Australian newspaper defies criticism, reprints Serena Williams cartoon

This cartoon was in poor taste. However, cartoonists usually portray people in a buffoonish manner, accentuating any noticeable characteristics such as large noses, protruding ears, etc. So I don't think Ms. Williams was singled out in that sense.

It's an hilarious charicature, people are a little sensitive about these things. Besides her behavior at the match was uglier than the drawing does justice to

It’s a caricature folk!!

some people just want to be offended for the sake of it.

showed an angry Williams with exaggerated lips and tongue and a wild plume of curly hair rising from the top of her head

Racist? Yeah right.

Its a cartoon. Wow. Some people are too easily triggered. It’s sad that Reuters felt they had to write about this instead of just ignoring the two year olds reacting to this cartoon. Any excuse to complain to fill the void in their emotional being.

If the match had been between two white American girls or Federer-Nadal, there would literally be .0001% of the current discussion taking place. Serena's behavior has pushed all kinds of buttons, especially those who feel offended by feminists or black people who've left the plantation. Not to mention the dorks going around squealing Naomi-chaannn.

I haven’t seen the whole clip, but I was wondering was what she did any different from that other famous tennis player, forget his name, McPhee, or something like that?

Knight's portrayal of Osaka as blond and light-skinned... 

Her complexion in the cartoon is about the same as Serena's. In real life, Naomi dyes the ponytail part of her hair -- which sticks out of her viser-hat -- blond. Baseless PC criticisms all around in this so-called "controversy."

Poeple who saw the match wouldn't be suprised to see her outrage portrayed like this. She ruined the best day of Osaka's career so far, broke her racket, and insulted the judges in front of a large audience. The judges handled the situation in accordance with Tennis etiquette and law.

Fair response by the judges, exageratted behaviour by Serena. Especially by mixing race and sexism onto the neutral Tennis arena.

Concerned CitizenToday  07:22 am JST

This cartoon was in poor taste. However, cartoonists usually portray people in a buffoonish manner, accentuating any noticeable characteristics such as large noses, protruding ears, etc. So I don't think Ms. Williams was singled out in that sense.

That's the whole point - She wasn't singled out. The artist didn't look for the idiosyncrasies of Williams to make the caricature, they used idiosyncrasies of racist depictions of black people from a racist era we should be well past, and I suspect many Australians not affiliated with Rupert Murdoch know they should be well past it.

I saw that picture before I heard about the story because I don't follow tennis. I had absolutely no way of knowing it was trying to depict Serena Williams. It doesn't look remotely like her. But I could tell instantly what it was supposed to depict - a black woman as depicted by outdated racist ideas of black women. The artist probably didn't set out to make an explicitly racist statement. More likely, it's just they don't have any experience caricaturing black people as individuals, so they relied on outdated, racist imagery from the past to get them over a deadline. The drawing is racist, but the more common sort of lazy racism we see and ignore every day in our lives than the flashy sort of KKK/Nazi racism most people are used to seeing get headlines these days.

Caricatures of people in cartoons is nothing new. Trump's hair, Assad's pencil neck, Thatcher's hair, whatever. It might have been boorish but so are a lot of those cartoons. Since people are so sensitive about race it gets a lot of attention. It would be better if everybody just focused on the game rather than what somebody wore or if they took their shirt off or whatever.

Now there have been a lot of clips of men (McEnroe, for example) behaving badly and not getting a game penalty. The men parade around with their shirts off and there's no comment.

So the cartoon was boorish but there's something to the discussion of sexism and possibly even racism. Would a game penalty have been applied to a white woman? What about a white male? I can't remember the last game penalty was handed out, can anyone?

I'm sorry I don't see how this is racist, it's a cartoon.

I ask myself are others also depicted ridiculously in cartoons?

If so then this is just clickbait and I go on with my life.-

I'm sorry I don't see how this is racist, it's a cartoon.

Since JT commenters are probably 90% white guys, 1/2 of which consume NewsCorps' prolefeed, this is no surprise. Not saying you're one of them but when all the white blokes gather round the country club table, what ensues is rarely worth listening to.

I ask myself are others also depicted ridiculously in cartoons?

If so then this is just clickbait and I go on with my life.

Seriously, you have no problem with Osaka being whitewashed?

gelendestrasse

http://www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2018/09/10/gender-differences-in-point-penalties/

I also read a bbc article that showed the lists of penalties and warnings and whatnots handed out to athletes during this US Open.

The men actually had more racquet hurling and abusive language violations and I’d believe it. Ladies are much cooler in general.

@jcapan

OK, yes I am a white person. But you didn't explain how this is racist? People need to learn to laugh more instead of trying to find fault or be offended by everything.

OK so here is a list of violations handed put to ALL athletes during the open.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/tennis/45468290

Here's a tip for Serena. Don't act like this on court and you won't have comic caricatures drawn of you acting like a spoiled brat. It was ugly and this cartoon captures that awful feeling well.

Of course they played the race card. Anything to absolve her of her tasteless actions at the finals. She and her fans also played the “I’m a mother” and woman card. She could smash her racquet in an officials head and her fans will praise her for standing up for something.

The dumbest thing to come out of this whole mess is her fans on Twitter and Instagram telling Nike to make a campaign for her that she is owed an apology.

To be honest I’m glad she’s near the end of her career if this is how she loses.

What about a white male? I can't remember the last game penalty was handed out, can anyone?

Ah, yes, and you don't seem to know much about the professional tennis scene. Just a few items in the news:

*Fabio Fognini** has been kicked out of the US Open doubles and faces a possible permanent ban from all Grand Slam events, after vulgarly insulting the chair umpire during his first-round loss in singles.*

Nick Kyrgios' latest indiscretion has landed the controversial tennis player a $16,500 fine from the ATP.

Three days after winning the biggest title of his career in Japan, Kyrgios was back in trouble at the Shanghai Masters after losing his second-round match against 110th-ranked Mischa Zverev.

On Wednesday, the 21-year-old was booed as he imploded and exited in merely 48 minutes, losing 6-3 6-1.

The total fine includes the maximum $10,000 for a "lack of best efforts," as well as $5,000 for verbally abusing a spectator and $1,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

*Bernard Tomic **ranted against Tennis Australia, specifically Craig Tiley, Pat Rafter and Steve Healy. He was angry because of a lack of support, respect and funding for both him and his sister, Sara.*

As a result, Tennis Australia dropped him from the Davis Cup team for their quarter-final tie against Kazakhstan.

This cartoon published by Australia's Herald Sun depicts Serena Williams as an irate, hulking, big-mouthed black woman jumping up and down on a broken racket.

This description is putting words, where the cartoon, hasn't.

Yes, she's portrayed as an irate Serena; hulking, big-mouthed and jumping up and down on a broken racket...

Putting "black woman" in the description, gives more than intended in the cartoon, imo.

The Herald Sun, owned by a News Corp subsidiary, published a defense of its cartoonist on the home page of its website, quoting Knight as saying: "The cartoon about Serena is about her poor behaviour on the day, not about race."

I hope they did they run a similar piece on Nick Kyrgios when Nick Kyrgios-Stan Wawrinka spat happened. That's even worse than what Serena said to the umpire.

Kyrgios is always in poor behavior, but then he is a brat.And Serena is penalized, denounced and shamed (even by people who don't know a thing about tennis???) Now, that's called sexism.

Seriously, you have no problem with Osaka being whitewashed?

No, because this isn’t a Hollywood movie, it’s a caricature. Many politicians get drawn like this in columns with the most hideous features daily and here you are taking offence at caricatures.

Since JT commenters are probably 90% white guys

and no, I’m not white. Don’t bring that nonsense into this based on an assumption. Let me guess, your opinions doesn’t match others so they be x colour, gender, etc. Come on, you’re better than that.

Perhaps the cartoonist did not intend to be racist and went about making a caricature the way he would for anyone. I'm certainly willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Where the disconnect perhaps lies between many people to whom this strikes as racist and those who only see satire or lampooning is a knowledge of or sensitivity toward the history, particularly in the USA, of exaggerating features creating a primitive image of African Americans in cartoon form as propaganda weaponized against a people already struggling in a society that labelled them second class. It takes a bit of empathy perhaps unless you are black, to understand how the same approach might feel different when as an African American you live in a world or society that has yet to fully get past these silly stereotypes about you and your racial identity. Would people feel the same way if, for example, Osaka's features were exaggerated in the way that was popular in the US in wartime propaganda?

Perhaps a response of finger pointing and accusations of racism might not be the best way to handle this issue, although I certainly understand those who would react that way. Any discussions that help us to understand what it is like or how it feels to be in the shoes of another person and accepting that you may not already know that is a way that you can turn this into a positive.

Concerned CitizenToday  07:22 am JST

This cartoon was in poor taste.

Wrong. Williams’ on-court behaviour was in poor taste.

The cartoon is a perfect representaton of the idiom “A picture is worth a thousand words” - it encapsulates everything that happened in one image.

However, cartoonists usually portray people in a buffoonish manner,

Correct, particularly those whose behaviour is buffoonish.

accentuating any noticeable characteristics such as large noses, protruding ears, etc. So I don't think Ms. Williams was singled out in that sense.

Correct, and this cartoonist is far from being the first to accentuate Williams’ numerous noticeable characteristics.

Hey, it's just a caricature, just a cartoon. A few lines on paper, that's all. Nothing to see here, a harmless bit of fun. Why are people so thin-skinned these days?

https://twitter.com/ReaganBattalion/status/1013813799655231488/photo/1

Pacifier on the side, a baby crying is what I see.

And the image of Naomi in the background - white-skinned, blonde hair. Yeah, that's exactly how she looks.

jcapanToday  07:34 am JST

If the match had been between two white American girls or Federer-Nadal, there would literally be .0001% of the current discussion taking place.

Wrong.

If the match had been played between ANY OTHER TWO WOMEN (Men do not contest the US Open Women's Singles Final), of Any Colour or Any Nationality, you could be 99.99% certain that the current discussion would not be taking place.

Serena's behavior has pushed all kinds of buttons,

Correct.

Unfortunately, the buttons she pushed weren't the ones she thought would help her win the match.

... feminists or black people who've left the plantation.

Sexist and racist in one breath, wow.

Not to mention the dorks going around squealing Naomi-chaannn.

Seriously?

Let's face it, white Australia is a pretty racist sector of the country.

And the image of Naomi in the background - white-skinned, blonde hair. Yeah, that's exactly how she looks.

The Japanese would love that image. In Japan, you see a blond person from behind, chances are that person is Japanese.

It seems to me that hot temper made Serena lose the game. She needed much patience to defeat Naomi though she might have felt kinda discrimination.

This speaks the truth for Queen Tutu dress

Naomi is Haitian /Japanese not blonde, that I agree with is weird whitewashing

Memoirs of Geisha by a Chinese actress!

J-DakeToday  09:47 am JST

Perhaps the cartoonist did not intend to be racist and went about making a caricature the way he would for anyone.

Unintentional racism? You're kidding, right?

The cartoon by Mark Knight focuses only on depicting Williams' outrageous and buffoonish behaviour, in the spirit of the idiom "A picture is worth a thousand words".

Her physical appearance has been lampooned innumerable times, by cartoonists around the world (Search on Serena Williams caricatures). Nothing new here.

I haven’t seen the whole clip, but I was wondering was what she did any different from that other famous tennis player, forget his name, McPhee, or something like that?

I think its John McEnroe

This is a caricature, not a courtroom sketch.

I like it; I find it shows well how Serena went crazy as she was getting crushed by Naomi.

jcapanToday 08:13 am JST I'm sorry I don't see how this is racist, it's a cartoon.

Since JT commenters are probably 90% white guys, 1/2 of which consume NewsCorps' prolefeed, this is no surprise. Not saying you're one of them but when all the white blokes gather round the country club table, what ensues is rarely worth listening to

I'm not white but I also saw just a cartoon perfectly depicting what Serena was like during that game - A losing player on a meltdown trying to blame everything else except her poor performance. If you are going to nitpick on a cartoon for accuracy in color and form - then you are mistaking it for a picture.

Gremlin.Gaijin my point was not to call out anyone as racist. My point was to explain my, perhaps, some people might feel that way about this. How the cartoonist or people who are not aware of this particular history might take this in that light but how some others might. To be blunt, a caricature of a white person that exaggerates physical features and one that does so of a black person might not carry the same weight because the history is radically different. I don't know (although I could be wrong!) of any history of comics and caricature targeting white people because of their race in the West. And don't get it twisted, I'm not even implying that is what the cartoonist did here. Far from it. I'm speaking to how it might make some people feel that way because of how it was done in the past. Whether a cartoonist from Australia should be expected to understand this history and be sensitive to it may be another matter altogether. At least discussing and trying to understand it from perspectives that are not native to us can't hurt can it?

I'm not black but I would like to think that I try my best to understand this from a black person's view the best I can. Or anyone in any situation. Empathy is the goal.

Perhaps the cartoonist did not intend to be racist and went about making a caricature the way he would for anyone..

Would you know of any other similar caricature's by this cartoonist depicting the cartoonist's ethnicity / race..

mrtinjp again, I think you misunderstand my point. I wasn't calling him racist. I don't know him or his cartoons. I wasn't even calling the cartoon necessarily racist. I was not expressing my opinion on it in that way at all. I was suggesting that perhaps some people might feel that way about it and it might not be a completely alien idea or one that deserves to be written off.

Australians often find it unclear why such things as Knight's cartoon are considered racist. Less than a decade ago, we couldn't understand why singer Harry Connick, Jr. was offended by a blackface performance during a TV show. A few years ago, my own daughter was given a golliwog doll. These things are intended as gentle humor, in good spirit, and expected to be taken that way.

This will change—slowly, much more slowly than in countries like the United States, with its vastly greater direct exposure to African peoples, culture and history. But probably not in the Herald-Sun.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/11/opinions/serena-williams-cartoon-australia-barry/index.html

Caricatures, by their nature, are meant to distort and exaggerate. But they’re also meant to be symbolic, representative; short-hand for a concept or idea.

Here, the narrative is clear: Williams has been cast as the big, ugly, angry black woman. Osaka, by contrast, has been cast as the innocent white girl, even though she’s not even white. 

In interviews, Osaka has been adamant about embracing both her Asian and black heritages, conceding that while she represents Japan in sporting events, she doesn’t identify solely as Japanese. She proudly reps her Haitian side.

Yet Osaka’s biracial identity is inconvenient in a racist narrative that turns Williams into a stereotype. It’s more expedient to focus on all the things about her that aren’t stereotypically black: her light skin, her soft-spoken nature, her tear-filled apology after winning the match. In this way, Osaka is framed if not as a white woman, then as a more acceptable and palatable version of blackness ― as the type of black person that doesn’t make you acknowledge their blackness.

Knight’s cartoon is what happens when we flatten whole human beings into types, when the story and its narratives become far more important than the nuance. In the process, racist and sexist assumptions are perpetuated and we strip people of their right to be weak and strong, of the totality of their humanity.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-whitewashing-of-naomi-osaka_us_5b967eb3e4b0cf7b004209b5

Perhaps the problem with that is that there is no such thing as universal common sense and the people you label as PC approach life among those who are different in that way?

love the cartoon, well done! Totally deserved too!

oh and the offended? grow thicker skin

I feel terribly sorry for Naomi Osaka. She played tremendously and would have won without the penalties. Her victory was overshadowed by Serena Williams' immaturity and ludicrous actions (and yes I thought Andy Roddick and John McEnroe were bad too...those old enough may remember Ilie Năstase). Then she was booed at the awards....and now this.

Naomi Osaka - Congratulations - I am terribly sorry these other issues are overshadowing your victory!

As for the cartoon, one of the papers showed Mark Knight's other portrayals (caricatures). He seems to mock those of all races and nationalities! I do not have an issue with the portrayal of Serena Williams (she did act that way) however the one mistake may have to make the body color of Naomi Osaka dark (as the is a black woman/mixed race).

Again - congratulations Ms. Osaka - in spite of all the controversy it does not change the fact you won - in convincing fashion.

If a white, skinny, long-nosed person was characterised as being extra white, especially skinny, and extremely long-nosed in a cartoon, why do we never hear accusations of racism.?? Just saying..

"The Sept 10 cartoon not only exudes racist, sexist caricatures of both women, but Williams’ depiction is unnecessarily sambo-like,” the association said in a statement.

You are the ones using the word 'sambo'. Nobody else. Just like many of the black community are the ones using the n-word.

If a white, skinny, long-nosed person was characterised as being extra white, especially skinny, and extremely long-nosed in a cartoon, why do we never hear accusations of racism.??

Maybe because there is little-to-no long and extremely painful history of that type of racism solely focused on Caucasians? There is of Jewish people however and you might find a similar feelings from some of that community if this hypothetical person were Jewish.

Naomi is Haitian /Japanese not blonde, that I agree with is weird whitewashing

Blonde is a hair color, not a race. If I recall correctly, Naomi had blonde highlights in her hair. That is probably why she was depicted this way.

J-Dake, how should the cartoonist depict Serena Williams, considering that cartoons exaggerate a characteristic? Are you saying that we should never depict an African-American, or a Jewish person, in a cartoon because history is too painful?

White westerners have been kidnapped and beheaded in the middle east, robbed and murdered in the Philippines, raped and murdered in India, attacked and murdered in Jamaica etc, for being white and western. A cartoon exaggerating white westerners never creates accusations of racism and crimes against them are far more recent than the history of slavery or the Holocaust.

The Jewish point you picked up has typically been regurgitated with no evidence. You're quite right though, if that character happened to be Jewish and there were no illustrations of the Jewish faith in the cartoon, I agree there would also be cries of 'antisemitism'..

The picture doesn't look racist to me. It looks like a caricature. Though the blond hair is a confusing choice.

Serena totally over blew the situation!

An umpire should apologize to a player for making a call according to the rules?

The caricature is mild, the reality much worse.....

It is exaggerated (i.e. caricatured) but if you look at Ms. Osaka in action during the match, she has blond hair at the back. Here's (hopefully) an example.

Yeah, that definitely supports the caricature.

All the tropes are there, Knight knew exactly what he was doing and he got the attention he wanted.

Yes, Serena Williams lost it but the umpire meted out an unsual punishment and one wonders if he would have done the same if the player was male.

And poor Naomi Osaka - that's not the win she deserved, it will be too embroiled in controversy.

The world nowadays is way too sensitive & politically correct. People scrutinize everything & anything said these days, looking for a racist or sexist angle.

Lighten up & relax !!

TigerTokyoDome those are great questions and this type of conversation is exactly what I think is a good outcome of this.

I don’t know how she should be depicted. I wasn’t personally offended by this and I am also trying my best to understand it. I'm doing my best to listen.

I didn’t at any time say he shouldn’t have drawn it or it shouldn’t have been published. I’m not for censorship. Just simply that views and feelings that are not our own maybe ought not to be dismissed so easily. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t depict African Americans or anyone for that matter in cartoons. Just that we shouldn’t all be so quick to dismiss feelings from perspectives we may not fully grasp. 

What you say in your second paragraph may all be true generally. I’m not saying that white people have not ever anywhere been in the crosshairs of racism. I am saying in the American context anyway, there isn’t the same history of racist stereotypes in cartoon form utilized to attack an entire race of people just for the audacity of being born with a different skin color. It’s perhaps more loaded for African Americans than it is for white people. 

I’ll not respond to your third paragraph as I’m not 100% sure I understand what you mean.

The part I agree with is that none of this means that the cartoonist is racist or that the cartoon itself is racist but that doesn’t mean that some people do not legitimately feel hurt by it. There is no finger pointing intended on my behalf at all but is it too much to ask to listen without being defensive, to people express how this makes them feel and the reasons for it? In some ways we have to have faith that the cartoonist did not intend to create a cartoon that would be taken as racist as much as we do that people who are hurt or offended by it are not looking to be offended or playing race cards or all the other defensive reactions when sensitive matters like this arise. It works both ways.

Good post J-Dake.

Whilst I cringe at the over-reactions of some sections of our minority communities, what isn't excused is this newspaper stupidly reprinting the cartoon (now it is starting to look obvious), and the image of Osaka portrayed in a western blonde style (when they hold no bars with the cultural image of Williams). If they were going to be true to the character of Williams, they should have done the same with Osaka. Reprinting the cartoon - that's just plain stupid and I'm afraid to say, a typically Australian way of reacting.

I haven’t seen the whole clip, but I was wondering was what she did any different from that other famous tennis player...

I heard one tennis commentator mention that in most cases, when a player insults the ref, they get a warning and that's it. But in Serena's case, it was her 3rd infraction. Plus, she just kept on going and going, she wouldn't shut up.

The punishment she got was well deserved, in my opinion. Including the coaching violation, it wasn't just a thumbs up.

And poor Naomi Osaka - that's not the win she deserved, it will be too embroiled in controversy.

Naomi's experience was affected by Serena's childish behavior, but there should be no controversy over her victory. Naomi had already crushed Serena 6-2 in the first set and was leading the next one when the tantrum started.

So Naomi should be depicted as a blonde anglo barbie looking girl is she? forget the Asian and foreign features right?

She's in the background with a visor covering her eyes. How do you come up with this barbie thing? Her skin doesn't even look white. But that doesn't even matter - the point is the make her look straight and obedient as compared to a hysterical Serena. It would be quite a stretch to draw any other conclusions. Some people here need to visit a caricature shop and take a look around!

As you all know I am wound-up by the 'ethnic' over-reaction to this. However, the cartoonist has been naughty as he has toned-down Osaka making her look quite western, whilst going full-character on Williams. There is nothing insulting about this cartoon character of Williams, but if so do the same with Osaka.

Thought the cartoon was a bit outdated, lazy and facile and missed the mark tbh. If I were a talented caricaturist, i would have de-emphasized race ( oversized lips, mama look/posture etc) and targeted Serena's poor sportsmanship and lack of class and her self-entitled, condescending & 'nouveau riche' attitude.

There was nothing black/african/afro-american in Serena's attitude on the court so why 'Mama-ise' her? Thought that she acted like a spoiled (typically white) princess actually and had more in common with a Kardashian or Vic Beckham than with a 'black mama'.

Thing is my 'dream caricature' would probably also be deemed racist by some. Rightly or wrongly, all caricatures of a black person (unless very flattering) are probably off-limits these days.

I didn't watch the match, but how did the referee see William's coach's gesturing? Has he got eyes like a fly?

Carlos Ramos was on his way to complain about his nose being drawn to long, but was trampled by a crowd who thought Serena’s boots had become unnecessarily dry and needed saliva moistening.

Being the saint that she is, of course she let them.

Just watched a clip from 2009 Williams vs Clijsters. Williams got angry over a call and walked over to the line judge, or whatever they’re called, and said something to the woman. The line judge gets up and runs over to the main judge and tells them that Williams threatened to kill her or shoot her. Two officials come running out to talk to Williams, ironically the same two from her recent tantrum, and anyone could tell Williams was lying from her instant denial of the death threat instead of explaining what she had actually said to the line judge.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/sep/13/serena-williams-tirade-us-open

Why isn't anyone talking about Serena calling the umpire a "liar" before a "thief." That's two insults. More than enough for a code violation.

Damn Serena, please stop. Is tennis more important than your daughter? You brought her existence for justifying your "action" in a game.

Funny how Youtube deleted all aspects of the FULL game because there was way more insults. Luckily there is otherways to obtain the full match, on alternative sites/bit torrent

lol much ado about nothing. But it did serve to stir up the more ridiculous elements of the American left so that's a positive. Most people are fortunately quite sane in their response.

The "robustness" of the figure was actually meant to highlight and extenuate the fact Serena is pretty muscly for a lady. It was a compliment on behalf of the cartoonist. Said it himself. Just look all cartoons, they overplay interesting body features, like big ears, big noses, big everything etc. etc. Look super hero comics for heavens sake and gaming characters. Cartoons are part of the same tradition.

Bit baffled by the depiction of Naomi though. I would have thought her hair was an obvious target for some silliness.

Some organizations/companies will do anything for publicity. Remember: there is no such thing as bad publicity.

his isn't a caricature of Serena - as others have said, it doesn't even look like her. This is a clear caricature of a stereotypical Sambo-black person, and the world really should have moved on from that by now.

Agreed. A caricature of Williams is acceptable, if it is of her, rather than a generic black person with stereo-typed features. And in this day and age, if doing a caricature that exaggerates racial features, such as big lips, think again. Remember, this is a stereotype from a Western perspective.

Is Naomi lighter skinned than Serena? Yes.

Is Naomi slimmer and does she have posture like soldier? Yes and yes.

Is the part of her hair that sticks out from her visor blonde? It looked so at the game in question.

Does Serena have a big muscular body? Yes.

Does she have full lips? Yes.

Does she wear her hair back in a frizzy ponytail? She did at the game in question.

Was she whining and crying like a baby? You betcha!

In the composition of his masterpiece cartoon, the only mistake Mark Knight made was to make any reference to Naomi Osaka at all.

SHE HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT TRANSPIRED.

The cartoon would have been much more accurate, and better, if had only shown Williams, as he has, the match umpire and the match referee, each of the latter with a perplexed expression on their faces and, with a multitude of question marks above their heads.

Kenji FujimoriToday  04:32 pm JST

...Serena, please stop. Is tennis more important than your daughter? You brought her existence for justifying your "action" in a game.

Sometime in the future:

Daughter: "Mommy, what should I do if someone catches me doing something wrong?"

Serena: "That's easy darling, just watch the match mommy played against Naomi Osaka in September 2018 - that will show you the proper way to handle such a situation".

Some context for Mr. Knight's actions and the cesspool that employs him, from the NYT. I'm struck by how some otherwise liberal-leaning commenters who regularly ridicule the likes of Fox news can't grasp what this publication is about. Note what the Aboriginal woman has to say:

But Mr. Knight’s critics also point out that he has been accused of racist depictions before.

Earlier this year, he published a cartoon showing African teens fighting and causing destruction. It was an effort to criticize a local politician for banning the display of Sky News, a Murdoch-owned television news channel, from train platforms, but that’s not how it was received.

Many Australians argue that Mr. Knight’s work reflects a wider pattern. Australia has never fully confronted its own history of racism, and scholars say the conversation around race in Australia is not as robust and layered as it is in the United States.

Ideas like implicit bias are rarely referenced or widely understood, for example, and many people say Mr. Knight’s employer deserves a fair share of the blame.

Mr. Murdoch’s News Corporation is the largest media company in Australia with assets that include more than 200 newspapers and magazines along with television channels and radio stations.

Many of these outlets, moving loosely together, have stirred racism for decades. And yet the tone and frequency have been intensifying more recently as their preferred party in Australia, the Liberals, have struggled politically.

The Murdoch press is not alone in the case of Ms. Williams. The sports media in Australia — in general dominated by white, older men — condemned Ms. Williams’s outburst while dismissing her argument that male players are given more leeway to misbehave.

“This is what Australia does,” said Shareena Clanton, an Aboriginal Australian actress and activist. “This is what it has always done to people of color and, in particular, black women who reach the top.”

“This whole cartoon is vile,” she added, saying that Ms. Williams’s opponent, Naomi Osaka, had been drawn as a white woman. “The fact that it was printed and passed the editor’s room speaks even more volumes about the landscape of our media here in Australia.”

Chris Kindred, a cartoonist in Richmond, Va., said it only confirmed what many Americans already knew. “It’s nothing new,” he said. “Australia has an issue confronting racism. Water is wet.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/world/australia/serena-williams-cartoon-herald-sun-racist.html

Here is another prominent aboriginal activist:

Luke Pearson, the founder of Aboriginal media company IndigenousX, said the controversy was the latest example of an Australian media organisation being “aggressively racist and then pretend[ing] they don’t understand why people are calling them racist”.Pearson said racism in Australia gave people the power to “rewrite the narrative”.

“The power to ignore the real victims of racism and pretend the racists are the victims. The power to ignore and demonise the voices of those with lived experience and frame them as not existing or being irrelevant.”

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/sep/12/news-corp-defiant-after-racist-serena-williams-cartoon-sparks-global-furore

Agreed. A caricature of Williams is acceptable, if it is of her, rather than a generic black person with stereo-typed features.

Its a caricature. How are you going to accurately decipher if its of Serena or another black woman? Its not meant to look realistic after all. That's the point.

And in this day and age, if doing a caricature that exaggerates racial features, such as big lips, think again.

Not all black Americans have big lips, but if she does, its fair game.

This is what Knight and other artists of his ilk are known for, playing up interesting features and really going overboard with it. Like John Howard and his eyebrows etc etc.

None of this new in any way.

This is what Knight and other artists of his ilk are known for, playing up interesting features and really going overboard with it. Like John Howard and his eyebrows etc etc.

Yeah, Bill Leak too, right, famous cartoonist for the Australian and SMH?

https://newmatilda.com/2016/08/04/artistic-arse-the-great-racist-works-of-cartoonist-bill-leak/

Yeah, Bill Leak too, right, famous cartoonist for the Australian and SMH?

https://newmatilda.com/2016/08/04/artistic-arse-the-great-racist-works-of-cartoonist-bill-leak/

Yup. Everyone's been a target at some point. Black or white, doesn't matter. At least it shouldn't.

I fail to see how it is more offensive to depict black skin in cartoons than white? Why should it be taboo?

Makes no sense in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society such as Australia or America.

matt hartwell:

seem to recall, oh I dunno, about a billion cartoons of white people over years in our regular newspaper dating back decades that were equally robust in their depictions of various bodily features and everyone seemed to laugh at them, but when it comes to black people, we are not allowed to laugh?

I'll explain this to you as if you were a layman.

Those billion cartoons of white people you are talking about were drawn by white men. Those caricatures of black people with thick lips and bulging white eyes, and those of Japanese with buck teeth, thick cola bottle glasses and slitty eyes were NOT drawn by black men or Japanese men. (I used a Japanese example instead of a Chinese one because I know of your Sinophobia).

Serena Williams followed up her comments of 'I have a daughter' and calling the umpire a 'liar', when in fact, he did not lie. From what I have seen, there was a warning for coaching, then racquet abuse which cost her a point and then verbal abuse, and they all were fair. I understand her anger to a point, as tennis is as temperamental sport as there might be, but she was wrong on the court, and wrong afterward, and especially so, when she herself brought up sexism and gender. It was wrong for her in the first place to use the 'I have a daughter' card to presuppose that had some character differential which allowed her to not have to follow the rules laid out by tennis or made her somehow immune to behavior problems, and being a mom had anything to do with the umpire's decision or what was going on. And then to further the claim of sexism and saying it would not have been called on men, is wrong. The issue was what happened on court, and whether the umpire was too harsh, it had nothing to do with sexism, she was using it to support her idea the male umpire was a liar and a thief, and that is completely off base, and she should apologize to him.

I thought the cartoon depicted the issue well, that she deserved to be shown as a sore, tantrum throwing, crybaby loser, and people who feel it is racist, should let it go, and realize it is just a caricature.

Those billion cartoons of white people you are talking about were drawn by white men

Who cares? I don't care if they were drawn by an alien from Venus. Makes no difference. We don't wall off who can and cannot depict different ethnicities based on their own ethnicity. This is a multicultural, multiethnic society and which we are "suppose" to treat each other as equals. Are we not? That is the aim.

Those caricatures of black people with thick lips and bulging white eyes, and those of Japanese with buck teeth, thick cola bottle glasses and slitty eyes were NOT drawn by black men or Japanese men. (I used a Japanese example instead of a Chinese one because I know of your Sinophobia).

I've seen the same cartoons depicting white men in very unflattering terms, time and time and time again and nobody cares, but somehow other ethnicities are protected under law are they? Its hate speech? Under who's authority? Again, everybody should be fair game OR we should outlaw cartoons altogether. I know the left will LOVE that suggestion.

No, toughen up or go home. This PC madness needs to end, utterly and completely.

because I know of your Sinophobia

I don't have a general Sinophobia, Its about politics not ethnicity.

Again, everybody should be fair game OR we should outlaw cartoons altogether. I know the left will LOVE that suggestion.

A shame, you were doing quite well until this. Another victim of modern bitter partisanship, I thought Aussies were a bit smarter than that.

kenji Fujimori: "Naomi is Haitian /Japanese not blonde, that I agree with is weird whitewashing"

So, you're upset about Osaka being misrepresented, but call the depiction of Serena "Queen Tutu" and say it's accurate. Wow. No surprise from you, I guess. And the Chinese actress played the role of a Japanese far better than any of the Japanese actresses could. Sorry, but that's fact. Same as a person who has studied, observed, and practiced Japan likely knows more about the culture than someone Simply born here.

A shame, you were doing quite well until this. Another victim of modern bitter partisanship, I thought Aussies were a bit smarter than that.

Point taken, but hey I'm only human. Fact is, it is largely the left that seeks to ban/deplatform/censor. How many examples do we see of conservatives doing the same in recent times? Its a preoccupation of the left and its up to conservatives and traditional liberals to reign them in and put an end to it.

Fact is, it is largely the left that seeks to ban/deplatform/censor. How many examples do we see of conservatives doing the same in recent times?

Have you heard of this conservative fellow in America, I forget his name, who calls the media, "The enemy of the people"? Also bans certain reporters from his office and doesn't take questions from the media.

You've gonna down the left bad / right good route far to deep, too quick.

None of which has anything to do with this cartoon at all

Have you heard of this conservative fellow in America, I forget his name, who calls the media, "The enemy of the people"? Also bans certain reporters from his office and doesn't take questions from the media.

You equate ignoring people you don't like with stopping them from speaking and publishing what they want?

Banning media organisations from asking questions is not really acceptable from a President and I get that but Trump makes little if any attempt to silence that same media. They still publish what they want. The left however does attempt to silence people they don't like through deplatforming and public protest in which people cannot carry on speaking. There is a distinct difference in my mind.

The cartoonist clearly knew what he was doing.

Anyone that can't see how racist this portrayal of Serena is, I feel sorry for you. It is one thing to caricature Serena by at least drawing her accurately. It is another matter entirely when you draw her into something that looks absolutely nothing like Serena, but instead someone that is grossly overweight and has exaggerated facial features including a huge lip.

ahahahaha!

Osaka was portrayed as petite and feminine with jet blonde straight hair — in real life she has dark curly hair with blonde streaks, and is taller and nearly as large as Williams

The left however does attempt to silence people they don't like through deplatforming and public protest in which people cannot carry on speaking.

'Deplatforming'? Alex Jones got banned from twitter because he's a nutjob, and public

protest does not prevent people fro speaking. I mean 'platforming'.

To quote you, "toughen up or go home. This PC madness needs to end, utterly and completely."

Mark Knight is one of the most respected Cartoonists in Australia. This cartoon is just satirical cartoon and not racist and no sexist. The people who criticized Mark Knight should learn his previous Cartoons. So they can understand there are no racism and no sexism. Mark Knight is brilliant Cartoonist.

On the TV interview, Martin Luther King’s daughter and Black American human/woman rights activist woman said Mark Knight has drawn Naomi Osaka as thin white California blonde and Serena Williams as a fat angry black woman. This cartoon is racist and sexist.

Yeah, in the cartoon Naomi Osaka has a thin blonde girl, but he didn't draw Naomi Osaka as thin white California blonde girl. They don't know who Naomi Osaka is. Naomi Osaka has Japanese mother - African-Haitian father. She was half African-Haitian and half Japanese. She wasn't a white California girl.

Naomi Osaka has a thinner body than Serena Williams and Serena Williams is a fat tennis player in WTA and both skin colors are same in his cartoon. Also Naomi Osaka hair is a little bit of blonde. So, there’s nothing wrong with the description of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.

People who look at the satirical cartoon must have a sense of humor. The cartoon is just a cartoon. Cartoonists do not draw portraits and cartoonists typically combine artistic skill, hyperbole and satire in order to question authority and draw attention to corruption, political violence and other social issue. That’s all about satirical cartoon and cartoonist.

Mark Knight's cartoon portrayal was the exactly what Serena Williams was behaving badly on the court at the US Open final. If people think the Cartoon was racist and sexist against Serena Williams and black people and then it's up to them. You have to look at the cartoon as a cartoon. The cartoon is satire and not personal. You have to smile or laugh when you see the satirical cartoon.

Why is this racist? Because shes African American? So what?

This cartoonist has called out many people over the years. Including Trump and Kim Jong Ill and Un.. There were no calls about racism then.

Because shes a woman?

Oh so now only men can be called out when they behave like children and not women?

Grow up people.

"They're seeing racism and sexism because they want to see it. In this culture of perpetual outrage and victimhood, they're trying to absolve their star's behaviour by blaming something else."

Vile cartoon, disrespectful to both Williams and Osaka.

Vile cartoon, disrespectful to both Williams and Osaka.

Define what is 'vile' about the cartoon. Define 'cartoon' too..

lostrune2Sep. 12  09:00 pm JST

Osaka was portrayed as petite and feminine with jet blonde straight hair — in real life she has dark curly hair with blonde streaks, and is taller and nearly as large as Williams

I'm pretty sure it would be safe to say that, there currently is not one other female tennis player on the Women's tour as LARGE as Williams.

Wow reading through these comments it's clear bigotry and racism go hand in hand with feeling less than. So many disgusting comments on here it's no wonder poc can't escape racism.

It's called free speech.

Serena's behavior was embarrassing and despicable, unquestionably unworthy of a champion, sadly more that of a sore loser.

Twitter, Facebook and other social media responses were far more vicious than this cartoon.

Did she deserve to be painted as stomping, raging and overweight?

Did President Trump deserve his London baby blimp?

To the p.c. leftist, identity politics crowd, have a life!

Cartoon caricatures of people can be hilarious. This one isn't. It is not identifiably Serena Williams out of context, it is rather a white person's caricature of a generic black woman - focusing on the thick lips.

Yes, people of West African ancestry do have larger lips usually than whites, but to massively exaggerate them is a racial caricature. African cartoonists would never do this since it is not an unusual characteristic from their perspective.

Storm in a tea cup. Move along.

Those who imagine they see something racist or sexist in the cartoon under discussion are more likely to be racist and sexist themselves as they invent scenarios to support what is not there. Serena acted poorly, got up close to the umpire pointing her finger at him and expecting an apology from him for her breaking the rules.

Do the crime, do the time.

No sympathy for a player that has been an example to all of greatness and deportment up until now. Even the great are human and make mistakes. It does not change her great tennis over the years, her great wins of the past. She will be remembered as one of the all time greats of Tennis and this final will be but a side note of her career.

I can guarantee that if the cartoonist in this instance was Japanese from Japan, the same individuals on this discussion list supporting the cartoonist and saying that it is no big deal, would be singing a different tune. In that instance, these same people would be criticizing the cartoonist for being a typical racist xenophobe.

It's called free speech.

Aye. 'tis that.

It's also bigotry that's been going on from centuries back. Just look at how the Irish were depicted in Punch, back in the 19th century. All under the guise of commentary.

There's little doubt that Serena Williams had a go, but the cartoon just reinforces ancient stereotypes.

Define what is 'vile' about the cartoon. Define 'cartoon' too..

Racist and sexist. Vile. It's interesting to see lots of people here telling a someone who experiences racism and sexism that they are wrong to feel that way.

If you don't know what a cartoon is, I suggest you look it up.

Those who imagine they see something racist or sexist in the cartoon under discussion are more likely to be racist and sexist themselves

Yeah, they said that about us when we asked for freedom. We had a chip on our shoulder etc.

Then we fought for freedom because our pleas were ignored. They said we were animals.

And still, it goes. Now the new narrative is that we must be racists, while the actual racists are... reasonable.

What a strange world we find ourselves in.

Let me get this straight - two females play against each other, and the umpire is called sexist. Next two black people are drawn as a cartoon, and somehow drawing them differently is racist. OK.....

I can guarantee that if the cartoonist in this instance was Japanese from Japan, the same individuals on this discussion list supporting the cartoonist and saying that it is no big deal, would be singing a different tune.

Probably, but only because there are people on here that will bash everything Japanese.

Do the crime, do the time.

This is what it comes down to on commentary regarding black/mixed race people who speak out, isn't it?

This whole topic and its responses might as well be black woman speaks out and is judged by white people who live in Japan to get away from scary, outspoken black people.

Williams was pushing it, no doubt about it. But there's no doubt about some of the responses here.

I think institutions like newspapers and universities should adopt the following policy towards outraged minority/fringe opinion internet mobs:

As a general rule, never give into the demands. If the demand is retract, apologize and fire those responsible, don't. Instead, re-print, state free speech means supporting unpopular ideas, and give the 'offender' another podium to say what they want.

If a school administrator engages in a 'micro-aggression' with an arguably lexical faux pas -- for example, saying "oriental' instead of Asian, or dressing-up as Sacagawea at a private Halloween party, and the demand is apologize, fire and diversity trainings, Don't. Instead, state "We do not do ultimatums. Our door is always open. Feel free to come in an talk."

This policy would incentivize people to not engage internet mobs/shaming/ "outing? and all that nonsense. It would incentivize discussion and freedom.

The exception to this general rule is with a violation of a deeply held and widely shared general norm. Things like advocating violence, naked and ugly bigotry, y'know, things that directly assault any possibility of civil discourse in a civil society.

You know, at first glance, I thought 'yeah, maybe that is a little bit of a racist caricature'.

But then I just spent a couple minutes flipping back and forth between recent pictures of Williams and this cartoon, comparing her nose, eyes, mouth, hair, everything. I have to admit, it's actually a pretty spot on caricature of her. I can't see how it's racist if she really looks like that.

So what we're being told here, is that if a person of color has stereotypical features, it's racist to draw a caricature of them? No, I'm not going to agree with that.

Many caricturists exagerate features that the subject may have,such as, big nose,sticking out ears, bald head, thick lips--the list goes on . In this case the artist drew Serena pretty much as she is--just furiously angry. Her features were as they actually are,as far as I can see. As for being racist---racism is a nebulous concept open to interpretation and the personal opinion.

In an earlier post to this thread I wrote that, by including a caricature of Naomi Osaka in his masterpiece cartoon, I felt Mark Knight had made a mistake because, the cheating violation, the racquet smashing violation and the violation for abusing the chair umpire, had not actually involved her in any way. 

I went on to write that the cartoon would have been a better, and more accurate, depiction of what had actually transpired, if Mark had only included the three actual protagonists in the dispute - Williams, Carlos Ramos and Brian Earley, the match referee.

Twelve individuals down-voted this post. 

However, by failing to offer even a single counterpoint to my comments, all of them clearly demonstrated a total lack of conviction in their voting.

Moreover, I take their voting to mean that all of them are convinced that Naomi Osaka should shoulder some blame for Williams’ disgusting, and outrageous behaviour.

Shame on them all.

Ms. Osaka is herself half black, but is portrayed in the cartoon as a blond white. The cartoon is in poor taste, in that it portrays a white as being asked to let a black have the "win," because she is "throwing a tantrum." The reality is that Ms. Williams has more white blood in her than does Ms. Osaka, due to the history of rape of blacks by whites during the centuries of slavery in the United States. Ms. Williams probably has about 20% white dna, and Ms. Osaka half as much white dna, though the cartoon would have us believe that something entirely different is taking place.

In other words, the cartoon is not depicting what happened.

Ms. Williams is 36 years old, and Ms. Osaka is much younger. It is only natural that Ms. William's star would start declining, and that Ms. Osaka would still be improving. That should not detract from the illustrious career that Ms. Williams has had up to this point. Best wishes to them both.

Let me get this straight - two females play against each other, and the umpire is called sexist. Next two black people are drawn as a cartoon, and somehow drawing them differently is racist.

Serena Williams is misusing sexism as the reason for the warnings/penalties she received. There are quite a few sensitive folks who are die hard fans of Serena Williams. They see red whenever they see any criticism of Serena Williams. Its sad to see they too are misusing sexism and/or racism by criticizing any/all critics as being sexist/racist.

Sexism/racism are some serious problems in the world and I fully support activists who are trying to fight this. Including Serena Williams! I am sad to see it being misused by her in the US Open fiasco.

Professional tennis in general has advanced a huge way forward in terms of woman's equality and race equality. I believe fighting for sexism in the tennis world is not pertinent any more. The real fight is elsewhere (all over the world - with probably the Japanese society being one of the prime problematic areas!!).

My message to fellow activists: lets get our focus right.

Define what is 'vile' about the cartoon. Define 'cartoon' too..

Racist and sexist. Vile. It's interesting to see lots of people here telling a someone who experiences racism and sexism that they are wrong to feel that way.

Racist and sexist is a perception...so mention the details that makes the cartoon 'vile' for you...

If you don't know what a cartoon is, I suggest you look it up.

Weak reply but, to simplify it for you, how should, in your opinion, a 'decent' cartoon about Williams and Osaka look like ?

One up for freedom of speech and freedom of the Press!!

The caritature was great and well deserved!!!

This whole topic and its responses might as well be black woman speaks out and is judged by white people who live in Japan to get away from scary, outspoken black people.

Serena Willians is not an “outspoken black” person, but only a confirmed has-been who refused to go out with a graceful display of sportsmanship.

As far as living in Japan to get away from obnoxious people, I seemed to have failed.

I'm glad the Herald Sun stood its ground - Paul Joseph Watson mad great youtube video regarding Serena Williams outburst

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfcQsI54gQM

I'm glad the Herald Sun stood its ground

Owned by the same media company (Murdoch an Australian known to be a racist and an opportunist) that owns FOXNews! Enough said!

@1glenn

Ms. Williams is 36 years old, and Ms. Osaka is much younger. It is only natural that Ms. William's star would start declining, and that Ms. Osaka would still be improving. That should not detract from the illustrious career that Ms. Williams has had up to this point. Best wishes to them both.

Well said and accurate in your observation. Ms. Osaka deserves her shine in this moment. It doesn't matter what happens now. Mrs. Williams has already cemented her place in women's tennis as the "Greatest of All Times". In addition, she will break the record held by the Australian with only two more championships needed. That will not be a problem for her.

In the end, everybody will get what they want. Mrs. Williams gets her record and Ms. Osaka her opportunity to shine. Only people who loose will be the Australians. It kind of explains the animosity! :)

A major example of Osaka’s whitewashing is the wildly racist cartoon published this week in Australia’s Herald Sun, which depicted the tennis player as a white woman with blonde hair. More often, the erasure is more subtle, like when media outlets describe Osaka as “Japanese” without acknowledging her multiracial identity. Erasing Osaka’s Blackness further divides her from Williams, who, in turn, is often depicted as a stereotypical “angry Black woman.” Whether intentionally or not, the whitewashing of Osaka serves to reinforce a racist victim-and-villain storyline.

Naomi Osaka Is Black, Too — And We Need to Say So

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/naomi-osaka-black-too-215603554.html

Naomi Osaka Is Black, Too — And We Need to Say So

I’m curious. Why don’t we need to say she’s Haitian? It is obvious from her complexion that she has black African ancestors so why the need to say so. Is race her defining characteristic and not her considerable athletic ability?

I’ve gathered from the media over the years - the last 10 especially - that race always trumps nationality. From my personal observation this isn’t so.

Put black and white Englishmen and Americans together in a neutral, social venue and sooner or later most will group themselves according to nationality and not race.

It depends on other important factors as well such as regional identifiers like accent and cultural factors such as education. But, overall, I would contend that nationality is the biggest magnet that draws people of different races together. And it is the positive aspects of nationality that accomplish that. I except, for obvious reasons, members of the KKK and NOI from this statement.

I’m curious. Why don’t we need to say she’s Haitian?

Doesn't her Haitian father have American nationality, so she would be considered Haitian-American. They have been living in the US most of her life. She will actually have to decide when she turns 22 between her American passport and Japanese passport.

The finals were featuring to Black Americans. One also has Japanese heritage.

Could've been better

The finals were featuring to Black Americans. One also has Japanese heritage.

She doesn't just have Japanese heritage, she is Japanese. She also chose to represent Japan, as is her birthright.

Let's not try to minimalize this to having Japanese heritage, when it's clearly more than that, mmkay?

She doesn't just have Japanese heritage, she is Japanese. She also chose to represent Japan, as is her birthright.

Let's not try to minimalize this to having Japanese heritage, when it's clearly more than that, mmkay?

You seem to be putting words in people's mouth. Who said that I was minimizing her Japanese heritage? Having Japanese heritage does not imply a percentage. You can be born to two Japanese parents and be an American citizen. Would you say that they are Japanese or have Japanese heritage? I would say they have Japanese heritage. It is what most people say when referring to Americans.

Acknowledging her Japanese roots has never been problem for Western countries. This Australian newspaper has her looking like a Caucasian from a Nordic country. You should saving this frustration for Japanese citizen because the majority in Japan will be more likely not to accept her as Japanese than Americans.

Western countries seem to have a problem with her acknowledging who African roots.

Tell ‘Em! Tennis Player Checks Reporter for Neglecting to Mention Her Haitian Heritage [VIDEO]

https://www.ebony.com/news-views/naomi-osaka-haitian-australian-open

And it wasn't the first time! Mmkay?

She doesn't just have Japanese heritage, she is Japanese. She also chose to represent Japan, as is her birthright.

If I am not mistaken, it was her father's decision to represent Japan. Her career was planned at a very young age. It has been reported that her father has followed the Williams family long tennis careers. They were used as a model for how he wanted to raise his kids in the sport of tennis. It is also why Naomi has so much respect for Serena.

Who said that I was minimizing her Japanese heritage?

You did. By describing her as 'having Japanese heritage', when there is clearly a lot more to her being Japanese than that.

You can be born to two Japanese parents and be an American citizen. Would you say that they are Japanese or have Japanese heritage? I would say they have Japanese heritage.

It doesn't matter what I'd say, people choose their own identity. I say that such children would be justified in choosing either Japanese or American, or both, as their identity.

@Silvafan

I'm glad the Herald Sun stood its ground

Owned by the same media company (Murdoch an Australian known to be a racist and an opportunist) that owns FOXNews! Enough said!

Wrong.

Rupert Murdoch applied for, and was granted, American citizenship in 1985.

No self-respecting Australian recognizes him as one of theirs.

You must know that Murdoch had a Chinese wife for 14 years. So, based on what facts do you label him a racist?..

All successful business owners/operators are Opportunists, including the Dear Leader, but Murdoch has been much better at it, forlonger

Correct.

Murdoch does own FOXNews, ENOUGH SAID!

@Strangerland

You did. By describing her as 'having Japanese heritage', when there is clearly a lot more to her being Japanese than that.

Says who? You do realize that she has dual-citizenship. The only reason why people say that she is the first Japanese is because her dad registered her with the Japan Tennis Association when she first started playing tennis. That is the only reason! She never gave up her American citizenship. She barely comes to Japan. As an American living in America she also has Japanese heritage.

If her father didn't register with the JTA or rescinded the membership, she still would have had dual-citizenship her heritage would still be the same, but she would not have been labeled the first Japanese to win the title.

It doesn't matter what I'd say, people choose their own identity. I say that such children would be justified in choosing either Japanese or American, or both, as their identity.

OK, and how is this relevant to what I posted. Did anyone say otherwise? I said she is an American with Japanese heritage. Is it wrong? No. Does she has dual-citizenship? Yes.

You are grasping at straws. You like trying to tell me what I'm thinking. You have no real point here. You just want my attention which is weird!

Goodnight!

You must know that Murdoch had a Chinese wife for 14 years. So, based on what facts do you label him a racist?..

That is the equivalent of someone saying I can't be racist because I have a black friend.

Slave owners use to have children with their slaves. Were they still racist? Yes, without a doubt!

As an American living in America she also has Japanese heritage.

No, as a Japanese person, she is Japanese. Her Americanness is entirely irrelevant to her Japaneseness. You keep trying to write that she only has Japanese heritage, rather than being Japanese.

She never gave up her American citizenship. She barely comes to Japan. As an American living in America

Her Americanness and degree thereof, is entirely separate to her Japaneseness.

how is this relevant to what I posted.

I answered the question you asked - which would seem to be pretty relevant.

I said she is an American with Japanese heritage. Is it wrong?

It's a downplaying of her actual circumstance. She is American and Japanese. She does not just have Japanese heritage, she IS Japanese.

@Strangerland

LOL! When she is living in the America which she is doing now and have been doing for most of her life as an American with American citizenship, she is American with Japanese heritage. That is how anyone is labeled with US citizenship living in the US. Ken Watanabe could become a US citizen tomorrow, and he would be called an America with Japanese heritage. That is how all Americans are labeled. It doesn't diminish, nor does describe percentages.

It doesn't matter what you think in this situation. It doesn't matter what imaginary slight exists in your brain. It is what is.

Mmkay? :)

When she is living in the America which she is doing now and have been doing for most of her life as an American with American citizenship, she is American with Japanese heritage.

She's a dual American Japanese citizen. 'Japanese heritage' minimizes the degree to which she is Japanese.

That is how anyone is labeled with US citizenship living in the US. Ken Watanabe could become a US citizen tomorrow, and he would be called an America with Japanese heritage

No, he'd still be referred to as Japanese.

@Strangerland

Only you are saying it diminishes her background! Trying to tell someone what they are doing or thinking. LOL!

You are completely incorrect. Ken Watanabe would be called an American with Japanese heritage. Just like Gremilin.Gaijin said Rupert Murdoch is no longer Australian. He is American with Australian heritage if he was Aboriginal. He does have European heritage. Does that diminish all the Americans that say that? LOL!

What non specific comedians are you just randomly pulling out of thin air.

You you are Joke! Do you like talking to me? Would you like to go out for coffee? LOL!

The cartoon was a fair depiction of a classic childish dummy spit. Australians are luckily not yet too far gone to see racism, sexism, unfairism or any other of the lollybag claims of victimhood that are on sale these days. It was a close call for a while , but common sense and basic intellect seems to be prevailing. Anyone trying to ban or silence this sort of healthy social commentary really needs to take a serious look at their mindset and intentions. See if you can go a little deeper than the impulsive emotional trigger response, you might not like what you find at first, but what will emerge will be a better, stronger and more useful version of yourself. Think of it as an upgrade to competence.

Just like Gremilin.Gaijin said Rupert Murdoch is no longer Australian.

Rupert Murdoch gave up his Australian citizenship. So he is no longer Australian, and therefore it would be accurate to describe him as an American with Australian heritage.

Australia is not a direct comparison though. While there is an Australian ethnicity (the aboriginals), when people refer to Australian, it's generally as a citizenship rather than an ethnicity. There are Australian of all ethnicities. When people refer to Japanese however, they are generally referring to ethnicity.

With Osaka however, she's got both Japanese citizenship AND ethnicity, and is clearly Japanese, not just of Japanese heritage.

Trying to tell someone what they are doing or thinking.

I'm pointing out what your words mean. I do not know your intent behind them, and I have no idea what you are thinking. I can only deal with your words. The description of Ms. Osaka as 'being of Japanese descent' is diminishing, as she is clearly more than that. I haven't addressed your intent behind those words one way or the other, as I don't know whether or not you are intentionally diminishing her Japnanese-ness.

The cartoon was a fair depiction of a classic childish dummy spit. Australians are luckily not yet too far gone to see racism, sexism, unfairism or any other of the lollybag claims of victimhood that are on sale these days. It was a close call for a while , but common sense and basic intellect seems to be prevailing. Anyone trying to ban or silence this sort of healthy social commentary really needs to take a serious look at their mindset and intentions. See if you can go a little deeper than the impulsive emotional trigger response, you might not like what you find at first, but what will emerge will be a better, stronger and more useful version of yourself. Think of it as an upgrade to competence.

Australia is still fighting racism and it's time we faced up to it

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-27/australias-race-relations-will-be-examined-by-un-in-geneva/9198272

IS AUSTRALIA’S INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION AS RACIST JUSTIFIED?

https://www.amnesty.org.au/is-australia-rasict/

Institutional racism

https://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/speeches/institutional-racism

Racism in Australia - Open Research: Open Research collections

https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/41761/4/dunn_paper.pdf

The description of Ms. Osaka as 'being of Japanese descent' is diminishing

Lol!

Upon winning the third round of the Australian Open against Ashleigh Barty (6-4, 6-2) on Jan. 20, Osaka spoke to a male reporter who wanted to know what her victory as a “very proud” Japanese means for her people.

> Reporter: “You moved to New York when you were two years old and lived in the United States for a long time, but you’re very proudly Japanese, obviously. What will this victory mean for the people back home, for both sets of fans who will be watching this for you?”

> For the record, Osaka was born in Japan but raised in the U.S. She holds a dual citizenship and plays for Japan, USA Today noted.

Naomi: “Actually, I live in FL now. But, I mean, of course I’m very honored to be playing for Japan. But my dad’s side is Haitian, so represent. But um, yeah. I forget the rest of your question. Sorry!”

Japanese Tennis Star Schools Reporter Who Ignored That She’s Half Black

https://nextshark.com/naomi-osaka-australian-open-interview-haitian/

The description of Ms. Osaka as 'being of Japanese descent' is diminishing

LOL! To you! Not the actual biracial child.

Upon winning the third round of the Australian Open against Ashleigh Barty (6-4, 6-2) on Jan. 20, Osaka spoke to a male reporter who wanted to know what her victory as a “very proud” Japanese means for her people.

Reporter: “You moved to New York when you were two years old and lived in the United States for a long time, but you’re very proudly Japanese, obviously. What will this victory mean for the people back home, for both sets of fans who will be watching this for you?”

For the record, Osaka was born in Japan but raised in the U.S. She holds a dual citizenship and plays for Japan, USA Today noted.

Japanese Tennis Star Schools Reporter Who Ignored That She’s Half Black

https://nextshark.com/naomi-osaka-australian-open-interview-haitian/

Naomi: “Actually, I live in FL now. But, I mean, of course I’m very honored to be playing for Japan. But my dad’s side is Haitian, so represent. But um, yeah. I forget the rest of your question. Sorry!”

HA! Out of the mouths of babes!

SilvafanToday  12:24 am JST

You must know that Murdoch had a Chinese wife for 14 years. So, based on what facts do you label him a racist?..

That is the equivalent of someone saying I can't be racist because I have a black friend.

Have you ever heard the expression "false equivalence"?

'Someone' may well say that, but I didn't.

I asked you to provide facts to substantiate your accusation that Rupert Murdoch is a racist.

You have failed to do so.

I wonder, would you be prepared to slither out from behind your curtain of anonymity and level your accusation at Rupert Murdoch in person?

Slave owners use to have children with their slaves. Were they still racist? Yes, without a doubt!

So, you are saying that all slave owners are automatically racists, is that right?

If so, then what do you call someone who hold people of their own race as slaves?

Silverman) By seeing racism everywhere and trying to maintain and entitle victimhood actually does more harm to those you think you are trying to protect than good. There’s a thing called confirmation bias too that you may want to have a look at. You have yours, I have mine.

Personally think It’s time to put the responsibility back to the individual. Identity optics is just a road to no where. No where good anyway.

@Gremlin.Gaijin

Have you ever heard the expression "false equivalence"?

'Someone' may well say that, but I didn't.

Because you can't say it. Having a Chinese wife doesn't mean that a person can't be a racist or act in a racist.

The same can be said for people who claim to not be racist or act in a racist way because they have a black friend.

I wonder, would you be prepared to slither out from behind your curtain of anonymity and level your accusation at Rupert Murdoch in person?

Of course, I would. I have done it before to others. Would you do the same to me in Japan? I would like to see that!

I asked you to provide facts to substantiate your accusation that Rupert Murdoch is a racist.

You have failed to do so.

Considering all of his newspapers in Europe, Australia, and the US have been accused of racism, he is the leader who supports it, and he has made racist comments himself. Yes, he is a racist. Marrying a much younger woman who is known for being a gold-digger before meeting Murdoch doesn't erase all of his racist behavior against others.

Rupert Murdoch: I'm Sorry My Paper Is So Racist

http://gawker.com/5159293/rupert-murdoch-im-sorry-my-paper-is-so-racist

Trevor Noah, Larry Wilmore slam Rupert Murdoch for 'crazy' 'racist' Ben Carson tweet

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-trevor-noah-larry-wilmore-tweet-20151009-story.html

Gremlin.gaijin

So, you are saying that all slave owners are automatically racists, is that right?

If so, then what do you call someone who hold people of their own race as slaves?

A slave owner who enslaves a specific race is an evil person and a racist.

A slave owner who rapes slaves is an evil person and rapist.

A slave owner who in enslaves anybody is just an evil person.

See how that works?

@Ricky Kaminsky

By seeing racism everywhere and trying to maintain and entitle victimhood actually does more harm to those you think you are trying to protect than good.

So does denying the truth!

And you would be the gatekeeper of the truth now would you? Things are more complicated than any of us can imagine. Each single persons story is completely different. Trying to band things together into a single theme and identity politics is both dangerous and simple minded. Truth? Give me a break.

@Risky Kaminski

Not my truth but the truth. I understand. You don't want to talk about race because it makes you feel uncomfortable. Racism is this mysterious topic that know one can really understand in your mind. I see your fragility.

Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/good-men-project/why-its-so-hard-to-talk-to-white-people-about-racism_b_7183710.html

Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism

You know just because you put comments in bold and sight leftist, identity politics playing and increasingly anti-white American news media doesn't make your arguments any less full of it.

Australians do not need lessons from Americans on race relations thank you very much.

America is a country utterly divided and is about the last place on Earth you would want to look to emulate.

HA! Out of the mouths of babes!

Yeah, she pointed out that she's American.

Seems to be a lot of people with the binary mindset that it has to be one or the other, and that it's a zero-sum game where more Americanness means less Japaneseness or something like that.

Doesn't work that way.

HA! Great evidence and logic there, sport!

Which is why I used it, and why you weren't able to refute it.

Matt) thankyou. Can’t talk to ideologues. Too far gone.

@Matt Hartwell

No claimed the US has the answers on race relations. Saying the US has problems too is just another logical fallacy.

It doesn't change the fact the Australia has serious race issues and denying them won't change that!

SilvafanSep. 17  08:32 pm JST

@Gremlin.Gaijin

Have you ever heard the expression "false equivalence"?

'Someone' may well say that, but I didn't.

Because you can't say it.

No, because I wouldn’t say something as transparently obvious as that.

Just as I would not label a person as racist because they don’t have any Asian, Indian, African, Chinese, Japanese etc., etc., friends.

Having a Chinese wife doesn't mean that a person can't be a racist or act in a racist.

Quite true, and I didn’t write that. I merely pointed out a fact to you.

The same can be said for people who claim to not be racist or act in a racist way because they have a black friend.

True again; but, why do you place so much emphasis, and importance, on whether or not someone has a black friend? Do you not recognize people of other colors?

I wonder, would you be prepared to slither out from behind your curtain of anonymity and level your accusation at Rupert Murdoch in person?

Of course, I would. I have done it before to others.

Somehow, I really can’t see that.

Would you do the same to me in Japan? I would like to see that!

Would I do what to you? Please be specific.

I asked you to provide facts to substantiate your accusation that Rupert Murdoch is a racist.

You have failed to do so.

Considering all of his newspapers in Europe, Australia, and the US have been accused of racism,

Accusations, but no proof.

he is the leader who supports it,

What proof do you have that he supports it?

and he has made racist comments himself.

Real evidence please.

Yes, he is a racist.

No proof.

Marrying a much younger woman who is known for being a gold-digger before meeting Murdoch

And your authority for this irrelevant gem is ?

doesn't erase all of his racist behavior against others.

Which others? Please be specific.

It doesn't change the fact the Australia has serious race issues and denying them won't change that!

And the only way to overcome race issues is to judge EVERYONE on the quality of their character and the actions they undertake. That is the only way. The minute you start making special rules for certain ethnicties you have already lost. You are actively making the problem worse.

That's why I don't believe in quota's or affirmative action or any special arrangements based on ethnicity.

We are all on this together on equal terms. And that is not a sentiment that necessarily benefits white people either given their increasingly poor or plateauing performance in education.

And the only way to overcome race issues is to judge EVERYONE on the quality of their character and the actions they undertake.

That only works if people understand what racism is and recognize real life examples of it. According to the Caucasian Australians on this thread, racism isn't a problem in Aussieland. How is that solving anything if people don't even acknowledge there is a problem. How has that ever solved a problem in the real world? Why should we rely on the anecdotes of people not a member of the victimize group?

So you and Kaminski's answer of closing your eyes, covering your ears, saying la,la,la doesn't solve the problem.

We are all on this together on equal terms.

That is the point! We are not on equal terms. Racism exists to make sure that we are not on equal terms. You want people to treat everyone equal then you need to address racism.

And that is not a sentiment that necessarily benefits white people either given their increasingly poor or plateauing performance in education.

That is also happening because of laws like Affirmative action that has given POC opportunities that they couldn't get because of systemic racism. It isn't because Whites are experiencing reverse racism.

It is because they can no longer take advantage of the White privilege that you all benefit from whether you admit it or not in all aspects of life anymore.

White racists are afraid of equality, so they demonize minorities for trying to achieve it.

@Gremlin.gaijin

No proof

Because you don't like evidence that contradict your points, it doesn't mean that it isn't proof.

Simply saying, "I don't like your evidence try again is nonsense". It is contradictory to the so called "logical claims" that you are trying to make. Your points are riddled with logical fallacies and irrelevant points.

You need to explain your point with actual evidence!

That is also happening because of laws like Affirmative action that has given POC opportunities that they couldn't get because of systemic racism. It isn't because Whites are experiencing reverse racism.

So you admit that affirmative action results in racism. Nice of you to admit that because most people seem to reluctant to admit the bleeding obvious.

It is because they can no longer take advantage of the White privilege that you all benefit from whether you admit it or not in all aspects of life anymore.

White racists are afraid of equality, so they demonize minorities for trying to achieve it.

White privilege is no different to ethnic Japanese privilege in Japan, ethnic Han Chinese privilege in China, Korean privilege in Korea and on and on and on it goes everywhere around the world.

Wherever you have a country that is dominated by a large population of any given ethnicity that has been in that country for generations, you will find earned privilege. They built the culture, they built all the institutions, they wrote the law, they built the education system, they speak the language fluently, they are steeped in the history of the place and they have built wealth over generations. Its all entirely natural, reasonable and to be expected.

Why does the left never admit that privilege extends to any country where a certain ethnicity is dominant and has been for a long time? Nobody ever talks about Japanese privilege in Japan, Chinese privilege in China, Korean privilege in Korea and why is that? Why is that white privilege deserves particular attention as being somehow heinous? Is the Western left not interested in these countries and cultures, maybe, is it because they are largely homogeneous and therefore this topic never gets raised in those countries?

Is there a lesson in there for potential white nationalists and do you want them to learn that lesson.....?

You see, if yo go around trying to provide favors for non-whites in Western countries, whether its through kid glove treatment, affirmative action, quota's etc, then white people will soon learn that the countries and cultures they created are now actively acting against them in favor of others because they are white and must be discriminated against. And what do you think the result will be? Populism, white nationalism, calls for massive cuts to immigration, civil strife, more overt racism etc.

We all know two wrongs don't make a right, it just creates an even greater mess. Don't fall for it.

So you admit that affirmative action results in racism.

No, I admit that affirmative action has evened the playing field in some areas by opening doors that have long been closed off to affected groups because of racism.

By the way, the group that has benefited the most from affirmative has been White women. They fall under that umbrella of Affirmative action recipients.

As a result of this leveled playing field, Whites particularly men feel like they are being discriminated against when it just that their White privilege is slowly depreciating in value.

Ex. ( The Charisma men of Japan) If you haven't read the comics then do so. It a simple example of White privilege in good ole Nihon!

He wants you to say Naomi is Japanese-American? That would only describe her nationality and not her ethnicity, so Strangerland is wrong.

Who decided that does not describe her ethnicity? I'd actually bet that when someone says a Japanese-American, most people would tend to think first of their ethnicity (ie they are Americans of Japanese ethnicity), over their nationality (ie they hold both Japanese and American citizenship). Either way, Naomi is of both Japanese ethnicity and nationality, as well as American ethnicity (well culture) and nationality, and therefore calling her Japanese-American accurately reflects both her nationality and her ethnicity.

Now that I've addressed that, I never actually made the claim that I wanted anyone to say Naomi is Japanese-American. The claim that I've made all along is that calling her of Japanese heritage is diminishing, as she is Japanese, not just of said heritage.

What's the problem? She did have a tantrum, I thought the comic was funny.

Racists would think a racists comic thinly veiled as satire is funny.

'Unacceptable': Aussie footballers' blackface as Williams sisters sparks fresh racism storm (PHOTOS)

https://www.rt.com/sport/438805-australian-footballers-blackface-serena/