Terry Frei of the Denver Post fired for tweet about Japanese Indy 500 winner

It doesn't mean anything? Good God, it means everything if you're making a "racist" case! If he's OK with all Asians except the Japanese, then far-and-away the most likely explanation for his discomfort is nationalism rather than racism.

 

Well, then surely he could've said that and not attributed his emotional state over WWII to a random Japanese driver who is completely unconnected to it other than a distant shared ancestry.

 

He's not a "random Japanese driver." He's a Japanese driver who had just won what is generally considered the world's most prestigious and storied auto race.

 

In what way is he connected to Frei's hand-wringing about World War II?

 

I'd argue "racism" is a useful and common shorthand for looking down on people different than you. Especially when physical characteristics and shared ancestry are a big part of it.

Japanese and Thai people have completely different lineages and histories.

 

... also known (in some foolish quarters ) as "the Great American Race."

 

It may not count for much, Dick, but I don't think you're being a troll here at all .

In fact, I've gotten, and agreed with, almost everything you've said throughout. People are latching onto supposed automatic, racist hatred of someone of Japanese descent but forgetting about what I think was Frei's intended, and from his perspective, legitimate point: the observation of its ironic occurrence in connection with Memorial Day.

Personally, it was a bit of a non-sequitur point to me -- the Indy 500 and Memorial Day are just not closely enough connected to WWII for me -- but I can see and understand how someone like Frei, in particular, might think of and make such an observation as he did. And I can forgive it.

As I posted earlier, if Sato wasn't Japanese, and if it wasn't Memorial Day, that original tweet would have never happened.

 

Texans irritated the shit out of me until I became one. I'm glad to now be past that racism.

ON EDIT: Always chuckled at that Robert Duvall scene in Geronimo ... "Must be Texans ... the lowest form of white man there is."

 

Um, correct. If Ed Carpenter had won the Iowa Corn 300 on a random Sunday in July, it is unlikely that Terry Frei would have tweeted that he is uncomfortable with Takuma Sato winning the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day.

 

OK. Now, that's a strange response. And a trolling one, which I wouldn't have expected in this instance. Thanks, Dick. Wow.

 

Pardon my interruption, but... different than, or different from?

One of those things I never quite know which to use.

 

Read your sentence. You wrote that if Sato wasn't Japanese and it wasn't Memorial Day, then Frei wouldn't have tweeted what he did.

Well, Jesus Christ, no fucking shit.