Jeremy Lin 'SNL' Sketch Takes On Racist Linsanity Jokes, Media Commentary (VIDEO)

Saturday Night Live wasted no time addressing the "Linsanity" surrounding new New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin, as the opening sketch of this week's show skewered the overuse of Lin puns and addressed the racially insensitive missteps made by some of the media as the Asian-American point guard has gained national prominence.

In the sketch, a panel on "New York Sports Now" doled out Lin puns and references that ranged from inane to downright offensive. The hosts mentioned Jason Whitlock's racist tweet as well as ESPN's offensive headline that was posted after the Knicks' loss to the Hornets. But when trying to explain that race has nothing to do with the Linsanity hype, the panel couldn't seem to stop themselves from relying on stereotypes about Asians and using inappropriate jokes.

After calling the New York Post's "Amasian" headline "hilarious" and making light of an MSG graphic that included a fortune cookie, one of the mock hosts joked that Lin turned Kobe Bryant into kobe beef.

The mood on the set of the sportscast took a serious turn, however, whenever one of the analysts would make jokes based in African-American stereotypes. Toward the end of the sketch, the host apologized on behalf of his network for one of those remarks.. by using a couple more Lin puns.

Has there been a double standard for discussing Lin that has permitted comments that would be unacceptable if were from a different background?

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE

Comments

[Keyshawn KJ]

10:02 PM on 02/26/2012

Without a doubt, there is a double standard! Many Blacks in the media seem to have hostile attitudes toward Lin - they seem very territorial, as if "basketball is OUR (Black) turf" (i.e. Stephen A Smith, Floyd Mayweather, and the Maryland football recruit (black guy) who tweeted about "eggrolls"). Racism is adopted by people from all backgrounds. Sadly.

[JohnLarson66]

01:33 PM on 02/22/2012

Strangely, I found myself watching SNL for the first time in years. I do not follow NBA, but have been following the Jeremy Lin story. How can someone not? Anyway, I found the skit very funny and right on point. The parts I find interesting about the Lin story is that he played at Harvard and was staying on a friends couch while playing basketball. I think the fact that he is Asian should not be the headline, but sadly it is. His recent success story is more about having heart than anything else. Jeremy Lin is a great example of what hard work and determination is all about. Sort of reminds me of Kurt Warner in a strange way. Lin is an all american success story.

[bogoy100]

02:18 PM on 02/22/2012

yes!

[pam45]

12:48 PM on 02/22/2012

As good as the comedians are, they don't have the Obamas yet. They sound more like Bill Cosby and I don't know.

[kapalabhati]

07:47 PM on 02/22/2012

You're joking, right? They were SUPPOSED to sound like the Cosbys.

[pam45]

10:46 AM on 02/23/2012

Thanks. I didn't get it until you mentioned it. It was suppose to be the perfect family. Right? That was a twist.

[grat79]

12:48 PM on 02/22/2012

Some white Americans hold on to Pearl Harbor like black Americans hold on to slavery.

When will everyone start living in the present and forgive the transgressions from the past?

Today's generations shouldn't have to apologize for their parents and grandparents mistakes.

[Netta Chinn]

01:28 PM on 02/22/2012

^Good Points grat79 but

damn, Pearl Harbor was one time...rip!
400 years of captivity, torture, splitting of families, forced religion, forced to forget culture, forced to forget language, identity and assimilation after 1965, which closed several black business (yes they existed before 1965) and black schools, put black principal/educators/medical practitioners (yes there were thriving black business that existed pre 1965) out of of commission .... eeeeeeh kind of hard to swallow and let go but you have to, IF you want to succeed in America! Sorry for the run-on and I hope you get my drift! Integration had good points/bad points, most importantly all of the above (your post as well), including what happened during the Trail of Tears, Manifest Destiny, Concentration Camps for the Chinese, dropping the atomic bomb are ALL part of American History, the good the bad and the ugly!! We all have to live with it!

That is all, good day!
Obama 2012 :)

[freethinker1259]

02:18 PM on 02/22/2012

As far as the camps, weren't they American-Japanese, not Chinese? I think I am right. Please clarify.

[ruppum]

01:50 PM on 02/22/2012

Have you thought that some Americans "hold on" to things like Pearl Harbor and slavery to remember, and recognize how far they have come? Not because they haven't forgiven, but because they want to revive the past and and consider how they can learn from it. If we forget history we are doomed to repeat it.

[pam45]

12:22 PM on 02/22/2012

Something has to be wrong when Americans have to rely on comedy shows to educate us about appropriateness. The sport skit was right on time to perhaps bring us around to a sane state of mind in making public statements as it relates to race and culture. Hopefully, SNL is back into funny because they have been away from it for a long long time. Thank you former SNL comedians and writers for helping them raise the bar last Saturday. They actually had funny skits with a lot of energy! You could see the SNL cast enjoy being in the skits.

[code4life]

11:56 AM on 02/23/2012

satirical comedy has been used for thousands of years as a tool for political commentary. it's nothing sad at all, just a continuation of a very rich tradition.

[pam45]

04:24 PM on 02/23/2012

The sadness is that America would rather have the conversation through satirical comedy. I was a Lenny Bruce fan too!

[anotherbozo]

12:18 PM on 02/22/2012

This SNL bit is as funny as the program ever was. If only it could reach this level every week!

[pam45]

12:41 PM on 02/22/2012

Hopefully, they have turned around. SNL goes through years of not being funny and I don't understand why the writers drop the ball. It may have to do with the spontaneity of the comedians and the old crew last Saturday was hilarious!

[pam45]

12:49 PM on 02/22/2012

So true but it could have something to do with the writing and the comedians! This old crew was funny as usual.

[ChrisHurn]

11:51 AM on 02/22/2012

The Huffington Post's a little late to this... I posted the video on my personal FB page a day and a half ago. This sketch is an absolute CLASSIC in skewering the Left's hypocrisy. Few things I enjoy more than ridiculing racial hypocrites! The later sketch that night had the comics considering what (if ANYTHING) would make them NOT vote for Obama again -- made the same point: racial hypocrisy exists and it's about time someone pointed it out. The view that only the "oppressor" can be racist is patently false Herbert Marcuse garbage. It's time to ditch such outdated and truly hateful views (as his... the basis for modern-day, supposed "multiculturalism").

[Leslie House]

11:01 AM on 02/22/2012

I hope I'm not misunderstanding the author of this article. SNL was asking that very question with the skit: Is there a double standard?

[RomeoMike369]

10:06 AM on 02/22/2012

I have always tried to think positive about this country, but I must admit that in the last 30 years my opinion of this country has gone down the tubes! I am sure that when the Nazi SS made Pollack jokes during the invasion and occupation of Poland, they did it because they thought they were racially superior to the Slavs. These jokes eventually made it into mainstream Amerika, along with jokes about Blacks, Hispanics, Italians, and Asians. The so-called "Melting Pot" of America never really existed, and still to this day does not exist, with black on brown warfare taking place in our inner cities. After koolie labor was brought to America from China to help build our railroads, they were relegated to China Towns in New York, San Francisco, or LA. During WWII, internment camps like Manzanar, showed how prejudice during a time of war can create a double standard. Many good, law abiding Japanese Americans lost their property when they were finally released. Many from these camps joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which became the most decorated unit of WWII. Now with the "War on Terror," Arab and Islamic Americans are being singled out for harassment and intimidation. We are a racist, homophobic, white supremacist society that committed genocide against Native Americans, made slaves of African Americans, and continue to persecute anyone whose ethnicisity or color is not white. THE JOKES CONTINUE TO FLOW AGAINST ANYONE WHO EXCELLS AT ANYTHING THE RACISTS BECOME JELOUS OF!

[Netta Chinn]

12:26 PM on 02/22/2012

I read your entire post....
You must didn't get the memo

WHITE EQUATES TO RIGHT...
Always,

Good day, hope this helps you sleep better at night!

just kidding, your post is on point, racism is no longer physical (No Coloreds Allowed), its more physiologically implied, very hard to detect and racism is turning into more prejudiced than racism in our modern times... the best example is Fox News!

[pam45]

12:26 PM on 02/22/2012

And only White men can make the corrections. That's why I love Jon Stewart on The Daily Show and Steven Cobert. Their messages are piercing and hit an intended target that only they can do.

[Netta Chinn]

01:11 PM on 02/22/2012

Hey Pam girlfriend,

I never thought about "And only White men can make the corrections. " - from that perspective but if you flip the script, if Al Sharpton would have made the correction, pointed out the double standard it would start a firestorm or go ignored vs if Bill Maher/insert any white men making a correction about hypocritical double standards from the right....you're on to something! There should be a person of color doing a satirical show like Stephen, Jon and Bill are doing...I'm down to watch!!! The closet thing I could find is this website, the political satire on this blog is amazing:
http://www.averagebro.com/

[vaf112675]

09:13 AM on 02/22/2012

And you are a disgusting racist who doesn't know one thing about what he talks about.

[Assumed Name]

06:39 AM on 02/22/2012

Well played.

[Assumed Name]

06:36 AM on 02/22/2012

Warning: 0 Fans + URL = (usually) Virus

Flagged.

[Chockolate]

03:07 AM on 02/22/2012

Golden rule of comedy... the funnier it is, the more you can get away with!

Afro-American stereotypes generally just aren't that funny any more.

[AmericanURNOT]

01:34 AM on 02/22/2012

that's some funny sh*t...pork fried rice for everyone.

[Netta Chinn]

12:45 PM on 02/22/2012

"he likes MSG in his Chinese Food"

Classic

[kennlrs]

01:04 AM on 02/22/2012

One theory is that Asian Americans may have preconceived opinions or beliefs that other people are prejudiced against Asian Americans so they may be hyper-sensitive and see some comment as prejudiced when it is not prejudiced. I had a similar experience once when as a white person I had to convince him that I was not prejudiced against Asian Americans but he had seemingly typecast me beforehand as probably prejudiced against Asian Americans. I also found it hard to get to know another Asian American friend of his because the other person seemed to dislike me or in a way was actually prejudiced against me because I was a white male. This expanation may sound complicated but I felt that it works both ways.

[pam45]

12:35 PM on 02/22/2012

When you live it everyday, it's not a preconceived opinion but an experience. Take the time to examine your approach outside your community and friendships. You are who you are based on various experiences which impact your life in a negitive or positive why. Have honest conversations with those who are different. A question that you might ask is - how can I communicate better with someone who is culturally different and challenging to my sensabilities? As a start, do we have any common interest?

[kennlrs]

03:10 PM on 02/22/2012

topam45:

Dear College Sociology 101 expert: My experience was an isolated one where the Asian American young man rang our doorbell at night and may have had a few drinks beforehand. It seemed like no matter what I said or explained it was still wrong. I tend to think at that time that some kind of prejudice against white people was running around the local Asian American community. It's like the true newspaper stories about cops who saw a black man driving a nice car late at night and stopped him thinking it was a stolen car--and he pointed out he was driving home at night and it was his car. This actually happened to my Native American sister-in-law late at night when she was driving home from her night job.

[Netta Chinn]

12:49 PM on 02/22/2012

@kennirs it doesn't sound complicated...*rubs hands together*

I love hearing/reading about reverse racism, if F'n Awesome, Hilarious and quite Mythological at the same at times!!

[kennlrs]

03:28 PM on 02/22/2012

toNettaChinn:

Yesterday's Los Angeles Times sports page writer said that the new Asian American pro basketball star Jeremy Lin has a tendency to take control of the ball in midcourt and hold on to it (rather than pass it to another player) so that he can shoot and get credit for a long-range basket and earn 3 points.