Gracie Gold Apologizes for Racially Insensitive Tweet | Page 12 | Golden Skate

Gracie Gold Apologizes for Racially Insensitive Tweet

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sky_fly20

Match Penalty
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Nov 20, 2011
god, this has been getting blown out of proportions by north american media of course
I understand there is a degree of discrimination that Asian Americans experience probably not experience by their asian native citizen counterparts
but she said apologized, end of story even the comments on her post most Japanese didnt find it offensive

Im not asian american but still I didnt find that offensive
 

Icey

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
Yeah, they all apologize when they get caught, but is that apology sincere or self-serving?

Frank needs to add Michelle to Gold's team !!!! lol. This is Gracie's second pr miscue in a short period of time.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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She bit into it, so I assume she didn't spit it out. well, isn't she eating a fourth or half of a full sandwich, the last sandwich.;) Oddly enough, there actually have been court cases about what constitutes a sandwich.:eek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zvhNjWF2DE

Not that any of this part of the discussion matters :laugh:, but ...

In the primary "One More Sandwich" video, Asada never is seen putting the penultimate sandwich in her mouth. And Takahashi is the one who eats the very last sandwich.

But ... it is true that in the separate behind-the-scenes vid, Asada does pop a sandwich in her mouth for takes #2 and #3 of the opening scene.
I forgot about what exactly happened in those outtakes. Sorry, Icey.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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Communication with other humans. A new and exciting technological advance!

LOL, everything old becomes new again. ;) :yay:

I can believe that Asada's "acting" was being coached (as shown in the behind-the-scenes vid).
But I remain skeptical that Asada's pronunciation also was being coached. Not proven beyond the shadow of reasonable doubt, IMHO. Hearsay only. (I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on GS ... :laugh:.)
 

qwertyskates

Medalist
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Nov 12, 2013
Hollywood, especially old Hollywood is infamous for this. I think due to the racist history in the States (where I'm from) in virtually all classes and mediums (especially on film) people here are understandably sensitive to such tweets as Gracie's (and I don't believe she was being malicious). I cringe whenever I watch some old movie with a so-called 'Chinese' or 'Japanese' Mickey Rooney with a ridiculous accent that I suppose was his take on 'Asian' accents. Personally, that's why I found Gold's tweet so offensive. I'd hate for my friends who happen to be of various Asian cultures to see someone apparently mocking Mao's Japanese accent. And it's weird because Mao pronounced that sentence perfectly fine, yet for some unknown reason Gracie posted it in that rather offensive way.

Oh THANK YOU. :clap:Your sensitivity is a breath of fresh air. It means alot to some Asian minorities because most of them do try hard to fit in, but to be bullied or teased about their "accents" or stereotypical grammar is a reminder of how they're still seen as "not quite one of us" yet. Of course it doesn't affect native Japanese the same way. I'm surprised that growing up and being around Asian American friends/skaters did not alert GG to this.

I cannot speak for Mao Asada, but come on, she is an international celebrity, she has competed in many countries, she has been interviewed by various foreign media for many, many years - it's a bit condescending to tweet this.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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... while I am not offended by Gracie's words I do appreciate the posters who are sharing why they found it offensive or side-eye-y. Opening up to other people's non-malicious perspectives increases understanding and reinforces why we should always be mindful when saying things in social sites or general public. In other words: I may not be offended, and I am also not offended that other people took offense.

This is an awful thread, nothing new, just fighting. give the kid a break, she did apologize. if mao's not offended, then whose business is it now. mods should close this...all bad at this point

Thanks to the mods for keeping the thread open. :)
And belated thanks to prettykeys :bow:, who gave a terrific explanation of why/how discussion of different points of view can be constructive.

Asada has not indicated whether she was offended or not, as others have noted above.
 

SSS

Spectator
Joined
Nov 14, 2013
I am Japanese and was quite shocked to hear the news.
Most people didn't find that joke funny. At all.
Mao's not on Twitter. She keeps her thoughts to herself.


I wasn't surprised her tweet, perhaps it's because I knew her "Asian face!!" photo with Lexis Verhulst on Instagram...

Agreed. That was even worse.
 

loopy

Final Flight
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Nov 13, 2012
I am Japanese and was quite shocked to hear the news.
Most people didn't find that joke funny. At all.
Mao's not on Twitter. She keeps her thoughts to herself.




Agreed. That was even worse.

I find it worse that she didn't learn from the first mistake. I'll be talking to my children about her behavior and not her skating. While being a role model may not be something she signed up for, she should realize that as part of Team USA, she IS a role model.
 

sky_fly20

Match Penalty
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
on a good side, Gracie pretty much has racked more attention now from the western media than Wagner
even Wagner's with her money profiteering speech stunt against the Olympics code couldn't handle this

Gracie isn't some vile monster that people are making out of this. leave poor Gracie alone !
 

Sasha'sSpins

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Oh THANK YOU. :clap:Your sensitivity is a breath of fresh air. It means alot to some Asian minorities because most of them do try hard to fit in, but to be bullied or teased about their "accents" or stereotypical grammar is a reminder of how they're still seen as "not quite one of us" yet. Of course it doesn't affect native Japanese the same way. I'm surprised that growing up and being around Asian American friends/skaters did not alert GG to this.

I cannot speak for Mao Asada, but come on, she is an international celebrity, she has competed in many countries, she has been interviewed by various foreign media for many, many years - it's a bit condescending to tweet this.

My parents were refugees when they came to the States. I well remember people of ALL races mocking their accents if they were overheard speaking as we strolled down the streets. Maybe I'm too sensitive about this because of my own loved one's experience. But even without such personal experience I would have found Gracie's tweet offensive and uncalled for. Again, I think it's partly due to growing up in the States and being made to understand how inappropriate such 'jokes' can be.

I find it worse that she didn't learn from the first mistake. I'll be talking to my children about her behavior and not her skating. While being a role model may not be something she signed up for, she should realize that as part of Team USA, she IS a role model.

I missed it - what other mistake did Gracie make? Publicly I mean?
 

aftertherain

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y Hollywood, especially old Hollywood is infamous for this. I think due to the racist history in the States (where I'm from) in virtually all classes and mediums (especially on film) people here are understandably sensitive to such tweets as Gracie's (and I don't believe she was being malicious). I cringe whenever I watch some old movie with a so-called 'Chinese' or 'Japanese' Mickey Rooney with a ridiculous accent that I suppose was his take on 'Asian' accents. Personally, that's why I found Gold's tweet so offensive. I'd hate for my friends who happen to be of various Asian cultures to see someone apparently mocking Mao's Japanese accent. And it's weird because Mao pronounced that sentence perfectly fine, yet for some unknown reason Gracie posted it in that rather offensive way.

Oh THANK YOU. :clap:Your sensitivity is a breath of fresh air. It means alot to some Asian minorities because most of them do try hard to fit in, but to be bullied or teased about their "accents" or stereotypical grammar is a reminder of how they're still seen as "not quite one of us" yet. Of course it doesn't affect native Japanese the same way. I'm surprised that growing up and being around Asian American friends/skaters did not alert GG to this.

I cannot speak for Mao Asada, but come on, she is an international celebrity, she has competed in many countries, she has been interviewed by various foreign media for many, many years - it's a bit condescending to tweet this.

I would have to agree with this line of discussion. I think Gracie's non-malicious tweet affected Asian-Americans more than it did Asians, to be honest. While someone can easily brush it off as "well, it wasn't directed towards you; you shouldn't be offended", it's really difficult to shake off that feeling.

A bunch of people have commented things along the lines of "Well, if she did a European accent, no one would be offended" and that could very well be true. However, Europe (particularly Western Europe) has always been looked at in the U.S. as a sort of "romantic" destination or having countries with "sexy" accents. That really isn't the case with Asian countries and cultures, which have been mocked in all sort of ways throughout the history of the United States.

The problem is that when these kinds of explanations are given, they're just as easily dismissed--I hope that doesn't happen with Gracie. Like I said, she is becoming an American figure writing things on an open forum. I really think it's time that someone sat her down and explained why what she did could be interpreted as offensive, especially because (as a poster above pointed out) that this wasn't the first time she did this.

This is an awful thread, nothing new

I don't think this is an awful thread at all--well, with the exception of a few posts--I like the discussion. This goes beyond Gracie, I think.
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
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A bunch of people have commented things along the lines of "Well, if she did a European accent, no one would be offended" and that could very well be true. However, Europe (particularly Western Europe) has always been looked at in the U.S. as a sort of "romantic" destination or having countries with "sexy" accents. That really isn't the case with Asian countries and cultures, which have been mocked in all sort of ways throughout the history of the United States.

The problem is that when these kinds of explanations are given, they're just as easily dismissed--I hope that doesn't happen with Gracie. Like I said, she is becoming an American figure writing things on an open forum. I really think it's time that someone sat her down and explained why what she did could be interpreted as offensive, especially because (as a poster above pointed out) that this wasn't the first time she did this.

I don't think this is an awful thread at all--well, with the exception of a few posts--I like the discussion. This goes beyond Gracie, I think.

Thoughts:

(1) The fact that one of Gold's agents at IMG spoke to Hersh on her behalf suggests that she (the agent) could be an effective "someone" to enlighten Gold.
The agent is Senior VP Yuki Saegusa, whose name and photo suggest that she herself happens to be of Japanese descent (at least in part).

(2) Regarding the question of an accent that is European as opposed to Asian:
Years ago , I happened to see a TV segment about a famous French chef in NYC. A local (American) reporter (a white female) was allowed into his kitchen to interview him and watch him prepare the specialty of the house. (This story took place long before the Food Network existed, so such behind-the-scenes access at a renowned restaurant was still relatively rare.)
To my horror, the reporter spoke with an obviously fake French accent the entire time -- apparently fancying herself as clever and funny for doing so.
I have no French (or European) blood, but to me, she was extremely insulting and offensive. If I were the chef, I would have thrown her out of my restaurant.
 

dorispulaski

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Perhaps chefs are a main target of accent mocking? Anyone remember the Swedish Chef on the Muppet Show?
 

Lilith11

On the Ice
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Mar 1, 2010
I would have to agree with this line of discussion. I think Gracie's non-malicious tweet affected Asian-Americans more than it did Asians, to be honest. While someone can easily brush it off as "well, it wasn't directed towards you; you shouldn't be offended", it's really difficult to shake off that feeling.

A bunch of people have commented things along the lines of "Well, if she did a European accent, no one would be offended" and that could very well be true. However, Europe (particularly Western Europe) has always been looked at in the U.S. as a sort of "romantic" destination or having countries with "sexy" accents. That really isn't the case with Asian countries and cultures, which have been mocked in all sort of ways throughout the history of the United States.

The problem is that when these kinds of explanations are given, they're just as easily dismissed--I hope that doesn't happen with Gracie. Like I said, she is becoming an American figure writing things on an open forum. I really think it's time that someone sat her down and explained why what she did could be interpreted as offensive, especially because (as a poster above pointed out) that this wasn't the first time she did this.



I don't think this is an awful thread at all--well, with the exception of a few posts--I like the discussion. This goes beyond Gracie, I think.

ITA w/everything, but especially the bolded part. Generally speaking, not talking about individual tastes, European accents, especially Western European ones, are perceived as attractive/desirable, whereas the Asian accent is predominantly mocked. For all people complain about say French hospitality, there's also an equal amount of "oh but the French accent is so romantic." That is not the case w/Asian accents.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
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Nov 12, 2013
I am not sure of the point of comparing the degree of ostracization of accents and singling out Asian-American English specifically... As far as I know, a number of foreign, regional and social dialects and accents were a social stigma at one point (and some still are), and are still reflected in jokes. German accent, Russian accent, African-American English, Irish and Scottish English, Italian accent etc. ... all alongside Asian or Japanese English. As far as I am concerned, mockery is mockery, regardless of the sex, race, ethnicity etc. of the target person or group. That said, while I'm not inside Gracie's head and don't know the actual intent beyond the tweets, I'll respect the presumption of innocence and believe her assertion that she meant no mockery.
 

EdgeCall

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Mar 31, 2012
Perhaps chefs are a main target of accent mocking? Anyone remember the Swedish Chef on the Muppet Show?
The Muppets were a comedy show where more or less everything got mocked when possible. And in case of the chef it was probably the best means of characterizing him as swedish. Mocking someone in a situation supposed to be taken seriously is a different matter with very different implications, isn't it?
 

LiamForeman

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The Muppets were a comedy show where more or less everything got mocked when possible. And in case of the chef it was probably the best means of characterizing him as swedish. Mocking someone in a situation supposed to be taken seriously is a different matter with very different implications, isn't it?

Yeppers, but somehow we as a society have grown more thin-skinned and ready to pounce on something/anything that could be miscontrued as racist or offensive or morally unacceptable.

Yes, I remember the Muppet Show. I loved that cool hippie chick who talked like a stoner, I guess they were mocking stoners? The Indian guy on The Simpsons? Better get those pitchforks out. I've got an even better one since I am in the LBGT group. Latrell Lamar from Revenge of the Nerds (a movie that was ALL about sterotypes), a character that I thought was hysterical. I can think of tons more gay 'mocking' characters that are done in a funny non-meanspirited way. I guess I should be indignant in this day and age but I'm not. I laughed. I don't speak or act like the funny stereotype, but I have known some who do.

Sometimes you just gotta stop always feeling persecuted and look at the spirit a joke is made in. Life goes by alot funnier and happier that way, IMHO.
 
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