Hi, I don't want to be redundant. But it seems that no one out of 30 posts is taking the other thread seriously enough to have real discussion. But if the Mods want to merge the threads or move them I would understand. The racism question came up in chat yesterday and while I didn't agree, it struck me, I wanted to discuss but didn't because I had little chance to think about it. But here's what I posted in the other thread: I want to debunk something that was mentioned other there -- racism isn't prejudice against Blacks. Blacks can themselves be racist. So can Asians and any other minority. So Kobe getting calls doesn't mean the refs aren't racist. Again I'm not saying they are, but that reasoning is flawed. I don't think Asian ballers get enough respect. We are viewed as on a whole as soft players. And guys like Wang Zhi Zhi did nothing to dispel this myth, every time I saw him play I was like "thanks a lot". I mean I've experienced this first hand, whether in pickup or organized basketball. It almost like I have to prove myself before they'll pass me the ball (unless the game is relatively weak then I just hog it ). But back on topic, if the refs share this subconscious view, then when Yao is hacked, they may think he's only flopping, that the contact was weaker than it is. While you can't just come out and say the refs are racist (it's not like they're making Yao drink at a different drinking fountain), that they are prejudiced is a valid perception (note I said valid not correct). Whether it's Yao's race or size is another valid question. But in any case, Yao is in a sense like Jackie Robinson, the first of his race to really break into a sport. I hate making that comparison because obviously he magnitudes are different and society is different now, but on a fundamental level there's a similarity. So on some level Yao will have the same struggles getting fair treatment in the league. In any case, I'm not trying to transfer blame or find a scapegoat or anything. I think if Yao were to take the ball to the basketball more aggresively he'd force the refs to call more fouls... although would they be offensive fouls? But I just think this question is interesting from a social perspective. Go Rox. I will now put on my flame r****dant jacket.
Come on Yipeng. One "NBA refs are racist/prejudiced" thread is enough for the whole darn season, much less one day.
I know I know. But in chat yesterday someone mentioned it and it got me thinking. Over in the other thread the starting post is too extreme... people are just reading the first post, and then straight to bashville. I think it deserves a little more consideration. But hey you know I could be wrong.
the burden falls on yao, you think he is just going to come into the league and be handed everything on a golden platter? don't think so no matter his ethnicity, yao has to show he wants to take over that he can handle the physical abuse and even dish it out, until he does that get used to your idol getting punked by refs and players alike.
as i wrote in the other thread, we need to hear from the refs why they make calls on yao differently, until then we can only call them biased against yao. calling someone a racist is one of the worse things you can call someone today. funny thing though, is that in the right company, almost everyone acknowledges the differences percieved in races and often times those perceptions are wrong and would be considered racist in different company. Truth is, yes, everybody is racist in some way shape or form, black, white, yellow, brown, whatever, the human mind is an automatic categorizer, and categorizing things due to their appearance and shape is the first and easiest way to sort things and look for patterns. basically, i believe there are two camps, and people usually fall anywhere in between. the first is that all races are different, each ethnicity has particular biological functions that are different from other races, there is a hierarchy at who is better at what. the second camp is that all human beings are equal. In today's society, we try to keep the second camp a reality, although for thousands of years before us, the first ideology was the norm. I'm not going to say that there is a hierarchy, nor am i going to say that everyone is equal, but i believe the idea of civility, is treating everyone equal until proven otherwise.
Is there any particular reason why you deserve your own thread when one already exists? what a maarrrooonnn.
Yao shouldn't have a golden platter handed to him, but neither should Lebron or Carmelo, yet they consistently receive the star treatment from officials. All three of these young players have displayed skill and talent that belies their age, and have also shown that they still have a lot to learn. Interesting that Yao still gets the short end of the stick...I do feel that there is some psychology at play here, though I don't think (or know) if it is outright racsim. Maybe it really is just that big men are expected to take more of a beating, however, you don't see other bigs get hacked like Yao, except Shaq who dishes out more than his fair share w/o getting called for offensive violations. Interesting dilemna for Yao...I am sure the Rox are looking into this.
That is exactly the criticism I have against these refs. These obvious fouls against Yao are called out routinely in the league, but almost all referees swallow whistles if it's Yao. It seems that as long as Yao is not murdered on the court, the refs will let them play. And whenever Yao does sth remotely similar to what Shaq does, he is called for an offensive foul with no hesitation from the refs. I don't even need to go to details about the ticky tacky fouls he gets called on the defensive end. Bron and Melo get all calls and yet Yao is a bigger star and gets no calls. No matter how you spin the story, what the refs do on the court do lead people (especially Asian people) to believe that the refs are biased against Asian athletes. I sincerely believe that if Yao were black or white, he would get 5-6 more calls each game right now. The only way that Yao wants to get favorable calls at this stage of his career is to play for the Lakers. The pressure on the refs will have them blow the whistle more often, no matter whether they are willing to do it or not.
