Shame on you, Spain

By now the actions of the Spanish basketball team are quite well known. In case you missed it, they posed for an advertisement in La Marca, a Spanish newspaper, by intentionally slanting their eyes. This "Asian eyes" was used as an offensive gesture so long ago I can't believe people actually still use it.


But what is worse than their foolish ignorance, is the lack of remorse that they show in the aftermath. Despite international outcry, Jose Manuel Calderon, a player on the team, insists they thought it was, "...something appropriate and that it would always be interpreted as somewhat loving." After getting booed by the Chinese audience while they played and a great deal of attention focused on what they did, all they need to do is apologize. It's that easy.

And now a new photo of the Spanish women's tennis team has surfaced showing them doing exactly the same thing. On the official website of the Spanish Tennis Federation this picture had a caption that translated "We are prepared for China" (“Estamos preparados para China”). Great.


It would be wonderful if the Olympics were kept free from politics. If the event was simply a celebration of mankind's physical brilliance. Then something like this happens and you are brought back to the pettiness and the stupidity that human beings are capable of.