He wasn't being racist, but rather sexist?
He wasn't being racist, but rather sexist?
Boston sports-radio guy says he was trying to reference female anatomy not a woman's ethnicity, but there are some issues with that explanation.
Earlier this week, the conversation during a sports-radio show in Boston turned to the question of “top five nips.” Now, if you’re not from New England, you might be unaware that this term is used to refer to mini liquor bottles.1
“Dr. McGillicuddy’s, I think, is number one or two,” suggested one host.
I was unfamiliar with this product, but being the diligent reporter I am, I discovered Dr. McGillicuddy’s is a flavored liquer, which makes it more akin to a mixed shot. There’s a Root Beer flavor.
“Screwball is also up there,” said the same host.
Now this turns out to be the result of an unholy experiment yielding an abomination described as “peanut butter whiskey.” Yuck.
“Uh, I’d probably go Mina Kimes,” said a guy named Chris Curtis.
OK. Now you might be wondering exactly why he would suggest something like this. But “nip” is a slur that originated at the time of World War II, aimed at people of Japanese descent. ESPN’s Mina Kimes is Asian-American.
Now, not only do I like Mina’s work a great deal, I would consider her a friend. In the spirit of full transparency I am ridiculously proud of the fact her Mom – a Seahawks fan – follows me on Twitter. I even met her Mom before a Seahawks-Rams game at the Coliseum. Mina is of Korean descent, not Japanese, but in my experience I’ve come to find that people who are prone to characterizing others on the basis of race don’t tend to be too discerning about the difference in ethnic groups. Also, because intent is going to become a question here, I feel obligated to provide a screen shot of Curtis shortly after he referenced Kimes.