Jeremy Lin Wordplay Can Be Funny – Anything Past That Borders Racism

(Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

Last night, I was watching the end of the Knicks game. They were trailing for the duration of the game. Finally, with the game winding down, they started to show new life. With less than a second to go, New York sports Cinderella Story, Jeremy Lin sunk the game winning 3-pointer. The Knicks are now on a six game winning streak since Lin became their starting point guard. Naturally, this has caused a stir and it just so happens that he has a name that can easily be used in wordplay. Examples that have been used often include: “Linsanity”, “Lincredible” and “Linderella” Story. Last night, I used the term “Va-Lin-Tine’s Day”. I know, corny, but why not?

As I said on my Twitter account last night, while these can be funny, some people have taken it upon themselves to take it a step further. They focus on the fact that Jeremy Lin happens to be Asian. Every Asian stereotype in the book is being used to describe this guy and I can guarantee you he doesn’t appreciate it. People are bringing posters into Madison Square Garden with “The Yellow Mamba” written on it. I’ve also seen countless pictures with captions involving other common racial stereotypes including driving skills and excelling in mathematics.

How is this acceptable?