Ben and Jerry just pulled/changed their newest flavor "Taste the Lin-sanity" because of 'protests' that using a fortune cookie as an ingredient was 'racist'...legitimate complaint or typical knee-jerk PC overreaction? http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/ben-jerry-replaces-fortune-cookies-lin-sanity-flavor-162618720.html

On it's own, the ice cream is not that bad. However, perpetuating stereotypes and subtle racism is a legitimate complaint. Would you even ask this question if Ben and Jerry had a LeBron James ice cream that was watermelon flavored or would you complain that people were too sensitive when the sh*t storm hit?

Or do you just want another 8 page thread?

tim55bear;715105 said:

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Ben and Jerry just pulled/changed their newest flavor "Taste the Lin-sanity" because of 'protests' that using a fortune cookie as an ingredient was 'racist'...legitimate complaint or typical knee-jerk PC overreaction? http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/ben-jerry-replaces-fortune-cookies-lin-sanity-flavor-162618720.html

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Knee-jerk reaction.
Neither Jeremy Lin nor the Asian community holds a patent on fortune cookies.
It isn't some racial slur other people forced upon the Asians. It's something many American Chinese restaurants offered. By the way, don't expect to find any fortune cookies in China.

LethalFang;715111 said:

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Knee-jerk reaction.
Neither Jeremy Lin nor the Asian community holds a patent on fortune cookies.
It isn't some racial slur other people forced upon the Asians. It's something many American Chinese restaurants offered. By the way, don't expect to find any fortune cookies in China.

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They serve collard greens, watermelon, and fried chicken in soul food restaurants too. What about that watermelon flavored ice cream featuring Lebron James then?

Does that mean there was a knee jerk reaction when everyone blasted Fuzzy Zeller for his joke about collard greens and fried chicken when talking about Tiger Woods?

GranadaHillsBear;715117 said:

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They serve collard greens, watermelon, and fried chicken in soul food restaurants too. What about that watermelon flavored ice cream featuring Lebron James then?

Does that mean there was a knee jerk reaction when everyone blasted Fuzzy Zeller for his joke about collard greens and fried chicken when talking about Tiger Woods?

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How many Asians can you find who finds Jeremy Lin + fortune cookies offensive?
A minuscule percentage, and I can't even find one who is offended.

There is no racist history associated with fortune cookies. Fortune cookies is a recent invention by Chinese restaurants in the U.S.

LethalFang;715121 said:

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How many Asians can you find who finds Jeremy Lin + fortune cookies offensive?
A minuscule percentage, and I can't even find one who is offended.

There is no racist history associated with fortune cookies. Fortune cookies is a recent invention by Chinese restaurants in the U.S.

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I am one Chinese American not offended. Of course my brother and I actually laughed at the ESPN headline last week and were shocked it blew up into something that cost someone their job.

Neither my wife nor my sister in law were offended as well. 4 is a small sample size but I can say 100% of the Chinese I just polled were not offended.

The rhino horn flavor didn't do well with focus groups

It's racist.

You put a picture of Lin and a fortune cookie together and race immediately becomes the focal point and some people start asking, "is this racist"?
Would you put a picture of an African-American and a bucket of fried chicken together and ask the same question?
What's the white equivalent? There is no white equivalent.
Just because you're not offended doesn't mean something isn't racist.

Fried chicken and watermelon have long been seen as a negative stereotyped foods...it isn't like they were trying to brand Chunky Monkey to anyone. B & J were trying to participate in the zeitgeist of the moment, like they always do. It doesn't seem to me that fortune cookies are similar to fried chicken and watermelon.

oskirules;715133 said:

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It's racist.

You put a picture of Lin and a fortune cookie together and race immediately becomes the focal point and some people start asking, "is this racist"?
Would you put a picture of an African-American and a bucket of fried chicken together and ask the same question?
What's the white equivalent? There is no white equivalent.
Just because you're not offended doesn't mean something isn't racist.

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It is racist. The difference, and why many people are not offended by the Ben and Jerry's is that it is celebrating Lin and celebrating his race (which is technically still racist). In most of the examples with African Americans the racism is intended to be racist and insulting, for example these of Obama:


and most racist of all:


If you like Lin because he is Chinese, or like Obama or Woods or Jackie Robinson, because they are African American, it is technically racist, but it is a lot different than if you hated them because they are Chinese or African American. The examples that insult Lin and reference Asian stereotypes are far more offensive to most people than the ones that celebrate him and reference Asian stereotypes. For most people, intent matters a lot. They are far more forgiving of compliments, even if based on racial stereotypes (and may even enjoy them and perpetuate them themselves).

Is it racist to scan for racism at every mention of someone's name?

So, did Lin get some royalty off this promotion? Everyone's making money off Lin except Lin it seems like.

maxer;715144 said:

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Is it racist to scan for racism at every mention of someone's name?

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It was a lead Yahoo news story...boycott them. Racists.

tim55bear;715105 said:

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Ben and Jerry just pulled/changed their newest flavor "Taste the Lin-sanity" because of 'protests' that using a fortune cookie as an ingredient was 'racist'...legitimate complaint or typical knee-jerk PC overreaction? http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/ben-jerry-replaces-fortune-cookies-lin-sanity-flavor-162618720.html

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I can't fault Ben & Jerry at all for using fortune cookies in ice cream but I never take a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant because it is so NOT a Chinese custom but an American marketing gimmick. As much as I want to say it's an effective boycott, usually my dad/girlfriend/mother/friend breaks my fortune cookie and reads out out loud to me anyways, much to my annoyance.

tim55bear;715138 said:

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Fried chicken and watermelon have long been seen as a negative stereotyped foods...it isn't like they were trying to brand Chunky Monkey to anyone. B & J were trying to participate in the zeitgeist of the moment, like they always do. It doesn't seem to me that fortune cookies are similar to fried chicken and watermelon.

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^This.

Fortune cookie is a recent marketing tool by Chinese restaurants in the United States.
It was never intended as a negative stereotype so please don't make it this way.

Just because one out of a 1000 Chinese are offended by this benign marketing ploy, he shouldn't take the fun out for everyone else.

so...not racist?

this is ridiculous.
Lin is going to make millions because he is an asian basketball player. Even if he turns out to be an average NBA point guard, he'll make millions. seems to me that he can live with a fortune cookie in some ice cream.

Here's the travesty. LeBron is a MUCH better player than Lin however Ben & Jerrys will never name an ice cream after him. Why? because he's black not asian american.

All the Lin hype is wearing very thin.

Irving is the MVP of the rookie game but ESPN starts its coverage of the game talking about someone who scored 2 points and had one assist.

ShajMaster12;715191 said:

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so...not racist?

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1) Big difference between this unflattering picture vs. an ice cream with fortune cookie.
2) I don't even know what's this picture is supposed to imply.

graguna;715195 said:

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Here's the travesty. LeBron is a MUCH better player than Lin however Ben & Jerrys will never name an ice cream after him. Why? because he's black not asian american.

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Tell me about it!

Jay Leno has been the king of late-night TV for 17 years now.

Yet when Ben & Jerry's named an ice cream after a network late-night host, they chose a whippersnapper who not only follows Leno but whose accomplishments don't even compare to the longtime host of The Tonight Show.

All because Jay Leno is Italian.





The same goes for Jon Stewart, the king of late-night cable talk shows for 13 years now.

Jon Stewart couldn't get his own Ben & Jerry's ice cream, but the guy who follows him -- with much fewer accomplishments -- got one.

Perhaps it's because Jon Stewart is Jewish.

I find it racist. You're using stereotype to brand a product.

Fortune cookies, furthermore, aren't Chinese. They were born in America. But so was Lin, so it kind of makes sense lol.

tim55bear;715105 said:

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Ben and Jerry just pulled/changed their newest flavor "Taste the Lin-sanity" because of 'protests' that using a fortune cookie as an ingredient was 'racist'...legitimate complaint or typical knee-jerk PC overreaction? http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/ben-jerry-replaces-fortune-cookies-lin-sanity-flavor-162618720.html

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The man who loses his key to the kitchen doesn't get the cookie.

:beer:

graguna;715195 said:

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this is ridiculous.
Lin is going to make millions because he is an asian basketball player. Even if he turns out to be an average NBA point guard, he'll make millions. seems to me that he can live with a fortune cookie in some ice cream.

Here's the travesty. LeBron is a MUCH better player than Lin however Ben & Jerrys will never name an ice cream after him. Why? because he's black not asian american.

All the Lin hype is wearing very thin.

Irving is the MVP of the rookie game but ESPN starts its coverage of the game talking about someone who scored 2 points and had one assist.

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Alright we get it. You don't like Jeremy Lin. You don't think he deserves the attention he's gotten. Ben & Jerry's needs to prioritize its limited edition flavors in order of how good a player is. Forget Baskin Robbins and its 31 flavors. In order to take advantage of the current Lin hype, Ben & Jerry's must expand to 310 flavors. Jeremy Lin will fade away into obscurity as just another ice cream flavor and you will be ecstatic.

tim55bear;715138 said:

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Fried chicken and watermelon have long been seen as a negative stereotyped foods...

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Wait, how are those foods, in and of themselves, any worse stereotypes than a fortune cookie?

sycasey;715387 said:

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Wait, how are those foods, in and of themselves, any worse stereotypes than a fortune cookie?

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I think their worse mainly b/c the stereotypes of blacks eating watermelon and chicken was one used during the period of slavery. It is true that some slaves had to eat both, but that was because of necessity as watermelons were/are easier/cheaper to grow and chicken was the cheapest of the domesticated meat. The stereotypes re: watermelons and chicken grew from the forced enslavement of their people. I don't think Chinese railroad workers were eating fortune cookies, but if they were than it would be as bad as the black food stereotypes.

okaydo;715224 said:

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Tell me about it!

Jay Leno has been the king of late-night TV for 17 years now.

Yet when Ben & Jerry's named an ice cream after a network late-night host, they chose a whippersnapper who not only follows Leno but whose accomplishments don't even compare to the longtime host of The Tonight Show.

All because Jay Leno is Italian.



The same goes for Jon Stewart, the king of late-night cable talk shows for 13 years now.

Jon Stewart couldn't get his own Ben & Jerry's ice cream, but the guy who follows him -- with much fewer accomplishments -- got one.

Perhaps it's because Jon Stewart is Jewish.

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Well done. Yes, Ben and Jerry's flavor naming is not merit based. For various reasons, Lin is the "flavor of the month" in a way that transcends his abilities on the basketball court.

tim55bear;715138 said:

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Fried chicken and watermelon have long been seen as a negative stereotyped foods...it isn't like they were trying to brand Chunky Monkey to anyone. B & J were trying to participate in the zeitgeist of the moment, like they always do. It doesn't seem to me that fortune cookies are similar to fried chicken and watermelon.

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huh? of course they're similar; stereotypes are stereotypes, regardless of whether they're "negative". What's negative about fried chicken? It tastes awesome, and it's not like people are engaged in bad behavior by eating it. This guy loves it so much he wrote a catchy song about it. But as others have noted if B&Js made an Obama ice cream that included fried chicken they'd get pilloried for it, and not just because it would taste awful.

Look at this another way -- what do fortune cookies have to do with Jeremy Lin? Does his family make them? Does he love them? The answers are no and probably not, so why put them in his ice cream? For the same reason Stefon Diggs wrote "...Jeremy Lin egg roll and dumplings he's good though" -- because they're foods associated with Asian people. That's the stereotype part, and it was odd for B&Js to not anticipate some fallout.

They could have done much better, too; play on the NBA part (with little chocolate basketballs, although this is a one-shop deal so probably no custom parts), or pair the "linsanity" with the fact that he's in NYC and combine several crazy ingredients including pizza dough and bagel chips.

graguna;715195 said:

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this is ridiculous.
Lin is going to make millions because he is an asian basketball player. Even if he turns out to be an average NBA point guard, he'll make millions. seems to me that he can live with a fortune cookie in some ice cream.

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I'm pretty sure Lin didn't have a problem with it, or didn't say so publicly.

graguna;715195 said:

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Here's the travesty. LeBron is a MUCH better player than Lin however Ben & Jerrys will never name an ice cream after him. Why? because he's black not asian american.

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That's the way the world works. If you're three years old and can swing a golf club you'll get a spot on Letterman, even though you couldn't break 100 on a muni course. Is Jimmy Fallon the best late-night host? Are Phish and Jerry Garcia the best bands/musicians ever? LeBron didn't get an ice cream because his games were on national TV his junior year of high school. Sorry, that's just not a travesty.

BearyWhite;715404 said:

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hLook at this another way -- what do fortune cookies have to do with Jeremy Lin? Does his family make them? Does he love them? The answers are no and probably not, so why put them in his ice cream? For the same reason Stefon Diggs wrote "...Jeremy Lin egg roll and dumplings he's good though" -- because they're foods associated with Asian people. That's the stereotype part, and it was odd for B&Js to not anticipate some fallout.

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Right, and here's the thing: if this had been something done with Jeremy Lin's input, say, he wanted to include fortune cookies among the ingredients as a joke, that would be more acceptable. It becomes more of an Asian-American in joke at that point. Examples cited above like Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert were involved with the creation and marketing of their flavors, which I think is a key distinction here.

This flavor appears to have been created without Lin's input and by a bunch of white guys who thought it would be funny to put fortune cookies in an ice cream based on an Asian celebrity. That's kind of racist. Not actively and maliciously so (I doubt Ben and Jerry would do much of anything for a malicious reason), but casually and ignorantly so. I'm not losing any sleep over it, but it is a bit racist and they should have known better.

at a meal, have everyone read them adding "in bed" to the end

or go get dirty fortune cookies ..

My favorite

"a tiger may hurt you, but a little pussy never hurt anyone"

add in bed if you want

tim55bear;715105 said:

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Ben and Jerry just pulled/changed their newest flavor "Taste the Lin-sanity" because of 'protests' that using a fortune cookie as an ingredient was 'racist'...legitimate complaint or typical knee-jerk PC overreaction? http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/ben-jerry-replaces-fortune-cookies-lin-sanity-flavor-162618720.html

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graguna;715195 said:

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this is ridiculous.
Lin is going to make millions because he is an asian basketball player. Even if he turns out to be an average NBA point guard, he'll make millions. seems to me that he can live with a fortune cookie in some ice cream.

Here's the travesty. LeBron is a MUCH better player than Lin however Ben & Jerrys will never name an ice cream after him. Why? because he's black not asian american.

All the Lin hype is wearing very thin.

Irving is the MVP of the rookie game but ESPN starts its coverage of the game talking about someone who scored 2 points and had one assist.

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B&J would never make a LeBron IceCream because they know that anything
they would produce would be classified as racist, even if it were great ice cream. Now, if they got LeBron to market it..........

Well no, that's just not true. Lots is known about LeBron the person. If you try hard I'm sure you can think of things you could put in his ice cream that aren't just black things.

It has lychee in it too which is closer to Asians but still is race related. bTW, what is the color of the ice cream, yellow? That would be bad

berkeley. beyond offense
















:cheer:Monty:tedford:Monty:cheer

FingeroftheBear;715229 said:

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Does anyone say they love mayo or white bread to caucasians?

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White guy here. The only time I have been served white bread in a restaurant was with ribs at a soul food joint. Although I occasionally eat white bread on my own, I actually associate it more with black people than with white people. I am not so racist that I would assume all black people eat white bread as a regular part of their diet, though.

BTW, what is the most stereotypical white folks food? I might nominate hamburgers, or donuts and beer, but those certainly have a broader base than just white people.

25To20;716012 said:

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White guy here. The only time I have been served white bread in a restaurant was with ribs at a soul food joint. Although I occasionally eat white bread on my own, I actually associate it more with black people than with white people. I am not so racist that I would assume all black people eat white bread as a regular part of their diet, though.

BTW, what is the most stereotypical white folks food? I might nominate hamburgers, or donuts and beer, but those certainly have a broader base than just white people.

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Jello