After Floyd Mayweather’s epithet-laden anti-racist tirade on UStream last week, Mayweather once again took to his webcam this week. This time, it was to record an apology. Sort of.

Minutes before apologizing, Mayweather (in a “top secret Las Vegas location”) surrounds himself with two Asian women (dressed either as flight attendents or hotel staff). One is Thai and the other Chinese. Mayweather proceeds to act like a fool, even loudly demanding that the Thai woman “speak some Thai”. Then, inexplicably, Mayweather tells the camera that his boxing gym is in Chinatown.

All this, it seems, is to demonstrate to the viewer that Mayweather isn’t anti-Asian. In fact, he loves him some Asian people — so much so as to point out all the Asian people and things around him. Welcome to Mayweather’s version of “I can’t be racist, I have minority friends!”

Then, Mayweather launches into his apology, which starts with more ethnic show-and-tell — this time with his Jewish and Dominican posse members. Given that these guys, in addition to the Asian women, were apparently just standing around waiting to be paraded in front of the webcam, one has to wonder how Mayweather found all these different minority people and got them to congregate for his video stream. What was this: ethnic scavenger hunt day?

Mayweather proceeds to say:

“I do want to apologize for what happened the other night,” Mayweather said. “I want to apologize to everybody. They felt it was a racist comment that came from me. I don’t have a racist bone in my body, you know. I love everybody. Some of my guys are Muslims. Some of my guys are Jews. Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, whites, it doesn’t matter. There is nothing but love in my heart, you know what I’m saying?

“I heard this from a few people. The only thing I want to say is, anybody who was offended by what I said the other day, I apologize as a man. I apologize. Forgive me for saying what I said. I was just having fun. I didn’t really mean it, nothing in a bad way. So let’s stay on this roller coaster ride and keep riding, baby. It’s all love.”

Mayweather also promised the two women front-row tickets to his “Poochie-ao” fight. Which goes to show both that Mayweather’s apology is insincere (since he continues to use that ridiculous nickname) and that it appears like Mayweather needs and wants the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight more than Pacquiao does. Pacquiao keeps moving on and doing fights when talks between the two fall apart; it’s Mayweather who keeps trash-talking without a fight scheduled.

(And speaking of which, why does Mayweather even have time to constantly be video-streaming his life? If he wants to be a reality TV star that badly, he needs to enter into talks with VH1 or something. Or does he not have enough starpower to headline the new unscripted reality TV show “Racist Merriment with Mayweather”?)

I said it last week and I say it again — all this drama is ridiculous. Mayweather needs to put up or shut up: get in the ring with Pacquiao and prove you’re better than him. Otherwise, all this trash-talking hype is pointless, petty and stupid — making it look like you have nothing better to do than throw rocks at a guy online because you’re too afraid to confront him face-to-face.

Morrissey of "The Smiths" calls Chinese people "a subspecies".

Morrissey, the singer/songwriter who fronted the 80’s band The Smiths, took an interview with the Guardian last week in which he is quoted to have said:

Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can’t help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies. (emphasis added)

Morrissey was speaking in the context of an article that ran in the paper about treatment of animals in Chinese zoos and circuses.

Morrissey is known for causing controversy over inflammatory, and often racialized, denouncements. In 2007, he made anti-immigrant remarks that sounded very much like the xenophobia and hate spouted by America’s White Nationalists:

The war of words with NME continued in 2007 after Morrissey, who lived in Rome at the time, was quoted in an interview with the magazine apparently criticising levels of immigration after being asked if he would ever consider moving back to England. “With the issue of immigration, it’s very difficult because, although I don’t have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears,” he said. “If you walk through Knightsbridge on any bland day of the week you won’t hear an English accent. You’ll hear every accent under the sun apart from the British accent.”

At another point in the interview he stated: “England is a memory now. The gates are flooded and anybody can have access to England and join in.”

Morrissey has also been quoted as saying he “didn’t really think, for instance, that Black people and White people could ever really get along“, and the lyrics of some of his songs — including Bengali in Platforms, Asian Rut and The National Front Disco — tout seemingly racist, xenophobic and White nationalist messages.

Now, this latest quote from Morrissey seems to have re-fueled the fires over his racism.

And frankly, I’m outraged by the statement. Whether you are a fervent animal rights activist or not (and Morrissey is), there’s no excuse for labelling an entire racial group of people as less than human. We’ve seen that kind of speech before; it’s not cool.

I understand why Morrissey feels passionate over stories of animal abuse, but here, we also see a mindset that’s too common amongst animal rights activists: there’s an elevation of animals over certain groups of people that can easily breed contempt, and even racism. We can and should call out countries or political groups for their mistreatment of animals, but a line is crossed when the status of an entire race of people are lowered to that of a “subspecies”, even if it is just by an aging 80’s has-been who’s only causing a stir because he’s desperately trying to keep his name in headlines.

Being Non-White is “Playing the Race Card”?

Manan Trivedi is a doctor and an Iraq War veteran who is currently running as a Democrat for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 6th District. He also happens to be South Asian American, the American-born son of immigrant parents from India.

Trivedi is one of six South Asians squaring off this year in congressional races against the GOP (which is even more riled up than usual over racialized issues like illegal immigration, the NYC mosque construction, and “Obamacare”). Earlier this year, Raj Goyle (a Democratic Indian American running in Kansas against Republican Mike Pompeo) made headlines when the Pompeo Twitter feed re-tweeted an article that referred to Goyle by the ethnic slur, “turban topper.”

Which tells you just how low some politicians will go to win an election.

Trivedi, who has already raised more than $390,00 dollars as a traditional candidate, in part by tapping a wealthy network of politically-minded Indian Americans in Pennsylvania, is now facing off against Republican incumbent Jim Gerlach (pictured above). Recently, Gerlach launched attacks against Trivedi, saying that he “doesn’t share our values.”

And whose values are those? One guess.

When concerns were raised that the Gerlach campaign’s statement could be perceived as playing on Trivedi’s ethnic differences compared to the average Pennsylvanian voter’s (85% of Pennsylvania’s residents are White), Gerlach dismissively said, “The only one who has played the race card here is him, by going to Indian-American groups to raise money.”

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A day after I posted that an Asian family was targeted by anti-Asian hate crime after moving to a suburban community in Oregon, it was revealed that the whole episode was a hoax conjured up by the family’s 16-year-old son, who was angry about having to switch schools and make new friends.

The family’s 16-year-old son (whose name isn’t mentioned in most of the news articles I’ve read about the story — in and of itself suspicious since reporters published pictures and names of the other three kids when the story initially broke yesterday) apparently was the one to spray-paint racial slurs on the family’s new house, and to leave a threatening note next to a box of matches and a bottle suspected to contain gasoline. The note read “LEAVE” and “Last Warning. We will burn down your house if we have to.”

Slurs spray-painted on the house included "gook", "homo" and "chink".

That could be gasoline. Or vegetable oil. I'm not entirely sure.

I guess the son didn’t realize that a hate crime is a serious offense; and that this story would actually make news locally and around the blogosphere.

The son appears to have apologized to the family and no charges will be pressed. But I’m also guessing that the teenager is going to be punished badly enough that juvie jail might almost look like the better consequence. He thought it was bad moving to a new school before? Think how tough it’s going to be to make new friends when all the students know you’re the new kid who graffitied his own house with racial slurs because he missed his old school, and is now grounded for the remainder of his natural life.

Moving to a new high school sucks pretty bad, but yikes — I think it would’ve just been easier to try with the making of the new friends, rather than with the empty threats of arson.

Now, I really want this fight to happen. And I also now definitely know who I'm rooting for.

So, those of you who read this blog regularly know that I’m a fan of boxing, and that I was pretty excited about a Pacquiao/Mayweather fight that was set to take place earlier this year. Mayweather, who is undoubtedly one of the best boxers of our generation was slated to fight Pacquiao, last year’s pound-for-pound best according to Ring Magazine, in March of this year. 

That fight, which was predicted to break all current records on boxing match earnings, was anticipated around the world. But, it fell through after Mayweather’s camp decided that, because Manny Pacquiao is Filipino, and because the Phillipines are a good source of illegal performance enhancing drugs, that Pacquiao must prove he’s not on PEDs. As I said back in December, the basis of that accusation is racism, pure and simple; so much so, in fact, that Pacquiao filed a defamation lawsuit against Mayweather, his father, and Golden Boy Promotions.

Nonetheless, Mayweather insisted that both he and Pacquiao submit themselves to random blood and urine testing for the entire 30-day period prior to the fight back in March. Pacquiao refused — saying that he would submit to drug-testing until a week prior to the scheduled match, but that he didn’t want to allow himself to be interrupted with tests in the few days before the fight. And so, since Mayweather and Pacquiao could not come to an agreement on this point, Mayweather pulled out and the March date was given to Joshua Clottey, a fighter from Ghana who previously held the IFC welterweight championship. Pacquiao made mincemeat out of Clottey.

Then, again, there were rumours that Mayweather and Pacquiao had entered back into talks for a fight tentatively scheduled for November. But, again, Mayweather and Pacquiao could not come to an agreement over blood testing, and again, Mayweather pulled out. Pacquiao is now scheduled to fight Antonio Margarito, a disgraced fighter who claimed the WBC International Light Middleweight belt in Mexico earlier this year. If Pacquiao wins the fight in November, he will have earned yet another championship title in his seventh weight class.

In a sport that is so incredibly and historically racialized, the Pacquiao/Mayweather talks are no exception. In fact, much of the normal shit-talk that occurs between fighters to hype a pending bout have been incredibly racist — and most of it stems from Mayweather’s camp.

Yesterday, Mayweather — who was recording a live video stream on UStream — launched into an online tirade against Manny Pacquiao that was captured by Pacquiao fans and posted onto YouTube.

In the 10 minute long video clip, which edits together many different moments in the live video stream, Mayweather references many anti-Asian stereotypes and attempts to use racialized humour to emasculate Pacquiao.

Throughout the video, Mayweather refers to Pacquiao as “Poochie-ao”, which sounds like the name one might give to a fluffy little puppy. Mayweather also calls Pacquiao a “midget” — which can only refer to the stereotype of Asians being diminuitive in height, since Pacquiao is actually only 1.5 inches shorter than Mayweather. Mayweather accuses Pacquiao of not being able to speak English and even says that Pacquiao’s using a fake name: Pacquiao’s first name is actually ”Emanual”, not “Manny” (‘cuz no one’s ever heard of nicknames in boxing, right – ”Pretty Boy” Floyd “Money” Mayweather?).

But most gallingly, Mayweather spends about a minute and a half joking that Pacquiao can take his order for sushi and rice (shitty, Westernized sushi, at that — I mean who even eats shrimp tempura rolls except Americans?) and says that, if he were ever to fight Pacquiao, he would “cook him up with some cats and dogs”.

Mayweather’s rant is incredibly racist, and hinges entirely upon mocking Pacquiao’s ethnicity. Mayweather’s words run the gamut of anti-Asian stereotypes, and he even going so far as to confuse all Asians cultures by correlating a Filipino man with Japanese food.

I realize that Mayweather cultivates a villain persona in the boxing world, and that he’s known for his pre-fight trash-talk, but in this case, Mayweather should be ashamed. These racist taunts are infantile and bigoted; while Pacquiao is actually doing his job and fighting opponents, Mayweather is sitting on the sidelines making dumbass racist jokes.

I said it back in December and I’ll say it again: prove you’re not chicken, Mayweather. If you really think you’re better than Pacquiao, than find some compromise on the blood-testing thing, and take your shit to the ring.

And hopefully, when he finally gets a chance to, that “midget” will kick your skinny, racist ass.

Here’s the full article:

Asian-American family receives threats after moving into suburban Portland home

HAPPY VALLEY (AP) – Clackamas County sheriff’s officers are investigating a racial harassment case involving an Asian-American family moving into a home in the southeast Portland suburb of Happy Valley.

Sheriff’s Detective Jim Strovink says the FBI is also investigating whether the harassment of Sang Huynh and his family constitutes a federal civil rights violation.

Racial slurs were spray-painted Monday afternoon on the outside of the home. The family also found a book of matches near a clear plastic bottle of what police think is gasoline. Warning notes included one that said, “We will burn your house down if we have to.”

Fourteen-year-old Lisa Huynh says her parents are upset by the threats and her little brother is now afraid to sleep in his own room.

Happy Valley Mayor Rob Wheeler called the harassment “totally unacceptable and disturbing.”

According to its Wikipedia article, Happy Valley is a small community that had about 4,500 residents in 2000. Nearly 90% of the residents are White, and Asian residents make up the next largest racial group at less than 9%.

To me, Happy Valley doesn’t sound like all that happy a place to be.

New York City cabbies are warned to be wary after a passenger stabbed his driver Monday night for being Muslim.

All that race-baiting over the mosque being built several blocks from Ground Zero isn’t just talk — it’s having a real-world effect on the ground.

Ahmed Sharif, a practicing Muslim who drives a cab in NYC, picked up a passenger Monday night. His passenger was Michael Enright, a 21 year old White male who was later described by police as highly intoxicated. Here’s an account of what happened next:

Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said the cabbie who was attacked is Ahmed H. Sharif, 43, a practicing Muslim.

When he first got into the taxi Tuesday night, Desai said, Enright engaged in cordial conversation with Sharif.

He “started out friendly, asking Mr. Sharif about where he was from, how long he had been in America, if he was Muslim and if he was observing fast during Ramadan,” said Desai, who has spoken with the cab driver.

Then, after a few minutes of silence, Desai said Enright started violently cursing at Sharif and shouted “Assalamu Alaikum, consider this a checkpoint,” before slashing him in the throat, arms, and hand.

Though gushing blood, Sharif was able to escape and quickly flagged a police officer, who apprehended Enright, Desai said. Police said the suspect was highly intoxicated.

Nell said Enright has been charged with attempted murder in the second degree as a hate crime, assault in the second degree as a hate crime, aggravated harassment in the second degree as a hate crime, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

Sharif, a father of four who immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh 25 years ago, has been driving a cab for more than 15 years, according to a statement from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.

This episode is inexcusable, and it’s also downright un-American.

“This kind of bigotry only breeds more violence and makes taxi drivers all the more vulnerable on the streets where there are no bully pulpits or podiums to hide behind,” Desai told CNN.

 Blaming Muslims for 9/11 is like blaming Koreans for Seung-Hui Cho and blaming Whites for Oklahoma City. No person — let alone an American citizen – should fear for his life in America just based on the colour of his skin.

Another recent post over at Change.org:

Why Pop Culture Matters to Race Bloggers

Prince of Persia, Twilight, The Last Airbender, Karate Kid, Red Dawn — this summer’s blockbusters seem to have gotten the blogosphere humming more than usual, with many writers examining Hollywood’s relationship with race.In my experience, sardonic or critical posts focusing on the latest pop culture icons fare far better among readers than dry, data-heavy sociological analyses (which take about 23 times as long to prepare). Pop culture diatribes tend to be easy to write, widely read and more likely to go viral. For bloggers who live and die by pageviews and ad-clicks, this is our bread and butter.

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My latest post over at Change.org, which addresses Fox News’ recent quest in search of black racism:

Fox News Would Really Like to See Evidence of Black Racism

Since the NAACP passed a resolution denouncing racist elements within the Tea Party (the details of which NAACP chairman Ben Jealous explained on Change.org last week), Fox News has been spinning its wheels trying to expose what it sees as racism among the black community.For example, as Prerna Lal recently reported,  Fox has lately been up in arms over the New Black Panther Party, a group that allegedly engaged in voter intimidation in 2008. In her post, Prerna cited video footage of Fox’s Bill O’Reilly, in which he pointedly declares: “The evidence clearly shows the [members of the New Black Panther Party] breaking the law. Why were they given a pass [from the White House]?”

Forget about the fact that Obama isn’t the one that chose not to file a criminal case against the New Black Panther Party (that decision rested with Bush). O’Reilly’s choice of the phrase “get a pass” is a deliberate effort to suggest that certain minorities (specifically African-Americans) are getting preferential treatment in the Obama administration. He’s suggesting that whites are the real victim of racism here — a theme we also saw in the Shirley Sherrod case.

Across Fox’s coverage, we see the same message. It’s no coincidence that within days of the NAACP’s announcement, Fox devoted several segments to the New Black Panther Party — highlighting their supposed efforts to disenfranchise white voters. FoxNews.com also ran an opinion piece by Congressman Lamar Smith that explicitly accused the Department of Justice of racism in its failure to file a lawsuit against the group. In it, Smith writes, “Had the defendants been members of the Ku Klux Klan, I doubt the Justice Department would have dropped the charges. This appears to be a case of reverse discrimination.”

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A recent post I wrote for Change.org, examining why the Shirley Sherrod controversy was intended to resonate amongst White viewers:

Shirley Sherrod: A Lesson in White Victimhood

Back in March, the speech Shirley Sherrod gave before the NAACP seemed innocuous enough. In it, the Obama appointee urged her audience to heed the words of Toni Morrison, declaring, “we have to get to the point where race exists, but it doesn’t matter.” Sherrod — the current state director of rural development — also movingly recounted how her attitudes toward race have shifted since growing up in the South, at a time when lynchings were still commonplace.

Yesterday, though, Fox News managed to twist Sherrod’s words. The network aired a video that was edited to suggest Sherrod currently discriminates against white farmers. (View the edited video here.). As edited, the video suggests Sherrod has previously tried to avoid having to actually help a white farmer keep his land — and that she made this decision based on the color of his skin.

Actually, what Sherrod discussed was how her views on race changed after witnessing how a white farmer whose land was being foreclosed suffered the same apathy and mistreatment at the hands of wealthy whites that she’d seen black farmers experience. Ultimately, she encouraged her audience to view the world not just in terms of black and white, but in terms of “haves” and “have nots.” (Full speech here — the relevant anecdote is around minute 17.)

But so much for “fair and balanced.” Instead, Fox News chose to insinuate that Sherrod actively discriminates against whites in her current job with the administration. Fox News also went a step further to argue that the NAACP was backing Sherrod’s supposed discrimination against whites.

Sherrod holds a fairly obscure position within the Obama administration, and it’s plain that the edited video that surfaced was just that — edited, and heavily so. So why the sudden controversy?

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