They all went amok in a bad way: Serena, Kanye and Joe Dub.
And we’ve heard from all the perps and their victims and supporters on all sides, except one.
Who’s speaking about the Asian American woman, the linesperson who dared to speak out and correct the foot fault of Serena Williams at the U.S. Open?
No one. Because no one cares about her.
Poor Kim Clijsters who just had to sit back and let victory drop into her lap, they care about her. But the line judge? We’ve heard nothing. A name of “Shinno” has come up on the web. But there’s no sympathy for her.
She’s the invisible victim.
If anything, there’s been a little back pedalling on the outrage toward Serena. Now people are saying it’s just Serena’s passion for winning.
I heard one blowhard talk host talking about how in such a championship situation that it was a “chickenshit” call by the line judge.
Hey, what is sports without rules? You don’t give out mulligans when its for real. When the Giants strike out do you say strike three was b.s., give us strike four?
No, the line judge was right. But this isn’t about rules. It’s about race.
Let’s play substitution. If a line judge looked like Serena or Kim Clijsters and made the call, do you think Serena would have felt she could get away with that b.s. outrage?
She was being a bully, plain and simple. She felt she could get away with it, because the line judge was looked to be Ms.Meek Asian Book Worm. She stereotyped us, had it in her head that it was OK, and let out her venomous wrath without any respect.
Do you think Serena would have done that to a black judge? A white judge? One who didn’t appear to be meek and readily dominated?
If you don’t think race had something to play in the dynamic, your head’s in the sand. Asian Americans just don’t get the respect they deserve in general. And in little things like this, it’s out there for all the world to see.
Just ask yourself where is the line judge, and why isn’t there an outpouring of sympathy for her after she made a fair and correct call and engendered the wrath of Serena?
Why isn’t she on Jay Leno’s show?There was an Asian stand in on a joke. But no one said let’s get the Asian victim. Why?
KANYE NOT TOO SWIFT
As for Kanye? His move the other night was reverse Joe Wilson. Wilson is the segregationist who can’t accept that a black man is president in the modern day and calls Obama a “liar.” Kanye can’t accept that a white chick like Taylor Swift is up there winning the hip-pop and hip-hop culture’s VMA? What irony for those who remember the day when MTV refused to play black artists. But now Taylor Swift, the 19-year old cross-over country act who draws them in with chick pop gets out of the white country ghetto and under Kanye’s skin.
But he’ll bounce back. He nearly cried on Leno last night.
LENO OUTSMARTS THEM ALL
When Leno was just a sub on The Tonight Show, I used to freelance jokes to him. I never was paid better per vowel.
So I’m a bit partial to Leno, though I am a former Poonie like Conan. But what struck me was how Leno has outmaneuvered, outpoliticked everyone in the big game of showbiz “Survivor.” When he left the 11:30 slot, he got the 10 pm slot. For those of us who have watched “Letterman” earlier in some markets, the format can work. A lot of people don’t want to stay up late anymore.
Leno drew 18 million at 10 p.m. last night. And now you can bet all the expensive 10 p.m. dramas will be worried. Dollar for dollar, Leno’s show will prove to be cheaper per rating point, and more profitable.
OK, now for the show. Was it funny? It makes you smile. That’s it. Leno’s brand of corn sells. And it works. If he has good guests and good gets (Kanye West’s silence about his mother was as good a get as possible last night), then Leno will soar.
And then everybody will go to bed at 11 p.m.
Too bad for local news. Too bad for Conan.
