Really. What does it take for a little more inclusion.
See my piece on the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund blog
I saw just one Asian American.
It was like watching a network cop drama or legal drama and seeing a juror. Or person walking by.
But we know Asian Americans are not immune to gun violence in America.
(Oh, there’s one! An Asian American in the back? Next to the bald guy….).
See my piece at http://www.aaldef.org/blog
From CNN and Reuters, snippets of the Dennis Rodman apology:
“I want to first apologize to Kenneth Bae’s family,” Rodman, 52, said Thursday in a statement released by his publicist Jules Feiler. “I want to apologize to my teammates and my management team. I also want to apologize to Chris Cuomo.”
“I embarrassed a lot of people,” said Rodman, who traveled to North Korea with other former NBA players for a basketball game against a North Korean team. “I’m very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I’m truly sorry.”
He said the day of the interview had been “very stressful.”
“Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates,” he said, adding that his dream of “basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart.”
“I had been drinking,” he said. “It’s not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed.”
I still feel Rodman may have inadvertently given the Bae family some hope. I know the family is outraged, but more people know about Kenneth Bae today than did after Bae’s mother went to visit Bae in North Korea last month. That was a :30 second blip on the news, if that.
Now people are at least wondering about Bae and talking about him in a way that could force real diplomatic action.
As silver linings go, it’s an odd one. But when dealing with North Korea, you take your silver linings where you can get them.
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To hear the media hubub about Brent Musburger’s “appreciation” of Katherine Webb, Miss Alabama USA 2012 during that boring Notre Dame game the other night, you’d think he was drooling on camera like some creepy perv.
When I actually heard what was said, I was offended that people took such offense. It was a gross overreaction to Musburger. He was simply admiring (like a person of his generation) Webb’s beauty, and trying to be playful during a game that had zero entertainment value.
Sure, it would have been better if there was a real game being broadcast, so that Musburger’s attention wasn’t so easily distracted.
But was he really leering and did that merit an apology?
Webb was on The Today show Wednesday saying she was “flattered” by Musburger’s attention. But she indicated she took no offense.
I’m upset that ESPN felt compelled to apologize.
Apologies do mean something. But when you get trigger happy with your apologies (remember they apologized for comments about Jeremy Lin last year) they become devalued as a quick PR ploy to simply move a story out of the headlines and into the trash bin.
In the meantime, ESPN won’t stop showing scantily clad cheerleaders at pro or college events, or pretty wives and girlfriends of players, nor will they start featuring cosmetically challenged sportscasters (of any gender).
ESPN’s apology doesn’t change any of its real sexist ways.
How about this? Maybe ESPN will start showing the partners of WNBA stars? And have the sportscasters say great things about their dating choices? Do you ever see that when it’s not a traditional heterosexual relationship?
You see, hollow apologies don’t really matter.
Meanwhile, for the truly outraged, it’s funny how the simulated oral sex act on the CNN New Year’s Eve broadcast doesn’t exactly get the same rushed apology treatment.
I actually like both the performers involved, Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper. Sure, cable can and should stretch limits on the premium channels, but not on basic cable, general news, even after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Remember midnight EDT was 9pm prime time PDT.
I’m no prude, but something other than a big ball dropped that night. And no network big wig thinks an apology is necessary.
