PC police or poor taste?

[Jonathan Lighter]

Although "chink in one's armor" is harmless (to me), its potential for
demeaning punnery as been so well known in popular philosophy since
ca1970 (when it was first pointed out to me as an example of the
sickness that is America) that nobody over the age of twelve could say
it in this context, in the media, without knowing what exactly would
happen.

Unless he was high, of course.

Since I presume the originator wasn't high, he should take whatever
medicine his employer deems appropriate, and shut up.

JL

On Sun, Feb 19, 2012 at 11:52 PM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      PC police or poor taste?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Hope I'm not late to this party.
>
> Is anyone following the ESPN/Jeremy Lin flap that's developed Sunday
> morning? Apparently, not only was it used in an interview with Walt
> Frazier (I initially thought it was Frazier who used it, but that
> appears to be wrong), but then an ESPN writer picked up "Chink in the
> Armor" for a mobile feed headline. A few hours later someone noticed
> that one of ESPN anchors used the same phrase in a broadcast even before
> the headline appeared. The reaction was swift--the writer has been
> fired, the anchor suspended. There is a big debate whether there was a
> deliberate (racial) pun placed in any of the instances (certainly was
> the case with the Frazier interview). I suspect, the debate will only
> get more vociferous tomorrow, as FNC and other cable commentators will
> get in on the act. I'm not going to track down all the stories--it's all
> pretty much on the surface. I'll link one:
>
> http://goo.gl/wQ0mD
>> ESPN has apologized for using an offensive "Chink in the Armor?"
>> headline below a picture of Jeremy Lin on their mobile site following
>> a Knicks loss. The employee responsible for the headline was
>> dismissed. ESPN also suspended anchor Max Bretos for using the phrase
>> while asking a question about Lin on ESPNEWS.
> ...
>> The ESPN employee responsible for our Mobile headline has been dismissed.
>> The ESPNEWS anchor has been suspended for 30 days.
>> The radio commentator is not an ESPN employee.
>>
>> We again apologize, especially to Mr. Lin. His accomplishments are a
>> source of great pride to the Asian-American community, including the
>> Asian-American employees at ESPN. Through self-examination, improved
>> editorial practices and controls, and response to constructive
>> criticism, we will be better in the future.
>
>
>     VS-)
>
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