Please, enough with the racism!

[jimnyc]

Congrats to Gabby Douglas, the US Olympian who took home the gold medal in the individual all around event. And yes, she is black. Why she is continually being identified as an "African American Olympian" is beyond me, it should appropriately be "Olympian".

So Bob Costas was doing a wrap up and talking nothing but good stuff about Douglas. Then the segment was over and it went to commercial.

That's when things got heated. They followed with a promo for the new show "Animal Practice", which in this commercial showed a monkey doing gymnastics.

Purposely or coincidence?

With all of the heat they are taking as it is, I highly doubt they planned this in advance. And the commercial existed long before she won the gold medal. Of course people are going nuts about it now.


Was it bad timing or insensitivity? Moments after Bob Costas was talking about Gabby Douglas's record-breaking gold medal and how she was the first African American to win the women's all-around title, a commercial came on featuring a monkey doing gymnastics. The spot was for NBC's fall show "Animal Practice," which the network has been promoting heavily through out the Games. In the series, a monkey, whose name is Crystal, plays a character called Dr. Rizzo. Seriously.

Social media immediately lit up in protest with one Twitter user posting, "Anybody else notice that NBC just went racist?" Another person Tweeted, "NBC is not racist. They are just careless. And Lazy."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/criticizes-nbc-badly-timed-olympics-commercial-172057606.html

[Dilloduck]

Seems like white guilt just never ends.

[Trigg]

oh good lord aren't these spots bought out months ahead of time????

He could have been talking to or about anyone and the same commercial would have played.

Idiots just looking for something stupid to bitch about.

On a side note the gymnastics team did an awesome job and looked amazing. This was my sport in HS so I really enjoy watching all the different teams.

[Noir]

Someone caring enough to report that she's African American, and caring that someone cared enough to to report that she's African American are much the same.

[Trigg]

Someone caring enough to report that she's African American, and caring that someone cared enough to to report that she's African American are much the same.


the first african american this and the first hispanic that is BIG news.

However the first Indian or Asian this or that......no one cares. They aren't a disadvantaged minority.

That's the difference and that is why the media, in the US, goes over the top pointing out the accomplishment.

[Drummond]

Someone caring enough to report that she's African American, and caring that someone cared enough to to report that she's African American are much the same.

As I see it, the more that race is concentrated upon, the more likely it is to be perceived as some kind of issue.

This is needless, so, why is it being done ?

[Noir]

As I see it, the more that race is concentrated upon, the more likely it is to be perceived as some kind of issue.

This is needless, so, why is it being done ?

I would say exactly the same for the case of nationality. Who cares that a Jamaican man can run 100 metres in 9.something seconds, surely the point would be a human can achieve such a feat, their nationality (alike your point about race) is needless, no?

[jimnyc]

I would say exactly the same for the case of nationality. Who cares that a Jamaican man can run 100 metres in 9.something seconds, surely the point would be a human can achieve such a feat, their nationality (alike your point about race) is needless, no?

No, because these games are nation vs. nation, so they're SUPPOSED to point out the nationality of the athlete. The race is not necessary and serves no purpose.

[hjmick]

Life is too short for guilt, White or otherwise.

[Noir]

No, because these games are nation vs. nation, so they're SUPPOSED to point out the nationality of the athlete. The race is not necessary and serves no purpose.

Exactly, the games themselves are built upon an needless premise that the athletes nationality matters.

[jimnyc]

Exactly, the games themselves are built upon an needless premise that the athletes nationality matters.

Well, when it's country versus country, I kinda think it does matter a little to know which country the athlete you are watching is from. That's the whole point. Well, maybe not the whole point, but people and those keeping score, need to know the nations the athletes are from.

They don't need to know the race. It's not part of the games. Nationality is, whether you agree with it or not, but it's been like that for a few years. :)

[taft2012]

I, and a lot of others I'm sure, thought that once America's black community got the "big enchilada," the US presidency, we'd finally be able to no longer hear about these "African-American" firsts, like "the first left-handed African American with Tourette's Syndrome to climb Mount McKinley"....

No such luck.

[Noir]

Well, when it's country versus country, I kinda think it does matter a little to know which country the athlete you are watching is from. That's the whole point. Well, maybe not the whole point, but people and those keeping score, need to know the nations the athletes are from.

They don't need to know the race. It's not part of the games. Nationality is, whether you agree with it or not, but it's been like that for a few years. :)

...but African American *is* a nationality, which makes your position a lol confusing. You're fine to define by nationalities, but only of those nationalities don't encompass the persons race?

[jimnyc]

...but African American *is* a nationality, which makes your position a lol confusing. You're fine to define by nationalities, but only of those nationalities don't encompass the persons race?

But African American IS NOT a nationality. It's something used in the US as another way of saying black. None of these people were born in, or from Africa. If you want to go back to ancestry and such, that would be retarded. Then I should go around telling everyone that I am Polish-German-Czechoslovakia-American. Other than a black person, show me another person from the US contingent doing similar. Many are Italian, German, Polish, Indian and from all parts of the world, and every last one of them refers to themselves as American. I'm willing to bet that even Gabby Douglas herself, especially over at the games, refers to herself as American.

In fact, the US government itself, LONG ago referred to blacks as "negro". They later, on government documentation and census crap, simply referred to them as "black". Then it was changed to "African American". So since it takes over these areas for race, you'll see the connection as to why so many see the term as referring to race. So am I to assume that on a census sheet for example, that everyone in the US is expected to put their race, or check off the box accordingly, except for the blacks who get to put their nationality instead?

[taft2012]

...but African American *is* a nationality, which makes your position a lol confusing. You're fine to define by nationalities, but only of those nationalities don't encompass the persons race?

Are there any African-British or African-French being identified?

[Drummond]

No, because these games are nation vs. nation, so they're SUPPOSED to point out the nationality of the athlete. The race is not necessary and serves no purpose.

Jim, thanks for that. Exactly. This mirrors what I'd have replied with.

[aboutime]

Jim, thanks for that. Exactly. This mirrors what I'd have replied with.


Does it seem odd to anyone how...when there is some need to introduce racial aspects into a story. The loudest ones who always whine, and complain about the introduction of racism are the very same ones who point it out, and accuse others first????

It's almost like the Old Ladies of the 1950's who became the busybodies of the neighborhood, who spent all of their time..Gossiping across their back fence. Making up stories about other neighbors they never knew. But spread the Gossip so much. Even THEY began to believe it.

[jimnyc]

I adore Condoleezza Rice, but she's jumping on the bandwagon too. She's referring to Douglas as an "African American Hero". I don't mind the hero part, which is debatable when you compare athletes to soldiers for example, but the "African" part still gets me.

Here is Douglas's bio from Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabby_Douglas and her own page - http://gabrielledouglas.com/

She was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I find no record of her and anything to do with Africa. I've researched the best I could about her parents as well, and no luck in putting anything together with Africa.

I expect her to be proud, and the USA proud of her awesome accomplishment. I expect authority figures such as someone like Condi to to be proud, and to be extra proud because it's the first black woman to take a medal in this particular event. But she's still just an American, which in itself is something to be proud of. And that's great if they want to be proud of a black woman overcoming things that no other black woman has before.

On a side note - I defy anyone to tell a black person when mad "Go back to Africa" and the first response you get within a millisecond is "I'm not from Africa, I'm American just like you, dumbass". Which is 1000% percent true. (and it's an example, I don't think anyone should say this to black folks). But its funny that they would distance themselves in that respect - but the blacks throughout the nation have seemed to have banded together and all want to be referred to as "African American". Nice and all, but very rarely will you find it to be factually correct.

I don't know why this bothers me, maybe because they are separating themselves from everyone else. As an example, suppose Michael Phelps, his great, great grandparents were born in Italy over 100 years ago. Phelps himself was born in the USA, as were his parents and as were his grandparents. What if on the medal stand he continually refers to himself as "Italian American" and so many claim he is the first Italian American to win a certain event?

[taft2012]

tabbed browsing fail

[logroller]

But African American IS NOT a nationality. It's something used in the US as another way of saying black. None of these people were born in, or from Africa. If you want to go back to ancestry and such, that would be retarded. Then I should go around telling everyone that I am Polish-German-Czechoslovakia-American. Other than a black person, show me another person from the US contingent doing similar. Many are Italian, German, Polish, Indian and from all parts of the world, and every last one of them refers to themselves as American. I'm willing to bet that even Gabby Douglas herself, especially over at the games, refers to herself as American.

In fact, the US government itself, LONG ago referred to blacks as "negro". They later, on government documentation and census crap, simply referred to them as "black". Then it was changed to "African American". So since it takes over these areas for race, you'll see the connection as to why so many see the term as referring to race. So am I to assume that on a census sheet for example, that everyone in the US is expected to put their race, or check off the box accordingly, except for the blacks who get to put their nationality instead?
The whole African American thing was a PC bust-- blacks don't even like that designation. Speaking of census forms, I have friends in government that call them "2's" :lol:
As to nationalities in the Olympics, did anyone else notice during the opening ceremonies there are three athletes who are competing as independent Olympic athletes? I didn't even know they had such a thing, but I guess if they win gold they just raise the the Olympic flag and play the Olympic theme. Fat chance of them winning-- as I figure it, if they had much of chance, a country would claim them. :dunno:

[jimnyc]

The whole African American thing was a PC bust-- blacks don't even like that designation. Speaking of census forms, I have friends in government that call them "2's" :lol:
As to nationalities in the Olympics, did anyone else notice during the opening ceremonies there are three athletes who are competing as independent Olympic athletes? I didn't even know they had such a thing, but I guess if they win gold they just raise the the Olympic flag and play the Olympic theme. Fat chance of them winning-- as I figure it, if they had much of chance, a country would claim them. :dunno:

I forgot where I read about that too, but I thought it was just the one guy. I think he came to the US as a refugee or similar and isn't a citizen at this time, but I believe the IOC made an exception.

[aboutime]

From now on. How bout all of us STOP using Hyphenated references to Americans?

It will take a long time but. Every journey begins with that FIRST STEP. And this should be that way as well.

Next time someone uses the Blankity-Blank American. Remind yourself, and just refer to them as American. No Hyphens. NONE, NATA.

Think it won't work?

How long did it take Huckabee to get the word out about CHICK-FIL-A????