An AsianWeek Column by Irwin Tang:
Tell Shaquille O'Neal, "Come down to Chinatown."

Call Shaquille O'Neal the Big Racist.

In his most recent racial taunt of Yao Ming, Shaquille O Neal told a reporter, "Tell Yao Ming, 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.'" No, the superstar center of the LA Lakers was not trying to speak Chinese. Shaq was, in a most derisive tone, aiming a racist barb at the rookie center for the Houston Rockets.

Ironically, just days before this racial taunt was aired nationally, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had honored O Neal with their Young Leaders Award. We can only hope that the NAACP had no knowledge of Shaq s previous racial taunt of Yao Ming and LA Clippers center Wang Zhi Zhi, broadcast on June 28 on Fox Television s Best Damn Sports Show Period. When Yao Ming was brought up, Shaquille O Neal spoke with a mock Chinese accent and made mock kung fu moves.

Also in June, Shaq announced that he would test Yao s toughness by taking an elbow to Yao s face. This comment, combined with Shaq s racist taunts are particularly disturbing, as Asian Americans often suffer racial taunts while being assaulted or physically intimidated.

But Shaquille O Neal is not a stupid brute. That is, he may be a brute, but he s not a stupid one. He knows the media is on his side. National and local news organizations have consciously ignored Shaq s racist comment. I know, because I called the LA Times, Sports Illustrated, the Associated Press, and other news organizations and offered them information about this story. They did not want to write about it.

The only reason anyone knows about Shaq s latest taunt is because Fox Sports Radio s Tony Bruno Morning Extravaganza played a recording of the taunt several times to its nationwide audience on December 16 and 17. On the latter day, Bruno commented that Shaq s comment was "not racist," and then invited listeners and radio commentators to call in jokes making racist fun of Chinese. For hours, people cracked jokes, such as offering free bike parking to increase Chinese attendance at basketball games.

On Christmas Day, while calling the Celtics-Nets game for ABC, veteran sportscaster Brent Musburger s lamented that "the hordes of China" might stuff the All-Star ballot box and vote Yao Ming in as the Western Conference s starting center, rather than Shaquille O Neal.

How Kafkaesque, and how familiar, it is that the interests of the American media and those of Asian America are diametrically opposed. The media has betrayed their own dedication to controversy by making nothing out of something that deserves much ado. Rather than slam celebrity racism, as it has in the past, some media organizations obviously wish to reserve the right to revel in their own racism.

Will the NBA punish racist speech, as it has in the past? The Association is too busy passing out fortune cookies. In "honor" of Yao s first game in Miami, the Miami Heat on December 16 passed out 8000 fortune cookies to spectators. Yao found the promotion amusing but pointed out that fortune cookies have nothing to do with him. He said that he was not angry because he was not familiar with American stereotypes of Chinese.

Let s not beat around the bush. If a white player had, for instance, made monkey sounds to taunt a black player, it would have been a national controversy. But Yao is Chinese. And Asians are fair game. For evidence, watch TV for a couple of hours.

Asian America cannot, or will not, demand as much respect as other minority groups. What do sports commentator Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, NBA Head Coach Dan Issell, and former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Trent Lott have in common? They all lost their jobs due to comments offensive to blacks or Hispanics. Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, baseball pitcher John Rocker, and basketball star Isaiah Thomas were all forced to apologize for racially insensitive comments.

Spit on me once, shame on you. Spit on me twice, shame on me. What will our Asian American leaders do about this potentially explosive issue? In the past, our national leaders have tended to shy away from the harsh lights of TV cameras, nicely fitting our stereotype as quiet, obedient people. As media-hound lawyer Johnny Cochran single-handedly forces the NFL to consider more black head coaches, what will our Asian American leaders do about Shaq s offensive taunt? Write a letter?

Forgive my bitterness. I grew up in Texas, facing those "ching-chong" taunts daily while teachers averted their ears. I love basketball, and when Yao was drafted by Houston, I had to suppress my excitement, lest he turn out a complete flop. I went to see the Rockets play the LA Clippers on December 12. Yao is a huge young man with huge skills. But he s also a kid in a foreign land. You can tell by the way he carries himself when the ball is not in play. My heart goes out to Yao Ming.

Yao Ming is our Asian Jackie Robinson, though he does not face the intensity of animosity Robinson faced. Unfortunately Shaquille O Neal is the modern-day Ty Cobb, the rough-playing baseball superstar who used the n-word on Robinson.

"I look forward to breaking down that mother------- s body," Shaq said of Yao Ming. "He said my name three times, two in Chinese and one in American. You don t ever call me out. I m from LSU." Yao has never "called" Shaq out.

But I am calling Shaq out. Come on down to Chinatown, Shaq. You disrespect Asian America, and we will break you down. Perhaps when you and the Lakers come to Houston on January 17 to play Yao Ming and the Rockets, the Asian American community will have a press conference waiting for you. Perhaps there, before a national audience, you can apologize to Yao Ming, forfeit your NAACP award, and implore young people not to follow your example.

Or perhaps nothing will happen. Another racial slur will be left to sink slowly into the Asian American collective unconscious and ferment as self-loathing. And then we ll only have ourselves to call out.

This is an outrage! This article made me so angry that I started to freestyle rap in the meanest voice I've ever made. The public should do something about this instead of ignore it! I wish I could be put in the ring with him, I'd definately knock him out in a boxing match!

thoughts and opinion?

btw check this out.

http://www.ilsuperficiale.it/asianprince213/index.html

put your cursor on the pink word at the top of the page that says possible dats, then click on possible princess2.

[Jedi Marksman]

That is utterly disgusting of SHAQ to do that, even in jest. I hope the NBA fines his ass. If it had been reversed and Ming had made a stereotypical "black" caricature attempt, all hell would have broken loose. This is what we do not need.

this is a few months old and shaq owns j00

just another example of political correctness gone wild. it wasnt that big of a deal yet now that simple statement has turned into a world wide debate and has been blown way the hell and gone out of proportion. im all for racial equality. but im not in favor of every little thing someone says in an off handed way making a whole race of people cry..HE HURT MY FEELINGS. i say to that...GROW THE HELL UP AND FIND SOMETHING REAL TO CRY ABOUT. theres plenty of problems in this world to figure out without wasting time on what some dim witted basketball player said to a reporter. OH NO..i just did it again. ive insulted every basketball player who ever took the court. i guess im an evil racist person. WHAT A LOAD OF BULLSHIT.

[quote="Jedi Marksman":48b4b]That is utterly disgusting of SHAQ to do that, even in jest. I hope the NBA fines his ass. If it had been reversed and Ming had made a stereotypical "black" caricature attempt, all hell would have broken loose. This is what we do not need.[/quote:48b4b]

Ming had made a stereotypical "black" caricature attempt, all hell would have broken loose.

thats part is true enough. and if it had gone that way. IT WOULD STILL BE BULLSHIT.

[Jedi Marksman]

Originally Posted by Blitz

this is a few months old and shaq owns j00

You're not dead yet? I thought I told you to die.

My point is, PC aside, these sort of comments can be blown out of proportion and therefore should be avoided. Shaq probably did not mean anything by it, however, if it insults someone, then the damage is done. That is my point. biggrin:

HIS QUOTE:

This is an outrage! This article made me so angry that I started to freestyle rap in the meanest voice I've ever made. The public should do something about this instead of ignore it! I wish I could be put in the ring with him, I'd definately knock him out in a boxing match!

the reference to rap..was that a racial slur. as for the boxing match..NOW WERE TALKIN.. ID PAY MONEY TO SEE THAT ON PAY PER VIEW.

[Jedi Marksman]

Originally Posted by BUTCH

HIS QUOTE:



the reference to rap..was that a racial slur. as for the boxing match..NOW WERE TALKIN.. ID PAY MONEY TO SEE THAT ON PAY PER VIEW.

Definitely. Can you hear Don King saying "hmmmm. I could make this happen".

[quote="Jedi Marksman":6aa43]

Originally Posted by Blitz

this is a few months old and shaq owns j00

You're not dead yet? I thought I told you to die.

My point is, PC aside, these sort of comments can be blown out of proportion and therefore should be avoided. Shaq probably did not mean anything by it, however, if it insults someone, then the damage is done. That is my point. biggrin:[/quote:6aa43]

NOPE...not dead yet. as for your comment. in a perfect world that idea would work just fine. this is not a perfect world by any stretch of the imagination. people have to expect to hear things they dont like once in a while. as for the comment made. im sure that pissed off a bunch of people. does shaq care..thats the real question here. im sure the answer is NO..personally when i hear someone say something i dont like i generally just consider the source and move on. you take the reporter. the first few lines are about what happened...ALL THE REST ARE HIM CRYING ABOUT IT. that reporter will do more harm with that artical then shaq did with the statement. so maybe its the reporter whos causing all the trouble. if something bad happens to shaq like someone does harm to him over this article. could we then blame the reporter as much as shaq for what happened.

[Old Reliable]

roflmao if you saw shaq make that comment you would laugh your ass off. i didnt think of it as a derogatory comment, and he doesnt really give a rats ass

[quote="Old Reliable":c5d48]roflmao if you saw shaq make that comment you would laugh your ass off. i didnt think of it as a derogatory comment, and he doesnt really give a rats ass[/quote:c5d48]


FINALLY....a voice of reason. i expect most people saw it the same as you.

[Vance]

Too bad if someone made a derogatory statement against blacks he would probably get a fine or even worse.....but no, black people can make fun of who they want. Sad.

[Old Reliable]

fuck that, if you look through life as whether something is racist or not you will never enjoy yourself and always be disatisfied

i thought it was funny. since it was on asian prince's website. didnt even know it was true. btw did you guys even go to the possibly gay date section?

[Jedi Marksman]

[quote=BUTCH]

Originally Posted by "Jedi Marksman":2c48d

You're not dead yet? I thought I told you to die.

My point is, PC aside, these sort of comments can be blown out of proportion and therefore should be avoided. Shaq probably did not mean anything by it, however, if it insults someone, then the damage is done. That is my point. biggrin:

NOPE...not dead yet.[/quote:2c48d]


Not you, BUTCH, that was for my good friend, Blitz. biggrin: