was going to put this in the main baseball forum, but there's more peeps here I understand MLB had to do something but anyone who has played baseball with hispanic players knows what Escobar is saying is true... the word is used all the time, and not just by/between Latin players just a microcosm of how hypersensitive we've become in this PC world of ours The Sensitivity Police are out looking for offenders I used to work at this company, and there was a gay guy there who used to call everyone else a fag it was fucken great (and hilarious) that he was comfortable with it and didn't take himself too seriously but back to Escobar... I agree with Toronto's GM and manager that it is a cultural difference, and that Escobar didn't realize what he did would be construed as offensive but when you start trying to regulate what's said on the field -- between players -- that's a bit much the field is their playground, their safe haven, a place where they can go and act like kids and I have to laugh at sending him to sensitivity training again, I get the damage control thing but I could honestly see him laughing his ass off -- you know, kind of like seeing your first sex ed film as a kid the only difference is that keywords like "penis" and "vagina" with "maricon" and "joto" the laughter, however, will be the same and, for the record, Ozzie Guillen is right... Jay Mariotti IS a fucken fag discuss :soapbox: Yunel Escobar suspended three games for gay slur By Kevin Kaduk | Big League Stew Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar has been suspended for three games without pay for "his decision to display an unacceptable message while participating in a Major League game."_Yunel Escobar/Getty ImagesThe punishment was announced in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Escobar made headlines on Monday when a Toronto-area photographer pointed out that Escobar had played Saturday's game with "tu ere maricon" written on his eye black strips. The message can translate to "you are a faggot," though one Spanish professor told the Toronto Star the term can be interpreted a few negative ways though not all of them come with a homophobic slant. Presented with that way out, Escobar told reporters that the message was "just a joke" and that "maricon" is a meaningless word that's often used among Latin players. You can indeed hear the word in many major-league clubhouses without waiting long, though to write it off as a word without meaning isn't accurate. At best, it's an insult that has become so common that its derogatory nature isn't readily apparent to those who use it. ("Gay" and "retarded" are similar examples that you sometimes hear from players who predominantly speak English.) Escobar was backed during his apology by Toronto GM Alex Anthopolous and manager John Farrell at the press conference. Both men attributed the situation to a cultural difference and Escobar's lack of understanding that what he did would be construed as offensive. The native Cuban will undergo sensitivity training and his lost salary will be donated to You Can Play and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "I agree with the suspension. I don't have any problem with that," said an 'embarrassed' Escobar. "I'm sorry for my actions the other day. I don't have anything against homosexuals. I have friends who are gay." Escobar also probably doesn't understand that "I have friends who are gay" isn't a defense that really works anymore. But like Anthopolous said, education is key in making sure Latin players know that gay slurs — intentional or not — don't fly on the field in a Major League Baseball game. Here's what Bud Selig had to say in a statement about the situation: "I consistently say that Baseball is a social institution with important social responsibilities and that I expect those who represent Major League Baseball to act with the kind of respect and sensitivity that the game's diverse fan base deserves. Mr. Escobar has admitted that his actions were a mistake and I am hopeful he can use this unfortunate situation as an opportunity to educate himself and others that intolerance has no place in our game or society." As a positive aside, it would seem that Selig and Major League Baseball have made some strides in their stance against homophobia since then-White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was only fined and sent to sensitivity classes after he went on a vitriolic rant against Jay Mariotti in 2006, calling the controversial writer a "[bleeping] fag." Three games isn't a lot of time, but Escobar will be forced to think about what he's done while a strong message is sent to the league's other players: Homophobic messages aren't acceptable on or around the diamond.
i guess we can take some solace in the fact that fags dont blow us up when we offend them at least. but this is the few militants in the gay movement that want to do this as well as continue to argue for the word marriage. most gays i know wouldnt even raise an eye to the word fag. just like your co worker irish. soon nearly every word will be deemed offensive to someone. freedom of speech yeah right. at least when someone really thinks badly about a person for whatever reason you used to hear them say it. a few of you have met my ex and my kid. used to hear people say sand niggers and camel jockies when looking at anyone darker than a peach. not really nice or fair but at least i always knew where they were coming from. certainly didnt want to sensor them.
It's one thing to say the word like Kobe calling the ref a faggot once. But to wear the word on your eye black...come on. That's an idiot move.
was anyone really offended? come on... hes an idiot for leaving it on the field but still 3 day suspension, retarded. Ive heard on the radio here in Miami prank calling people using the fake name Marty Cohen. I mean it is a slur but I hear it all the time.
LOL, oh man. I'm the accused homophobe! This is such a non-story IMO...but I guess it's the way it goes. Noone should be made fun of period. Noone can joke at another's expense. Noone can use homosexuality as an example of a man's lack of manhood-which is the most common usage for "fag" or "maricon". I wonder what it will be next. It'll never end. I watched the Hunger Games last weekend. It looks like what I picture us looking like in the future. Not the "Hunger Games" itself, that was a lame idea...but the way the people looked in the Capital. It looked like a huge city full of fags...Los Angeles 2050 or San Fransisco 2012.
Anyways, it is a story. A grown man going out of his way to disrespect a group of people? That's a clown idear bro. Because there is just no point to it. What does he get out of that? It's just dumb. Just shows he is immature and doesn't care about bringing shame to the name he wears across his chest. I'm all for saying the fag word and making gay jokes in certain company. But I would never go that far out of my way on a public stage to do something like that. Wear "fag" across my under-eyes? I personally think that's a faggot thing to do. And pretty pathetic for a grown man. I just will never get it. I get annoyed by plenty of gays. They are so out there sometimes and it's a little strong. But I also have acquaintances who I have normal conversations with and enjoy talking to who happen to be gay. Plenty of cool dudes from school, work, etc that happen to be gay. This isn't 1960. Escobar, it just doesn't make sense brother. Like I said, Kobe saying, "Fucking faggot" under his breath is a lot different than writing it on his face as a joke. Escobar is a fucking idiot. No surprise. It's not even about being sensitive to gays or being politically correct. Just about what's right and what is pointless stupidity.
Exactly and that is the point here. Of course they had to suspend him and draw the line somewhere. I mean while most including myself don't care, you can't allow this. Speech in locker rooms isn't regulated but as a member of a professional organization you have to behave and under the spotlight. I mean i am not going to show up for work with a "hey fag" shirt and at the end of the day this guy did this on company time. Faggot is a derogatory term for gay people. If he had written Negro de Mierda, would that be ok, even if he was joking around? Or hey, how about "stupid kikes"
Come on man, He did not go out of his way to disrespect a group of people. It was a deal between him and whoever was involved. It was stupid as fuck because he's on the job on TV. It's obvious he wasn't trying to fuck over the gay community...it wasn't even on his mind I bet.(If he even has one) It's like if I call you a fag(because we are friends and you can't pick up something heavy for instance), I'm not trying to insult the gay folks in the world. I may be, but I'm not trying to-that isn't my goal. I'm trying to insult YOU. I'm calling your manhood into question.
