wicked stoked wrote:
While I agree with that the article was not racist, I do question the journalistic need to reference "Kenya native." Explain to me why this is a necessary addition to the article?
My explanation is that this is not racism, but it does reflect an unconscious xenophobia (or at least some ethnocentrism). Whether we are self-aware enough to acknowledge this is a real question.
Weldon Johnson, a white man, is the co-founder of Letsrun.com.
Michael Johnson, a black person, is the world record holder in the 200 meters.
Mark Spitz, a Jew, won seven medals in the Munich Olympics.
Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, a person of African descent, opposes war except when all forms of diplomacy have failed.
Again, how is the "Kenya native" comment different?
Like I said in an earlier post, it was mentioned because a large majority of NCAA athletes are American, well over 90%. They did the same thing with Simon Bairu, Gavin Thompson, Alistair Cragg, heck Johanna Nilsson last year. The only difference is that Sally is Kenyan and thus people are noticing and apparently making a big deal that they mention her country of origin. Heck, the Globe article specifically says the town where Lambie is from. Most articles about NCAA athletes will either specifically mention what high school the athlete attended or what town/state they are from, especially if it's a different one from where the institution is. It's simply giving geographical background information, there's no difference here and there is no sinister motive.
Also, the difference between your examples and what the Globe did is that you are mentioning SKIN COLOR/RELIGION, rather than place of origin. Articles about Weldon would often say, Connecticut (I believe I'm right, but not sure) native Weldon Johnson ran 28:08 in the 10k, etc.