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Nshima & Curry

Melvin's  Blog

Nshima & Curry

SHAQ TRIES COMEDY IN SECOND LANGUAGE

I learned recently that Shaquille O'Neal, the basketball
star, is bilingual. Yes, he speaks English and Chinese.
Asked to comment on Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets rookie
center, Shaq said, "Tell Yao Ming,
'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.'''

If you don't know what that means, you need to brush up on
your Mandarin. Then you'll understand why some Asians are
outraged. "The 'ching-chong' and 'yang-wah' parts are
acceptable," said one Chinese man. "But Shaq went a little
too far with the 'ah-soh.'"

The big question, of course, is whether Shaq was misquoted.
The media is apparently fond of misquoting athletes. As one
NBA player said, "Perhaps Shaq didn't say,
'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.' Perhaps he merely said,
'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-oh.'"

Indeed, a single extraneous letter can make a big difference
in the meaning of a word or sentence. Just ask the Jewish
woman who placed a personal ad seeking a young, handsome
"gentileman." Or the former president who asked not to be
disturbed in the Oval Office because he was working
"internsely."

Shaq, in his defense, has not taken any formal classes in
Mandarin. He has not watched every Jackie Chan movie. He has
not conversed with Chinese people, unless you count "large
moo goo gai pan please."

But he still managed to make an attempt at speaking a
language that's as foreign to him as good manners. He still
managed to utter a sentence that a man of substance might
understand, depending on what substance he's on.

Shaq's babble, a parody of the way Chinese people speak, has
rightfully upset some people. They view it as racist. An
insult to the best basketball player Asia has ever produced,
a player who may do for the NBA what Anna Nicole Smith has
done for the ice cream industry.

For his part, Shaq does not deny his words. He says he was
joking, not being a racist -- and I believe him. He was not
being a racist. He was being an idiot. A funny idiot,
perhaps even a hilarious idiot, the type of idiot who could
give Howard Stern some serious competition.

Unfortunately, in our politically correct world, idiocy is
often confused with racism. People are quick to lump Shaq
and Trent Lott with the likes of Matt Hale and David Duke.
It's gotten to the point where some folks, afraid of being
branded racists, have stopped saying in December that
they're "dreaming of a white Christmas."

As we pursue the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., a man who dreamed that his children "will not be judged
by the color of their skin but by their character," let's
vow to fight the real racists -- the ones who truly believe
that their race is superior, the ones who deliberately
discriminate against others. Let's not get carried away with
people whose mouths work overtime, ignoring the flurry of
"I'm out of the office" messages from their brains.

That's not to say we should excuse Shaq completely. He needs
to think what it's like to be the only Asian in the NBA,
hearing "ching-chong" taunts from opposing fans, then
hearing "ching-chong" taunts from the league's best player,
who recently received an NAACP Young Leaders Award, perhaps
because he's fast becoming America's leading clown.

He needs to think about the "ching-chong" taunts that will
be heard at some schools in America, taunts that will
provide laughter for some kids, but only pain for the ones
trying desperately to fit in.

He needs to think.

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