In the last several days, four different people said something that buzzed across the newswires and elicited different responses. Let’s break it down.
In a podcast Q&A, American radio and television host Adam Carolla made racist remarks about Manny Pacquiao and the Filipino people. To wit: "All you...got is just an illiterate guy who won't give up blood who happens to smash other guys in the head better than other people? That's all you have as the Philippines? Oh they are so proud of their native son. They think the world of him. When he comes home, he comes home to a hero's parade. He's gonna run for congress in the Philippines and win handily. "
And that was just part of his long and venomous tirade.
Then there was telecommunications tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan who delivered a graduation speech to Ateneo de Manila wherein parts of his speech were lifted from Barack Obama, JK Rowling, and Oprah Winfrey.
Students who noticed the similarities compared those lifted parts with the original and posted them on Facebook where the whole thing snowballed into MVP apologizing and tendering his resignation from the Ateneo Board of Trustees and the whole bit making the international newswires and late night talk shows.
Zipping over back to the United States, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson lambasted the calls made by referee Bennett Salvatore that he purported to have cost his team its match with the San Antonio Spurs.
Several thousand miles from Jackson, Mike Krzyzewski, right before the Duke Blue Devils’ match with Butler for the college national championship, caused even more misery to the state of New Jersey when he dispelled reports that he could be the next coach of the Nets. “I wouldn’t have any interest in the job.” he said putting the kibosh on the talk just as Tony Soprano did to Willie Overall.
Carolla and Pangilinan both apologized. Jackson was fined 35 grand (chump change for a man who makes a cool $12 million a year. And Coach K reaffirmed his commitment to Duke.
Carolla’s barbs were from his heart and unscripted, highly erroneous, spiteful, racist, angry, stupid, and ignorant. But why be surprised when it comes from a highly erroneous, spiteful, racist, angry, stupid, and ignorant man? He has uttered similar words to others including his infamous rant against the people of Hawaii. He said that he doesn’t pre-plan his commentary and tries to be provocative. Sounds like many others I know home and abroad. And he apologizes through Twitter – “I crossed a line”? Indeed. Cross that line and get into the ring, jack. Maybe Manny should fight this guy instead of Chickenweather and tap dance on his spleen. Hell, I’ll do it for free.
Pangilinan’s problem was blown out of proportion by knee jerks, enemies, stupid media, and his own handlers’ inability to address the issue. The ostrich-in-the-sand approach? Lovely.
People did not take into consideration that he had speechwriters, he has no time to check or google them, and the whole speech was taken out of context. Did anyone bother to look at the whole speech and not those paragraphs that were plagiarized? Instead the crabs, the knee jerks, and colored turds have come out to demand more than a pound of flesh. For an honest mistake that was delivered without malice on his part people are out to destroy him overlooking everything else. In the meantime, PGMA gets away with another midnight appointment that will perpetuate her influence and serve as a cast-iron guarantee that she will not be prosecuted.
Jackson, on the other hand, is working the refs and the media; a classic ploy of his as the playoffs approach. Of course, he can be right since we know NBA refs also make atrocious calls. The ghost of Hugh Hollins resides in Bennett Salvatore. Or is it Tim Donaghy? Besides, even if the other NBA coaches agree with him, they'll save their own barbs for the playoffs. Nevertheless, shades of Alex Ferguson here.
As for Coach K, congrats, but I’m still no Duke fan. Next year, UNC.
Now can we move on?
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