I did this once when I was 8, just tring to describe what a Chinese classmate looked like. I learned then that it was offensive, and I can't believe that entire team went their whole lives without learning the same lesson.

All I can say is yes from an American perspective this is a racist jab at the Chinese.

Now I want to hear the Chinese reaction.

its a bad joke, but I don't think its a big deal.

Isn't it only racist of White Americans do it?

No Big Deal! Well I would agree if it was a bunch of high school kids acting like fools, but this is a national team representing their country on a world stage. In this instance I believe they should be held to some standard.

i'll admit, i laughed first. then i realized its not really appropriate. but i dont think its worth making a huge fuss over. if anything the chinese should kick their butts in a game, that would be the best revenge!

I agree. I hope China thumps'em good, just like America did to France in the 4x100 relay.

this is just plain weird. they must not realize how offensive and childish it is. i almost feel sorry for them - they are most likely about to enter a sh*t storm of negative media attention.

I can't believe that a team of athletes would do this. It's exceedingly offensive to make ones eyes look like the eyes that Chinese people have. It's a shameful, shameful thing to have epicanthal folds, and it's very rude to draw attention to it.

I disagree. It's not shameful to have eyes like that, but it is shameful to make fun of people for it.

Torg - you said exactly what I was thinking!!

organic - thats a weird thing to say. you must be joking, right?

yesteryear, I'd encourage you to read organicsugr's comment history. A lot of people don't get the style of commenting at first and become confused about whether there's sarcasm there or not.

so... is there sarcasm there? i don't really have the time to go back and read comments but i think this one in particular was just plain incendiary. yikes.

This reminds me of the 10,000,000 times that kids in my elementary school would make fun of me for being Asian by doing that exact same thing. Therefore, it really pisses me off.

It's inappropriate. I also hope the Chinese kick some spanish ass out on the court.

The Chinese reaction: RACIST!
These are GROWN men, they should know not to do something like that. ugh deja vu from a good decade of my youth.

oh and organic, I hope you're joking.

Joking about what? It's racist to point out the differences from one race to another. Are you not offended too?

joking about saying a certain eye shape is "shameful".

" It's a shameful, shameful thing to have epicanthal folds, and it's very rude to draw attention to it."

Would it be sexist if a guy held up a couple of melons to his chest to simulate breasts? No. It would just be silly and immature. These men weren't racist, they were just being stupid.

At the risk of getting slapped on the knuckles by TeamSugar again, my take is that organicsugr is trying to be sarcastic or satirical (and failing a lot of time since a lot of people don't seem to get it and are just offended or confused) but she swears up and down she is being sincere. Since I got in trouble for mimicking the style (but admitting I was being sarcastic) I have just taken everything at face value and responded as though it were legit.

>It's racist to point out the differences from one race to another.

I disagree. It's racist to make fun of something about another race, not just to point it out.

torg i have to hand it to you for trying to defend organic... seriously... but i dont see any sarcasm there... and i'm pretty good at picking up on it. sarcasm usually has a baseline or reference point to draw from. i think that "shameful" comment was out of left field. but again, you get props for trying to help folks understand this bizarre commenting "style".

michelin, if the guys holding up the melons were about to compete against the women they were making fun of, yeah, i think that would be kind of sexist. this isn't simply silly and immature, it seems more pointed than that.

YY, actually I think the fact that they were about to compete against them makes it LESS racist. It's just a little competitive jeer at a rival, just one team trash-talking the other. Was it funny? No. Was it tasteful? No. But it wasn't racist, either.

I just find it bizarre that a group of grown men would even think to do this - there is nothing funny about this!

Mmmm, how about...

"I also love it when children suffer because of their parent's/grandparent's politics."

" We both like hybrids even though they cause great damage to the environment if one looks past the very superficial level of gasoline mileage."

"Californian colleges are known for their racial prejudice. Only a stiff regulation could keep those ultraconservative admissions boards from keeping all people of color out"

(Re: affirmative action) "So you agree that their skills are not valuable enough to overcome this racism on their own. That's why we need the government to intervene, right?"

EIther sarcastic or just very eccentric opinions. I suppose you have to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

I agree with hypnoticmix.

"It's just a little competitive jeer at a rival, just one team trash-talking the other."

Sorry, I can't agree with that. Trash-talk each others' playing skills. Or their mommas. Not about some silly, disgusting stereotype of what their entire race looks like.

Yes, it is racist. And it is disgusting that they thought that was funny and that they could get away with it.

I don't think I'd necessarily call this "racist", but it's definitely poor taste to mock the people of the country you're competing in.

LIGHTEN UP People. There's too much "political correctness" infiltrating our lives as it is. It's a JOKE; it's SATIRE; it's no big deal.

EVERY culture has a different type of humor. Maybe other cultures think it's gross or not funny, but if it's funny to the culture who's doing or saying it, then leave it alone.

Next thing someone will be saying we can't have "Chinese Fire Drills" -- lighten up.

If the Chinese are offended than I am offended on their behalf. Frankly - I find this racist but perhaps it is the American in me.

I'm with you geebers. These people are supposed to be examples of sportsmanship and collegiality. This is childish at best, and a mockery at the worst.

Let's not forget that the epicanthal fold can also be useful for finding people with down syndrome. Maybe the Spanish team was simply raising awareness?

Jude, it's not a stereotype. Asian eyes really are shaped differently than Caucasian eyes. This is not discrimination or prejudice, it's just a tasteless joke. It sounds like you might have some personal issues with the gesture, and I'm sorry for that, but that doesn't make it racist.

What does make something racist?

Steph, the underlying belief that one race is superior to the other. Or actions that are prejudiced or discriminatory. This doesn't suggest that Spanish eyes are better than Chinese eyes. It also doesn't prejudge the Chinese or discriminate against the Chinese. It's just a childish gesture.

I agree with Jude C. (I'm Chinese and even though I grew up in a very multicultural city, I've had more than a few kids point out and make fun of my eyes before.)

Michellin-- the gesture has a negative connotation within the Asian (American) community and it's usually associated with racist intent. The childish rhyme "Chinese/Japanese/Dirty Knees/Look At These" comes to my mind whenever I see this. :/ And not all Asian eyes are shaped like that, just FYI. I know because relatives fawn over my sister's for have double eyelids and not classically almond shaped because they make her eyes look bigger.

In other words, I consider it to be a pretty stupid and insensitive (borderline racist) move on the Spanish Team's part. Mocking one's host country isn't exactly the smartest move to make.

Only a person who is a child (or is childish) would direct that gesture to another person. In the same vein, only a person who is a child (or is childish) would be offended by it. An adult would realize how silly it is, and let it roll of their back.

UYW, even those Asians with double eyelids are still narrower/ wider than Caucasian eyes.I think the Asian community needs to deal with their own issues as far as preferring double-eyelids. I've watched and read a lot about Asian women getting surgery to change their eyes, and I think it's a shame. Their natural eyes are beautiful, and it's ridiculous to let others (especially schoolyard rhymes) tell you otherwise.

Well Michelin maybe when the U.S. team won someone should have passed out watermelons instead of medals. I'm sure they would have seen it as just a silly joke.

Haha, they would have been to excited about the watermelon to be mad.

LOL, Michelin are you just being a misfit on purpose?

Michelin-- It's actually sort of a global preference. Large eyes are considered attractive and in classical poetry from the Tang dynasty, the ideal woman would have pale skin and large eyes. *shrugs*

After another review of the comments I think there is some confusion between suggesting that the team members are racist and the act it self being racist. I don't think anyone here would say with any certainty that the team members are racist because in our position it would be impossible to know. However, I do believe strongly that the act is racist. It was also stupid and childish as many have also suggested. I'm just glad that whether you fall in the racist and or stupid camp the clear majority of us believe it was wrong.

It is definitely racist. Probably not malicious. Very backwards.

It is in pretty bad taste, considering China's the host country. Like several of you, though, I don't see any malice in this gesture (and I'm Chinese!), but I can't speak for anyone else I know. The people in charge of this ad should definitely have known better, and I'd say most Chinese would be offended; the reaction of Chinese bloggers and commenters will be especially harsh. Just Google the reaction of Chinese Internet users to Sharon Stone's comments on Tibet and "karma"...their reaction to her comment was pretty overblown.

I do, though, want to see the Chinese team beat the Spanish team. Even more so now that I've seen this ad .

I haven't been to spain but i have spent a lot of time in south america... and they dont have the concept of actions such as that as being offensive. I'd regularly be told that i couldn't possibly be from australia and had to be from japan because of my eyes, and they'd do it complete with the eye pulling thing. It seems to be a cultural thing. They had no issues with calling my friend "la gorda" either.

i remember doing this once, around age 6 or 7, and i received a very stern look and talk from my father (whose opinion i love). i was so ashamed, and i know that i would be so offended if someone made an offensive gesture pertaining to my racial background. i would expect better from an international sports team.

from Michelin:

" Jude, it's not a stereotype. Asian eyes really are shaped differently than Caucasian eyes. This is not discrimination or prejudice, it's just a tasteless joke. It sounds like you might have some personal issues with the gesture, and I'm sorry for that, but that doesn't make it racist. "
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WTF? Asian eyes are not shaped differently than Caucasian eyes. Everyone is different and have different eyes. To say that Asians have tiny eyes are a stereotype. Don't generalize an entire group of people. And Michelin: Just because you don't have any personal problem with the picture doesn't mean that other people aren't offended.

The photo disgusts me and its racist. I'm sorry, but I don't see the joke in this photo. People should more better common sense.