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Wednesday, June 08, 2005

The Rot of the Soul and Football 

This is an extreme example, yes, extreme, but valid none the less, as to why the challenge of stereotypes matters, and mattered over at Dailykos over the Ginger/Maryanne ad.

There is an old expression that "the fish rots from the head." Right now the San Francisco 49ers are stinking like a salmon in the sun. Their more general fall from grace has been a matter of public spectacle, as the "Team of the 1980s" has become a mismanaged, cap-strapped embarrassment. Yet the stench that envelops the Niners invaded the rest of our lives last week with the leaking of a media training video meant to "guide players on how to deal with San Francisco's unique and diverse community." A noble goal, to be sure. San Francisco is home to significant Asian, Pacific Island populations, and is of course synonymous with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community and culture. The video, however, was not aimed to help players with cross-cultural understanding - but instead an exercise in rank bigotry.
How to talk to the Bay Area Asian community? There is a mock interview with a actor playing a Hop-Sing "bucked tooth Asian man". How to reach out to LGBT football fans? There is a mockery of Gay weddings and clucking about "bending for the soap" in the county jail. Even worse, the team's PR department enlisted players such as Julian Peterson to act in the video, with the All-Pro linebacker playing a "bum begging for food"- homelessness being just another hilarious sight on the Bay Area landscape.

# posted by scorpiorising : 7:23 PM |

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