At best Bashir said something sexist that happened to be exacerbated because of a racial element. But then that just means you blast him for being sexist in general. It’s like the only reason this is even news among AA sites is because it involved something AA related in that moment, when really he’s just being a horny ass, sexist bastard he probably always was. In other words, posting about this is essentially like us finding a reason to be angry.

Okay, FUX, help me out here.

Do you think what he did was tasteless or not? Should someone say something about it or not? I’m agreeing with everything you said above until the transition in the second to last sentence.

What he said was sexist, and his sexism was exacerbated by racialized stereotypes. It’s related to gender, but it’s also related to race. We agree on all this. So how is posting about this “finding a reason to be angry?”

I think I can call him on that. I don’t know what his thoughts are, and I have no idea whether he’s prejudiced or not. But to make a statement like that in public, knowing the stereotypes that Asian women face (see the article I linked above), is offensive on a sexual level. I find it hard to believe that a guy like Bashir who has been around the world many times, who is one of the most prominent broadcast journalists in the world, and who certainly has met Asian people before, did not know the significance of what he said. Remember, he specifically mentioned “Asian babes.”

Fair enough jaehwan, I guess it’s just new to me that the pairing of the words “asian” and “babe” can apparently equivocate to “hypersexualized dragon lady, china doll, geisha, pornstar”

I won’t call him a racist, but I will say that his sexism is exacerbated by the racial dynamics, which I’m sure he understands.

This is almost exactly what I was trying to point out in the latter half of my post above. At best Bashir said something sexist that happened to be exacerbated because of a racial element. But then that just means you blast him for being sexist in general. It’s like the only reason this is even news among AA sites is because it involved something AA related in that moment, when really he’s just being a horny ass, sexist bastard he probably always was. In other words, posting about this is essentially like us finding a reason to be angry.

That being said, it’s still sexist against Asian women but the sexism is exacerbated by race.

Oh, one Asian female journalist did speak out.

FUX

But can you really call him on that Jaehwan? Like I said before, it looks like the context could cut both ways. The only thing absent from tipping it either way is Bashir’s own personal beliefs or comments.

I think I can call him on that. I don’t know what his thoughts are, and I have no idea whether he’s prejudiced or not. But to make a statement like that in public, knowing the stereotypes that Asian women face (see the article I linked above), is offensive on a sexual level. I find it hard to believe that a guy like Bashir who has been around the world many times, who is one of the most prominent broadcast journalists in the world, and who certainly has met Asian people before, did not know the significance of what he said. Remember, he specifically mentioned “Asian babes.”

A couple years ago, a politician addressing American Indians got in trouble by saying “the natives are restless.” A little while before that, a white politician got in trouble for addressing African Americans and using the word “niggardly.” These all could be perfectly innocent, but these people ought to know their audience, and I think it’s perfectly acceptable to hold an experienced newscaster like Bashir to that standard. I won’t call him a racist, but I will say that his sexism is exacerbated by the racial dynamics, which I’m sure he understands.

How hard can it be to genuine and a horny bastard at the same time? Are there no more genuine, horny bastards in the world today? I’m serious.

The shit that Bashir said is sexist. He’s a giant pig.

But there is no basis to say that what he said is racist in nature as well.

I’m just saying I’m surprised more people didn’t say something about what to me seems an ignorant comment given the history that Asian women have in dealing with sexualized stereotypes.

But can you really call him on that Jaehwan? Like I said before, it looks like the context could cut both ways. The only thing absent from tipping it either way is Bashir’s own personal beliefs or comments.

I mean if you have video of how Bashir said it or similar that may indicate his beliefs, then I might agree with you.

But absent of that, you can’t really say much and you’d be doing what we rag on the crazies for whenever they see an AF walking with a white dude or appearing on TV.

As for saying Bashir saying something ignorant in general, absent his beliefs, is enough can you really claim that? What exactly separates his comment from an unprofessional joke to it being a comment linking the hypersexualization of AFs? Did he reference dragon ladies, china dolls, submissiveness, geishas? Is his comment even really referencing any kind of hypersexuality?

If anything it looks like his comment just links the women in that room and his opinion of sexiness (as well as being a horny bastard), and if that’s enough Jaehwan then you might as well call out any man for finding any woman sexy.

Bashir began with a leering remark about his colleague (former KGO-TV reporter, now ABC news correspondent) JuJu Chang. Instead of the standard, “Thank you for that fine introduction,” Bashir launched with “I’m surprised that JuJu didn’t mention my inside leg measurements because she seems to know everything about me.”

Inside leg.” Did I just hear a penis joke?

Commentators like Neal Justin (a TV critic of South Asian descent) were fixated on the sexism in Bashir’s remarks (there were other comments about JuJu’s looks). Justin also noted the irony that few in the AAJA crowd joined him in booing Bashir.

…

Said Bashir: “People have had problems with his name. So far we’ve had it described as Barack Osama. We’ve had ‘Baby father’ Obama. We’ve had Barack ‘Saddam Hussein’ Obama….”
Bashir went on. “We should go a bit further. I was wondering about a hip-hop reference and connect him to the Wu Tang Clan. And we can call him Old Dirty Bastard Barack.”

What is a mixture of polite laughter and shock? Whatever you call it, the room was filled with it.
Oblivious, Bashir continued: “Or why not the Great White Fear of the Dark Phallus … Big Black Barrack!”

Coincidence or not, it’s still in poor taste given the demographics of whom he was addressing. If he had made jokes about liking fried chicken or black guys chasing white women in front of an African American group–and there’s nothing wrong with liking fried chicken or black guys going after white women per se–it would’ve been just as tasteless. It’s all about context.

If he didn’t direct that second joke about the comparison between a speech and a dress at Juju Chang, would you be up in arms?

I’m not up in arms, nor do I think AAM is up in arms. As I mentioned, it’s not as serious as Vincent Chin. I’m just saying I’m surprised more people didn’t say something about what to me seems an ignorant comment given the history that Asian women have in dealing with sexualized stereotypes.

Kuro,

I’m sure you can appreciate the idea that Asian American issues and African American issues are not the same. Saying that you’re talking about race and not continents isn’t divisive in my opinion; it’s constructive. It better defines what you’re discussing so that people understand the issues better.

The point Ive strayed from is that it would also really really suck if people of differing Asian descent also got into “Who is Asian and who is not”, or worse “Are you more or less Asian than…?”