Racism? If you call racism the spanish team photo. In this commercial all the three dumb seeds are foreing.

“This brings us back to the pc madness of the 80s when people like Linda Bellos ran reigns of terror in town halls across London. Remember tea and coffee with or without milk and chalkboards? ”
How many people did Linda Bellos guillotine? No, I don’t remember tea and coffee with or without milk and chalkboards. I remember stories about them in the gutter press, but I don’t remember any actual demostrable occurrences.

One knows it when one sees it, however unsatisactory that might be. We all just have to rub along and strike some sort of balance.

I’m rereading Women on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy and trying to work out whether it is feminist, sexist or both.

I think you are off track on this one. Sunny is probably going to bar me for this one but I have evidence of the proclavities of leading members of London BNP for black rent boys! Mmm, that will get tongues wagging!

The picture was not racist – offensive and (certainly) ill-advised perhaps but not racist.

Indeed, I am reminded of my Taiwanese friend who always told me that she felt Europeans all looked the same.

Like with what is black I am still waiting for a definition of racism

Finding the definition of “racism”, perhaps, is a good starting point to avoid cheapening it by using it in every damn context.

To me, racism is the belief that people who share common physical traits, such as skin colour, are also bound by other characteristics such as intelligence and behaviour. People who are racists are against miscegenation because it follows naturally that superior traits are “dumb down” with those from lesser races. The reason why racism is wrong – besides the fact that science (biology and genetics) say that racist beliefs are unfounded – is that it pre-boxes people because they are born a certain way: you are born X, so therefore you are Y. Prejudice and bigotry.

So, in that context, I don’t see how either case (Iranian swimmer and Spaniard basketball team) can be considered racist. The former seems to be a political gesture, something utterly unacceptable in the Olympic games – and I would severely punish anyone for such actions if it was indeed deliberate. The latter seems – and I agree with what was said before – a juvenile stunt. It seems harmless in the context where they – as Spaniards – are the minority in China. But it is not funny at all when you are East Asian and you are teased in Europe because your eyes are different. I believe 4th graders in Spain deserve better sport role-models than this.

It is interesting that what is racism is being asked. Perhaps the Spanish are not being racist atall but just pointing out the different racial characteristic of chinese people which is obvious to anyone able to see.

This brings us back to the pc madness of the 80s when people like Linda Bellos ran reigns of terror in town halls across London. Remember tea and coffee with or without milk and chalkboards? It seems ludicrous now but people lost their jobs over this madness. Like with what is black I am still waiting for a definition of racism

Oooops.

Its political correctness gone mad! hehe.

“That’s the first chink in their armour…”

Oooops.

There are a lot of different kinds of racism; it’s quite possible that it doesn’t occur to Spaniards that they are being racist until it’s pointed out.

“generally Spaniards are not hostile to their immediate neighbours. When General Franco launched the attempted coup that turned into a civil way he did so from Morocco using Moroccan troops under Spanish officers.”

I doubt if that made most Spaniards any more sympathetic to Moroccans, Billerickaydickie.

The Spanish one I am more prone to question whether it’s racism at all. Ignorant? Maybe. Yes, they may have been making fun of the Chinese. But do they HATE the Chinese? I don’t think so.

You sound like a good old fashioned Jew hater. Mind you, I’m with the Jews, like the Irish they kick arse.

ive never felt anything but love from spain and the spanish. spain and turkey are beacons of hope