pathetic.

This report is wrong in so many levels. In Spain, that gesture is very well known, you do that when you pretend your are Chinese, like having fun with it, it is no offensive in any way. So I think the journalist should get some background information or ask someone who knows anything about Spain before writing this piece. In this picture, the team is saying "We are Chinese, too", they are not mocking anyone but themselves.

Donnt you know you are in the wrong? When Yao Ming meets up with Pao Gasol, Ming will kick your latino faggot ass!!!

I'm asian and I find the gesture offensive. I don't care if you are "like having fun with it" Vicente Aceituno !!

Respect me and my other fellow chinese brethen. We're telling YOU and other people in the world we don't think it's funny.

Seriously? Is having slanted eyes a handicap? Do we feel bad for orientals that they have slanted eyes? its not racist...its a physical feature. If the Olympics were held in Hawaii...and they all wore hawaiin T-shirts...would that be racist? All the spanish were tryin to say in that picture was...."China, Here we come" Give me a break. Next time Olympics are here in America...lets have China take a picture holding their eyes wide open and see if we get offended.

News flash to dustin sherman: Asian people are no longer referred to as "orientals", it's the 21st century. The continent is named Asia, not Orient, which encompass numerous countries.

To Vicente, universally, humor only works when it is mutual and in the case of this ad, it is neither humorous nor respectful. The ad is very offensive and anyone who defends these Spanish athletes and ad producer is just as racist and ignorant. The gesture might be common in your country, but to the rest of the world, it suggests that your culture lacks worldly sensitivity and respect of other people's heritage in the 21st century.

When people from one race ridicule people of another race by emphasizing their physical characteristic, it's called racism and it is not funny whether it is in America and hopefully, the enlightened Europeans. I don't think Spaniards will appreciate it very much if people from other countries ridicule their unique physical characteristics.

Dear ladies and gentlemans you are missing the point here, I agree the add probably no was the most briliant idea, probably the worst idea for a promotion of olympics, and if chinese ask for that for sure the spanish team could be the first in apologize for that, stupid moment, all of us probably have had.
But the point here is not that, the point is who you think american and british are to give lessons of morality, probably British forgot killing that guy in subway because looked like mushlim, american, maybe you missed everyone look like mushlim could be banned or at least checked until the las limits of it to enter to a plain, I don't say the add is wrong, but I say this fake morality of US and British news papers make me want to through back...If chinese want to ask for responsabilities for that, they can, not US newspapers...I think all here could understand that.

From Beijing with love...

Why is it that when we dress in traditional Chinese outfits it is not offensive and when we stretch our eyes out with our fingers to pretend we are Chinese it generates racial sensitivities?

Why is it that when you give a black person a flower it is a gesture of friendship, but when you give him a banana it becomes a total insult to his humanity?

Why is it OK for an Asian woman to buy opaque stockings for her Western friends and not OK for her to buy them shaving kits?

Why is it acceptable to comment on a man's hair colors and curvatures, but not very nice to comment on the contours of his receding hairline?

Why is it that when we eat another culture's food we build cross-cultural relationships and when we cringe upon knowing what is in the food (hot dog) we destroy that relationship?

Why is it that when we shave our hair to look like chemotherapy patients we are elevated to being supporting sympathizers, but when we limp along those who have lost a leg we become harassing idiots?

These questions transcend race and gets to the fundamental question: what is appropriate human behavior in this very culturally and racially diverse world? To lighten up and laugh may be one way. How about getting an education and doing some traveling first?

If we are going to laugh, laugh at our own uniqueness rather than make fun of the differences we see in others. The former portrays a healthy level of self-confidence. The latter projects inner insecurities. Maybe this is why the Spanish ad was so offensive.

The offensive nature of the Spanish ad is not in its intentions, but in its lack of what we know and feel is appropriate. Otherwise, it would not have been so funny to those who do not understand its prejudice.

Dear ladies and gentlemans you are missing the point here, I agree the add probably no was the most briliant idea, probably the worst idea for a promotion of olympics, and if chinese ask for that for sure the spanish team could be the first in apologize for that, stupid moment, all of us probably have had.
But the point here is not that, the point is who you think american and british are to give lessons of morality, probably British forgot killing that guy in subway because looked like mushlim, american, maybe you missed everyone look like mushlim could be banned or at least checked until the las limits of it to enter to a plain, I don't say the add is wrong, but I say this fake morality of US and British news papers make me want to through back...If chinese want to ask for responsabilities for that, they can, not US newspapers...I think all here could understand that.

From Beijing with love...

"Seriously? Is having slanted eyes a handicap? Do we feel bad for orientals that they have slanted eyes? its not racist...its a physical feature"

So, using your logic, I'd arrive at this: since Pau Gasol and the rest of the people on that team look like apes, it would be okay to create an ad where the Spanish basketball team are caricatured as apes. Yes, they do look like apes.

No matter where 1 goes, 1 will offend or be offended.
What is considered a simple gesture one place offends somewhere else. I.E. In some western countries its fine to touch a child's head while in Thailand its extremely offensive. The Spaniards should have either had sense or done research before the Photo.
It was ignorant and extremely insulting yes. But for the folks blasting the Spaniards with equally insulting terms and bad language or generalizing an entire country or people or race also shows your rascism too.

I see a lot of bad faith in the media.
Sure, if this picture was published on an international newspaper, it would've been offensive and inappropriate. BUT it was a Spanish newspaper, targetting a Spanish audience which doesn't give the same meaning to this gesture as you guys do.

You are taking it out of context and applying your American-centered PC-paranoid standards. There are other cultures out there which different languages, you know?

Those that think it wasn't offensive should ask any asian what they think. It's offensive and degrading. To say it is anything else is showing ignorance about racial sensitivities. People make statements or gestures not realizing at the time that what they said or did was offensive to anyone else. It happens and there is no intent to offend. What is wrong is when you do find out you offended someone or some group, you then defend your actions as being ok because it was joking around or you feel the other person or group is being overly sensitive or the news is blowing it out of proportion. I would have been fine with the Spaniard saying they're sorry for it.

I'm chinese and I didn't find this picture racist at all. I think the only people who find it racist are racist themselves? Maybe its a white supremecy thing to stir up controversy.

As spaniard I am atonished about this polemic and the feelings rosed around. I even doubt myself so .. letś ask directly to chineese, fortunately I have some colleagues from China so itś easy,I did ask them directly and explain them the meaning of the finger, because, among other things, they didn't catch the symbol. I also showed them the articles of Daily Telegraph and this page so they can judge and didn't found anything offensive, at the contrary, some fun.. but in general, irrelevant. They just simply don't understand the polemic

We have a saying , roughly translated "Don't try to be more papist than the Rome Pope" , I think this is excessive and completely pointless, now, my question is Is there any intention behind this polemic ? or just this is another of the western stupidities ...

Time-slip, if you will, back to the 1950-1960's. The boss (of course, male) walks into the office, and pats his female secretary's rear end. He says, " I like them round and plump." Now, someone from the 21st century tells this boss that he has done and said an awful thing, and he is being downright sexist.

His response: "I was giving my secretary a friendly greeting. It was just harmless fun. It is absurd for anyone to make a big thing of it. How could women possibly take offense at this? I'll have you know that I am friends with many women!"

Dear stupid Spaniards, don' t you think it's about time you learned that it is offensive when the people you direct your words and actions think it's offensive. The one dishing it out has no say in whether people should be offended or not.

Join us. We have already moved into the 21st century. Hope you can catch up.