Thursday, April 2, 2009

Seth and I talked about this after class. We were talking about a UFC fight and the announcer said something like, "Jones is in the red shorts and Micheals is in the white shorts." then Joe Rogan said, "Or, Jones white and Micheals black. Why doesn't anyone say it like that?" The other announcer paused and said, "I don't know?" Now was Rogan being to forward or does it matter? Was it wrong for Rogan to identify the fighters like that?
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8 comments:

  1. travisthejamesApril 2, 2009 at 7:17 PM

    There is nothing wrong with what Rogan said in my opinion. I could be lazy, but it is easier and faster for me to establish who is who when a UFC announcer says this guy is white and this guy is black. When I am watching something like UFC or boxing,I'm too intrested in the action to take the time and establish who is who by focusing on the shorts. I'm looking at fists swinging ect... As soon as I focus on the shorts, I miss an awesome hit and once I establish the fighters identities, the stats are gone and it no longer matters what the dudes name is.
    I'm all about efficency and it's not like I am going to be in favor of a certain athlete because of their ethnic backgroud. I cheer for the under-dogs and the big hits.

    I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Especially in that contex.

    Perfect example of something that is not racist, but perceived to be by some people.

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  2. JackieApril 3, 2009 at 11:34 AM

    I don't think it was wrong for Rogan to say the white guy is this guy and the black guy is this guy. I agree with travis, when youre watching something like UFC you're not really looking at what color the shorts are. I would find it kind of dumb if people found what he said to be racist because it definitely was not.

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  3. MattApril 3, 2009 at 1:02 PM

    I have to say that I agree. When you're watching a fight you're watching it because you want to see the big hits and the quick counters. You're not focusing on what color shorts each person is wearing. It takes more time to figure out who is who doing it that way. It's easier and quicker to say that this fighter is the white guy and that fighter is the black or hispanic guy. If that offends you, then you're obviously looking for racism and you won't enjoy anything.

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  4. cory schweisthalApril 3, 2009 at 1:52 PM

    I agree, I don't think that it was wrong for him to say that. He was just trying to help people distinguish who is who. I agree with that if you are offended by that then you are probably just looking for racism and a reason to complain. I have seen many instances when people don't know who is being talked about, and someone will say that black guy, or asian guy or something like that. They don't mean it to be offensive, it's just an easy way to identify someone.

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  5. jerApril 3, 2009 at 3:30 PM

    I disagree with everybody. Normally when people describe other people they use skin color and it’s totally fine. But it just doesn’t sound right hearing someone say that it’s the white guy fighting the black guy. By describing the fighters in the way that Joe Rogan did, it kind of set a barrier. He made it seem like a race fight. I don’t think it was being racist or ignorant: I just would have chosen my words like the first announcer.

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  6. JeremyApril 3, 2009 at 9:00 PM

    I don't belive what Joe said was racist, I belive it was just the quickest way to distinguish the two fighters. After all it wasn't as if he made any duragtory remarks towords either of the two fighters.I belive this is an example of people just looking for something to call out as racist.

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  7. AndrewApril 7, 2009 at 5:37 AM

    I think the thing that makes this not racist, is the fact that he's using Black and White as colors. He's not saying that this guy is black and this guy is white and thats why they're fighting, he's just describing them. I've actually had people get upset with me because I'm trying to describe someone to them and I'll say that he's black or hispanic or something. They think I'm singling a person out because of his/her ethnicity. If a black guy is standing in a room with a bunch of white guys, and I want to point him out to someone I'll say,"He's the black guy over there." And if a white guy is standing in a room with a bunch of black guys and I want to point him out I'll say,"He's the white guy over there." Quick. Easy. Not racist.

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  8. WhitneyTolzmannApril 7, 2009 at 4:12 PM

    I agree with Andrew. I was reading this old book called, Group Images, and the first chapter is on stereotyping. It talks about when you're saying that someone is black or that someone is white, it isn't racist. It's when you add the negative attributes to it becomes racist, just pointing out that they are different races doesn't mean he's being racist.

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