Asking the Tough Questions: Offensive Fans
October 17th, 2007 . by contemptster 
Not to take the fun out of a good Indians win last night. Well actually, that’s exactly what I want to do (Jhonny Peralta chan gho tho hhell!) Fan bias aside, can someone please tell me why painting your face red with a cartoonish smile is an acceptable thing to do and not completely racist? It sure looks like a form of black face to me. I understand that it’s the Indians logo and all, but isn’t the Indians logo a blatant racial stereotype to begin with? It strikes me as pretty offensive, but I’m a bleeding heart draft dodger who wants to fit everyone with a burqa. Do I need to lighten up? Is it just a couple guys having fun? No harm no foul. What’s your take?
OK to wear red face?
- “Uh, yeah look at it, it’s fucking the same as black face. Why is this acceptable again?” (76%)
- “Uh, gotta support the team! It’s our manifest destiny!” (24%)
Total Votes: 168
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(2 votes, average: 5.5 out of 10)
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Of course I’m a big fan of “No harm, no foul.”
I’ve discussed similar issues around the Washington Redskins. The reason this sort of thing doesn’t get the media attention (and condemnation) that it should is that the Native American population has been marginalized to the point where they can’t generate media interest in their very real problems, much less “minor” symbolic slights like a couple of jackasses painting their faces red.
The quickest way to figure how offensive these dudes are would be to drive them to the nearest reservation, and see how they are greeted.
My real concern is why did ESPN put this picture on the front page of their site? They made an editorial decision to go with that picture.
That’s the reason I wrote about it today. I saw them on t.v. and just thought they were crazy fans going a little over the top, but then to have them as the “signature” fans used by ESPN surprised me this morning. The more you look at the picture instead of quick shots on t.v. the more you start to realize “wait a second, why is that okay?”
wtf. not again. Let it go already. We can sit here and pick pepper out of fly shit about this. Yea yea yea I know the fight but still get a life worry about something else like cancer or even the cost of living. Please let these fans have some fun.
But these fans are having fun. Just look at those big smiles on their faces!
I like how you think people can only “worry” about one thing at a time. I can worry about lots of things. The aforementioned cancer, drinking and smoking too much, my mortgage, World War III, health of relatives, but there will always be a part of me no matter all my other worries that will take the time to point out two assholes mocking a race of people our country tried to wipe off the face of the earth. That’s just my opinion and that’s why we have a poll.
Contempster,
I’m with you, as I stated. It would be one thing if “wore out” said something like, “Native Americans have bigger issues to face–diabetes, crystal meth addiction, suicide rates all shockingly higher than the national average.”
But no, their point was, “Let the white people have their fun.”
Those two jackasses would not have fun watching their team take 3 games in a row from the Red Sox without painting themselves like that?