It’s Lin-equity and Lin-tolerance: ESPN uses racial slur in headline on Jeremy Lin

After writing a blog post for The Ugly Chinese Canadian a couple weeks back, I asserted my sentiments about how great it was to be Canadian, how tolerant and accepting it is to live in North America, how I’ve never been made to feel ashamed or different about being Asian in a country of immigrants.

I even made comparisons to my husband’s upbringing in Europe, how even in a place as seemingly open and accepting as the Netherlands, there was still all sorts of petty name calling going on over there. The worst of which has been the names of popular Chinese fast food dishes. But still. Name calling is name calling.

But this morning, I opened my mailbox and saw an e-mail thread circulating around my Asian American Journalists’ Association listserv about a headline on ESPN’s website yesterday — CHINK IN THE ARMOR, it read.

This appalling headline went up Friday night in a story reporting the Knicks' loss to the Hornets.

Is this not America? Are we not in the year 2012?

Since Jeremy Lin made his chance debut as starter for the New York Knicks on Feb. 4, he has made the headlines. He is a Harvard economics grad, he’s religious, he’s humble, he was great talent just waiting to be discovered, he can REALLY play ball!…oh…and he’s Asian! It’s a big deal because there aren’t many Asians in the league, but somehow, all these characteristics and adjectives weren’t enough for some idiot journalists. No, for some reason, some journalists have felt the need to make some really crass comments about Lin that have absolutely no grounding.

Now it’s ESPN’s turn. The headline has since been removed from ESPN’s site. But someone was able to screen capture it last night when it went up. In the midst of all this Linsanity, I think it’s time we talk about some Lin-equity or Lin-tolerance.

Chink is a racial slur. It’s as offensive as nigger and kike, and as been used in the past in hate crimes against the Chinese.

I once felt lucky and fortunate to have grown up with little to no racial discrimination. Now I am starting to feel naive and sheltered. Because it’s still happening here, right in America, and it’s coming from big media groups and seasoned journalists — people who are my colleagues in the news world, people who I expect to be setting good examples and writing for the betterment of society.

Ohh yea, naive and sheltered I am.

Update: Just before noon EST on Saturday morning, ESPN issued a statement, saying it was “determining appropriate disciplinary action to ensure this does not happen again.” The statement added, “We regret and apologize for this mistake.”

Hell, ya. There would be rioting on the streets if they used the “N” word to describe an NBA player. Can’t believe the network thought using Chink would be ok.