Jeremy Lin = The Shaolin Monk?

[Shaolin Wookie]

I love to see a breakout player who has talent, yet has been benched by prior teams.

As for the racial issue, seems absolutely ridiculous to play that angle. Just shows how people still have racial solidarity at the root of their prejudices, which is not really a good thing if you sit a minute and think about it.

I went to an Olympic Game in 1996--USA vs. China. It was an all-out dunkfest for the USA, but I didn't walk out of hte game saying---man, those Chinese people certainly can't play basketball; nor did I say--man, blacks and whites can sure kick the crap out of Asians in professional sports. Who cares?

Now, a midget in the NBA, then we could talk about something....

[Shaolin Wookie]

Actually, as a 5'0'' white kid trying out for high school basketball, I recall hearing the white high school coach calling out during tryouts--"If you're not 6'0 and black, then we're not looking at you right now." Meaning, he had his core starters (some of whom were white, one of whom was 6'10''), but he was looking to fill in other slots. I was good enough at 5'0" to kill it in rec leagues, but I understood that I probably didn't have the skills for a regimented team that competed for state championships every year. But if you looked at the surface, the coach's comment might be singled out as racial discrimination, or mabye heightalism.

I guess that's why I find these "they didn't take me seriously because I'm asian" stories very unconvincing. Sure, Lin had some honors attached to his name. But so did Christian Laettner...LOL. Can't always trust a list of merits and honors. Proof is always in the puddin'

Maybe his puddin' got lost in the shuffle, or maybe it matured late.

[Jimbo]

I agree with you to an extent, but if you think people aren't ever judged on their appearance (which can include race) in many aspects of life, then you are wrong. It happened in the past, and it still happens now. It happens in many walks of life, professions/pursuits. People tend to have expectations or judgments about other people, positive or otherwise, based on how they look. It's natural, and it occurs naturally several times a day, whether we're conscious of it or not.

I'll give an example. In a fighting division at a tournament, there was a short, white, slightly chunky, nerdy-looking (and nervous-looking) guy in the lineup. A lot of the c0cky, tough-looking guys were trying to line up close to him, seeing him as an easy target. Well, it turned out, everyone got it wrong, and he was very good, very rough and very aggressive, and could take a hit. Everyone had automatically assumed, based on his looks, that he would be a pushover. This is a different case altogether from Jeremy Lin, but I think you get the idea that we all make automatic judgments about people all the time, whether we're right or not.

Of course, IMO Jeremy Lin should be appreciated for his work on the basketball court, and that's it.

[Shaolin Wookie]

In a fighting division at a tournament, there was a short, white, slightly chunky, nerdy-looking (and nervous-looking) guy in the lineup.

We're all friends here. No need to hide behind lables. It was you, wasn't it.


JK.

[Jimbo]

Nah...I was one of those who had underestimated the guy. I'm of Asian descent, BTW.

[enoajnin]

I just spent the afternoon watching the Knicks play the Mavericks. It was a thoroughly enjoyable game. The Knicks won. Spike Lee wore a Jeremy Lin jersey from Harvard. And Lin played really well, including an F. U to Seven Foot Dirk by shooting a three over his head.

Here is the problem. In no rational world should I give two cents about the Knicks. It's New York, unless you are from there, you hate all their professional teams. And if you don't, you need to see a doctor. Yet, here I am rooting them on to beat the Mavs. It's Bizarro world and Jeremy Lin is at the root of it.

The thing is, it's a Disney feel good movie played out in real time. It's the best reality show on TV. In the next chapter played Monday night, we find out how the return of Carmelo Anthony will effect the team. Will Anthony be the selfish guy who kills the chemistry that has been created over the last two weeks? Or will Carmelo buy into the new found team first mentality infusing the team? I don't want to watch. But I need to know.

[Shaolin Wookie]

Lin is definitely the real deal. I don't think he's going to gel well with Carmello, though. Nevertheless, Lin is the real deal.

As a side note, ESPN fired a commentator for making a joke after one of Lin's great performances that "some lucky lady will be getting a couple inches of pleasure tonight!" The Asian PC community crucified the commentator for making a joke that capitalized on p3n1s length of asians, and they managed to influence ESPN to get the guy canned.


REally?

Nobody has a sense of humor anymore. Are white guys and Puerto Ricans the only ones who don't get all angry when someone makes a racial joke anymore?

[enoajnin]

I know one guy got fired and the on air announcer got suspended for 30 days for the ***** in the armor comment.

I think the only reason Lin knew about it was because people kept asking him about it.

[GeneChing]

Attachment 6869Ch*ink in the Armor!? Should we, Asians, get all hot and heavy over this? C'mon ESPN, you should know better!

We can't even say "Ch*ink" here in this forum, what makes it OK for ESPN?? I dunno but my panties are all in a bunch over this poor choice of words.

No worries, ShaolinDiva. ESPN fired that writer. You can unbunch your panties now.

ESPN fires writer of offensive headline about Jeremy Lin
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 8:02 AM EST, Mon February 20, 2012

(CNN) -- ESPN has fired the employee responsible for writing an offensive headline about basketball sensation Jeremy Lin and suspended an anchor who used the same ethnic slur, the sports network said Sunday.

The headline read "***** in the Armor," referencing the New York Knicks' 89-85 loss Friday night to the New Orleans Hornets that ended the team's season-high winning streak.

The phrase has two meanings; one is an ethnic slur.

Lin, 23, came off the bench earlier this month to guide the Knicks to win after improbable win. The unlikely star of Taiwanese descent quickly turned into a global brand and "Linsanity" became the phrase of the times.

The ESPN headline Saturday morning was up for 35 minutes before being removed, but the damage was done. The network apologized Saturday and said it was "engaged in a thorough review."

It also apologized for a question ESPN anchor Max Bretos asked Wednesday night: "If there is a ***** in the armor, where can Lin improve his game?"

The network said Sunday that a third reference was made on ESPN Radio New York on Friday.

"The incidents were separate and different," ESPN said in a statement Sunday. "We have engaged in a thorough review of all three."

Lin addressed the controversy during a news conference Sunday following the Knicks' 104-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks, the defending national champions. He said he did not think the headline was intentional.

"I don't think it was on purpose," Lin said. "At the same time, they've apologized. I don't care anymore."

ESPN said the writer of the headline that appeared on the network's mobile website has been dismissed. Bretos has been suspended for 30 days. The radio commentator was not an ESPN employee.

"We again apologize, especially to Mr. Lin," ESPN said. "His accomplishments are a source of great pride to the Asian-American community, including the Asian-American employees at ESPN.

"Through self-examination, improved editorial practices and controls, and response to constructive criticism, we will be better in the future," ESPN said.

What gets me is that Lin is like me - He's CALIFORNIAN more than Chinese. Born in LA, raised in Palo Alto (just across Dumbo bridge from where I'm sitting right now).

[Shaolin Wookie]

No worries, ShaolinDiva. ESPN fired that writer. You can unbunch your panties now.



What gets me is that Lin is like me - He's CALIFORNIAN more than Chinese. Born in LA, raised in Palo Alto (just across Dumbo bridge from where I'm sitting right now).

[Warning: somewhat unrelated commentary]

I think it's one of those weird ambiguities in Anglo-American culture. We never clearly define "race," and so our racial/cultural designations are always whacked out. In point of fact, many cultures don't make a good distinction. Back in the 1800s, "race" was closer to "linguistic-group" or "nationality." Nowadays, "race" can be anything from skin color to "linguistic-group" to "nationality" to some agglomeration of stereotypes. Lin is "Chinese" by way of genealogy, but it makes no sense to call him Chinese except that he looks stereotypically/genetically Asian, and he speaks one of the Chinese dialects. He might be more "Californian," but it wouldn't make as much sense to call him that, since "Californian" doesn't really evoke any stereotypical-genetic schematic the way "Chinese" does to Americans.

People seem only to get offended because we have no idea WHAT a race is anymore. By all means, "stereotpyical" asian classification has no normative value attached to it. It should be the least offensive variety of racial identification, but it has become demonized by cultural sensitivity cliques who seem to gripe about WHAT a "race" actually is, when it isn't really anything but a general and superficial classification. They keep shifting the discussion to normative valuations or the need for a lack of normative valuations instead of just defining their terms.

[GeneChing]

Jeremy Lin the Movie

[GeneChing]

He should go to Shaolin to recovery...

Jeremy Lin tweets photo of himself recovering in hospital bed
By Chuck Schilken
April 3, 2012, 10:46 a.m.

@JLin7

Praise God for a successful surgery...road to recovery! Lets goo. Much love to the fans for your support and kind words pic.twitter.com/K5AvGRIq
2 Apr 12

Jeremy Lin has been in seemingly constant contact with his fans since undergoing knee surgery Monday, sending out a photo of himself recovering in his hospital bed (above) on Twitter and participating in a lengthy Q&A session on his Facebook page after he returned home that night.

The photo itself may not be the most uplifting -- who wants to see their hero hooked up to an IV? -- but the spirit behind it certainly was: “Praise God for a successful surgery…road to recovery! Lets goo. Much love to the fans for your support and kind words," the New York Knicks star point guard tweeted.

According to the Knicks, the surgery on a chronic small meniscal tear in Lin's left knee was successful. He's expected to be out for about six weeks, although he wrote during the Facebook Q&A: "i hope ill be back for the playoffs! its killin me to watch the team without being able to play but i need to make sure my knee is 100% before i get back on the court so we will wait and see"

The NBA playoffs begin April 28.

Also during the Q&A, Lin admitted to being "deathly afraid of needles," joked that he wouldn't commit any turnovers the next six weeks, said he was going to start rehab on Tuesday and broke the hearts of many young fans by informing them: "im sorry i cant go to any proms, i will still be rehabbing, practicing and at knicks games lol."

Just how dedicated is Lin to his fans? Judge for yourself based on this tweet Monday night: "WOW just threw up in the middle of the Q&A lol. time to get some rest but before i go just wanna say much love to all you fans!"