Gracie Gold Apologizes for Racially Insensitive Tweet | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Gracie Gold Apologizes for Racially Insensitive Tweet

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AllYouDoIsTalk

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Okay, I will now use short words to express my opinions and thoughts:

Gracie, Gold, did, not, know, about, colonialism...I'm sorry, that's too long of a word.

Gracie, Gold, did, not, know, about, imperialism...That's too long also.

Gracie, Gold, did, not, take, entry, course, on, History, 101, because, she, wanted, to, take, on, this, outrage, head, on. Because, of, an, inside, joke, a, joke, that, was, deemed, acceptable, by, Asians, and, non-Asians, alike, including, both, Gracie, Gold, and Mao, through, their, implicit...Damn it, that's too complicated of a word too. I, will, give, up.
 

noidont

Final Flight
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Okay, I will now use short words to express my opinions and thoughts:

Gracie, Gold, did, not, know, about, colonialism...I'm sorry, that's too long of a word.

Gracie, Gold, did, not, know, about, imperialism...That's too long also.

Gracie, Gold, did, not, take, entry, course, on, History, 101, because, she, wanted, to, take, on, this, outrage, head, on. Because, of, an, inside, joke, a, joke, that, was, deemed, acceptable, by, Asians, and, non-Asians, through, their, participation...Damn it, that's too long of a word too. I give up.

I don't know in what way this is related to colonialism and imperialism. In any case Japan the country is guilty of both, not victim of any (well if we don't count those unfortunate folks in California).
I would say don't lump the Asians together, but I can not tell the difference between John Coughlin and Yuri Larinov, so I rest my case.
 

Srin Odessa

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Jan 23, 2012
I'm completely confused. I thought the Japanese replace all the curl tongue R sound with the L sound and can't pronounce the Rs at all. They shouldn't have any problem pronouncing "Only" or "Sandwich"(what's that one even about anyway?), but should have problem pronouncing something like "Gracie" (would sound something like "glayxi"?)

The Japanese language technically don't have an English 'R' Sound as well. How the phoneme "R" sounds in romanticized Japanese is somewhere between L and R. If you grew up in an environment with limited exposure to Japanese, you would have a hard time telling the difference between the two.

It's similar to how the guttural R is used in some European languages. For example, French has three distinct 'r' sounds but English speakers may have a difficult time differentiating them.
 

AllYouDoIsTalk

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I don't know in what way this is related to colonialism and imperialism. In any case Japan the country is guilty of both, not victim of any (well if we don't count those unfortunate folks in California).
I would say don't lump the Asians together, but I can not tell the difference between John Coughlin and Yuri Larinov, so I rest my case.

I did not mean anything by it. I was lampooning another's inference of Gracie Gold's ignorance on the dime-store knowledge of colonialism and imperialism from her supposed racial insensitivity. But I am sure your knowledge of colonialism and imperialism is probably just as edifying as that other member.
 

kwanatic

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Okay, I will now use short words to express my opinions and thoughts:

Gracie, Gold, did, not, know, about, colonialism...I'm sorry, that's too long of a word.

Gracie, Gold, did, not, know, about, imperialism...That's too long also.

Gracie, Gold, did, not, take, entry, course, on, History, 101, because, she, wanted, to, take, on, this, outrage, head, on. Because, of, an, inside, joke, a, joke, that, was, deemed, acceptable, by, Asians, and, non-Asians, alike, including, both, Gracie, Gold, and Mao, through, their, implicit...Damn it, that's too complicated of a word too. I, will, give, up.

I'm still not sure what you're trying to say. Gracie failed history? Because she didn't want to study imperialism?? No, colonialism?? What outrage? What does that have to do with anything?? Crap, I'm confused again...too many commas. :confused:
 

AllYouDoIsTalk

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I'm still not sure what you're trying to say. Gracie failed history? Because she didn't want to study imperialism?? No, colonialism?? What outrage? What does that have to do with anything?? Crap, I'm confused again...too many commas. :confused:

Don't worry about it, kwanatic. Your cognitive bias is just as good as mine! (Advice: when reading posts on a descending thread, if you have trouble comprehending message or intent, refer to prior post(s)-- of course this hardly needs reminding) ...Anyway, I agree with you earlier, we should all neuter our thoughts and criticisms-- however valid they may be-- and temper our enjoyment from friendships and life just so we won't don't offend strangers on the internet. What a wonderful and highly satisfying way to live.
 

jaylee

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Feb 21, 2010
My so-called assumption was at least half right, then. (Please, don't let the question mark at the end of my "assumption" get in the way of your cognitve dissonance) If only to say your (hit) piece (against Gracie Gold) also lean heavily on assumptions, no? or are they just highly speculative aspersions you cast to justify your moral indignation?

You said it was "telling that it is the non-Asians who is most offended". I know for a fact that some of the other posters who posted in this thread that they were offended are of Asian heritage but they did not necessarily disclose that, nor should they have to. So that's why I knew you were wrong. You were wrong. Move on now, please. Your obsessing about whether I'm Asian or not is ridiculous--if I am, then your previous statement is still wrong! If I'm not, your second assumption is wrong. You're wrong either way.

And my post wasn't a "hit" piece against Gracie Gold--I noted that she apologized and I won't hold it against her. I don't see how that is a hit piece.

e.g., "Maybe she hasn't taken a class on the history of colonialism/imperialism yet?" ...Erm, what does that have to do with Gracie Gold and her supposedly racially insensitive tweet? Do enlighten me.

You can enlighten yourself by reading this thread. I am not the first person to bring up colonialism in the thread; I was responding to a poster who had specifically mentioned that.
 

Mrs. P

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FWIW, I saw this tweet someone posted to Gracie:

@GraceEGold it was a funny JOKE. If someone said "pahk the cah in hahvahd yahd" we, here in the Boston area, would not take offense.

And as prettykeys said (and I can relate to), within our own internal networks we like to make fun of our own (or our elders) accents. I always crack up when Mr. P imitates my dad's mannerisms. I suppose if someone outside of our house saw it, they might be offended because it's a white person "mocking" an Asian accent. And in fact, Mr. P is always sensitive to that and constantly asks me if I'm offended -- usually I'm cracking up so hard, that I can't take much offense at it all.

Still, I wouldn't post that on Twitter. That's the thing about electronic communication. Things can be misinterpreted, misunderstood. For me Twitter and the like is better for straight forward communication where there is no need (or no room) for interpretation.

The tweet also shows that people are taking a YMMV approach with Gracie's tweet. While it's generally agreed that Gracie shouldn't have posted that tweet, I think that there isn't universal outrage over it. From what I can see many of the Japanese fans were gracious about the whole matter.
 

ice coverage

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So many different comments in this thread cry out for a response. I will start ;) with this one post.
My overall opinion is that I am willing to accept Gold's apology and to forgive her -- although her original tweet was a big mistake.
But ...

.... My own belief is that this discussion about Gracie's tweet points out the pitfalls of trying to convey everything you would like to say in 140 characters, particularly when people you don't know at all are drawing inferences from your private conversations with your friends. Gracie's tweet, addressed to Mao, was an essentially private conversation between Gracie & Mao..

I encourage my grandchildren to let Twitter strictly alone.

I think skaters should, too.

I disagree that Gold's tweet was intended as a private comment to her friend Asada, and that such an interpretation is a valid excuse for what Gold originally wrote.
Gold had sent a total of 1444 tweets, last I checked. Gold (like many) uses Twitter for more than one purpose. For Gold, one of them is to promote her "brand," so to speak. Examples: When she writes a new blog entry, she tweets the link to it. She tweets messages mentioning her sponsors all the time.
Nothing wrong with that type of promotional usage. But I point it out b/c it means that Gold understands perfectly well that anything she tweets is out there for the public to read. And Gold leverages the broad exposure of Twitter to her advantage when it suits her.
So she can't have it both ways -- can't expect a more sociable tweet that happens to make reference to one particular friend to be seen only by that one friend.
(BTW, we don't even know whether Asada has a Twitter account and looks at tweets. Gold did not tweet "@" Asada. Instead, Gold used the hashtags #mao #asada. Big difference, in the context of this discussion.)

Twitter is every press officer's nightmare for their stars and people need to learn to not to put such importance in a tweet. ... It might be share private joke among friends along the same wave length length, but with tweets, it is the whole general public across all sections that need to be considered. Your record can never be removed which is mortifying frankly. How is it different from a criminal record, when you have Uncle Phil playing cop/judge on your tail and even write a national public announcement about your stuipidity... lol! Poor thing!

As for Twitter content in general:
My opinion is that a tweet is no less (and no more) "important" as a ten-second soundbite or one-sentence quote as an indication of what is in a public figure's head and/or heart.
And a tweet can be a "truer" window into the person b/c for someone of Gold's not-stratospheric-stature, it is unlikely (except in the case of damage control) that typing those 140 characters is immediately preceded by coaching from a professional publicist. OTOH, such coaching would not be surprising at all as preparation for a video, audio, or print interview. [I am aware that certain megastars (like Ashton Kutcher and Charlie Sheen, I believe?) have professionals tweeting on their behalf.]
Also, I would note that the person (such as Gold) has complete control over what s/he is tweeting -- as opposed to being at the mercy of a journalist who cherry-picks a soundbite or quote and chooses how much relevant context, if any, to provide.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

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Jan 25, 2013
Wow, some people are reading into this WAY too much. Some Asians were offended by it, some non-Asians were offended by it, some Asians were not offended by it, some non-Asians were not offended by it.

Saying it has something to do with Gold's knowledge (or lack of knowledge) of imperialism/colonialism is over-analytical at best, and unsubstantiated as nobody here likely knows what Gold has or hasn't learned in school.

Like, for pete's skate, you're trying to dissect and decipher the insinuations and implications of a Tweet (and one that was apologized for at that). :laugh: While I agree that some Tweets are indicative of a person's character, some people make stupid comments. If they acknowledge it and apologize, then that's the best they can do, and unless it's something grossly offensive people should just move on. People have said far worse things on Twitter than Gold, and not apologized as she did.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
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Dec 27, 2009
So many different comments in this thread cry out for a response. I will start ;) with this one post.
My overall opinion is that I am willing to accept Gold's apology and to forgive her -- although her original tweet was a big mistake.
But ...

I disagree that Gold's tweet was intended as a private comment to her friend Asada, and that such an interpretation is a valid excuse for what Gold originally wrote.
Gold had sent a total of 1444 tweets, last I checked. Gold (like many) uses Twitter for more than one purpose. For Gold, one of them is to promote her "brand," so to speak. Examples: When she writes a new blog entry, she tweets the link to it. She tweets messages mentioning her sponsors all the time.
Nothing wrong with that type of promotional usage. But I point it out b/c it means that Gold understands perfectly well that anything she tweets is out there for the public to read. And Gold leverages the broad exposure of Twitter to her advantage when it suits her.
So she can't have it both ways -- can't expect a more sociable tweet that happens to make reference to one particular friend to be seen only by that one friend.
(BTW, we don't even know whether Asada has a Twitter account and looks at tweets. Gold did not tweet directly "@" Asada. Instead, Gold used the hashtags #mao #asada. Big difference, in the context of this discussion.)

As for Twitter content in general:
My opinion is that a tweet is just as important as a ten-second soundbite or one-sentence quote as an indication of what is in a public figure's head and/or heart.
And a tweet can be a "truer" window into the person b/c it is unlikely (except in the case of damage control) that typing those 140 characters was immediately preceded by coaching from a professional publicist. OTOH, such coaching would not be surprising at all as preparation for a video, audio, or print interview.
Also, I would note that the person (such as Gold) has complete control over what s/he is tweeting -- as opposed to being at the mercy of a journalist who cherry-picks a soundbite or quote and chooses how much relevant context, if any, to provide.

I think to clarify, when she apologies for an "inside joke" she doesn't mean one with Mao Asada, she means one with the Japanese fans (and fans in general). Chances are many of them saw the "One More Sandwich" video and had a chuckle at the reference. I know I did -- but I only saw the edited tweet.

From what I can see in reconstructing the situation, she tweeted the photo and immediately got the "why did you post a racist tweet" thing, which prompted her to delete it and change it to the non-offensive version. The edit was made VERY quickly because in looking at people's RT, the offensive version can't be found anywhere. (Usually if it was there for some time you would see a couple of RTs of the original version). The offensive tweet actually lived on because that same user took a screen shot of it, posted it on Tumblr and then it went from there. It didn't even go viral. Again from what I can see, it was a handful of people who posted the Tumblr post and then basically were relentless to Gracie about giving a public apology, which prompted Gracie to block them on Twitter.

Phil Hersh only saw it likely because someone on FSU posted it, prompted spirited discussion over there. So to be clear, Phil wasn't the one that found the original tweet, but likely saw some tweets directed at Gracie Gold regarding it or the FSU discussion.

In the end, this probably should go into the "be careful what you post" file. This is what happened to a tweet whose lifespan was litterly seconds. I'm almost too careful with my posts -- I get paranoid about tweeting typos. :p
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

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Jan 25, 2013
This is precisely why I don't use Twitter (though I have an account for work purposes/lurking). You make an off-the-cuff or cute remark and the whole world is down your throat. These same people who flay Gold for a remark like that, and continue to do so after her apology and deleting the original Tweet, clearly have nothing better to do than go after her.
 

AllYouDoIsTalk

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Nov 2, 2013
You said it was "telling that it is the non-Asians who is most offended". I know for a fact that some of the other posters who posted in this thread that they were offended are of Asian heritage but they did not necessarily disclose that, nor should they have to. So that's why I knew you were wrong. You were wrong. Move on now, please. Your obsessing about whether I'm Asian or not is ridiculous--if I am, then your previous statement is still wrong! If I'm not, your second assumption is wrong. You're wrong either way.

And my post wasn't a "hit" piece against Gracie Gold--I noted that she apologized and I won't hold it against her. I don't see how that is a hit piece.



You can enlighten yourself by reading this thread. I am not the first person to bring up colonialism in the thread; I was responding to a poster who had specifically mentioned that.

Regardless of whether you initiated it or not, you personally brought it up to derogate Gracie Gold. If I didn't know better, I would think you are shirking the moral accountability of making those sort of petty, speculative declamations-- however veiled you may want it to come across. Not unlike the way you have taken offense to my saying it is the non-Asians who are the*most* offended of an inside joke and are the most demanding of an apology, but I still stand by that. And so I am still curious as to how you personally view Gracie Gold's not taking a class on the history of colonialism/imperialism and how that correlates to her supposed racial insensitivity.
 

Tonichelle

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Not to justify someone doing or saying something stupid, but when the entertainment industry makes billions off of racial stereotypes and slurs it makes it very hard to communicate why a teen should not be using the same sort of "humor". Folks like Jeff Dunham, Bill Envall, Larry the Cable Guy, Dat Phan, George Lopez and others exploit accents (Asian or otherwise) in their stand up all the time. South Park and the Simpsons do it, too. Teens listen to a lot of these and more (that I'm not aware of, I don't watch half of who I just posted lol)

I mean this was on Jeff's latest video (non Holiday related):
http://youtu.be/ayh1LD-sNn8?t=2m9s (watch out I don't believe this version is bleeped and he drops the fbomb a few times)

To crucify a teenager for making a bonehead mistake because she didn't apologize in YOUR time frame is just a classic case of bullying IMO. Two wrongs don't make a right.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
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This is precisely why I don't use Twitter (though I have an account for work purposes/lurking). You make an off-the-cuff or cute remark and the whole world is down your throat. These same people who flay Gold for a remark like that, and continue to do so after her apology and deleting the original Tweet, clearly have nothing better to do than go after her.

Twitter has great uses for me professionally, but I usually don't really use it personally (beyond an occasional tweet).

I totally agree. What Gracie did was stupid, but I don't think it's okay to rack someone over the coals relentlessly. She did delete the offensive tweet in question and apologized. I'm not sure what else she could have done.

To crucify a teenager for making a bonehead mistake because she didn't apologize in YOUR time frame is just a classic case of bullying IMO. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Precisely.
 

LiamForeman

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This is precisely why I don't use Twitter (though I have an account for work purposes/lurking). You make an off-the-cuff or cute remark and the whole world is down your throat. These same people who flay Gold for a remark like that, and continue to do so after her apology and deleting the original Tweet, clearly have nothing better to do than go after her.

Yep. Maybe Gracie just needs to shut down all her social media. There is always someone somewhere just sitting around looking to find offense with anything and get their knickers in a knot. I speak some Spanish, French and German, and let's just say it ain't perfect. My Hispanic friends sometimes rib me for my "White boy Spanish". I suppose they are being 'racist', but jeez, find something worthwhile to get upset over. It was meant in good spirit. To call Gracie a racist is such a crock.
 

AllYouDoIsTalk

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This is precisely why I don't use Twitter (though I have an account for work purposes/lurking). You make an off-the-cuff or cute remark and the whole world is down your throat. These same people who flay Gold for a remark like that, and continue to do so after her apology and deleting the original Tweet, clearly have nothing better to do than go after her.

I agree with you, it is this sense of entitlement on moral indignation. It offers instant moral superiority when any kind of transgression, or semblance of transgression or perceived transgression occurs.
 

blue dog

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Being of Asian descent myself (heck, I was even born on the said continent!), I find it offensive that we crucify people who make these mistakes. Even Mao Asada found it funny. If you look at the original post, Japanese fans were posting that they found it funny, and they understand the joking relationship between Gracie and Mao.

I find that we're making something out of nothing with this incident. If you really want to be offended by something in figure skating, here are plenty of things for you to be offended by:

*Anonymous judging
*PCS inflation
*"Homie" judging by judges from certain countries.
*The fact that skaters of certain ethnic backgrounds, are told to "Europeanize" their skating in order for them to win (Chen Lu? Shen/Zhao?)
*Gay skaters (minus Johnny Weir) being told to keep their sexuality in the closet if they want to win

I could go on and on. There is plenty for people in figure skating to get offended with. This is the least of it.
 

CarneAsada

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While we're on the subject of what Asians or Asian-Americans find offensive, I'd just like to say I find Asian accent jokes tiresome but not exactly offensive. I cannot speak for Asians in Asia, but it seems that they are fine with poking fun at common mistakes from English learners. So she made a dumb joke and apologized. I don't really care much.

The absolutely unforgivable part of Gracie's tweet was "it's people" in the apology. If you write an apology, at least take the time to proofread. Is it old-fashioned/sexist to refer to a nation as "she" now? Either way, she could've avoided the mistake by saying "Japan and her people," old-fashioned or not.
 

FlattFan

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Jan 4, 2010
Her tweets in response to people criticizing her programs were quite bitchy and stupid, too.

In general, stupid and ignorant people are more likely to be racist. This girl is no miss scholar, so I do think she has it in her.
 
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