Argumentative Essay On Jeremy Lin

Bradford Fu
ASAM20
Mid-term Essay

“Linsanity” Jeremy Lin. Some say he is a god-send, literally. Others say he’s just a one hit wonder who’s had his fifteen minutes in the spotlight. However, many argue especially from the Asian American community, that he’s not just a fad or trend but a full blown star athlete, pushing the envelope not just for Asian Americans, but athletes across all social classes, races, and creeds. So really, with all the media hype and hysteria, who is Jeremy Lin? Why is he the chosen one? More importantly, what has he been labeled and how has he faced this discrimination? What is the cause of this “Linsanity”? Before the question, “Why Jeremy Lin?” can be answered, we have to start at his roots. Jeremy
His fame crossed oceans and racial lines making him an overnight media sensation. Shockingly but not surprisingly, during a victory celebration on February 10th of 2012 against the Lakers, Fox News columnist Jason Whitlock posted on his Twitter account, "Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight", a sexual reference to an Asian male stereotype. A few days later after a loss to the Orlando Hornets, ESPN’s Max Bretos reported during a taping of SportsCenter, “We have found a Chink in the Armor”. Floyd Mayweather Jr., a professional boxer and fellow athlete tweets, "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise." “Linsanity” was bringing in a negative backlash that Lin was all too familiar with. He looked past it, and went even as far as to forgive. "I expect it, I'm used to it, it is what it is," says Lin. On the “Chink in the Armor” slur, Lin responds, “I don’t think it was on purpose or whatever. At the same time, they’ve apologized, and so from my end I don’t care anymore. [You] have to learn to forgive. And I don’t even think that was intentional, or hopefully not." He was willing to brush it off and be the bigger man and not let it affect his game. But aside from the blatantly racial comments from the media, is “Linsanity” a breeding ground for unintentional
A case in point, the corporate world of advertisement tried to cash in on “Linsanity”. Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory tried capitalizing on Jeremy Lin by coming up with a new flavor called “Taste the Linsanity”. The ingredients were basically vanilla ice-cream with a hint of caramel and the addition of fortune cookies. Many members of the Chinese/Taiwanese American community cried foul in this instance, as it did play to some degree more or less on Lin’s Chinese/Taiwanese heritage. In response, an Asian American protestor went as far as to picket the Ben & Jerry’s store on Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco. He held a sign that read, “Taste of Lebron – Watermelon and Fried Chicken in every scoop”. Now piggy-backing on another racial stereotype isn’t exactly politically correct, but it did bring awareness. “Taste of Linsanity” quickly made its way off of shelves and into trash cans. However, it wasn’t only corporate America playing on stereotypes for publicity. It was the Asian American community itself looking to address positive stereotypes. In the Youtube video “Superior Lintellect” by studio64comedy, creators Lawrence Kau and Kunal Dudheker (both Americans born of Asian descent) portray Lin solving complex math equations in his mind in order to best his competition during tough situations on the basketball court. Each playback of Lin’s