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Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:05 pm EDT

Another Spanish team discovered making eye-slant gesture

By Chris Chase

A picture recently discovered on the website of the Spanish Tennis Federation shows the nation's Federation Cup team making an eye-slant gesture, according to a report in London's Telegraph. The shot was apparently snapped in February, prior to Spain's Federation Cup match with China.

It's the second such picture of a Spanish sports team to emerge in the past week. Spain's basketball team made a similar gesture in an advertisement for a courier company that was published prior to the Olympics in the newspaper La Marca.

If you didn't read Adrian Wojnarowski's column on the picture controversy yesterday, I highly recommend it. In the piece, Jason Kidd makes a salient point when he asks what the reaction would have been if an American team had been photographed mocking an entire nation. He says there is a double-standard that exists with Americans and, by extension, their teams. He's exactly right. However, Kidd and his teammates would never be ignorant enough to put themselves in this situation.

 

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20 Comments

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  1. Josh
    1. Posted by Josh Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:26 pm EDT

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    wow, jason kidd nailed it down there.
  2. Fong H
    2. Posted by Fong H Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:13 pm EDT

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    Just goes to show u there r still a lot of racist people in this world. Especially the spainards . Just look at their history and what they did in south america.
  3. Wild 4 U
    3. Posted by Wild 4 U Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:45 pm EDT

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    The U.S. would of said it's their right to jest. Just like Abu Grahib was also mean't to be taken as a Joke..... NOT.
  4. Kevin J
    4. Posted by Kevin J Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:50 pm EDT

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    wow is right! How do people get away with this kind of s**t when you know any body on the Redeem team would have been just roasted.
  5. jose
    5. Posted by jose Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:10 pm EDT

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    dumb mexicans
  6. Dr. O
    6. Posted by Dr. O Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:18 pm EDT

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    As an Chinese-American I'm very insulted and disappointed with the Spanish people involved in these photographs.
    I have been a target of mocking and insults with this types of jestures in the USA and Latin America in the past. And from a personal point of view it was painful to me.
    People of the World (Spanish people in specific)!!!! Please take NOTE: The PHOTO is insulting,and do not act like you don't understand why Asian feels negatively about it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  7. d_st
    7. Posted by d_st Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:49 pm EDT

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    China should nuke the stupid racist Spaniards. Spaniards are a waste of human existence. Boycott Spanish products then kill them all and take their land. Who wants in?
  8. roberto s
    8. Posted by roberto s Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:54 pm EDT

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    #5 serves as a perfect illustration. Mexico and Spain are two completely different countries. He probably believes everybody who speaks english is American. One ignorant act deserves another I suppose.
  9. sardines
    9. Posted by sardines Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:48 pm EDT

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    Well, maybe those athlete are not mature yet, I will just think that they are only 7 years old and still need a lot of lessons from their parents. Im sure they are morethan 18 years old, but their thinking ability is around 5-7 years old... :)
  10. A Yahoo! User
    10. Posted by A Yahoo! User Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:38 pm EDT

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    the olympics committe should ban the team from the next olympics.
  11. Hui Y
    11. Posted by Hui Y Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:21 pm EDT

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    Funny that an American calls a European ignorant. If the Olympics would have been in NY and they would have pose with cowboy hats you would think it was cute. I hope the Spaniards don't apologize and see if the world grows up a bit. All this story is just a way for the media to sale more. They have us by the balls.
    Hui
  12. Chris J
    12. Posted by Chris J Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:47 pm EDT

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    Proof is in the pudding. Spain's eye slant gestures are poor and their medal cout even poorer. Guess one gets exposure in whatever way is possible. Truth of it is, this behavior is childish and inexcusable. An apology is necessary but I doubt forthcoming. Even when confronted and their deplorable behavior denounced, they still stand in ignorant defiance....emphasis on IGNORANT!
  13. d_st
    13. Posted by d_st Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:49 pm EDT

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    Spanish are drug dealers and toilet cleaners. Spanish have the mind of a 7 year old.
  14. carla a
    14. Posted by carla a Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:16 pm EDT

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    i dont get it, why would this mean a racial slur? people seem to be getting too onion-skinnned ! especially since this was done with big smiles on their faces, and they look cute too. meaning the chinese people look cute with thier chinky eyes, like they always have a ready smile on their faces, aint that nice? let's not be too negative and put malice in everyone's actuations. the world needs more happiness than biases, please.....
  15. jojorjr55
    15. Posted by jojorjr55 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:40 pm EDT

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    get it right there not mexicans not even close.
  16. d_st
    16. Posted by d_st Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:49 pm EDT

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    This is why you have to piss on Spanish. People put up with dumb Spanish. Why is America letting so many Spanish in America? Throw them all back in the gutter. America has too many janitors already.
  17. Dr. O
    17. Posted by Dr. O Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:18 pm EDT

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    Calla a #14 , ARE YOU FOR REAL !!!!!!! You are very insulting to all Asians(and Chinese in specific) !!!
  18. Bos
    18. Posted by Bos Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:11 pm EDT

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    Maybe I'm too naive, but is having eye slants being something bad? Or why is making this jesture considered as mocking a nation? If somebody puts blue contact lenses, is he mocking the blue eyed people? Or wearing a cowboy hat would mean mocking the Americans? In my opinion, eye slants can be extremely beautiful, looking into the eyes of my adopted Vietnamese daughter...
    We have these days the problem that everything is immediately considered as hostile and bad.
  19. j k
    19. Posted by j k Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm EDT

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    The Spaniards behave worse than 3rd graders. My 3rd grade daughter is more mature than they are...
  20. oly
    20. Posted by oly Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:52 pm EDT

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    This just goes to show that there are many racists in the world, and worst of all, they don´t even realize it (and Spain is probably one of the worst countries). But there is also a lot of racism in the United States. The only difference is that that Americans cannot say or show these things in public because it is politically incorrect and individuals with certain positions or place of work usually get punished for these acts. The U.S is full of places where minorites are discriminated and looked down upon, whether it´s in schools, places of work or teams.

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