The "just like them" could mean anything. It could mean interest in the same hobbies, being from the same culture, struggling with the same issues, or just being from the same area.
Of course, gravitating to someone just like you doesn't always mean you avoid those who are different from you.
For example, my dad is from Mexico. Living in Hawaii means he won't come across as many Mexicans as he would if he was living in California. But he knows where to find them here, usually in soccer fields and restaurants!
And if they're from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, EVEN MORE SO he'll gravitate to them! Just like he always used to hang out with this one guy from Oaxaca named Quota. From a distance my dad and Quota looked very different. Quota is a Mexican of African ancestry! My dad, while has both Zapotec and Spanish ancestry, his Zapotec features are a lot more visible! But they're both from Oaxaca, so there's a connection.
But my dad also gets along with those of other cultures as well! He would bring his construction co-workers to our house, some of them being of Native Hawaiian, Filipino, or Japanese ancestry! The interest in construction work brings them together!
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Now, in the world of sports, there has been "Linsanity" about Jeremy Lin, a basketball player who plays for the New York Knicks!
Lin played college basketball at Harvard, which has had difficulty attracting top athletic talent because of its HIGH academic standards. Lin's a good example of how being intelligent doesn't mean you have to be unathletic or soft!
After college, Lin drifted from team to team until joining the New York Knicks. The Knicks hasn't been doing so well this past decade! The Knicks added some star players like Carmelo Anthony, and Amare Stoudamire. But with some starters injured, it was Jeremy Lin's turn to help the team! And the team has greatly improved with his presence on the basketball court!
But Linsanity isn't just about increased levels of winning for the Knicks. It's also because Jeremy Lin is Asian-American!
Yes, the NBA already had Asian stars like Yao Ming! However, Yao Ming is from China, was already a proven star in China before testing the waters in the NBA!
But Jeremy Lin is NOT a star from overseas! Jeremy Lin is BORN IN THE USA! He is as American as LeBron James and Jason Kidd!
Many Asian-Americans are so excited that SOMEONE LIKE THEM has some real success in the NBA!
For many, for too long, they felt the sting of negative stereotypes of "being too short", "being too soft", "being too nerdy", and being told "go back to Asia" EVEN IF THEY WERE BORN IN THE USA!
While Lin is not as tall as Yao Ming, he is still taller than the average person at 6-feet 3in.
And Lin is definitely NOT soft! You can't last long in the NBA if you're soft, especially with those 7-footers pushing you around!
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Floyd Mayweather, an African-American boxer, has been getting attention not just for his boxing, but also for being an Asian-hater.
Already, people are demanding Mayweather fight Flipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao, but conflicts over drug testing and money has gotten in the way.
Mayweather taunted Pacquaio by telling him to "make some sushi rolls and cook some rice"
UFC president Dana White called it right
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_sGm-E285c
"The other thing you said was that Manny Pacquiao should make some sushi somewhere,"
"Sushis from Japan, he's from the Phillipines dummy"
Just like Mayweather shouldn't be confused as being from Haiti or Congo, let's not confuse Asian groups either!
But now Mayweather is implying Jeremy Lin is getting excessive special attention that African-American players aren't getting.
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/daily-take/201202/floyd-mayweather-plays-race-card-jeremy-lin
Jeremy Lin is a good player," Mayweather tweeted Monday, "but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."
Black players outscore Kobe Bryant every night? Black players who went undrafted rack up at least 20 points and seven assists in each of their first four career starts? Black players go from D-League DNPs to leading the Knicks to five straight wins?
Yes, Lin being Asian is a big part of the story. He's the first American-born player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent to play in the NBA. That's different, and therefore newsworthy. There would probably also be a lot of hype if, say, a black golfer came out of Stanford and started winning golf majors. Or if, just hypothetically, two black sisters from Compton dominated the world of tennis.
In case you don't get it, that "black golfer came out of Stanford and started winning golf majors." is Tiger Woods (who by the way, is also part-Asian). And the "two black sisters from Compton dominated the world of tennis" are Venus &; Serena Williams.
Woods and Williams got their initial fame by being black in mostly white sports! Afterwards, their athletic excellence were so great, that most people don't pay much attention to their color anymore.
Now, just look at the music world.
The European-American rapper from Detroit named Marshall Mathers (aka Eminem)
and
the white Cuban rapper from Miami named Armando Christian Pérez (aka Pitbull)
Just looking at them, they would just stand out in the mostly African-American rap music world! They'll automatically get more attention than others. It's human nature to notice that!
And off course African-Americans paid a little more attention to golf when Woods started to win tournaments. Same when the Williams sisters won tennis tournaments.
Off course European-descendants paid more attention to the rap scene when Eminem came along. And off course Latinos paid special attention to Pitbull!
Yeah, I'm part-Latino and I think it's cool that Pitbull has been making hits! I'm also a fan of other Latino rappers like Fat Joe, Big Punisher, Cypress Hill, Lil Rob and Baby Bash.
But I'm ALSO A FAN OF NON-LATIN RAPPERS too!
The Williams sisters, Tiger Woods,Eminem, Pitbull might have gotten their first minutes of extra-fame due to their race, their long-term success isn't just an Affirmative Action deal. Williams and Woods kept winning tournaments. Eminem and Pitbull kept making hits!
It's still early in Jeremy Lin's career! NBA has no guarantees! Many players coming in as the "hot thing" early in the career have declined a few years later!
Yes, Jeremy Lin got some special attention! Yes, some Asian-Americans are paying more attention the NBA now! But that doesn't erase the fact that many Asian-Americans were watching the NBA decades before Lin came on the scene! And while they think it's cool that Lin has made it to the NBA, they can still admire non-Asian players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or Dirk Nowitzky!
