Friday, August 15, 2008
got a problem with slit-eyes?

A star member of Spain's Beijing Olympic basketball team, Toronto Raptors guard Jose Calderon, has defended a controversial advertisement where the entire squad posed while making slit-eyed gestures, saying it was an "affectionate gesture."

"What happened was that during a photo session where the Spanish national team was unveiled, one of our sponsors asked us to pose with a 'wink' to our participation in Beijing and we made an oriental expression with our eyes," he wrote on his Internet site.

"It seemed to us to be something appropriate and that it would always be interpreted as an affectionate gesture. However some European media did not see it as such," he added.

"I want to express that we have great respect for the Orient and its people, some of my best friends in Toronto are of Chinese origin."

'Insensitive'

In the ad for a Spanish courier company which appeared in sports daily Marca -- which has been widely circulated on the Internet -- the smiling players were standing on centre court as they pulled down the skin around their eyes to make them appear slanted.

A sketch of a Chinese dragon was drawn across the floor.

Among the members of the team was LA Lakers forward-center Pau Gasol and his brother Marc Gasol, a centre with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Britain's Daily Telegraph says: "Spanish sport's poor reputation for insensitivity towards racial issues has been further harmed by the advert."

The Daily Mirror, also of Britain, says the "ad was unlikely to go down well with Olympics hosts China, and could well spoil Spain's hopes of hosting the Olympic Games in Madrid in 2016 or 2020."


--- as reported by SBS (the # from which the aussie guy with the drug case is from) news on 13th August.


i thought it was quite funny actually. i don't know why they are making such a big fuss about it. looking at that picture, i really think they were doing it in good joy. it doesn't hint any disrespect really. what's wrong with having slit-eyes anyway? the chinese people are not saying anything so why is the British media making it an issue. There is no reason for anybody to be "sensitive" to people with slit-eyes. it is not a deficit. who then are the ones being racist here? those who pose with slit-eyes or those who imply that it is a deficit to be sensitive about?

(psst... Jaz.. Priya... doesn't this remind you of some other photo we're more familiar with? shhh... =p)