What are the Spanish people's view of their athlete's anti-Chinese racism?

Question

garrison: The Spanish soccer team made gorilla/monkey noises when black athletes got the ball in one of their matches (not in the Olympics). Just because people don't care, doesn't mean it's "okay". Anyways, I was asking for opinions from people with knowledge about how Spanish people view what happened, not anti-Americans who offer no information like you.

Answer 1

I think it was very bad taste, but I'm not surprised. the Spanish in general are years behind with regards to issues that other nations would consider to be racisit comments.

The very first football game I went to see in Barcelona the supporters threw bananas at the Mallorca goalkeeper and one clown jumped on his chair and made monkey noises, and everyone thought it was hialrious. I disagree with other posters who say they live in spain and they are very open - they arif you're WHITE.  My wife is Peruvian and has lived here for 15 years and is still treated as a cleaner/servant by most. I have Pakistani friends and Indians who also get treated the same. However, I'm English and I don't get it, and my Russian friends or French etc. don't either.

I think the attitude is simply that it's not Racism. I watched the england vs Spain match in Madrid a couple of years ago and when the black players got thball the abuse was clearly heard on the pitch side microphones and the british commentators all picked up on it  - but if you saw the game in Spanish (as I did), the commentators didn't evenat an eyelid (why would they?). I'm not saying that other countries don0t have their racist behaviour, but i mean that those others of the same country recognise that it is a minority, apologise and scorn those who have done it - in spain they just laugh and turn the page/change the channel.

Just my thoughts.  

Answer 2

I live in Spain and I know nothing about it. As for racism in Spain, it is one of the least racist countries in the world. The USA and the UK far outstrip Spain on that score.

I have Spanish neighbours and I'm an immigrant here, but they treat me with the utmost respect.

America's racism is nothing to do with it having been a colony of Britain. Racism flourishes to this day in Southern States.

There is no place for racism in a civilized society and people have no right criticizing other countries whilst racism is still rife in their own country. How ever you feel about this the Spanish are not anti Chinese or anyone else. Most Spanish people, their main interest in life is their families, there is no open hostility to anyone.

Answer 3

This is more of a response to one of the "answers" proposed.

Yes obviously the Chinese race of people have different eyes. Pointing out those differences can be seen as mocking or as the team would have us believe just a light-hearted nod.

This isn't everyone dressing up in matador costume to show Spain "hey we get your culture, aren't we endearing", or a team on it's way to Mexico wearing sombreros. Those are light-hearted fun gestures.  Now if while wearing the costumes they had also posed as if they were harassing women or passed out drunk on the sidewalk... that is offensive.

Back to the eyes. Slanting your own eyes to mimmick the Chinese doens't scream "I hate your race and culture" it just seems very awkward.  Though, I think Pau Gasol recognized it. He said it seemed silly, that he didn't want to do it but the photographers told them to do it. Though I think he and another teammate didn't see how it was offensive.

It's not just our American viewpoint that this was if not racist, a racially-insensitive action. If I'm not mistaken, I heard the Chinese crowd booed the Spanish basketball team. So apparently it is offensive.

Answer 4

I'm Spanish, and there is no problem for us and for Chinese people, so the coclusion is that English only try to create a polemic nonsense situation just to desestabilize Spanish team. For us that's not a surprise as we already know that we are not very popular for the English press.

Ponit 1: A Chinese athlete has declared that he doesn't find the gesture of the Spanish basketbal team offensive.

Point 2: The gorilla noises made in some Spanish stadoums are not racist as some stupid people pretend. If they were, people would do gorilla noises to all black players, even if they were of their own team. But the thing is that the purpose is to desestabilize rival team.

The thing is that we are talking a bout a situation that has no sense and has benn provoked by some stupid people that don't know Spain or Spanish people. Of course there is racism here, but not more than in the US or Britain, or Italy or other countries, so stop saying nonsenses and stop searching polemic where isn't anything wrong.

Greetings to all.

Answer 5

It is not racist. Their sponsor is chinese and they were having a joke and they didn't think it was racist either , they were laughing. They was no insult intended . people are far too sensitive these days , it's ridiculous. The chinese ambassador in Spain said he had a good laugh and wasn't insulted either , he saw it as the joke it was.

I am Scottish and people often dress up in a red wig and kilt with fake bagpipes to take the p**s out of us and I don't shout racism.

The people who think it is need to get a life .....and a sense of humour.

Spanish people treat immigrants with the utmost respect and when you know that spain  accepts more immigrants than any other country except the USA, when it only has a population of 44 million , and is a relatively small country , it should make you think.

Political corectness isn't a big issue here so people are not always aware of offending, but I think that's a good thing as in countries like the UK you can't even call a blackboard  a blackboard anymore, it has to be a chalkboard"........absolutely rediculous.!

NO-ONE has made a big thing of this except the USA and the UK. The chinese have NOT  complained so that should say something in itself

Answer 6

The photo was taken as part of an advertisement for a Spanish company. I'd imagine the team was probably doing as it was told by the "director of photography" for the advertisement campaign.

Let's compare:

First, as far as I know most all Asian people DO have slanted or narrow  eyelids. Can we agree on that?

Second, persons with black or brown skin ARE NOT gorillas or monkeys. I'm sure we can agree on that too.

The second one is derogatory because it depicts a people as something they clearly are not. How is the first one derogatory?? It's certainly RACIAL to portray a people for a characteristic they clearly posses - but is it racist??

Using the same (or similar logic), if the Chinese basketball team posed for a photo where all the players were wearing bullfighter suits, would THAT be racist too? The Chinese basketball team WOULD be portraying themselves as something they are not and generalizing Spaniards as something they clearly are not - all bullfighters. But is that racist? Is that derogatory? And would the Spaniards seeing such a photo laugh or would they be offended?

Racism is a touchy subject and true racism should be stamped out. But I think we have to be careful not to classify ANY and EVERY race-related issue as a racist one. One can be RACIAL without being RACIST. One must also respect racial and regional characteristics of people.

To answer your question about how the Spanish people feel upon seeing such a photo I imagine most of them saw it and found it amusing but didn't have given it a second thought until the article about "RACISM IN SPAIN" surfaced. Then, possibly, some Spaniards may have thought, "Hmmm.. That was in poor taste," but I doubt they thought it was racist.

Saludos, MadridMan/BarcelonaMan @ you-know-where!

Answer 7

did you see what the spanish fans did to lewis hamilton , the spanish do there own thing

Answer 8

You can't apply YOUR value system to the value system of a foreign national or another country.

I would guess they think it's funny.. not everyone in the world is like AmeriKans who have been raised on mindless sit coms and don't have a clue about what is funny.

It's not your worry... if the Spanish are Ok with it... then you should be too.

Answer 9

That photograph was taken for an advertisement of a private company.

Some players have declared having felt stupids while doing that, but they had to do it.

Here in Spain was not considered racist, simply kind, or indifferent. Most people here didn't watch that befor the polemic was started by British press.

Why is it racist to imitate a characteristic of Chinese people? It was like saying... " We are already here in China, ready to won, so much than we almost seem Chineses!"

Don't be so pernickety, racism is considering some people inferior or superior because of its race, NOTHING TO DO with showing an external difference the population from a place...

It do is more xenophobic when we have to stand up allusions to bullfights when somoeone talks about Spain in the mass media, like in the last Eurovision festival. A LOT of us consider this practise a barbarity, and try to abolish it, but our country is shown as if we all were bullfighters, and we don't considered it scandalous. DON'T BE SOO PERNICKETY...

Finally, I must say that anyone IN CHINA has said, untill now, having felt offended. The polemic seems to have been a manipulation of British and American press.

AND IT IS TRUE what another user wrote :  anyone can't acussate of racist a nation which is the one which wellcomes the biggest number of inmigarnts in Europe, almost like in the USA, despite of being a relatevely small country, with no important conflicts.