http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/25/sports/calipari-apologizes-publicly-for-his-slur.html Calipari Apologizes Publicly for His Slur EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., March 24— Nets Coach John Calipari read a statement tonight apologizing to Dan Garcia, a reporter for The Star-Ledger of Newark, for profanely yelling at Garcia last week and calling him a ''Mexican idiot.'' ''I would like to apologize to Dan Garcia for my ill-advised attempt at humor and insensitivity for the remark,'' Calipari said before the Nets lost to the Lakers, 109-84, tonight at the Meadowlands. ''In retrospect, I can understand how the remark could have been misinterpreted. I have apologized to him personally and in writing. In no way was my intent to be derogatory in a racial context, and I am sorry for any pain my remarks have caused.'' Garcia, who has covered the Nets for about a decade, said he has not spoken with Calipari since the incident occurred Thursday afternoon in the Ramapo College parking lot in Mahwah, N.J., after a Nets practice. He got a letter of apology tonight, and although it was not handed to him by Calipari, Garcia said he would accept it. The public apology came after a day of meetings by the Nets to address the situation. The National Basketball Association was also in contact with the Nets. Part of what came out of those meetings was an agreement by Calipari to issue the apology. ''I think with the fact that Dan accepted the apology, then that's what we had in mind,'' said Terry Lyons, a league spokesman. ''We're glad Calipari apologized.'' No details were announced about the meeting between the team management and Calipari. However, someone close to the situation said that Calipari had not been fined but that there was a reprimand of sorts and a warning that any similar conduct would not be tolerated. Nets President Michael Rowe would not comment on whether Calipari's contract contained a conduct code. The Nets signed Calipari, 38, former coach at the University of Massachusetts, to a five-year, $15 million contract last summer as vice president of basketball operations and head coach. He has the final say on all basketball-related decisions. Nets officials, who issued a public team apology on Sunday, have been clear that Calipari's remarks toward Garcia were viewed as harmful to the image the Nets want to build. ''It's disturbing because it's out of character for both John Calipari and unprecedented for the Nets,'' Rowe said today. ''We've not had a history of this, nor has he. It distracts from the work we're trying to do with this franchise. We're trying to be a community-based, inclusive organization, and remarks like this, while they were given spontaneously and probably in anger, make people think we are not that type of organization.'' Garcia has not commented on the encounter specifically, but he has not denied eyewitness accounts of the incident as follows: Calipari was having a heated conversation with a New York Post reporter, Fred Kerber, about news media coverage of the Nets. Calipari saw Garcia across the parking lot and yelled in his direction, profanely calling him a ''Mexican idiot.'' Kerber tried to calm Calipari, who yelled, ''He gave me a D,'' referring to a midseason report card Garcia had written about the team. Garcia walked over to Calipari and asked him whether he had a problem with him. The two exchanged words. At one point, Garcia told Calipari he thought he was acting like a ''5-year old.'' Calipari replied, ''If you ever say that again, I will punch you in the face.'' Toward the end of the confrontation, Calipari apologized to Garcia if the ethnic remark had offended him. But Calipari added that if Garcia could not take a joke, he would not talk to him anymore. Calipari had not commented on the incident publicly until tonight. ''I consider this matter closed,'' he said in ending his statement. ''I will have no further comment.'' The difference? Batman Jones never apologized. These remarks are clearly xenophobic, and as it was not done once in the heat of the moment, but done several times over the span of a few years, it is an indication of his character and general xenophobic attitude, not only of his temper. It is interesting that often enough, those who always try to portray themselves as "holier-than-thou" are the ones who harbor such resentments as shown above.
i would have to say mexico too. and a black person could get by there, but they would more than likely have to put up w/ more stares and rude comments than a white person (not to discourage anyone from traveling there - its a beautiful country). ill never forget walking around the main zocalo in guadalajara and seeing this group of like 10 kids run up to a chinese couple yelling "chino, chino" and pulling the sides of their eyes back, laughing hysterically.
I know I'm going to break my own rule here and talk about a country that I haven't been to but I'll be a hypocrite and do it anyway. I've heard nothing but good things about Brazil. I know they're very diverse and all the Brazilians I've met seem to be very open-minded people. I've heard Europeans are xenophobic to non-whites, which is largely due to the fact that this is the first time in a very very long time that people are immigrating to Europe(traditionally they would immigrate from Europe to America or Brazil or Canada, but now a lot of North Africans, Arabs, are immigrating.) I find that here in the US, it all depends on who you're with and where you are. It also seems to me that the younger a person is, the less xenophobic/racist they are. I know it's a pipe dream, but it makes you wonder if my grandchildren will grow up in a world where there is no racism.
"They" is always a word best used with caution when speaking of the inhabitants of a country, something we certainly could agree on, I think, but the Japanese "in general" seem to regard Koreans as being on a level somewhat below themselves, which would neatly fit inder xenophobia. I'd be happy to be proven wrong, as I enjoyed Japan while I was there. For such a small, crowded country, parts of it are utterly beautiful and we were treated very, very well. Of course, we aren't Korean.
Of course we agree on that . I believe that Koreans still hold a grudge against the Japanese because of the history between the two countries. I am in Korea right now and will be in Japan at the end of the month, so I'll try to talk to a few people and gauge their feelings regarding this (answers probably become more honest after a few beers). A Japanese friend once told me that Japanese people have nothing against Koreans and that Koreans say they have nothing against Japanese people, but after many beers, Koreans would start blaming them for the past. I know that it used to be ingrained in my mother's brain that Japanese people are bad, because they oppressed people in the village she grew up in...randomly killed people, etc. My (Korean) grandfather fought against them, and as a reward, after the Japanese were driven out, he was offered the largest "house" in the village, which previously belonged to the Japanese commander. He refused to take it because Japanese people lived in there... I find it interesting, because to me, they sort of all look the same , yet they apparently think of themselves as so different from each other.
I've never been to Korea, Japan, or China, but I've always found the far east fascinating. I've long considered making a trip to that region of the world...which specific country do you suggest? On a side note, xenophobia that exists amongst countries that house virtually the same demographic is truly rediculous. I've witnessed it myself in Pakistan where certain people will hold reservations against being called 'Indian' and hold negative stereotypes against Indian people, even though less than a century ago they were all Indians.
I think we have the most wide array of people on that spectrum. But on average, we are bottom 25% of being Xenophobic. Most in U.S. are decently accepting, especially when the economy isn't bad.
I haven't been to many countries and never really paid attention to xenophobia, but I have noticed that Germany is not very fond of foreigners.
I'm fairly proficient at telling different Asian nationalities apart. The differences are subtle, similar to the differences between the Irish/Scots/English vs. French, Germans, etc. But anyway, despite being unfailingly polite, the Japanese are rather xenophobic, and my understanding of the history of the Japanese culture is that's it has ALWAYS been that way. They have a very strong notion of what it is to be Japanese and they want to preserve that. The history of Asia is one of conflict and conquest, and recent history (WWII) between Japan, China, and Korea has left a lot of bad blood between the nations, mostly directed against the Japanese, who were the oppressors. I'd say France is much the same way with regard to xenophobia, especially given their fairly recent shift from major world power to 2nd tier world power. The US (and Canada) are far-and-away the least xenophobic nations in the world. This is a result as our status as "new" nations and cultures and, especially in the case of the US, economic super powers, which result in many different peoples from many different backgrounds wanting to come here, be here, live their lives here, etc. For the record, I don't see a wish or a desire to preserve one's culture as xenophobic. Xenophobia might stem from a desire to preserve your culture, but a desire to preserve your culture doesn't necessarily make you xenophobic.
First, I largely agree about the US and Canada. I was going to put the US, thought about it, and believing that Canada is less xenophobic than the US in the current climate, at least in certain regions of the US, that I just stuck with those wonderful Canadians. The second part that I bolded is something I agree with, pretty much, but you need to understand that xenophobia, as I'm looking at it with regard to Japan, is racially based. Yes, preserving their culture is of paramount interest to them, but the xenophobia traditionally directed towards Koreans, in my opinion, is race based. "They" simply see them as being on a lower plane than the Japanese as a race. I'd love to be proven wrong about those feelings in today's Japan, and will add that those feelings are certainly not held universally by the Japanese people.
There are big differences between Countries in Europe. But if you want to generalize it is more against Muslims than Non-whites. I used te feel like the Netherlands was a open and tolerant country, but with the way things are going now a days I do not believe that anymore, Geert Wilders is much to popular for a tolerant country. The group of people who are xenophobic against muslims is growing. Luckely for me the city I live in is a very tolerant city in general, which is mostly caused by the fact that we have a university in my city, and there are many different cultures present here. It is just sad what Wilders has done to my country, and now he might become part of our government. In the Netherlands, Black and asian (east asia, china Indonesia etc) are accepted easily, nowadays it seems that muslims, and especially Marrocan people are discriminated against.
Having known many Japanese and Koreans in general there is no love lost between them. The Japanese call the Koreans "Garlic Eaters" which is an ethnic slur. At the same time the Koreans have long resented the Japanese for several periods of brutal occupation. Japan's relationship with the rest of Asia has been pretty uneven and since the Meiji Restoration has been one of love hate. There is still a simmering bitterness among most of Asia for what the Japanese did during WWII, for those interested to see that bitterness on display just google "Yakusuni Shrine". Among the Japanese though there are still people who have never gotten over the idea that they are a divine people. With Japan's economic power and close alliance with the US in the Cold War though many countries have been welcoming of Japanese investment and tourism. That said if Japan ever amended its post war Constitution to remilitarize you will see anti-Japanese protests from Seoul to Jakarta.
Back on subject. Saudi Arabia is the most xenophobic country that I have been too and Canada the least. Those standards are based both by culture and policy. Ireland for me seemed very welcoming but a friend of mine wasn't treated very well a few times in Dublin because people thought he was Polish. Apparently its great if you are Chinese (Chinese-American at least) but not so if you are a Polish..
Its a fine line. For instance the French subsidizing their wine and cheese industries along with the promotion of the French language is preservation of your culture and not xenophobic but where you are trying to shut out peole, treating foreigners as second class citizens and denying them rights that is xenophobic.
