Hi fellow Steemians!
Steemit's probably not the best place to talk about the issue of racism, but it is pretty much the only outlet that I can have a voice on so I'll do it anyway. I know I have no influence whatsoever to change others' thoughts or beliefs, but it's always great to get an issue off your chest.
The reason I'm writing about this is issue is because of the recent incident involving Argentinian football hero, Diego Maradona.
The story is, there were a group of South Korean supporters (supporting Argentina) at the Argentina-Iceland match at the 2018 Russian World Cup. They spotted Diego Maradona in the stands and shouted "Diego". Maradona gave a wave, smile and kiss to them and then pulled his eyes (the slanted eye). This is clearly a racist act.
This came into the media's attention when Jacqui Oatley, a British broadcaster, posted about this incident on her facebook page, linked here.
But do you know what I'm more appalled by? The reaction some of the public had to this incident. They were condoning Maradona's act, saying it's just a bit of fun and nothing offensive. They say it's supposed to be a friendly gesture and no harm is done. Yet, I see these same people saying while it's not offensive, they wouldn't do it themselves.
I admire Maradona as a footballer, but I know he's not the most respected guy off the pitch, having had many incidents in his life (actually on the pitch as well). But he should know better. You know what? It seems that racism towards Asians is quite common in South America. Edwin Cardona, a Colombian footballer, made the same gesture in a game against South Korea in 2017 which he had to apologize for later, which you can read about here. Argentinian great Lionel Messi isn't immune from this topic either, as shown below. There are many other incidents if you do a simple Google search.
(Not intending to harm Messi's stature as a footballer nor as a person. This is simply one incident and an example where such an action is taken too lightly)
Here's the thing about racism. It doesn't matter if the intention was harmless or not derogatory. If the person on the receiving end feels it's hurtful, then it simply is.
Let's take for example, the Falklands War. This is essentially a war over the Falklands Island near Argentina, between Argentina and England that has been going on for very long. If I spoke about this event that offends the Argentinian community without intending any harm, does it make it any better? Honestly I saw Argentinian fans on Twitter saying 'get over it' with the Maradona incident, but how did they react when Top Gear went to Argentina to film a segment? I don't want to generalise the population with a minority but this one of many examples that shows the hypocrisy of these people.
Don't get me wrong, I love Argentina and South America. I think the whole continent is graced with beautiful cultures that makes each nation distinct. However, there are some disagreements I have when it comes to the issue of racism.
I've been speaking about racism against Asians a lot, but let's not forget about racism against other ethnicity, including Caucasians. Yes, they all happen and so much more than they should. We are living in 2018. We all know, or should know, what action is offensive to other cultures. You may say have a sense of humour but I say wait until it's your turn. You cannot say such a thing until you've experienced it yourself.
I am a foreigner, living abroad from my home nation. I am lucky that I have never yet been targeted by severe racism (I don't want to count very few small incidents). However not everyone is so lucky. We see people of colour on football pitches being thrown bananas by 'so-called supporters'. We see Caucasians living abroad being targeted by racial discrimination. These are just the tip of the iceberg.
We are not living in the dark ages nor are we living in the ages of World War 2. This is 2018 and it's so disappointing to see that racism still exists. Going back to Diego Maradona, he knew what he did was offensive. He's lived abroad, met a lot of people of different culture. But do you know what surprised me the most? It's that he would do such action to people who showed affection for him. Please let this be a message to everyone that what you think is offensive or not doesn't matter.
It's what the other person thinks is offensive that matters.
Story source:
The Guardian
Twitter
Image sources:
Labour Man Consultants
Twitter
