Democratic U.S. Representative Judy Chu of California lashed out at ESPN for its headline about NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. Chu does not believe that the phrase ‘chink in the armor’ was an innocent error.
The entire headline to the article was: ‘Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lin’s 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks in Streak-Snapping Loss to Hornets.'
When appearing on MSNBC, Rep. Chu said that the headline of the story about the New York Knicks’ superstar player Jeremy Lin, an American-born Asian, was intentionally appalling and offensive. She gives the sports reporter and sports broadcast facility no leeway for chalking the incident up to an innocent error whatsoever.
Chu told MSNBC:
I think that the use of the term is appalling and offensive. The ‘C’ word is for Asian Americans like the ‘N’ word is for African Americans.
ESPN Editor Anthony Federico was quickly fired over the racial-slur incident on Sunday – the day after the headline briefly appeared.
In an interview with the New York Daily News, Federico told the newspaper that he wasn’t trying to be ‘cute’ with his headline. He also said:
I’m so sorry that I offended people. I’m so sorry if I offended Jeremy.
After Federico additionally told the Daily News that he had used the same phrase hundreds of times in headlines over the years, Chu responded:
And if he was using it all those times, that is extremely sad. The word was used since the 1880s to demean Chinese Americans and to deprive them of rights, and it is used on playgrounds specifically to humiliate and to offend Asian Americans. So I don’t know where he’s been all this time.
Of the incident, Jeremy Lin said that he did not believe the headline was an intentional racial slur. Lin continued to say:
I don’t think it was on purpose or whatever, but they have apologized, and so from my end, I don’t care anymore. Have to learn to forgive, and I don’t even think that was intentional – or hopefully not.
Rep. Chu also commented on a Twitter ‘tweet’ made by famed-boxer Floyd Mayweather. He messaged what Chu says was an insensitive remark regarding Jeremy Lin a week ago. Mayweather messaged: ‘Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he’s Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don’t get the same praise.’
Rep. Chu previously tweeted about Lin, also. Her tweet, sent last Wednesday, February 15th, stated: ‘Jeremy Lin is living the #American story – success built on hard work and perseverance. Too bad he isn’t playing for #LA #Linsanity @Jlin7’
U.S. Representative Judy Chu has been in the United States Congress since 2009, representing the citizens of the 32nd congressional district in California. Chu ran for the U.S. Congress in 2009 when Hilda Solis vacated the position after she was selected as President Barack Obama’s Secretary of Labor. She recaptured her congressional seat during the mid-term elections of 2010. Chu is the first Chinese-American female ever to be elected to the U.S. Congress.
The primary source of this article is Politico.
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Sources: Politico, MSNBC, Daily News
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