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For non-Asians, this is a test of the Emergency Ethnic Broadcasting System. Do media — and public figures — have the cultural infrastructure in place to not look like asses in public? The answer, in many cases, seems to be no. A little pre-emptive education and training would’ve stopped most of these flubs from ever happening in the first place…but now that they have, the response shouldn’t just be about punishing scapegoats, it should be about putting effort and money into fixing the institution. Wouldn’t hurt to make some real investment in outreaching to the community itself, either. Asian American communities don’t want scalps — they want respect.
Also, re: ESPN sportscaster’s Max Bretos’s suspension, is having an Asian wife (or spouse) really a good excuse for why he didn’t mean any harm? Uh, no. Max, Max, Max, I’m on your side, but “My wife is Asian” is the new “Some of my best friends are black.” Just…don’t. Love your wife, cherish her, and don’t use her as a freaking human shield, kthxbai.
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Jeff Yang on ESPN’s Terrible Headline
Seriously, if you have an Asian wife, and you published “Chink” on a huge media frontier, that is a DOUBLE shame on you.
(via mizmlee)
(via ralphabetsoup)
