What I'm trying to say is...
They don't change or don't strive toward being more aware because it doesn't hurt them not to be; that is why most of the athletes didn't think anything of the pictures. American racists at least know they are racist. Like I said, this is an innate cultural tradition of ignorance through purity and has no reason to be shaken up. Its just there, and there's no reason to change it because it doesn't rear its ugly head to negatively affect the nation seriously or often enough. Not very many people within Spain can relate to being on the receiving end of racism, and ethnic Spaniards from Spain are consequently more likely to present something we deem as "racist" without the intent to offend. If they had a t-shirt that said "Chinos son maricon" that would be racism by our most common definition. Deliberate, offensive and most of all self-aware.
Its not ignorance like michael jackson would say, its ignorance as in "cluelessness". If racism/cluelessness was tearing the country apart or negatively affecting the country in any obvious way, they'd work towards getting rid of it. Most Spaniards don't walk around convincing each other about how superior they are in the way a lot of "racists" that we know tend to do, although I'm sure SOME are total fucking bigots, but it just happens because they are human beings who have not been been made aware of a more civilized approach to ensuring that all human beings are held in a high regard at all time. I'm sure Spaniards are racist from day to day in various amounts on a individual by individual basis. Racism is based on cognitive laziness and a bias of familiarity on the individual level. But on the Spanish societal level; This offensive photo is an attempted joke, and not an insult. Sometimes when we make jokes, we have to restrain ourselves because we know that what we are going to say is offensive; that filter does not exist in these people's minds with respect to ethnicity. There is no sensitivity because there is no awareness of how respect for all ethnicities is or is not demonstrated and the negative things that arise when that respect is absent. This photo is not racist in the most common use of the term because the Spaniards do NOT understand that this image represents making a joke out of the physical appearance of an ethnicity, which is itself disrespectful. Literally. Its THAT bad. This is an offensive, but not deliberate or intentional jab towards ethnicities. If you're gonna call it racism, at least add an adjective on it for the sake of humanity....
This is more of an expression of ethnic anti-harmony than expressing the illusion of racial superiority etc. I only decided to post because I was annoyed at the unprecise language that was just being repeated over and over again without much contextual thinking going on. I will agree; it is absolutely stunning and thoroughly disappointing. If there is anything I try to do as a human being, it is being aware of that which I do to violate or not facilitate the feelings, thoughts, and emotions of other people. Apparently that's not a priority to a lot of people.
What I mean by become another person is to put yourselves in the shoes of spaniards, and how it is so easy to do such things and not feel guilty for it. You know, detectives put themselves in the mind of criminals all the time.
I am really confident about all that...SO STEP TO ME AND GET WRECKED MOTHERFUCKERS. Just kidding, I was just trying to clarify because I don't think you got all of it the first time.
Want another example of this SAME clueslessness?
That is more offensive to me, personally.