Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
What's the Big Deal With Oriental?
Source: Ohio.com
It happens so often that those of us in the column-writing business can quote the response even before it arrives.
Almost every time we express an opinion — which is, of course, every time we write a column — we get at least one e-mail that says, ''It must have been a slow news day.''
No, it must have been a day when you didn't agree with me. If the topic is inconsequential, why are you taking the time to comment?
But a record number of readers informed me that the second item in a recent five-item column must have been triggered by ''a slow news day.''
If you really want to know, it was triggered by a photo I saw a week earlier in a basketball program that identified a collection of young athletes as ''the East High Orientals.''
Why didn't I write about the topic before? I should have. I have always wondered why a group of educators would continue to sanction that name. Although I don't have a drop of Asian blood in me, I knew the term was incredibly dated and highly offensive to many folks of Asian heritage.
I guess I figured the school eventually would wake up and realize that ''Orientals,'' when used in connection with people, is the modern-day equivalent of ''Negroes.''
At one time, both terms were acceptable. But times change. And institutions should, too — especially schools.
I didn't know Negros was offensive. I thought the other N-word was.
Orientals has never bothered me, I actually kinda liked it growing up. It was a unique exotic place the Orient that I was from. Then it got changed to Asian and it wasn't unique anymore. Why is it an insult if a white person dresses like an Asian or draws an Asian to *gasp* look like an Asian (slanted eyes) or makes a few Asian driving jokes, but we can walk around with dyed blonde hair and have surgery to make our eyes bigger and it's ok? Why?
''There's a connection with Colonialism related with that word, and the word is more often associated with inanimate objects like Oriental rugs. We're not an Oriental rug. We're people.''
Oh please... that would be like saying. "I hate when people refer to people from Canada as Canadians. It is as if they are talking about Canadian maple syrup. We are not syrup, we are people! BE MORE SENSITIVE!!!!"
There are alot of racial or national sports names. The Montreal Canadiens and the Vancouver Canucks. Aren't those derogatory terms? Johnny Canuck is a racist caracature. If Johnny Canucks wore a kimono and has slanted eyes, the Orientals would whine and cry.
Canadians are proud of Johnny Canuck
What about the beloved New York Yankees? Isn't yankee an offensive term for american.
"DAMN Yankees, always thinking they're the best"
What about the Santa Barbara Gauchos? That's a bad Spanish Cowboy.
That's a pretty racist logo, don't you think?
What about Vikings or The Aztecs or The Fighting Irish or The Celtics?
Are Scandinavians insulted at Minnesota Vikings football games when thay see the real-life mascot named Ragnar whooping up the crowd?
I went to Western High School. We were the Redman!
So not only was I Indian, but I was a man! That's two things to whine and complain about? But does anyone complain? Noooooo, we took honour in that name that's been around since WWI.
What's next? I can't to into an antique shop and call China, China anymore? I have to call it porcelin or some crap like that?
This names are not racist. Native Indians in fact FIGHTING to save their names so that their history is preserves.
N.D. School Fights to Save "Fighting Sioux" Logo
That brings me to a story about my cousin. He was 12 years old and switching channels and saw a Fighting Sioux hockey game. It interested him enough that he wrote a paper about their history and got an A. So why can't people learn about Orientals? We always argue that we aren't represented right? So we're being represented here. 100 years of history.
I think it's cool that there's a team named Orientals because there is no proof that he use of the name itself is hostile or abusive nor does it creates a hostile or abusive environment.
I ask again, how did Oriental become an offensive term? The word Orient still exists. There's an Orient Travel Ltd. There's an Orient everything. So people from the Orient are called Oriental? What's wrong with that? Orient is a Latin word.
In British English, the term Asian generally refers to people originating from the Indian Subcontinent and its surrounding countries[7]. Oriental is used to describe people of Eastern and Southeast Asian descent, most particularly Chinese and Japanese. This usage reflects historic immigration into the UK, since more than 50% of the non-European population is British Asian, whereas East and Southeast Asians comprise only 5-6% of the non-European population. Of those, the majority are of Chinese descent.
Oriental is not usually considered an offensive term in Britain.
Be proud! If I had a baseball team I'd call them the Woks. My logo would be a BIG Wok and a happy face and two hands. It would look like either Marvin the Martian or Peter Puck.
The commentary would be fun.
"And that's another walk and bring in a run, the Woks are walking everyone"
"And that's a line drive double play, they had no chance on that one, Wok'd right into it.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Fledgling Asian hockey players strut their stuff in tropical Taiwan
Source: CP
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The skating was slow, the body checks soft and the slapshots lacked zing.
But it was still hockey they were playing this week in Taiwan, as nine of the world's least likely national teams - think Kuwait for example, or Hong Kong - faced off in a tournament that brought the quintessential winter game to this tropical Asian island.
Critics might question the value of the Challenge Cup of Asia, but any cynicism ignores the enthusiasm of the players, all but a handful being the products of homegrown Asian ice hockey programs.
Many, such as 30-year-old Malaysian forward Gary Tan, got their starts playing the inline, or iceless version of the game, and then switched over to the real thing when indoor rinks were constructed in their countries. In Tan's case, that was in 1998.
"I think my love for the sport has always been there," he said.
Thailand's Dechbadin Jittranont, also 30, said that hockey attracted him because the cold of his Bangkok rink seemed so refreshing after the heat of the city's streets.
"I love hockey and I'm very happy to be at this tournament," he said. "I need to show people that Thai hockey is the best."more.....
Gotta start somewhere. Even a country like the US used to lose to Canada by 10 goals only 30 years ago. Today, they're pretty much even.
Looks like a decent crowd enjoying the action. Good family fun :)
CNN's Rapelay report
The Japanese government could care less about CNN or women's right group. It's people's choice to buy or not. Gamers don't seem to mind!
People who play games don't copy that behavior into the real world.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Evangelion Water Body Bottles
Squeezable!
Source: Japanorama
Curvy bottle shapes are nothing new, as Coca-cola's classic "coke-bottle" has demonstrated for decades but few other beverage companies have gone for that ergonomic yet obviously female form - until now.
Displayed prominently at the recent Foodex Japan 2010 show in Tokyo were a pair of Evangelion Water Body bottles certain to warm any anime lovers heart... and soothe their thirst in the bargain.
The bottles are not only voluptuously curved, but sport futuristic red and white bodysuits that reference those worn by characters Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami in the mega-successful Neon Genesis Evangelion series of manga, movies and games.
The bodacious bodysuited bottles are set to be released to retail outlets on May 26, 2010, to coincide with the release of "Evangelion: Destruction" on Blu-ray and DVD. The estimated cost per each 280ml (9.5 oz) bottle is 368 yen or about $4
These look pretty cool. I guess it could open the market for any other character that could be put into a bottle. They could make sports drinks with Maria Sharapova figured bottles or something.
U.S. Census
What's this US census thing going on right now? The US government wants you to mail in a 10 questionnaire about your family. If you don't do it then they have to go door-to-door to find you. If they know where you live, then why do you need to send information in? Also being the US, everything political and the Republicans are protesting and not sending their questionnaires in. It's supposed to save money right? But then I see ads on TV, doesn't that cost money? And the ad said mail it in. Mail? Who uses mail in 2010. People are too lazy to mail anything. If I could do my entire unemployment claim online, surely people could do a questionnaire online right?
I don't get it. In Canada, they go door-to-door once every couple of years just to make sure no numbers have changed too drastically. I think they use tax returns too to count people.
Shouldn't the US have a year-round government organization that number-crunches year-round? Here we have Statistics Canada and they have all sorts of stuff. We hear it on the nightly news all the time that 69% of Canadians are this, or 57% of Canadian are that. Or something like Toronto now has more non-white people than white people.. stuff like that.
What do you think?
The Pretty Side of Ping Pong
Source: People's Daily
She's never broken into the world's top 150 but Japan's Naomi Yotsumoto is still a star on the table tennis world stage.
Wearing knee-length socks, a pleated mini-skirt or a shirt with one bare shoulder during her games, the woman dubbed the "Lady Gaga of pingpong" receives as much attention as the finest players.
"I like table tennis and fashion. I think it's best to look fashionable when playing table tennis," the youthful-looking 31-year-old said at the Volkswagen Cup in Guangzhou.
A second-tier player in Japan, Yotsumoto didn't come to compete at the event, which featured the top players from eight countries, including her compatriot Ai Fukuhara.
Instead, she was invited to participate in an exhibition match in clothes she had designed as well stage a fashion show featuring her stylish sportswear.
"I'm still learning design in Tokyo while playing professional table tennis. I hope more players will wear the sportswear designed by me," she said. "Now, most of the women players are still wearing shorts. I think if they wear more beautiful clothes, the games will be much more interesting."
Seems like a publicity stunt and a sideshow. I'm sure the aforementioned Ai Fukuhara is still the most popular player in Japan since she's in the top 10 in the world and she's cute too. She was Japan's flag-bearer in 2008 Olympic Summer Games.
Here's video of both, you judge for yourself.
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