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Me Spanish, Me Play Joke...

Posted Aug 13th 2008 1:33PM by TMZ Staff

...me slant eyes like Chinese folk.
Spanish basketball team
That's basically the apology members of the Spanish Olympic Basketball team have issued to the Chinese people after mocking their eyes in a photograph that ran in a Spanish newspaper.

In a statement, Spain's Pau Gasol -- who's also a Laker in the NBA -- said, "It was something like supposed to be funny or something but never offensive in any way. I'm sorry if anybody took it the wrong way and thought it was offensive."

But wait -- it gets better. Another Spanish player, Jose Calderon -- who also plays for the Raptors -- wrote on his blog, "We felt it was something appropriate, and that it would be interpreted as an affectionate gesture." He added, "Without a doubt, some ... press didn't see it that way." DUUUUHHHHH!!?!?!!?

Confucius say: It's not wise to make fun of those who are different from yourselves.

Lucky numbers: 10 15 21 26 28 43

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61. Wow---these guys have definite athletic ability but must be truly
intellectually slow!! What offensive behavior and stupidity! They
should be ashamed of themselves----and just think, they are
representing their country,

Posted at 5:42PM on Aug 13th 2008 by kim

62. What is the big deal about the Spanish having a little fun with the slope heads?? Their eyes do run at a funny angle!! The folks in China are named after silverware dropped on the floor!! Pong, Bing, ect.

Posted at 6:37PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Big Daddy

63. Seriously, can you even imagine the outcry from the black community if, say, an African country were sponoring the Olympics and some white or Asian people painted themselves BLACK and sat around and smiled??? They'd be crying bloody murder! Give me a break...this was clearly racist.

Posted at 6:52PM on Aug 13th 2008 by sy527

64. Big Daddy - your joke was funny but based on the substance of it, I guarantee that you are either black or Hispanic

Posted at 6:51PM on Aug 13th 2008 by sy527

65. It Very Very Funny to Me and Im Chinese . HA HA Now is time to beat up a tibet or Cheat in the olympics. No better yet i'm going to creat a fake fireworks and have a 7 yr old lip-sync and ruin another girl life. Screw those Chinese People I'm Glad toke tose picture not in an offensive way but in a humor way.. Chinese People have No sen of Humor...

Posted at 7:13PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Batman

66. Racist may be too strong of a word. Insensitive due to ignorance, definitely YES! For those of you who can't see that, you are just as ignorant as the team was. To the sponsor who happens to be Chinese who oked the gestures, you may have a good business mind but your social skills needs a lot of work. Dumb move my friend.

For those of you who used the "doing it in grade school excuse" obviously are not of Asian decent so of course YOU wouldn't fined it insensitive. We were bullies in grade school, pulled the girls hairs and made them cry, picked on the weak and nerdy, does that make that ok, No.

It's not about being raciest but rather having enough common sense to know what is appropriate and what is not. Ben Stiller playing a mentally challenged person in a COMEDY has some leeway since it's context is meant for a comedy. Slant eyes while you represent a country in the Olympics when the host country is China is just not smart. Everyone has a different level of sensitivity. I personally won't make a big deal about the picture other than the people involved were insensitive and ignorant. Hopefully they learn from this and THINK before they act.

Posted at 9:40PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Johnny

67. People need to get that stick out of their assses and quit being soo sensitive!!! Who are they offending?.. the Chinese government!! Who cares if they offended THE COMMUNIST!!!!!!!

Posted at 7:11PM on Aug 13th 2008 by g

68. Big Daddy it's funny how you can post what you said about Asians and not get any repercussions other than people thinking it was a funny joke but if I were to say something about the the African American race in that manner the post would be deleted. Double standard? Hypocritical?

Posted at 9:40PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Johnny

69. ghetto people in china so ashamed to be american

Posted at 7:40PM on Aug 13th 2008 by jay

70. It's not only the Chinese government/communists that they're offending. There ARE Chinese people in other countries. I am Chinese American and I didn't really find it funny. I didn't find it too offending...it was more distasteful. I haven't seen people do that since elementary/middle school and it wasn't a pleasant memory.

Posted at 7:31PM on Aug 13th 2008 by asdfjkl

71. MEXICANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 8:40PM on Aug 13th 2008 by LagunaMom

72. They're so MEXICAN!!!!!

Posted at 8:41PM on Aug 13th 2008 by LagunaMom

73. Why are all these fat-Kentucky fried Chicken-eating Americans even pointing fingers are Spain and calling them racists?

And why are some calling Spaniards Gachupines, the ones that destroyed the Aztec Empire and killed all the Indians as some of you claim?

I know a famous Spaniard that in defense of their country invasion of Mexico centuries ago, said this:

"We, spaniards didn't kill all the indians (you can go to Mexico and a good chunk of the population looks like Moctezuma) …however you go to most of the 50 states in the US and ..¿does anybody look like sitting bull? No, because the pasty white Yankees killed them ALL…so who's really racist?, coño.

Thing is, the US is the MOST racist country in the whole solar system. Take Obama, he will NEVER win the Presidency. Never. And the reason he will not win is not because he doesn't have experience. Nope. Not because of his agenda or strategies. But because he's black. Period.

I hope the Spanish basketball team takes a group photo of them mocking Americans. With big fat bellies and a hamburger stuck to their mouths. Make it so Gasol.

Posted at 8:33PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Spic_and_Span

74. Q: What do you call 2 Mexicans playing basketball?

A: Juan on Juan


(hmm, I wonder if this means I'm a racist?)

Posted at 8:36PM on Aug 13th 2008 by Fernando "The Beaner" Valenzuela

75. I WANT TO TEACH ALL OF YOU SOMETHINGS,THE ONES THAT ARE TALKING LOTS OF SH.......ABOUT MY COUNTRY AND O'COURSE THE PEOPLE FROM SPAIN.LIKE SOME POSTED IN ONE OF THE COMMENT.THIS PICTURE WAS A IDEA FROM A CHINESSSSSSSSSSSSSSE PERSON,SECOND UNTIL AROUND 6O YEARS AGO THIS COUNTRY WAS TREATING BLACK PEOPLE LIKE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS,THIRD THE MAYORITY OF ASIANS ARE HERE ILLIGALY AND THE OTHERS THAT ARE HERE LEGALY THE GET MONEY FROM THE GOVERNMENT (ME,US)JUST FROM BEING ASIAN,TAXES BREAKS ECT......YES THE HAVE RACIST PEOPLE IN SPAIN,LIKE HERE IN UNITED STATES,CHINA,JAPAN,FRANCE ECT.....ONE OF THE REASON THAT DESCRIMINATION IS SOOOOO IMPORTANT IN THIS COUNTRY IS REASON NUMBER ONE SUED IQUAL (MONEY ).I'M VERY PROUD TO BE FROM SPAIN I THANKS GOD FOR THAT.WE ARE VERY INTELIGENT PEOPLE.WE SURVIVED LOTS OF INJUSTICES THROUGH THE CENTURIES WE CONQUEST THE WORLD AND SHOW THAT INJUSTICES AND INSULT MAKE US STRONGER AND STRONGER.

Posted at 9:14PM on Aug 13th 2008 by angela

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