[Icy]

Originally Posted by molson

So nobody's allowed to criticize racism unless their country has never had an issue with it?

You didn't understand what i wanted to mean, or maybe it was my own problem not being able to write what i wanted to say. What i tried to mean is that with all the issues that other countries (I.E. USA) had with racism in the past, your press and society is way more sensible about it, maybe even too much, so what in another country could be thought as a simple joke, your press can make it a huge deal and creating the real racist issue from nowhere. For example making such a big deal from that picture when even the Chinese didn't care about it.

The Chinese ambassador in Spain was surprised by the UK and USA press reaction to that pic, and he also said that he didn't see it as offensive at all. Else the Chinese government or ambassador would have officially protested about it, but they didn't. Also the Spanish team didn't hide that pic, it was never thought as offensive at all and it was going to be used in a marketing campaign by a beer company. Why? because nobody thought it could offend anybody. So it's not that they are racist and wanted to make privately fun of the Chinese eyes as the USA and UK press tried to show.

I see it as if before the Olympic in Spain, the Chinese team makes a pick of themselves wearing a "torero" suit meaning that they are coming to Spain. Most of us wouldn't find i offensive but funny, of course maybe some short minded would feel offended and would be more vocal about it, but nobody would pay them attention in the news.

Imho it is as racist to go against the minorities than to overprotect them and to think that everything is against them, creating a ghetto (let's say a "press ghetto" in this example) for them to be hidden, and at the end, not allowing them to integrate with the rest of the society, in fact generating more hate at both sides. Both are forms of racism.

Originally Posted by molson

But apparently not as much is expected from the Spaniards, which isn't surprising after what I've read about the experiences of Samuel Eto'o there.

Probably you just read something in the news about an incident he had with some radicals that insulted him (sadly). It's the same that if i say all Americans are racist because i read somewhere that the KKK did something racist.

There are stupids in every country but you can't generalize, do not believe all that you read in the news, specially when you read only one version of it.

I'm going to leave this discussion now with the hope that you understood it and that i could explain well myself. Racism is a sensible matter that i don't feel comfortable discussing in a language that is not my native, as it's so easy to create a misunderstanding from my improper use of the right words.