As I start to pack up my things and mentally prepare for my year in Spain, trying to push aside my negative past experiences in Spain I get a nice slap in the face and am brought back to reality.
What was the Spanish Olympic basketball team thinking when they posed for that group picture slanting their eyes?!! How could anyone think logically that it would be a good idea to do that? It just takes one idiot to make a suggestion for an entire group of people to be irresponsible, disrespectful, and of course ignorant asses.
For player, Calderon to suggest that it was intended to be 'loving' and, the president of the Spanish Basketball Federation to consider the slanting of the teams eyes a 'gesture of affection' is incomprehensible.
They seriously need to get a grip and apologize for their ignorance, and disrespect to the Chinese and stop trying to sweep it under the rug. Whether the team or photographer meant it as a joke or not, there most certainly were racial overtones and to deny it is even more despicable and distasteful than the act itself.
Why is it that people go to the other end of the spectrum when they've totally offended people? Why not just say, we're really sorry for offending you, it was not our intention and we apologize? Or just tell the truth! We thought it would be funny...but to say that the gesture was out of love, and respect, and a way to identify with their Chinese hosts is pathetic and of poor taste.
I'm still trying to prep for this big move to Barcelona, and I really hope no one in Spain asks me what I think about the picture in question because I might get deported.
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