All He Does Is Lin

Petition by fans to keep Jeremy Lin in NY



Anyone who reads this blog with regularity or follows me on Twitter knows that I frequently discuss the subject of race relations. They also know that I love to talk sports. So when a water cooler topic arises that merges the two, I'm usually all over it with swiftness. In the case of the phenomenon that is Linmania, I've held back from writing extensively about it until now. And although I'm finally caving in and joining the runaway bandwagon, my thoughts will be kept relatively brief. After all, pretty much everyone has written pretty much everything about the sensation that is Jeremy Lin. Those who typically write about race but rarely about sports have chimed in. Those who usually write about sports but rarely about race have added their two cents. Those who rarely write or talk much about either race or sports have been compelled to comment. What more can possibly be left to say?

I probably won't unearth any new ways to play with the guy's name. Jeremy is a real Linderalla story and we're all in the throes of Linsanity. He is Super Lintendo come to save the day, and by that I mean a great deal more than merely the fortunes of his New York Knicks. He has also arrived on the scene to make us examine our prejudices and preconceptions, and this ultimately makes better people of us all. Something like that.

What Lin comparison can I make that has not already been brought to light? At first people made a connection to Tim Tebow primarily because Tim was the latest scorching hot trend just a couple months ago. Other than the meteoric rises of their respective popularity, they don't have very much in common though. In the era of social media all trends are magnified more than ever before because everyone is able to see what is on everyone else's mind on a continuous basis. Tebow inspired Facebook updates and tweets gave way to the same regarding Jeremy Lin. They are two athletes enjoying improbable early success, so there's that too. Of course, the most improbable thing about Tebow's success was that he achieved it with seemingly so little talent. One is tempted to call Tim a very lucky man, but since he wears his religion on his sleeve I suppose the word we're supposed to go with is blessed.

As for Jeremy Lin, also a rather spiritual fellow, most who initially believed he was a flash in the pan have by now conceded that he is talented at basketball. The improbable aspect is that he has succeeded in the NBA while Chinese. No point in tip toeing around this perception. Sure he went undrafted, and yes, Harvard is not a basketball powerhouse. But regardless of those factors, if Lin wasn't Asian I wouldn't be writing this blog posting and you would not have possibly found it because you were googling him.

The truly special thing about Jeremy Lin, the man as well as the growing myth, is that his existence destroys a racial stereotype. And at least from my point of view, that's the very best thing one can do to a racial stereotype. People keep double taking because they find it so difficult to accept that they're watching him pull off what a Chinese guy theoretically should not be able to do. If we go back to the reign of Tiger Woods in golf pre Blonde Ambitions, we'll recall a somewhat similar occurrence. Difference is, there is not much if anything in particular about golf that makes it seem a black person would have any more trouble mastering it than a white person. There are far fewer black golfers than white golfers for a variety of reasons, including the very important one that golf is an expensive sport and you don't find golf courses all over the place, unlike basketball courts. Tennis is another sport featuring black stars few and far between. The Williams sisters came along and took over for a good long while. Like Tiger they were exceptions that proved the rule to be a falsehood, although neither golf nor tennis is much blacker in attendance than it was prior to Tiger, Venus and Serena. There have been many African Americans in football for quite awhile, so although it took longer than it should have, eventually they gained foothold in "thinking man" positions such as quarterback and head coach. Each of these situations were unique and therefore headline grabbing at first, but quite plausible when you thought about them. History was made in a fashion much more fascinating than shocking.

But Jeremy Lin pulls off both feats. We are both enthralled and stunned. Basketball at the most elite level demands a degree of athleticism we're not expecting to see from someone Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese/Korean/etc. I'm not sure why this is since a Martial Arts expert is about as athletic as they come, and that club certainly doesn't exclude Asians. Generally Asian dominance in American sports is uncommon because participation is low. The typical Tiger Mom that we learned about not too long ago is unlikely to be pushing her son to a basketball court, demanding that he average no less than a triple double. Maybe this is because that son is infrequently over six feet tall. Jeremy Lin does not look like a typical pro basketball player in race/nationality/anything, so he had to prove to us that he has what it takes. Boy, did he ever. Some people are so genuinely befuddled by the rise of Lin that they keep mistaking offensiveness for cleverness. Chink in the armor? Did you really think that would fly?

I doubt the NBA will become dominated by a wave of Asian point guards any time soon, but won't call it impossible because the beauty of Jeremy's accomplishment is that it redefines what we view as possible. Nobody is looking very far ahead though. Trends are not about what was or what will be. They're about what's taking place right here and now, and at the moment nothing and nobody is hotter than Jeremy Lin. Even our trendy First Black President is impressed. Barack Obama knows a thing or two about defying expectations. He realizes just as a point guard does, perhaps because he plays some b-ball himself, that it's quite useful when your opponent believes your skills are limited and predictable. This makes it that much easier to take people by surprise.

I'm happy about what Jeremy Lin is accomplishing and bemused by reactions to it, such as the examples below. The fact that he's doing it for my beloved hometown team makes it all the sweeter. Stereotype smashing is great, but it's basketball season and the Knicks have not done diddly squat for more years than I wish to count. Things are finally looking up (granted, I have been teased by temporary success before only to watch it come crashing down) and I could care less how popular or trailblazing their point guard happens to be. I just want to be able to keep counting wins, and since being made a starter Lin has kept them coming at a steady clip. Other sports analysts and sociological bloggers can examine his effect on our collective consciousness with greater depth if they wish. I'm just enjoying the magic carpet ride. By all appearances, so is Jeremy.

New cut 🔥 pic.twitter.com/junaEMZ0Fl

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 3, 2017

IMHO we should all feel free to borrow freely (so long as it's respectfully) from other cultures and wear our hair however we fancy.

Not my first time making this statement btw.

Grace Under Pressure

One thing I believe democrats, republicans, independents, and could-give-a-crappers agree on is that possessing the ability to remain calm, cool and collected under trying circumstances is a commendable attribute. No matter what occupation a person may have or what activity he or she is involved in, it will no doubt be performed at a superior level by someone able to handle unexpected bumps in the road than by someone who crumbles when confronted by crisis. We don't all agree on how the economy should be fixed, or how the Iraq war should be dealt with, or on whether it's okay to wipe out endangered species in pursuit of oil, or on Roe versus Wade, or at which point the welfare system and government bail outs officially transform the U.S. from a capitalist to a socialist nation, or on the right of private citizens to bear glocks and AK-47's and missile launchers. We are all in agreement that nobody wants to pay taxes, but since it seems that we have to pay them anyway, we aren't in agreement on precisely who should pay exactly how much. This is a partisan nation because there are far too many choices for everyone to consistently be on the same side of the fence, and in fact, most people feel conservatively about certain issues and liberally towards others regardless of how they vote on election days. So it's tough to know every four years whether the donkey candidate or the elephant candidate or some wild card entrant like Ross Perot or Ralph Nader will be the best person to preside over our nation. It's a gamble each and every time. The various issues become so convoluted as the opponents distort each other's records that inevitably voters resort to what our overburdened brains can handle and make it a simple popularity contest. Which candidate makes us feel safest? Which one would we most want to have a beer with? Which one makes us feel more warm and fuzzy inside? Which candidate looks more like an actor who would most likely be chosen to play the president in a Hollywood movie? Questions such as these are usually easier to reach a consensus on than those vaguely and insufficiently answered on the campaign trail. Being in clear cut agreement on something creates a comfort level sorely needed in such trying times as the present, which leads me back to the first sentence of this commentary.

John McCain entered the presidential race credited as the most experienced candidate by far. Being the most experienced doesn't equate to having the best judgement or being the most competent or even the most knowledgeable, but it does count for something. It counts for more than usual when the person you're running against is basically a newbie, so you're able to say stuff like - "I can get started in the first minute of day one while my opponent would require a guided tour to learn where the nearest bathroom is". I paraphrase of course because that's a lot easier to do than actual research. My brilliant wit aside though, I'm sure McCain figured he would be the logical choice for Americans because of his claim to know his way around the corridors of Washington DC yet also declaring himself the ultimate reforming maverick, thus simultaneously playing the experience card and trying to wrest the change card from his opponent's grasp. Being a war hero didn't look too shabby on his resume either. He's the same race as every other man who has ever held the job, but just in case this somehow worked against rather than for him in these evolutionary and revolutionary times, he selected Sarah Palin as his running mate in order to have an equally firm grip on the minority card. John McCain had everything figured out except for one not so small thing that he somehow failed to learn from his first presidential bid. While it is not quite so difficult as actually being President, running for president is a pretty tough endeavor. Challenges will emerge from every nook and cranny. Not a single skeleton will be left alone in the closet and no stones whatsoever will be left unturned, unprobed, unprodded. But no matter how many trials and tribulations come along between the announcement to run for president and election day, the recommended code of conduct is crystal clear. You are not allowed to appear ruffled, to seem unnerved, to become visibly agitated, to sweat even the big stuff never mind the small stuff, to appear dazed and confused and distraught and overwhelmed. Not without being penalized for it. If you want to become president, you need to be able to exhibit that you can consistently appear presidential. Squirming and grimacing and freaking out are not part of the profile. You aren't allowed to call 'time out'. Running for president is not for the faint of heart or character.

Here is a list of non-presidential actions. Suspending (in name but not actually doing it) your campaign in order to grandstand. Not being able to suppress looks of disdain in a televised debate. Selecting a running mate solely for gimmicky political reasons rather than qualifications. Referring to your opponent as "that guy" while doing everything under the sun to refrain from making eye contact with him. It has been difficult for John McCain to convince the majority of Americans that he is the best choice because he is a following behind the worst presidency of all time and happens to belong to the same political party. The fact that he has voted the same as Bush 90% of the time is not particularly helpful. Remarking that the economy is not his strong suit mere months before the collapse of our economy, stating that the fundamentals of our economy are strong just a few hours before all hell broke lose, definitely proved to be problematic for McCain. But these factors should have been minor compared to the obstacles Senator Obama has had to deal with. Obama is a black man with a foreign sounding name, including a middle name that is identical to the surname of the former leader of the country we're at war with and a last name that rhymes with the first of public enemy number one. Although untrue, it has not been difficult due to his background to imply with credibility that Obama is or was at one point Muslim, not the most popular religion in these parts nowadays. Reverend Wright's YouTube moments threatened to upend Obama's campaign, and when the holy roller chose to speak up for himself rather than be defined by short video clips, he did far more harm to Obama's candidacy than good. In order to earn the democratic party nomination, Barack Obama first had to get past the seasoned Senator Hillary Clinton in a grueling primary that at the time seemed to threaten to weaken the eventual winner, but in the end proved the old adage true that whatever does not kill you makes you stronger. Obama had to endure his wife being called unpatriotic because of a single comment that was twisted to mean what the opposition wanted us to believe, and an affectionate gesture between the senator and his wife was referred to as a "terrorist fist pump". If ever there was a moment to blow one's cool, that was it. He has been painted as elitist because of one poorly phrased statement, preference for arugula salad over artery clogging fast food, and poor bowling skills. The 99.5% of times he phrases things beautifully, his eloquence and abilities to articulate and think quickly on his feet have somehow been branded as character defects. How could someone be well spoken and in touch with the needs of the common man (apparently that man's name is Joe Six-Pack the Plumber) at the same time? You hear such nonsense over and over again and it makes you wanna holla. But you'd never know it from looking at Barack Obama. As financial institutions collapsed around him he remained in control. Russia invaded Georgia and he remained in control. He was accused of wanting to teach sex ed to kindergarten kids, palling around with terrorists, calling Sarah Palin swine in make-up, and various other false atrocities. Yet in each instance he simply set the record straight while maintaining his poise. Not once did he blink, much less panic. What he has done is fit the description of the job he is seeking. He has been presidential. Now we need only wait until November 4th when hopefully the people of this country will see through the BS and see fit to make Barack Obama our 44th president.

- Roy Pickering (Author of Feeding the Squirrels: A Novella)

http://www.synergebooks.com/ebook_feedingthesquirrels.html

Web site of the day:
http://www.grizzlybay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm

Do or Die

I'm looking forward to the vice presidential debate on Thursday between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. I eagerly anticipated the showdown that recently took place between John McCain and Barack Obama, and McCain's "maybe I'll show up, maybe I won't" stance added to the intrigue, but when the smoke cleared it turned out basically to be what was expected. Two pros went out there and jabbed away, both landing a fair share of blows, neither managing a knock out. It reminded me of a Pay Per View boxing match, reasonably entertaining but ultimately failing to live up to the build up that causes me to shell out $50 that I always swear never to do again. But as the past couple weeks have shown, once the muzzle has been taken off there's just no way to accurately predict how Sarah Palin will perform. Give her a script and a partisan audience and she's almost certain to knock the ball out of the park. Throw legitimate non-true/false or multiple choice questions at her in front of people as willing to jeer as they are to cheer, and there's a reasonable chance she'll come off sounding even more ridiculous than those hysterical Tina Fey parodies on Saturday Night Live. If she can't deal with an underarm Katie Couric pitch, how will she deal with legitimate queries followed by cross examining from Biden? He certainly has some debating flaws of his own, but surely he can be coached to keep his answers brief and on point. Can Sarah Palin be trained by crash course to become knowledgeable and confident and coherent on a wide range of executive level subjects? We'll see soon enough. Since the republicans are so good at pulling surprises, I advise Joe Biden not to take his upcoming task lightly. It's probably against the rules for her to distract him by showing up for the debate in a bikini, but I expect at least one screwball in attempt to throw the loquacious senator off his game. Perhaps Palin will announce before the first question that she is pregnant with her sixth child. Try bullying her then, Biden! As the accompanying photos show, Sarah Palin is the most dangerous sort of animal, a political one. That means no holds barred. Biden needs to take a page out of the books of Joe Namath and Brett Favre. Leave nothing on the field. Screw the five yard completion when the sixty yard bomb is sort of open. There is one opponent who absolutely cannot be allowed to be the victor, and that is fear. Fear is precisely what will reign if Palin and McCain are voted into the White House. The thought of it stamps two words on my mind. Hell no.

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- Roy Pickering

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Quote of the day:
Katie Couric: Why isn't it better, Gov. Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

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Gov. Sarah Palin: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, we're ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the -- it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.

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Web Site of the day: http://mccainkeatingfive.com/

The Face of Change/Experience/Feminism/Family & Small Town Values/Hotness/Whatever else the Republican party can convince you of

Sarah Palin is the republican selection for vice presidential candidate. I say the republican selection rather than John McCain's choice because I doubt he had very much to do with it, which says a great deal about how much of his own man the so called maverick actually is nowadays. Joe Lieberman did a wonderful impersonation of Benedict Arnold the other night but never had a snowball's chance in hell of being the VP nominee no matter how tight he and McCain are. Clearly John's handlers and professional political spin doctors were growing increasingly worried that "The Celebrity" was going to clean "The Straight Talker's" clock, so they had to come up with something big to shake up the polls, and they needed to do so ASAP. It's easy to picture them saying behind closed doors - "How about a shocking choice for VP, someone practically no one will have heard of much less expected to be selected? Sounds like a plan." Next thing you know the world is being introduced to Sarah Palin, governor of the state of Alaska which is about half the size of the borough of Brooklyn but probably has more oil, though not nearly as many West Indians. Before becoming governor of our late arriving state she was mayor of some town that has a population smaller than the occupancy of my office building. I have not actually checked to confirm if this statement is factual, but anyone reading this feel free to find out approximately how many people work in the New York Life Building and let me know if it's more than 8000. Such an unlikely candidate certainly meets the SURPRISE criteria. Did I mention that Sarah is a woman? That means all disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters can move on over to the other party because they have the most ovaries on the ticket by far. Mrs. Palin is a mother of five which I suppose makes her five times the woman that Hillary is, so no need to let little things like her anti woman's right to choose abortion even in the most extreme situations; anti-birth control education (abstinence or bust); let's teach Creationism in the classrooms while making sure every student has the right to own a gun stances get in the way of voting for her and John McCain. At 44 years old she's about half a century (okay, that's a slight exaggeration) younger than her ticket mate, another item to check off. Youthful vigor and minority status are no longer the sole domains of Barack Obama in this year's presidential race, but McCain continues to be the only resident former POW, which as we know is the most necessary qualification a presidential candidate can possess. For those who like White House occupants to be folksy like that good old boy George Dubya Bush rather than eloquent like Obama or stiff as a board like McCain, Sarah has that going on too. She sounds just like Frances McDormand in Fargo. As for who she physically resembles, I'll let the photographs above speak for themselves. This is rather ironic since the whole selection process (apparently Sarah met with the man who "picked" her once for all of 15 minutes) seems like a bad Saturday Night Live skit. Mrs. Palin came out with all guns (fortunately not literally) blazing when she spoke at the republican convention and was officially introduced to her newfound rabid fan club. They gave her a long standing ovation before she spoke a single word simply for not tripping on her way to the podium. Talk about setting a low bar for success. She proceeded to do a fine job of reading the speech that was written for her off the space age teleprompter, causing ovation after ovation after ovation to erupt, yet never managing to wake her newborn baby son in the audience. I on the other hand can't belch without accidentally waking my daughter in her sound proof room. Republican politicians by definition are masters at going on the senseless attack. Sarah Palin did not disappoint in this department. After spending about 4 hours introducing everyone to the members of her immediate family awake or otherwise, she went on to chastise the media for daring to make any remarks about anyone in her family. The former beauty pageant contestant stood there as if receiving an award for mother of the year rather than accepting the VP nomination, then ripped into the media for daring to suggest that her parenting skills fall a little shy of the standard set by June Cleaver. No one is supposed to comment on her 17 year old daughter being pregnant and unmarried because men who run for public office are never asked if they will be able to be both a good politician and a good father. Fair enough. No one is supposed to ridicule the vetting process that enabled her to be picked ahead of so many other far more qualified candidates because that isn't very nice. Okay. No one is supposed to question the brevity and lameness of her resume because she doesn't like it when people say mean things unless she's the one saying them about Barack Obama. All right, I guess. No one is supposed to check on or care about the allegations of improper behavior as governor, allegedly using her influence to get a former in-law fired from his job, because this would get in the way of believing she is Wonder Woman, Joan of Arc, Mia Farrow, Oprah, Melanie Griffith in Working Girl, Rosa Parks, and the Statue of Liberty lady all rolled into one Ronald Reagan approved package. Really? That seems to be asking a bit much. Gimmicks and trick plays do work from time to time on a football field, and can even end up being the margin of victory. But since McCain and the republican party pulled their wild card with several months of campaigning left to go, the evil empire of the media (except when they're fawing about republicans, then they're just fine and dandy) and the democratic party has plenty of time to point out the little man behind the curtain operating the Wizard of Oz, and there is ample opportunity for the truth (rather than slickly produced propoganda) to reveal itself. Once the smoke from the fireworks has cleared everyone will be able to see that the choice before us is the same as it has been from the start. If you want to continue in the war mongering, economy destroying direction George Bush has been taking this country for the last eight years, or if you believe that like Justin Timberlake the role of Vice President is to bring sexy back, vote McCain-Palin. If you have something else in mind, forget all the partisan fact distorting ads and catchy slogans and simply listen. This should allow you to determine who is speaking with the calm yet passionate voice of reason, and who is merely full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

- Roy Pickering (Author of Feeding the Squirrels: A Novella)

http://www.synergebooks.com/ebook_feedingthesquirrels.html