• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Did ESPN announcer make racist comment about Venus Williams?

What is racist about the word gorilla?

https://www.google.com/search?q=gorilla+black+people&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Even business insider mentions it in the first 10 results:

Google tags black people as "gorillas" - Business Insider




Basically, there's a certain history* behind comparing blacks to gorillas, and that history isn't all that far off from comparing Jews to hunched-over hook-nosed schemers. In other words, a "dog whistle."

Use of the comparison is not a claim that gorillas are ***hole animals that are dangerous. It's a reference to other sayings - therefore easily defended with obfuscation or simple claims of innocence - which actually are bad, whether motivated in a religiously, racially, sex(ually), gender("ually" ?) way. And so forth.



Massive caveat: I actually didn't listen to the thing yet, so I can't weigh in on whether it was a non-sensical reference to "guerilla" warfare or "gorilla" warfare (beating things into a pulp because gorilla), or gorilla (offensive).

Was it the lattermost? Seems unlikely even without audio. She ran forward and hit a ball with a tennis racket, yes? That's kind of what you do in tennis. On the other hand, wtf does "guerilla" OR "gorilla" have to do with running forward and hitting a ball with a tennis racket?


Possible interpretations:

1. Speaker drunk and had to say something.

2. Confusion about how gorillas behave in the wild.

3. Accidentally racist compliment: she moved forcefully in + accidental (how?) invocation of a slur I wasn't aware of until a couple years ago.

4. Deliberate attempt to lay down a racist insult, but completely bizarre given the timing and openness; usually, this happens off-camera or in a 4 am drunk tweet.




That was too many words for an irrelevant thread. Oy.


________________

* I left it at there so posters other than you, who may read this thread, don't stop at the word: racially. Basically it's a racist slur of sorts to compare blacks to gorillas. Honestly, I never heard of it myself. I know n----- because who doesn't.

All the same, I'm Jewish, and I probably wouldn't like it if I learned that "blarty" was intended to refer to some stereotype of Jews (which use has correlated with some bad things) and then, a bunch of people started acting like it was cool to call things "blarty behavior" or refer to putting "the blarty effect on" something.
 
Last edited:
Like, "guerilla tactic?"

Do guerrillas normally charge? I've heard of them mostly as being the hide in the bushes and shoot types.
 
It's clearly a problem for you, as you are constantly whining about Conservatives being labeled as racists.

Its racist to assume that he was calling Williams a gorilla in a racist way. Only a racist would assume that someone using the term gorilla charge would be likening Williams to a gorilla for her looks, rather than her agility and strength in attacking the ball.
 
All the same, I'm Jewish, and I probably wouldn't like it if I learned that "blarty" was intended to refer to some stereotype of Jews (which use has correlated with some bad things) and then, a bunch of people started acting like it was cool to call things "blarty behavior" or refer to putting "the blarty effect on" something.




Which reminds me of something:

Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino President John R. O’Donnell, in the 1991 book “Trumped,” alleged that Trump once said that “laziness is a trait in blacks.” He also claimed Trump said, of his accountants: “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.” (Trump has called O’Donnell a disgruntled employee, but he has not disputed the remarks. “The stuff O’Donnell wrote about me is probably true,” he told Playboy in an interview published in May 1997.)

Speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition in December, Trump made a speech riddled with Jewish stereotypes, such as: “Look, I’m a negotiator like you folks; we’re negotiators.” And: “I know why you’re not going to support me. You’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money.”


https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...33a4d31bcc8_story.html?utm_term=.3b9ee87c1d71

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0...IN=067173735X&linkCode=xm2&tag=thewaspos09-20

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ublican-jewish-summit/?utm_term=.b88521b1d5c5

(video at top)






I suppose the accusation against me of intelligence and being good with money isn't the worst stereotype. It just tends to correlate with bad things Not sure the statements about black people counting money are so great though.

I do hope the book has verifiable sources, though, because those are some claims.
 
Its racist to assume that he was calling Williams a gorilla in a racist way. Only a racist would assume that someone using the term gorilla charge would be likening Williams to a gorilla for her looks, rather than her agility and strength in attacking the ball.

You are welcome to justify your racist views, and then play the victim card when someone calls you on it.
This is America, after all.
But grow a pair of balls and own it.
 
You are welcome to justify your racist views, and then play the victim card when someone calls you on it.
This is America, after all.
But grow a pair of balls and own it.

Why would you automatically assume that when someone likens someone to a gorilla they are basing it on their looks? That's a strange, racist view considering he said gorilla effect. He didn't say she looked like one.
 
Video: Venus delivers a powerful serve.

Commentary: "She misses the first serve and Venus is all over her. Mmm....See Venus (slurred) move in and....put the gorilla effect on"

Video: Venus does it again.




_________

I dunno. Sounds like he's downed a few glasses of whiskey neat and is babbling.

Also, I could be wrong, but the video in post #2 makes it look like her opponent might be black. It'd be odd to use a racial slur about "putting the gorilla effect on" against one of two people subject to that slur. I mean...who can one do it to the other, if the slur the speaker believes in is accurate?
 
But not a 'mediocre negro'? Whew....I thought maybe it was that.
 
Why would you automatically assume that when someone likens someone to a gorilla they are basing it on their looks?

Read slowly: Because racists thinking blacks looked like gorillas and had the same intelligence was the ***ing basis of the SLUR.



I suggest you rethink your method of attack. Your path of least resistance here is to question why he said it.

Attacking the proposition that it was ever considered by anyone to be a slur is really stupid. It's documented why it was/is considered a slur.




Basically, you picked a side-show to fight about, and rather than functioning as a distraction from a real show you might lose, the side-show functioned only to land you in a position where you are definitely losing and losing harder.
 
Why would you automatically assume that when someone likens someone to a gorilla they are basing it on their looks? That's a strange, racist view considering he said gorilla effect. He didn't say she looked like one.

Parse his words all you want.

Comparing a black woman charging the net in a tennis match to a gorilla is going to be interpreted by a lot of folks as racist.
You are welcome to be outraged at the accusation. Protest all you like.

I really don't care whether you (or the announcer in question) is racist or not. Lots of folks are, and I even like some of them.
But I'm going to call this out for what it is...
Best case scenario... dude's a tone-deaf idiot. Worst case scenario... he's a crass racist.
 
Quite clearly compared Venus to a gorilla because he said charging.

Don't think he really meant it as a racist epithet, just to describe the manner in which she came to the net.

Dumb choice of words though.
 
A good read on that general subject:

How Trump Left Hollywood in the Cold
The industry’s power players had started to take White House access for granted. Now they find themselves on the wrong end of the president's tweetstorms—and shaken that they might not understand America at all.


How Trump Left Hollywood in the Cold - POLITICO Magazine

And what you don't seem to understand is that there is a lot of overlap between the population of people that would compare Venus Williams to a gorilla, and those folks who consider Hill People to be inbred, retarded, freaks. A lot of this overlap lives in the suburbs/exurbs, and a lot of it votes Republican. But keep patting yourself on the back for understanding the plight of the Hillbilly... the Right's newest "Real American".
 
And what you don't seem to understand is that there is a lot of overlap between the population of people that would compare Venus Williams to a gorilla, and those folks who consider Hill People to be inbred, retarded, freaks. A lot of this overlap lives in the suburbs/exurbs, and a lot of it votes Republican. But keep patting yourself on the back for understanding the plight of the Hillbilly... the Right's newest "Real American".

Have you seen the build on this woman?

With all that power?

Oh right, it has to be about her race, it always has to be about race, every God Damn thing that.....

Oh Nevermind, I dont want to get into this lost cause tonight, dont want to deal with all the brains that go into shut-down mode on this subject.

Why did I ever walk in here....
 
Goddamnit. It is just too soon to be referring to certain dominant and powerful physically gifted athletes as gorillas. Just too soon. He should be ashamed.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Did anyone ask Doug Adler what he meant?And if so...what is there in his past that might cause you to disbelieve him? Does he have a history of making racially charged comments?

I mean...some people are just intent on hearing racism.

 
It's only a problem in the brainwashed culture of victimization training.

It's only a story in the disfunctional world of Faux News. The story you linked to is a bunch of Twitter 'tweets' and a Fox News reporter trying to use them to stir the pot.
There's some good journalism, that right there.
 
Do guerrillas normally charge? I've heard of them mostly as being the hide in the bushes and shoot types.

Yeah, in retrospect it was probably "gorilla."
 
Yeah, in retrospect it was probably "gorilla."

On a funny

... I looked up 'guerilla charge' on Bing for kicks and got this....

 
Did anyone ask Doug Adler what he meant?And if so...what is there in his past that might cause you to disbelieve him? Does he have a history of making racially charged comments?

I mean...some people are just intent on hearing racism.



Yes. Some people are intent on hearing racism, so they open their mouths and spout foolish, racist things. Others simply encourage racism with tacit approval and lame justification.
Which one are you?
 
Yes. Some people are intent on hearing racism, so they open their mouths and spout foolish, racist things. Others simply encourage racism with tacit approval and lame justification.
Which one are you?

Or maybe this is the 21st century and we can just take context as an important piece of information?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Or maybe this is the 21st century and we can just take context as an important piece of information?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sure.
The context here is that an announcer compared a black woman tennis player to a gorilla, because she charged the net.
 
Do guerrillas normally charge? I've heard of them mostly as being the hide in the bushes and shoot types.

No, they don't. It's the sorta thing that almost never, ever happens in guerilla warfare because most groups can't afford the casualties they take in a frontal, human wave style assault.
 
No, they don't. It's the sorta thing that almost never, ever happens in guerilla warfare because most groups can't afford the casualties they take in a frontal, human wave style assault.

It's such a ludicrously thin veneer for covering a racist slip-up that it's comical watching posters here trying to defend it.
 
It's such a ludicrously thin veneer for covering a racist slip-up that it's comical watching posters here trying to defend it.

I honestly don't even know if it was intentional--- sometimes when people are talking just to talk they say incredibly idiotic things--- but the comment makes no sense as a comment about guerilla warfare.
 
Back
Top Bottom