Someone should go pee-pee in their Coke.

@badhatharry: Well played.

Why is it Coke's problem again?

I heard someone say this was not derrogatory elsewhere in the world... could this just be a culture clash?

@bumba: Agreed. Everyone is assuming this is some kind of racial slur (elsewhere, such as Reuters, not here, since the OP didn't really bother giving us any kind of insight). Has anyone bothered to ask them what they meant?

Um... I am so angry that these players were offensive and Coca-Cola did nothing to stop this. Coca-Cola should have known that a few of the tens of thousands of people who endorse their products might do something offensive at some time... at some point... somewhere.

Therefore, instead of thinking the Argentina soccer team are a bunch of insensitive people who created a lot of hurt amongst Asians who saw this, I will instead be angry at Coca-Cola... because... um...

Um... okay so what Terekkincaid said.

@badhatharry:

That's hilarious, I LOL'ed :D

@terekkincaid: Because every company which has a logo is responsible for the actions of people who wear it. Oakley was responsible for Dog the Bounty Hunter, b/c he wore Oakley glasses. Nike is responsible for the Heaven's Gate suicides, b/c they wore Nike's. When will corporations start doing something about this?

Why, I thought Coca-Cola was regretting the sponsorship because blue is Pepsi's color.

Does this mean Argentina is responsible too? Or just these idiots?

What? They have allergys and there eyes itch...

@Git Em SteveDave displays attention-grabbing vanity: don't be stupid, read the title. it has the word "sponsor" in it. while you're at hit, try cutting back on the snark too.

Seriously?!?! This is something to get up in arms about? **leaves computer to find something with relevance in life**

@terekkincaid: It's not Coke's problem in the sense that it's their fault, but I'd imagine they're not pleased that their logo is pretty prominent in the picture.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's "tasteless." Whenever I talk to my engineering student (I'm not an engineer) friends about how hard they have it, one of them (or myself) invariably does this. Obviously, we don't set the standards, and some may be offended, but I think *tasteless* is a little too paranoid pc-ish

I bet the Falkland Islands team has a new sponsor starting, uh, now.

@Alex Chasick: No such thing as bad publicity, right? This photo is up all over the place. In countries around the world where this doesn't bother anyone (i.e. most besides the US apparently), it's a free ad. Hell, this might sell *more* Coke in Spain.

I was initially offended by this, but I've gotten over it. I've explained this in another forum with a bad analogy, but I think it fits, so here goes:

Spain/Argentina made a "your mom" joke at China. America overheard this joke, and got offended, because America's mom is dead. Spain/Argentina was like "oh shit sorry, I didn't know." Meanwhile China doesn't get the joke, doesn't get offended, so it's all good with China. End of story, let's stop being offended by this, k?

Maybe those 4 have very bad headaches.... and sometimes pushing your fingers into your forehead there will help with the pain.

The Spanish did the same thing. Either race is not a big deal for Spanish/Latin Americans or they're f*ing racist. I shall point you to this famous Spanish candy mascot for your review.

@coan_net: Lol, reminded me of a true story. I have an astigmatism (which means my eyeballs aren't the right shape). If I forget my glasses, I can pull my eyes back like this to flatten out my eye and see a little better (like for reading a sign). When I was in Japan, I really needed to read a sign at the train station, but didn't have the balls to do it :P

Thank G-d they didn't do Falun Gong exercises or carry a Tibetan flag! That would be splittist and wrong!

If you're Chinese, then you might've heard of the "chino cochino" tease/insult before. Depending on your own level of maturity, you can either dismiss it and let it go, or call up all your friends and jump the 3-year-old who insulted you. NOW who's immature?

¡Ojito pibe! Just thought I'd throw that in ;)

I'm ok with the joke but if they added the bucked teeth that Mickey Rooney had in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" I would have been offended. [img125.imageshack.us]

Could we maybe have someone asian chime in and mention if this is actually offensive?

@JeffMc: Ok... me no rikey.

Disclaimer: I'm Asian.

its analogous to blackface (for those who dont know what that is, look it up in wiki) and yes, it is offensive. Those who dont think it is obviously isnt a minority.

I thought the Olympics were supposed to represent an ideal including competition,GOOD sportsmanship,integrity,peace etc and last but not least the best a country has to offer.They might be the best athletes from that country but they are definately not the best in character.

And Spain did this as well.Spain is older than America and they are still more openly racist?No wonder we got Texas and California.

Question:What country basically settled Argentina?Argentinians are decendants of which colonial invader?

To top it off there are many theories out there that North American if not South American Indians are actually decendents of Asians who crossed an ice bridge during one of the ice ages.

Why didn't they have the guts to trash talk the Chinese in front of their faces before a game? Weisals

@rolla: Offensive, yes. Not analogous to blackface.

What is stupid is the Argentina soccer association or whatever they are called that runs the Olympic team. Not getting Coke's $ in the future means they will either be out begging for more money or team not as competitive. How stupid are these women?

Add my vote to the "Do native born Asians find this offensive?" crowd.

I have a feeling it might not be.

When I was in Taiwan and Japan and I asked for a description of someone, the description almost always included eye shape. (Since "straight brown hair and brown eyes" really doesn't get you very far around there.) If I was getting the description in person, the describer would often use their fingers to show me what eye shape they have, using this exact gesture when appropriate. Sure it may have been pantomime to make up for my crappy language skills, but I don't think so.

@u1itn0w2day: Sorry.... I can't hear you over all the jingoism.... USA! USA! USA!

It's like High School football rivalry, but on a global scale. Maybe someday it will be the ideal you describe (maybe then I will watch), but this year we're seeing the worst of it.

@u1itn0w2day: Are you seriously suggesting that Spain is less tolerant of different ideologies/cultures than the United States?

Perhaps you're talking about a Bizarro United States, one where James Byrd, Jr. wasn't dragged behind a pickup truck in Jasper, Texas. Or maybe one without a Vidor, Texas, until recently known as a "sundown" town.

Maybe, instead, you're thinking of a different Spain. One that, during the Moorish reign, didn't allow other religions (i.e. Christianity and Judaism) to practice freely and openly. It would have to be a different Spain you're thinking of because the one I know is much more tolerant than the US.

In fact, the US has a few states that will grant marriages/civil unions to homosexual couples. The remaining forty-some-odd states will refuse to recognize the marriages made in states where it is legal. But that backward, intolerant Spain, where do they get off not only recognizing other nation's same-sex marriages, they also allow their own gay citizens to marry each other.

Also, your comment "no wonder we got Texas and California"...You know that Texas was not obtained from Spain, right? After the Spanish flag flew here, we had the Mexican flag and the Republic of Texas flag. So the US got Texas from Texas. California, as well, was under Mexican rule after Spain. So California was obtained from Mexico.

If you don't know simple history, or can't be bothered to look it up, how exactly are you qualified to judge the culture of another nation? If you're American, you've just proved yourself to be as ignorant as you claim the Argentinians and Spaniards are.

@u1itn0w2day: Spain is one of the most insanely racist countries on the planet. Watch an FC Barcelona match - they give shit to their OWN players.

@mgy: @u1itn0w2day: @Mayor Bee whose reply button is broken:

Breaking News, Tonight at 11: The world is racist and prejudicial. I'm really not sure there's any nation that doesn't have racist tendencies.

But yes, that is one point behind the Olympics. It just that it takes time to steer the R.M.S Human Civilization.

Hmmm let me add my 2 cents here.

I'm from Argentina, but I got the exact same reaction I will explain here when I saw the fuss over the Spanish ads. This kind of gesture is not seen, in Argentina (and in much of the world, as I would guess from the international comments I've seen), as offensive or derogatory AT ALL, but in fact as friendly and playful, and as a sign of being happy to be part of the olympics in China (where people generally have eyes in that shape due to genetical, we-are-adults-and-should-get-over-this reasons).

Seriously, when major news agencies pick this as racism, you know that the world is not going well. How you or I have our eyes shaped will not ever change how we are, our rights, or our respect from/for others. A playful picture by a newspaper photographer (which was the case here) shouldn't light this kind of alarms, there are much more serious things to deal with in China, in America, in Europe and in Argentina.

In my humble opinion, the fact that many people think that they need to shout and defend a whole race just because someone points out the general ocurrence of a harmless, inoffensive genetical feature is harming Chinese more than anything, particularly when it was intended as a tongue-in-cheek twist in a sports team photo.

If any Chinese friends out there find this offensive I apologize for my misunderstanding of the situation, but so far I could only see paranoia from the major international media.

So do the Chinese kind of push the corners of their eyes inwards to make fun of non-Asians?

@Zadaz: Uh, it's one thing calling someone fat as a description, and another to make fun of them for it. It's all about the context, and let's be honest, this picture does not look like Spain is trying to describe the way Chinese look. It was a racist insult; plain and simple. Whether it's a big deal or not, I think depends on the individual.

This is a gigantic SO WHAT?

@MayorBee and the reply button that really isn't working: After the Spanish flag flew here, we had the Mexican flag and the Republic of Texas flag. So the US got Texas from Texas. California, as well, was under Mexican rule after Spain. So California was obtained from Mexico.

As I cavalierly understand the history of my new home state, annexing the rebel state of Texas was on act of war in Mexico's eyes. But they lost, so the "sold" us the rest of the land we wanted (including California) for $65m. (Although not much later, we decided we needed Tucson too and paid handsomely for it. What was that about?)

But I think his comment about "no wonder we got Spain" was in some sort of jest that I don't get, more so than saying the we literally got the land from Spain.

Finally, "the other guy is more racist then we are" might actually qualify as racist. Kind of like posting to call someone a troll is in fact trolling.

@Michael Belisle: Did I say $65 million? I meant $15 million.

@Michael Belisle: I agree, the history of how Texas became a state in the US (via it's independence) is a sordid affair. The US basically populated the areas in Texas with Mexico's blessing. Of course, the Americans were only invited in because the Mexicans were tired of getting beaten up by the Indians (Native Americans, whatever). The Mexicans didn't like it too much when the Americans changed their fighting style to beat the Indians, and got pissy about it. Then Texas declared independence from Mexico, then a ways down the line joined the US.

I don't think he was kidding when he said that we got TX and CA from Spain. I really think he believed that.

I'm actually taking the reverse stance...I believe that the US is one of the most racist, bigoted countries out there. Both through official governmental actions (and inactions) and the actions (and inactions) of the citizens.

Maybe I just have a severe case of "the grass is always greener"...but I think the US can get better, so maybe that counts for something. :)

Unrelated note, I dunno why the reply button on my post doesn't work for you. I pressed it and it put the appropriate stuff in my post for the reply. Strange.

yah know normally I'm like the world is so over-PC blah blah stop being so sensitive and overreacting but damn that was offensive. I mean really there is no other way to interpret their poses. It's not like they can say oh we were just making silly faces. Anyways sure hope Coke comes out and denounces their actions while wearing Coke team clothes. I think I could be a little more forgiving if they weren't in China right now partaking of what the country has to offer and participating in the Olympics. It just seems a little like going to a school for mentally handicapped people and calling people retarded. It sucks when it happens in public in general but would unforgivable in the environment of the mentally handicapped students. Anyways the Argentina team needs to grow the hell up.

-- gc3160
website: thegc.deviantart.com
email: gc3160@NOSPAMcharter.net --

Asians in Hispanic countries are about as common as black people in Japan.

@MayorBee and the reply button that really isn't working:

I believe that the US is one of the most racist, bigoted countries out there. Both through official governmental actions (and inactions) and the actions (and inactions) of the citizens.

We're first at everything!

USA!! USA!!!

/dumbass

Every country in the world has their own fair share of ignorant racists. I don't think one country can claim "the lead".

Malcolm Gladwells book Blink shows an interesting experiment that reveals the fact that pretty much everyone IN GENERAL is a bit racist.

But, since we are talking olympics,

USA!!!USA!!!!

Just some actual observations to inject into the wild-theory milieu that seems to be choice for this article's comments :) I've lived in Argentina and can quite honestly say that the racism there is not nearly as actively malevolent as many US incidences of racism seem to be. However, there exists a racism born of simple ignorance which is quite significant and pretty hard not to notice for an USA observer.

Their ignorance is due to a lack of the "melting pot" effect we see in the U.S. The last major period of immigration seen by Argentina ended in the early to mid 1950s. At this point, darn near everyone there looks/behaves/thinks of themselves as more or less belonging to the same ethnic group: Argentinian. I saw ONE black person in my time there.

Argentina is a very inward-focused nation in many regards. Many ethnic groups are considered inferior simply because they are not Argentinian. What you have to understand though, is that this is a default, passive and assumptive belief. There is very little to no active hatred, as far as I was able to witness. (If you want a little insight into Argentinians' opinions in general, remember that 90% of this nation defines its work schedule around a siesta in the middle of the work-day.)

While attitude can't excuse action, I think this "comparative racism" I'm seeing is a bit of a stretch as a logical pursuit. Apples and oranges are both fruit, after all...

its really weird that this is seen as acceptable normal behavior in south american countries. there was an incident in spain as well. whats with the spanish?