Basketball player Jeremy Lin slammed for braided hairdo
PHOTO: Facebook
CHEN JINGWEN
ASIAONE
Oct 10, 2017
W.T.M.Why This Matters
In 2016, an African-American woman at San Francisco State University confronted a white student, saying he should cut his hair because dreadlocks belong to black culture. It sparked a debate after a video of the encounter went viral. An online debate also erupted about whether it was appropriate for singer Justin Bieber to wear dreadlocks.
Is it okay for a Chinese to wear the braided hair-do of black Americans?
It's probably no issue for those supporting and living cross-culturally, borrowing from various lifestyle and fashion trends which are so globally rampant today.
But not former basketball star Kenyon Martin, who unwittingly created a firestorm last week by saying Afro-style dreadlocks have no place on the head of Asian-American player Jeremy Lin.
The internet threw its mighty weight behind Lin, point guard of Brooklyn Nets, after Martin, a former Nets player himself, accused him of cultural appropriation after seeing him with new dreadlocks.
Photo: Jeremy Lin's Facebook
In a video posted on Instagram, Martin said: "Do I need to remind this ... boy that his last name (is) Lin? Like, come on, let's stop this. These people. There is no way possible he would've made it on one of our teams with that (XXXX) going on on his head."
"Come on. Somebody really needs to tell him, like (alright), we get it. We get it, you want to be black. We get it, but the last name is Lin," added Martin, who subsequently deleted the post after he was slammed for making such callous and inflammatory remarks.
After his first video, he actually posted another in response to the barrage of criticisms.
In a seeming attempt to wriggle out of the situation, he said: "That man (is) grown. That man can rock whatever hairstyle he want to rock. That don't mean I have to like it or agree with it.
"Second of all, I'm grown. I can say whatever I want to say it about. It ain't about race. It ain't about none of that. Grow up, people, it was a joke, but I don't like it. I don't agree with it, so it is what it is."
Again, Martin had to delete the video as his reply failed to appease netizens - who, in fact, got even more mad. Some netizens pointed out that dreadlocks are not exclusive to black Americans or Africans - in fact, the hairdo has been worn by many groups all over the world since ancient times including Greeks, Egyptians, Muslim Sufis, Hindu mystics, Tibetan Buddhists and western hippies in the 1970s.
LET'S UNITE AND MOVE FORWARD: LIN
However, Lin, 29, who was born in California and embarked on his professional basketball career in 2010, is wise, remaining as cool as a cucumber throughout the whole saga.
Seen as the 'Asian' face of American basketball after legendary China-born player Yao Ming retired, Lin responded to Martin's first post like a true American gentleman who wants to embrace diversity.
He wrote: "Hey man, it's all good. You definitely don't have to like my hair and (are) definitely entitled to your opinion. Actually I (am) legit grateful (for) you sharing it (to be honest).
At the end of the day, I appreciate that I have dreads and you have Chinese tattoos (because) I think its a sign of respect. And I think as minorities, the more that we appreciate each other's cultures, the more we influence mainstream society.
- Basketball player Jeremy Lin
"At the end of the day, I appreciate that I have dreads and you have Chinese tattoos (because) I think its a sign of respect. And I think as minorities, the more that we appreciate each other's cultures, the more we influence mainstream society."
His last line was painfully sweet: "Thanks for everything you did for the Nets and hoops ... had your poster up on my wall growing up."
If Lin's words didn't seem inspiring or sincere enough to doubters, they should read what he wrote next - a frank and poignant piece titled 'So...About My Hair' in The Players Tribune.
Penning with much humility, Lin admitted being worried about cultural appropriation when considering maintaining his dreadlocks, but many black friends and Nets members encouraged him to continue wearing the style as long as he did not have the intention to offend anyone.
Lin, whose parents were Taiwanese immigrants, also revealed he felt hurt when other Americans had disdainfully wrong perceptions of Asians and Asian-Americans but said he would never do the same for another culture.
"But I hope that this is a start, not an end, to more dialogue about our differences. We need more empathy, more compassion and less judgment. That takes actual work and communication. So let's start now," declared Lin whose family is Christian.
Attempting to defuse the situation, Lin even upbraided fans who responded to Martin with unkind and racially charged comments,
"That's not what I stand for and that's not helping us move in the (unified) direction we want to move in," he articulated.
Photo: Facebook
APOLOGY FROM MARTIN
Did Lin's grandly noble rhetoric make Martin feel bad?
Apparently it did.
After a match on Sunday, Lin told reporters Martin was "extremely apologetic".
He said: "He reached out and he was extremely apologetic. It was a great conversation. I think things were blown out of proportion, taken a little out of context as well. But me and him had a discussion where he was extremely courteous.
"I wish it didn't happen like that, but we're beyond that and hopefully I don't have to speak about this incident or my hair anymore."
[email protected]
PHOTO: Facebook
CHEN JINGWEN
ASIAONE
Oct 10, 2017
W.T.M.Why This Matters
In 2016, an African-American woman at San Francisco State University confronted a white student, saying he should cut his hair because dreadlocks belong to black culture. It sparked a debate after a video of the encounter went viral. An online debate also erupted about whether it was appropriate for singer Justin Bieber to wear dreadlocks.
Is it okay for a Chinese to wear the braided hair-do of black Americans?
It's probably no issue for those supporting and living cross-culturally, borrowing from various lifestyle and fashion trends which are so globally rampant today.
But not former basketball star Kenyon Martin, who unwittingly created a firestorm last week by saying Afro-style dreadlocks have no place on the head of Asian-American player Jeremy Lin.
The internet threw its mighty weight behind Lin, point guard of Brooklyn Nets, after Martin, a former Nets player himself, accused him of cultural appropriation after seeing him with new dreadlocks.
Photo: Jeremy Lin's Facebook
In a video posted on Instagram, Martin said: "Do I need to remind this ... boy that his last name (is) Lin? Like, come on, let's stop this. These people. There is no way possible he would've made it on one of our teams with that (XXXX) going on on his head."
"Come on. Somebody really needs to tell him, like (alright), we get it. We get it, you want to be black. We get it, but the last name is Lin," added Martin, who subsequently deleted the post after he was slammed for making such callous and inflammatory remarks.
After his first video, he actually posted another in response to the barrage of criticisms.
In a seeming attempt to wriggle out of the situation, he said: "That man (is) grown. That man can rock whatever hairstyle he want to rock. That don't mean I have to like it or agree with it.
"Second of all, I'm grown. I can say whatever I want to say it about. It ain't about race. It ain't about none of that. Grow up, people, it was a joke, but I don't like it. I don't agree with it, so it is what it is."
Again, Martin had to delete the video as his reply failed to appease netizens - who, in fact, got even more mad. Some netizens pointed out that dreadlocks are not exclusive to black Americans or Africans - in fact, the hairdo has been worn by many groups all over the world since ancient times including Greeks, Egyptians, Muslim Sufis, Hindu mystics, Tibetan Buddhists and western hippies in the 1970s.
LET'S UNITE AND MOVE FORWARD: LIN
However, Lin, 29, who was born in California and embarked on his professional basketball career in 2010, is wise, remaining as cool as a cucumber throughout the whole saga.
Seen as the 'Asian' face of American basketball after legendary China-born player Yao Ming retired, Lin responded to Martin's first post like a true American gentleman who wants to embrace diversity.
He wrote: "Hey man, it's all good. You definitely don't have to like my hair and (are) definitely entitled to your opinion. Actually I (am) legit grateful (for) you sharing it (to be honest).
At the end of the day, I appreciate that I have dreads and you have Chinese tattoos (because) I think its a sign of respect. And I think as minorities, the more that we appreciate each other's cultures, the more we influence mainstream society.
- Basketball player Jeremy Lin
"At the end of the day, I appreciate that I have dreads and you have Chinese tattoos (because) I think its a sign of respect. And I think as minorities, the more that we appreciate each other's cultures, the more we influence mainstream society."
His last line was painfully sweet: "Thanks for everything you did for the Nets and hoops ... had your poster up on my wall growing up."
If Lin's words didn't seem inspiring or sincere enough to doubters, they should read what he wrote next - a frank and poignant piece titled 'So...About My Hair' in The Players Tribune.
Penning with much humility, Lin admitted being worried about cultural appropriation when considering maintaining his dreadlocks, but many black friends and Nets members encouraged him to continue wearing the style as long as he did not have the intention to offend anyone.
Lin, whose parents were Taiwanese immigrants, also revealed he felt hurt when other Americans had disdainfully wrong perceptions of Asians and Asian-Americans but said he would never do the same for another culture.
"But I hope that this is a start, not an end, to more dialogue about our differences. We need more empathy, more compassion and less judgment. That takes actual work and communication. So let's start now," declared Lin whose family is Christian.
Attempting to defuse the situation, Lin even upbraided fans who responded to Martin with unkind and racially charged comments,
"That's not what I stand for and that's not helping us move in the (unified) direction we want to move in," he articulated.
Photo: Facebook
APOLOGY FROM MARTIN
Did Lin's grandly noble rhetoric make Martin feel bad?
Apparently it did.
After a match on Sunday, Lin told reporters Martin was "extremely apologetic".
He said: "He reached out and he was extremely apologetic. It was a great conversation. I think things were blown out of proportion, taken a little out of context as well. But me and him had a discussion where he was extremely courteous.
"I wish it didn't happen like that, but we're beyond that and hopefully I don't have to speak about this incident or my hair anymore."
[email protected]
