> Just ring it up with the dong tea.


Universe, you've done it again!


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

I must say, I'm pretty thoroughly baffled. What's it about? Is a meant to be some sort of joke? What's the punchline? Thus far I'm too confused to be offended. It's not much different than if they took a team picture with Jello on their heads -- it seems completely lacking in _any_ kind of sense to me at this point. If anyone has some light to through on it, I'd love to hear more. Can they all be such lemmings as to just run with it in the photo after the one where the photographer says, "Say cheese!"?


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## Balian (Apr 11, 2008)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

Its much to do about nothing. I am sure their intentions were benign. We are talking about a different culture. The PC thing is not worldwide ...thank God for that.


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## nikolokolus (Jan 29, 2008)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

Hardly the end of the world, but still pretty tactless.

At the very least the Spanish have probably given the Chinese some good locker-room fodder.


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



Miksaid said:


> Universe, you've done it again!


Okay, you know what you do? You buy yourself a tape recorder and you just record yourself for a whole day. I think you're going to be surprised at some of your phrasing.


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## More (Sep 3, 2006)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

This ad was done before going to Beijing. The spanish team slant their eyes in sign of "we are going to china", not in an offensive way, but tactless and retarded nonetheless. I wouldn't call it racist (as i have read in other forums) but not the best way to make an ad. 
The english newspaper the Guardian came up with the news, and obviously taking things out of context, being a sensasionalistic newspaper...


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## ThatBlazerGuy (May 1, 2003)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



> not in an offensive way, but tactless and retarded


There is definatley nothing more racist than being retarded.


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## Short Bus Ryder (Jun 8, 2007)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

Just another stupid idea that has made it public...

Probably only Liberal Americans are offended, but come on. Not that funny even behind closed doors.


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## yenniedn (Jan 13, 2008)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

Aw hell, I'm Asian . . . but if Rudy can start putting up 20+ppg anytime in the near future, I won't even remember this photo ever existed.


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

imitation is the greatest form of flattery.


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## Roy83 (Jul 1, 2008)

*Spain's prejudice photo towards China*

Do you guys think this is a racist photo?


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## Roy83 (Jul 1, 2008)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*

sorry didn't see it posted, please delete


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

Nobody got upset by the movie, "White Men Can't Jump," and nobody seems to get offended by the term "another white stiff." Why then should we care about this photo?


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## Miksaid (Mar 21, 2005)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

I got upset .


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

I agree with the sentiment "Not the end of the world, but tactless." I doubt they are virulent racists, but they're clearly lacking in sense.


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## Anonymous Gambler (May 29, 2006)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

I didn't like the photo either. I can only imagine the outcry if they had "fried chicken and watermelon" night before playing Angola or a "find a penny" contest before playing Israel. The fact is that no one really stands up for Asians.


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*

i'm chinese with slant eyes. i don't find the picture a bit offensive. i don't think they did it in a mocking/insulting sense. more like "we're here in china, if we did this we might look like chinese." no big deal.


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*

Yep.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



BuckW4GM said:


> i'm chinese with slant eyes. i don't find the picture a bit offensive. i don't think they did it in a mocking/insulting sense. more like "we're here in china, if we did this we might look like chinese." no big deal.


You're not offended?! My God, why not? Don't you know you're supposed to be outraged by this kind of thing?? It's just horrible, horrible . . . Get yourself to a diversity training class immediately!!!

On second thought, don't. Thanks for your honest perspective on this tempest in a teapot.


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



Talkhard said:


> You're not offended?! My God, why not? Don't you know you're supposed to be outraged by this kind of thing?? It's just horrible, horrible . . . Get yourself to a diversity training class immediately!!!
> 
> On second thought, don't. Thanks for your honest perspective on this tempest in a teapot.


no problem. so someone wants to point out that (most) chinese/asian people have slant eyes. are we supposed to be ashamed that we have slant eyes? like i said, big ****ing deal.


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## Xericx (Oct 29, 2004)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*



Roy83 said:


> Do you guys think this is a racist photo?


No. 

To the majority of the world, this type of behavior is probably normal. We're just not used to it because America is so p-whipped by the PC Police. This is the same country and culture that kills bulls for sport in front of cheering audiences. I imagine a majority of people who are "shocked" by this have never left the country (NO CANADA DOES NOT COUNT)


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## Miksaid (Mar 21, 2005)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*



Xericx said:


> No.
> 
> To the majority of the world, this type of behavior is probably normal. We're just not used to it because America is so p-whipped by the PC Police. This is the same country and culture that kills bulls for sport in front of cheering audiences. I imagine a majority of people who are "shocked" by this have never left the country (NO CANADA DOES NOT COUNT)


Good points, excellent post. I agree with you, however, my only gripe with the photo is that someone, somewhere, in marketing, publishing, on the team, or wherever, MUST have realized that there was a group of people that exists that would not react favorably to such an ad. I mean c'mon, there must have been a million ideas for a good ad, and this was their best, most well-thought out one?


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## Xericx (Oct 29, 2004)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*



Miksaid said:


> was a group of people that exists that would not react favorably to such an ad. I mean c'mon


Yes. 

1. Americans 

2. Chinese 

no one else cares.


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## Dornado (May 26, 2003)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*

wow... I wonder whose idea that was... definitely not a good one.


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



BuckW4GM said:


> i don't think they did it in a mocking/insulting sense. more like "we're here in china, if we did this we might look like chinese."


Do you really believe thats what they meant by it..?

Like Minstrel, I don't think they're virulent racists or anything but still pretty tactless and stupid more than anything.


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

Haven't you guys seen Firefly? The world will turn into a weird mix of Chinese and US culture (with everyone assimilating to that). Watching the olypmics, its clear who the big world players are right now (despite China using 12 year olds in gymnastics).


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## Miksaid (Mar 21, 2005)

And the world will resemble the post-apocalyptic, dystopian LA from Blade Runner (which would be damn awesome).

But yeah, those little girls weren't 16! Just too bad Sacramone had to fall.. TWICE.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*



Xericx said:


> No.
> 
> To the majority of the world, this type of behavior is probably normal. We're just not used to it because America is so p-whipped by the PC Police. This is the same country and culture that kills bulls for sport in front of cheering audiences. I imagine a majority of people who are "shocked" by this have never left the country (NO CANADA DOES NOT COUNT)


racism being normal doesn't make it right.

this picture itself isn't a huge deal or anything, but come on.

if it was normal to the majority of the world to throw bananas at black athletes would that make it right?


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*



rocketeer said:


> racism being normal doesn't make it right.
> 
> this picture itself isn't a huge deal or anything, but come on.
> 
> if it was normal to the majority of the world to throw bananas at black athletes would that make it right?


While thats pretty clearly a big exaggeration on the extremity of the poster (as you pretty much acknowledged), I agree. The _"Oh the US is just so PC, good to see other countries able to express themselves"_ argument is pretty horrible..


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*



NewAgeBaller said:


> While thats pretty clearly a big exaggeration on the extremity of the poster (as you pretty much acknowledged), I agree. The _"Oh the US is just so PC, good to see other countries able to express themselves"_ argument is pretty horrible..


there is a large jump from slanting eyes to throwing bananas but the reasoning behind the argument would be the same(if in fact throwing bananas was normal).

i find it funny how the US is considered too PC when it's convenient but the US is also considered extremely racist when it's convenient as well.


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## Xericx (Oct 29, 2004)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*



rocketeer said:


> racism being normal doesn't make it right.
> 
> this picture itself isn't a huge deal or anything, but come on.
> 
> if it was normal to the majority of the world to throw bananas at black athletes would that make it right?


people need to just get over it and stop whining. if china had beaten spain, it would have shut them up but they choked on it hard.


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



NewAgeBaller said:


> Do you really believe thats what they meant by it..?
> 
> Like Minstrel, I don't think they're virulent racists or anything but still pretty tactless and stupid more than anything.


why don't i really believed in what i just said i believed in? i said i'm not the least bit offended by it, and i meant it. do you feel i should be offended by the picture? why? are you offended by the picture? if so, why are *you* offended?

it's possible the gesture was in a mocking/insulting way towards chinese. but i find it much more plausible that it was done in good spirit. the ads for the picture, after all, was for a chinese sponsored company.

my interpretation of their gesture was "if we slant our eyes a little, we'd look more like chinese." as a chinese male, and one with noticeable slanted eyes, why should i be insulted by that? why should *you*? if someone were to tell me i have slant eyes, are they also telling me that i'm somehow inferior? of course not. it's their observation of my outer appearance, not who i am as a person.

fact is, i have slant eyes. and a lot of chinese/asian do too. if you're white, black, whatever, and you slant your eyes a little, i guess your feature would resemble that of a chinese/asian a little more. so what's the big deal? if you slant your eyes, and now somehow think that you're inferior because of your newly slanted eyes, then i guess you have issues, but it doesn't offends me. if you somehow think that i'm inferior to you because of my slanted eyes, then it does offends me. but i don't often stress over someone else' ignorance.

what i find offensive through out this whole thing is by those that thinks i *should* be offended by the picture.


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

i wonder...if the chinese team took a picture with all their players hair dyed blond, what then? are they racist, implying all blond hair male caucasian inferior? or it would be a non issue because it's impossible for male caucasian to be inferior, so implying that wouldn't make any sense?


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



BuckW4GM said:


> why don't i really believed in what i just said i believed in? i said i'm not the least bit offended by it, and i meant it. do you feel i should be offended by the picture? why? are you offended by the picture? if so, why are *you* offended?
> 
> it's possible the gesture was in a mocking/insulting way towards chinese. but i find it much more plausible that it was done in good spirit. the ads for the picture, after all, was for a chinese sponsored company.
> 
> ...


If the majority of that post was directed at me, you're rambling over something I've already said I care very little about.

I too think it wasn't meant with any racist/malicious intent, but atleast personally I really doubt they were actually posing with their eyes slanted to suggest _"we look more chinese like this"_. I have no problem with you feeling or not feeling offended by it..

And its not hard to see why it would be offensive. I live in Aus but I assume it'd be the same in the US - where if a guy is seen slanting his eyes in any reference to a bunch of Asians, he is going to be disliked and probably hurt by many..
Maybe he didn't mean anything by it, but that doesn't really matter, its obviously open to interpretation which is the same thing with the poster (the point I'm trying to make is that its not difficult to see how the poster could be, and is being, seen as offensive).

But like I've said elsewhere, its more just a tactless thing with the poster.


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

*Re: Rudy Of A Different "Slant"...*



NewAgeBaller said:


> If the majority of that post was directed at me, you're rambling over something I've already said I care very little about.


you asked a question when i thought i already made it clear that was how i felt. i felt i needed to go into more detail this time since you questioned whether i was being honest with what i said.



> I too think it wasn't meant with any racist/malicious intent, but atleast personally I really doubt they were actually posing with their eyes slanted to suggest _"we look more chinese like this"_. I have no problem with you feeling or not feeling offended by it..


then what was your interpretation of their gesture? i'm curious.



> And its not hard to see why it would be offensive.


why? i'm genuinely interested in hearing *your* answer.



> I live in Aus but I assume it'd be the same in the US - where if a guy is seen slanting his eyes in any reference to a bunch of Asians, he is going to be disliked and probably hurt by many..


i don't doubt that situation happens a lot, and it is unfortunate. it is neither wrong or right, just unfortunate.


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

I explained how it could be seen as offensive in that same paragraph, using the example which you rightly said was "neither wrong or right, just unfortunate". In the same way, if the Spanish team slants their eyes to mimick Chinese characteristics, people are going to find it offensive - it happens.

And my interpretation of their gesture is more as a thoughtless notion than anything else. Eg. The camera man gets them to slant their eyes back (obviously to mimick the Chinese but not with malicious intent), and the players probably laugh about it and do so. Its nothing serious, just tactless or senseless (a couple of words people used earlier in the thread), and probably largely in part due to the difference in culture and being so far apart. I just doubted that they were actually conveying the message, "We look more Chinese".


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

NewAgeBaller said:


> I explained how it could be seen as offensive in that same paragraph, using the example which you rightly said was "neither wrong or right, just unfortunate".


i understand. but i want to know _why_ _you_ think some would find it offensive. do you think a chinese/asian would find the slant eyes gesture as symbolic for their inferiority, etc.?



> In the same way, if the Spanish team slants their eyes to mimick Chinese characteristics, people are going to find it offensive - it happens.


yes, it happens. doesn't make it right. it is unfortunate when adults lower themselves to the behavior of children.



> And my interpretation of their gesture is more as a thoughtless notion than anything else. Eg. The camera man gets them to slant their eyes back (obviously to mimick the Chinese but not with malicious intent), and the players probably laugh about it and do so. Its nothing serious, just tactless or senseless (a couple of words people used earlier in the thread), and probably largely in part due to the difference in culture and being so far apart. I just doubted that they were actually conveying the message, "We look more Chinese".


i wasn't specifically talking about the players. i was talking their gesture. clearly, someone directed them to do that. the ads was for a chinese sponsored company. they were in china, with a giant dragon logo on the court. why is it so hard to believe that the gesture was meant as "we're here in china, we like the chinese people, see, we can look a little like them too by doing this"? more plausible to me then them all of the sudden went "cool, lets slant our eyes to look stupid."


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

I really don't have anything to be arguing with you over lol, essentially we're of the same opinion..

to answer your question though, I don't find it offensive or think theres real reason for someone to, as I pointed out it most likely wasn't meant with any malicious or racist intent. Just said it was stupid, and pointing out that it could easily be interpreted in such a way for whatever reason (as it surely is being - btw anyone know if Chinese media acknowledged it much?).


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

*Re: Spain's prejudice photo towards China*



Miksaid said:


> Good points, excellent post. I agree with you, however, my only gripe with the photo is that someone, somewhere, in marketing, publishing, on the team, or wherever, *MUST have realized that there was a group of people that exists that would not react favorably* to such an ad. I mean c'mon, there must have been a million ideas for a good ad, and this was their best, most well-thought out one?


you can always find people that will take offense to anything. a lot of the times, it's not your fault that others are offended by your words/actions.


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## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

That's a lot of late night activity, or are you guys on the east coast.


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

NewAgeBaller said:


> I really don't have anything to be arguing with you over lol, essentially we're of the same opinion..


i don't feel like we're arguing. more like discussing a cultural issue. thanks for the civilize conversation, btw.



> (as it surely is being - btw anyone know if Chinese media acknowledged it much?).


i've read headlines from american articles that says the chinese are offended, but nowhere in the articles was there a source or quotes that backs it up. typical, i guess. the closest was a group of chinese-americans expressing their displeasure with the picture. sometimes though, i think people don't even know why they are offended. just that they should be offended, for some reasons...


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## BuckW4GM (Nov 2, 2005)

Perfection said:


> That's a lot of late night activity, or are you guys on the east coast.


just staying up watching the olympics.


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

BuckW4GM said:


> sometimes though, i think people don't even know why they are offended. just that they should be offended, for some reasons...


that is true..

and thanks to you on the civility too. 


what time is it there anyway? is it really that late?


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