Asians and Idiots

 

My son’s junior high school is having a co-ed pickleball tournament at lunch. The results are posted on the school web site. The funny thing is that if a team name contains any sort of cultural reference, the P.E. teacher in charge of the tournament either can’t or won’t put the name on the web site without a deliberate misspelling.

For example, 3 White Guys and a Hindu becomes 3 Wite Gus and a Hidu, because identifying someone as white, male or Hindu is unacceptable.

Curiously enough, the team name 3 Blondes and a Brunette comes through unscathed. Why are people allowed to self-identify as blondes, but not as white guys or Hindus? It seems like the same thing to me.

The weirdest one to me is 4 Asians and an Idiot, which comes out as 4 Ans and an Idiot.

I ask my son, “Who’s the idiot?”

“Some white guy,” he says.

“Why is it okay to call someone an idiot but not an Asian?”

“It’s not racial.”

  6 comments for “Asians and Idiots

  1. PE
    PE
    3 Nov 2006 at 10:10 am

    CRICKET?! Did you take a funny pill this morning…you’re killing me. I never played it either but here’s a picture: http://www.pickleball.com.

  2. cc
    3 Nov 2006 at 9:28 am

    hmmm….that is quite interesting. isn’t calling someone an idiot not PC. so basically….not racial reference is allowed, however hair color references are okay? what about a reference to height? or weight. people are sensitive to that too. why not mispell somehting like that? what if the team was to be called 3 fatties and a shorty? or 2 fairies?

    what is pickleball? does it have anything to do with pickles?

  3. PE
    PE
    3 Nov 2006 at 9:45 am

    Those are all really good questions. It’s hard to explain pickleball. You have wooden paddles, a plastic ball and a net. It’s like a combination of ping pong, tennis and badminton. I’ve heard that the guy who invented it had a dog named Pickles, hence the name. No actual pickles are harmed during a game of pickleball.

  4. cc
    3 Nov 2006 at 10:04 am

    is it anything like cricket? is it played in the field? or indoor with a net (like badmitton)? when was this game invented….it’s new to me? is it biggest rage in all the middle schools right now? they didn’t have it when i was in school.

  5. cc
    3 Nov 2006 at 10:14 am

    coooool…..that looks like fun! can the ball bounce?

  6. PE
    PE
    3 Nov 2006 at 10:18 am

    yes

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