Comments on: Ichiro Suzuki was in a car crash on Saturday evening

By: IdahoMariner

IdahoMariner — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 04:15:10 +0000

i will say again what kevin s. said, since a few people seem to have missed it. ichiro knows how to speak english, and can carry on conversations quite well with his teammates. but he is also an incredibly careful person with his communications, largely because virtually everything he does is reported back in Japan – so every interview includes his interpreter, and I imagine, as kevin said, he wanted to very clear with his employers when he reported this accident.

By: craggt

craggt — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 21:49:40 +0000

My immediate reaction. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

By: nothanksimdriving123

nothanksimdriving123 — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:38:31 +0000

Perhaps someone with expertise in Japanese culture can tell us whether people there would be pleased or insulted if an American came and worked there for 12 years and still needed an interpreter. Would they not expect us to learn their language by then? (Yes, from what I have heard about Japan, I suspect they’d be insulted, but I’d really like to hear from an expert if I’m wrong, a state of affairs for which there is abundant precedent).

By: seawurd

seawurd — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:06:10 +0000

was once rear-ended by an Asian driver…Did they full release happy endings massage you after ?

By: tfbuckfutter

tfbuckfutter — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:43:00 +0000

By: Kevin S.

Kevin S. — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:23:09 +0000

Don’t worry, I’ll be bitching about them in High Numenorean, so you won’t understand a word I say.

By: indaburg

indaburg — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:18:21 +0000

The most offensive part: the joke wasn’t funny.

By: historiophiliac

historiophiliac — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 17:33:12 +0000

Hey, when we go see the Hobbit, don’t sit behind me and bitch about all the Elvish errors like you did at Lord of the Rings, okay?

By: Kevin S.

Kevin S. — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 17:15:22 +0000

I was embarrassed to have needed that reminder. I’ve read all the Zahn books and all of NJO, should have known it immediately.

By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged

churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 17:10:03 +0000

This[SIC] has been in the U.S. for over 10 years[SIC] &[SIC] he still needs an interpreter???[SIC] How do u[SIC] get a license if u[SIC] can’t speak English???[SIC]

How long have you been here when you can’t properly write English?

By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged

churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 17:08:21 +0000

Kevin S is right, see here:

http://civic.mit.edu/blog/petey/sorry-nerds-but-obama-was-right-about-the-jedi-meld-and-metaphysics

By: tfbuckfutter

tfbuckfutter — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:45:51 +0000

You’re missing my point….no one is going to see a joke about Asian drivers and go “Oh my God! Asians are terrible drivers!”

The only people it reinforces the belief in are the people who already buy into it….which is what makes it funny TO ME to make those jokes….I love the fact that most of the (few) thumbs up that post have gotten have come from the people I am actually making fun of.

I understand your point, and agree for the most part….which is WHY it makes it funny to me to do it. I happen to live in an area that has a LOT of racism, not just subtle but overt, and I am also white so the white people around here assume I have the same attitudes about race as they do (I frequently hear the n-word used as it was initially intended to be used)…..so I delight in mocking those who believe stereotypes especially when they don’t realize it.

By: drewzducks

drewzducks — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:03:36 +0000

By: micksmantle

micksmantle — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:02:24 +0000

Because the days of it being necessary to understand and speak the native english in America are long gone. We should really be speaking Japanese to further accommodate him.

By: Kevin S.

Kevin S. — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:57:27 +0000

While I’m fairly certain he was going for Jedi Mind Trick, the Jedi Mind Meld actually exists.

By: historiophiliac

historiophiliac — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:56:38 +0000

You’ve just spoiled us with your better funnies, tbf. Now we’ll turn on you like Yankees fans when disappointed.

By: craggt

craggt — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:52:57 +0000

You seem to be missing my point. I’m not trying to claim that you are racist, or even believe in the stereotype. What I’m saying is that jokes based upon racial stereotypes regardless of the intent are undesirable. Again there is no such thing as a harmless racial stereotype, poking fun at the stereotypes is still using them. If people hear something repeated enough times they begin to believe it.

By: historiophiliac

historiophiliac — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:52:42 +0000

That’s “senior.”

By: historiophiliac

historiophiliac — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:50:25 +0000

Oops! Sci-fi gaffe. I meant to say victim of the Borg’s force lightning. Sorry.

By: sdelmonte

sdelmonte — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:47:24 +0000

Glad he’s okay, of course.

But hard not to think of all the fans breathing a sigh of relief that the Yanks aren’t out one more outfielder.

By: sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo

sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:45:38 +0000

The man just hits everything he sees. I hope this is a harbinger of a great year for Senor Suzuki.

By: Kevin S.

Kevin S. — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:45:25 +0000

As I understand it, Ichiro speaks English well enough to communicate on basic, every day stuff, but sometimes if you want to convey a message that needs to be understood perfectly you use an interpreter who has mastery of the language. I’m sure Ichiro didn’t want the Yankees to misunderstand any of the details of his crash.

By: tfbuckfutter

tfbuckfutter — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:44:40 +0000

I am sorry, however, that in that original post my “defense” for making fun of the Asian driver stereotype was that I’d been rear-ended by one (which is true, actually, but she also happened to be a teenage girl so I could have made fun of their driving skills as well) wasn’t CLEARLY tongue-in-cheek enough.

By: historiophiliac

historiophiliac — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:41:30 +0000

Do you really need to read “Stop” on the sign to understand it?

By: tfbuckfutter

tfbuckfutter — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:41:05 +0000

You’re welcome to your opinion of my opinion. I have no opinion of your opinion except to suggest you not ever watch a show like Tosh.0

By: shavodog1

shavodog1 — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:37:27 +0000

This has been in the U.S. for over 10 years & he still needs an interpreter??? How do u get a license if u can’t speak English???

By: craggt

craggt — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:14:37 +0000

Except the fact that you’re making fun of the stereotype instead of actually using it isn’t in my opinion fairly ambiguous in your original post. Sarcasm doesn’t come across as easily when typed, and I still stand by my opinion that racial jokes, even seemly benign ones, reinforce stereotypes which is a net negative.

By: sleepyirv

sleepyirv — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:08:32 +0000

I’m not surprised Ichiro is okay. If he can escape that tag in the ALDS, he can escape anything.

By: tfbuckfutter

tfbuckfutter — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:05:39 +0000

That was the “harmless stereotype” part.

I’m making fun of the stereotype itself, not actually reinforcing in.

I have an Asian friend who is one of the best drivers I know. He can play Words with Friends while driving 75 MPH in the left-hand lane of I-4 in his half-ton jacked up pickup.

That is impressive. (It’s actually 100% true too….but the part about him being Asian isn’t actually significant….the part about him being an idiot from Florida is).

I don’t buy into stereotypes….but I do enjoy making fun of them when they aren’t the very offensive ones.

By: craggt

craggt — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:02:48 +0000

Racial stereotypes aren’t harmless; using even seemingly benign or silly ones makes stereotyping by race more socially acceptable which perpetuates racism and discrimination.