Gracie Gold Apologizes for Racially Insensitive Tweet | Golden Skate

Gracie Gold Apologizes for Racially Insensitive Tweet

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Sasha'sSpins

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Gracie Gold has apologized on Twitter for a tweet that came off as racially insensitive to many - the tweet seemed to mock Mao Asada's Japanese accent:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-gracie-gold-apologizes-tweet-20131111,0,1009609.story

https://twitter.com/GraceEGold
“I am deeply sorry for any unintended offense,” Gold said in her second tweet.
Gracie Gold ‏@GraceEGold 7h

"I have the utmost respect for Japan and it's people. I love Mao Asada"!!!
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aftertherain

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FINALLY. I'm relieved that she apologized, but a little disappointed that she didn't do it right after she deleted the original tweet.
 

Sasha'sSpins

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I searched the Forum and it didn't seem it was reported yet - so here it is. Gracie did apologize quickly when she realized her tweet came off as inappropriate. And yes, racist to many including myself. I'm not Japanese but I know a racist slur when I see one. I'm hoping Gracie was just too ignorant to realize how very improper that tweet was. Hopefully the damage has been contained and it won't harm her in the eyes of sponsors. She's young. The young do stupid at times - I know I certainly did.
 

Becki

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Youths today just don't understand how to be respectful and sensitive. *sigh*
 

aftertherain

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I searched the Forum and it didn't seem it was reported yet - so here it is. Gracie did apologize quickly when she realized her tweet came off as inappropriate. And yes, racist to many including myself. I'm not Japanese but I know a racist slur when I see one. I'm hoping Gracie was just too ignorant to realize how very improper that tweet was. Hopefully the damage has been contained and it won't harm her in the eyes of sponsors. She's young. The young do stupid at times - I know I certainly did.

My problem with it was that she had realized that it was wrong and took it down, but didn't feel the need to apologize to anyone who had seen it/was offended by it until some hours later.

I don't think her intent was malicious and I absolutely don't think it would be right to label her a vile racist, but an immediate apology for her ignorance without prompt would have been nice. I mean, someone had even posted on her twitter a screencap of what she had written and she had ignored it (until now that is).
 

Mrs. P

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Well, I'd said my piece on Gracie over on FSU, so you can read it all over there. But to sum it up, I think Gracie should be given a bit of grace (pun sort of intended).

1.) The tweet was not said in isolation, i.e. it's not like Gracie just said that tweet alone. It was a tweet that liked to a really nice photo of her and Mao at the NHK Banquet
2.) The tweet was in reference to Mao's line in the ShibSibs video so I'm sure she wanting to pay homage to Mao and her fun role in that video to the Japanese fans.

For me, even though the tweet was in poor taste, it's clear to me that she did not mean malice in her statement.

My hope is Gracie learns from this and will be more careful about what she says from now on.
 

Sasha'sSpins

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Youths today just don't understand how to be respectful and sensitive. *sigh*

Youths were just as disrespectful and insensitive in my day, my grandmother's day and I'm sure on and on before. I can say though that in this age such 'jokes' or whatever that was is considered unacceptable today for the most part.

If I read comments correctly over on FSU, Gracie blocked people who pointed out to her that the tweet was racist - but they perhaps did not make her aware of it in a nice way which could be why she blocked them.

I thought she had apologized immediately - I didn't realize she did so only hours later. Her PR team I'm sure read her the riot act and she's not going to be doing this again anytime soon.
 

Mrs. P

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If I read comments correctly over on FSU, Gracie blocked people who pointed out to her that the tweet was racist - but they perhaps did not make her aware of it in a nice way which could be why she blocked them.

I thought she had apologized immediately - I didn't realize she did so only hours later. Her PR team I'm sure read her the riot act and she's not going to be doing this again anytime soon.

I felt they were relentless and really hounded her for an apology. It definitely felt like a bit of a witch hunt on the pool girl. So I don't blame her for blocking them. I'm sure if they just said "hey Gracie, did you mean to mock Mao's accent there?" rather than "Gracie, OMG, you're being a racist" before proceeding to badmouth her relentlessly, the situation might have turned out differently.

I thought the Japanese fans who were aware of the situation were pretty gracious: Many of them sent her supportive tweets after she apologized.

That said, it doesn't excuse her from her actions and I hope that she takes a page from her Canton BFF Maia Shibutani and keeps it professional and classy on social media. (Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've heard about some social media run-in regarding Gracie).
 

hurrah

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Well, I suppose it was a rather thoughtless tweet, but she is very young.

If interpreted in a good light, Gracie's action may indicate that Mao has not treated Gracie in any way that would make Gracie think that there was anything wrong in teasing Mao's English abilities which, I would think, are fairly limited.

Does Gracie speak any other language besides English or ever tried to acquire a second language, I wonder?
 

GF2445

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I really dont like it when people older than me make a paintbrush stroke comment about my generation. Yes, there is some truth in what they have to say and hes there are aspects about my generation that will make older generations look at us in disgust, but not all people my age are like that.
 

aftertherain

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This is a whole bunch of nothing from a whole bunch of nothing.

No.

I really dont like it when people older than me make a paintbrush stroke comment about my generation. Yes, there is some truth in what they have to say and hes there are aspects about my generation that will make older generations look at us in disgust, but not all people my age are like that.

Agreed. Ignorance affects all ages. So does stupidity.

Off-topic, but I "follow" a show on Facebook and I remember there was this one time there was a string of comments by "older folk" who were being a bit condescending about younger generations and how they were happy about the younger crowds were moving into Twitter and Tumblr. Some of their comments just made me roll my eyes because they weren't as cool as they thought they were being. In fact, there were very many dumb comments. So stupidity affects all ages--but I think most younger people are more naive than stupid.

Youths today just don't understand how to be respectful and sensitive. *sigh*

I'm more inclined to believe that people (in general) have always been disrespectful and insensitive. But with the internet and social media, it's just a quicker and more efficient way of being exposed to those kinds of things.
 

FlattFan

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All I saw was "it's people"
This girl is never going to Stanford. Rachael Flatt must be very jealous she doesn't have rocks for brain now.
 

flaneur

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Blink. Wow. What a stupid stupid tweet. While I understand that Gracie is young and in all probability didn't understand exactly how inappropriate her tweet was, but honestly a part of me will side-eye her for a long time.
 

spikydurian

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What a hoo ha for poor Gracie. Personally, I don't think Gracie meant to be rude or racist considering the fact that she tweeted Mao with their picture. I assume it was a kind of private joke between herself and Mao and other Japanese skaters. Just that it slipped her mind that her every language and move will now be scrutinised or willfully misinterpreted. Welcome to the elite skaters' world.;)
 

ikemen

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Let me speak from a Japanese perspective.

I do not find it offensive at all. It sounds as if she is simply highlighting how distant English Language and Japanese Language are, and how difficult it is for Japanese to learn English. She didn't say anything rude about race.

Additionally, it is very common here to make jokes about weaknesses of others (in a light-hearted and fun way), and in our culture, she hasn't crossed the line.

That's how an average Japanese person would respond to this, I believe.
 
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For a person who is in the public eye, the original tweet was incredibly stupid and careless. You would think it would be obvious to her by now that anything you put out on your social media is going to be picked apart.

PR aspects aside, what really angers and saddens me about this is, is that this tweet was mean-spirited for the sake of it.

What is the reason for laughing at somebody's accent? Did she think it was clever? Did she think it was funny? Well, it wasn't.

I am extremely disappointed.

What a hoo ha for poor Gracie. Personally, I don't think Gracie meant to be rude or racist considering the fact that she tweeted Mao with their picture. I assume it was a kind of private joke between herself and Mao and other Japanese skaters. Just that it slipped her mind that her every language and move will now be scrutinised or willfully misinterpreted. Welcome to the elite skaters' world.;)

She was laughing at somebody who is unable to speak her own language perfectly. What is implicit in that 'joke' is an expectation that everybody else should be able to speak perfect English (because it is the superior language).

Yet somehow I doubt Gold is particularly proficient in Japanese. I wonder how correct her Japanese pronunciation is. :rolleye:

That's what's offensive. Last time I checked colonialism was over. And given US-Japanese history, you'd think you'd tread more carefully. Imagine the reaction if a German skater laughed at a Jewish-Israeli skater's big nose...
 

Kunstrijdster

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P.S. I wonder how correct Gold's Japanese pronunciation is. :rolleye:

I think it could be something like "Gorudu". (no mockery intended)

The things people put into that tweet, people who were not even the target of the supposedly evil mean spirited mockery, and the judgements they pass. It's amazing. It feels so disproportionate, but that's the scourge of the age of twitter and s***storms.


Ziggy said:
What is implicit in that 'joke' is an expectation that everybody else should be able to speak perfect English (because it is the superior language).

Way to go labelling her a supremacist.
 
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