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    13 Other Racist Clichés Headline Writers Need to Avoid

    13 Other Racist Clichés Headline Writers Need to Avoid

    Following ESPN's groan-inducing Jeremy Lin headline, we'd like like to point out a few more phrases headline writers might want to avoid, not only because they're vaguely racist but also because they're clichéd. Content farmers, writers, bloggers, reporters, and anyone looking to spark a debate on PC-ness (or the people in charge of editing anyone on this list): here are some other headlines you should probably think twice about before using:

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    "Politics in spades: why the Obama veg patch matters" 

    RELATED: No Slam Dunk Contest for Jeremy Lin; 3-Point Shots for All


    The Guardian: March 23, 2009

    RELATED: The Giants React to Gisele's Super Bowl Snit; A New Contract for Billy Beane


    Why? Yes, the phrase can be about honesty, but "spade" is also meant as a slur against black people. 

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    "Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Lipstick and Calling a Spade a Spade" US News: September 10, 2008

    RELATED: Jeremy Lin Lunched with the Fired ESPN Headline Writer


    Why? Though Robert Scheslinger is defending Obama here, a different headline might have been a better choice, as this in all its SEO glory could be taken the wrong way. See the entry above.

     

     

     

     

     


    "Obama Cakewalk" The Sun: August 6, 2008

    Why? Yes, it's supposed to signify an easy win, but the word also has its origins in slavery.

     

     

     

     


    "Tiger Woods Peanut GalleryGolf.com

    Why?  It's supposed to mean hecklers or pundits, but historically, the phrase actually refers to a section in a theater where black people were relegated to sitting

     

     

     


    The Original "Chink in the Armor?" ESPN: August 22, 2008

    Why? Really, do we need to go over this again?

    (screen shot via faniq.com)

     

     

     

     

     

     


    "Pow Wow Wow Yippee Yo Yippy Yay" CSULB's Union Weekly (college paper): March 14, 2011

    Why? As The OC Weekly puts its, it's the Native American equivalent to the very racist "Ching Chong Ling Long Ting Tong"/ this racist, terrible rant about Asians in the Library.

     

     

     

     


    "Lott Hasn't Always Had the Most Colored History With Black Issues" Lakeland Ledger: December 12, 2002


    Why? The awful "colored" pun in a story about black issues.

     


    Experience That 'Very Special Gypped Feeling'

    USA Today: December 5, 2007

    Why? The term is supposed to be about being cheated but it's really a slur against gypsies. (It should be noted that Minzesheimer is quoting from a book passage.)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


    And For Good Measure, Just Avoid These At All Costs:

    Baby Mama

    Nappy Headed Hos

    Indian Giver

    Welsh on a Debt

    Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys

     

    32 comments

    • Jon Soto  •  Encino, California  •  2 mths ago
      Wow, now everything we write could be construed as racist. PC is not the way to be.
      • James Dogue 2 mths ago
        As a technogeek, I am offended at your use of the abbreviation PC!

        (and yes, as a technogeek, I'm allowed to say technogeek, although unless you're one, you're not!)
    • UnderDoug  •  2 mths ago
      Peanut gallery refers to the cheapest seats in a theater. It does not mean an area "where black people were relegated to sit"
      • Norske 2 mths ago
        Coons are cheap.
      • Dave 2 mths ago
        The peanut gallery was where the kids sat on "Howdy Doody" -- racism? (or kidism...).
      • James Dogue 2 mths ago
        Correct. Originated in the ~1920s and refers to the least expensive seats, which are generally in the balconies. When my "white" family was fortunate enough to see a concert or other performances in halls when I was young, that's exactly where we sat, because a family of five children living on the salary of a teacher generally can't afford to have first class treatment.
    • homeinLA  •  Los Angeles, California  •  2 mths ago
      If the press took a day off would they be missed?
    • Korbs  •  Tacoma, Washington  •  2 mths ago
      this is stupid
    • Anthony  •  2 mths ago
      ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IS NOT A RACIST TERM
    • James Fogleman  •  Morrow, Louisiana  •  2 mths ago
      But slurs of Christians and conservatives are always okay.
      • Norske 2 mths ago
        You betcha.
      • John 2 mths ago
        And whites in general.
      • James Dogue 2 mths ago
        Lest you forget the slurs of the leftwing and the neo-colonials against pre-WWII Americans, cloaking their old-world superiority complexes behind specious allegations of inbreeding, stupidity, etc... As if their attitudes and those of their ancestors are not why OUR ancestors came here in the first place.
    • Kaspar Hauser  •  Mishawaka, Indiana  •  2 mths ago
      waaaah waaaah waaaah. Go get your rattle.
    • Piggy  •  2 mths ago
      Well thanks Alexander, for that load of "politically correct" garbage. Why don't we just ban writing altogether because at one point in time there were black people who couldn't write? Whoops, don't want to give him ideas.
      • Les Curtis-Thebes, Il. 2 mths ago
        Are you implying that now they all can?
      • Dave 2 mths ago
        We must exclude the use of vowels because they're alphabecentric, and the other letters feel inferior. This crap is getting out of hand (Oops, I just offended those with tentacles...)
    • Michael  •  2 mths ago
      How about knucklehead? Can I call somebody knucklehead?
    • Dave  •  Cleveland, Ohio  •  2 mths ago
      Geometry must be racist because we can calculate the SLOPE of a line
    • POSTCAPTAIN  •  2 mths ago
      Reading this article was a true "chunk hurling" expericence. Political correctness is a cancer and it does limit candor and stop problem solving. It killed 15 of my brothers and Sisters at Fort Hood. I just don't want to hear any of you say "cheese whiz". Cheese whiz is racist. If someone, ANYONE says something is racist, then IT IS. Unless they are white and straight and non muslim. Besides, "cheese whiz" is the product of a INHERANTLY RACIST SYSTEM. (Marxists like Obama and Holder have this phrase among their 10 commandments). That makes "cheese whiz" racist. If you say or write "cheese whiz" anymore, Rev "minicam" Sharpton will canvas the local overpasses and get 10 bums for a "rent a crowd". The local TV will shoot the bums with the signs from such an angle that it looks like 100. The local paper will send their "race" writer (normally the angriest black person in town) to write a 10 day feature on the racism of "cheese whiz" both the "hidden" and "apparent" racism of "cheese whiz". Virtualy all of our TV and daily Print media is completly Marxist group speak elitist progressive gobbledygook. But it is rarly as bad as this article. It is time for us to take some of the bully pulpits back. WHEN THE DOMINATE MEDIA PRESENTS A SINGLE LEFTIST POINT OF VIEW-----ACROSS THE BOARD AND THAT VIEWPOINT IS COMPLETLY DIFFERENT FROM THE AVERAGE CITIZEN, Then it is time we DEMAND bully pulpits that represent OUR point of view. By the way, to the lemming who wrote this turd: I won't go point by point but I could. 1 example: "colored black issues" was intentional word play. Not to be racist but to be creative. To be interesting. That is what writers and editors do. I would bet the author and editor of "colored black issues" were liberal as most newspapers are across the board. They would never equate colored in the sense of calling black people "colored". BY THE WAY, WHAT IS WRONG WITH USING "COLORED" TO DESCRIBE BLACK PEOPLE? Did all the blacks in the world have a convention and decide they did not like "colored". Oh, it was just like it is now, the group speak zombie media and the radicals get to decide what words get used. Then again to keep the racial tub thumping those same radicals and zombies came up with a 2 word 6 sylable PHRASE that takes 8 seconds to say to describe black people. This 6 sylable PHRASE does not do nearly as good a job indicating what the writer or speaker is trying to say as BLACK. I refuse to use the 6 sylable 2 word PHRASE. I have even had black friends ask people not to use it. Most prefer "black". I hope no one is getting paid to write the turds this guy is writing.
      • Dave 2 mths ago
        Actually, we need to decolorize our thoughts and deal only with intelligence -- therefore, postcaptain becomes an Intelligent-American and the rest would be just plain IDIOTS. (or nitwit-americans). See? No color or race at all....
      • Montecristo 2 mths ago
        When will Politically Correct saber rattling end?
      • Bubba 2 mths ago
        Cheese Whiz
    • Happy Days  •  2 mths ago
      ".....we'd like like to point out ..." ?????????? Huh?
    • alan  •  2 mths ago
      Oh My God!!!!
      I don't think even Stretch Armstrong could make the reach that this writer has made.
    • bob  •  2 mths ago
      I think its racist that 2 blacks are crushing a white in every Oreo cookie.
      That saltines are called crackers.
      And what is a spade if it isnt a spade? a diamond?
    • Tims  •  2 mths ago
      hope the writer gets anal rape!!!
    • Norske  •  Columbus, Ohio  •  2 mths ago
      Racism, like anything else, can be funny if it's clever.
    • Snow_Storm  •  St Louis, Missouri  •  2 mths ago
      You do know, the people who usually point these things out are the racist themselves.
    • anthony  •  New York, New York  •  2 mths ago
      Me thinks one had way to much time on their hands (is this a racist comment?) Dude, a spade is an instrument used to dig holes in the ground, has a rounded to pointy tip. Generally you use a spade to dig a hole and a shovel to load coal in your boiler (EGADS!!! Am I that old..!!!)
    • Hilary  •  2 mths ago
      LOL. Obviously the headline about Lin was racist, but the others were reaching.
    • Telestai  •  Atascadero, California  •  2 mths ago
      An entire generation of children, including Boomers, grew up knowing the "Peanut Gallery" as a highly-coveted prize: the live audience portion of "The Howdy Doody Show." Vaudeville has been gone for quite a while.
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