Febuary 13, 2012

Subtle Discrimination Against Jeremy Lin

Since Jeremy Lin's arrival in the NBA, sports fans have blurred the line between "funny" and prejudice. In fact, even Madison Square Garden permitted the display of Lin's head popping out of a fortune cookie on the jumbotron.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

Asian-Americans, even those whose families have lived in the US for generations, are still widely viewed and treated as "foreign". While often seen as the "model minority" (a racist title that presumes Asians to be the superior race second to whites, based on levels of achieved success), many narratives are employed to stereotype Asian-Americans as "un-masculine" and therefore un-athletic males. Because Lin seems to be the exception to this stereotype, he is sensationalized for his race rather than for his impressive talent and hard work.

Read more at, "Why do discriminatory comments against Asian-Americans never cause a stir ? "