Ignorance -CNBC: "Marathon winner not a real American since he's originally from Africa"

[kpete]

Marathon's Headline Win Is Empty
Published: Monday, 2 Nov 2009 | 12:18 PM ET
By: Darren Rovell
CNBC Sports Business Reporter

It's a stunning headline: American Wins Men's NYC Marathon For First Time Since '82.

Meb Keflezighi of the US celebrates his victory in the New York City Marathon November 1, 2009 in New York

Unfortunately, it's not as good as it sounds.

Meb Keflezighi, who won yesterday in New York, is technically American by virtue of him becoming a citizen in 1998, but the fact that he's not American-born takes away from the magnitude of the achievement the headline implies.

Nationality in running counts. It's why many identify Kenya as the land of the long distance champions.

As for the United States? Not so much.

more shit:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/33587668/

....................


The CNBC editor rips Meb Keflezighi for not being American-enough and as a ringer for winning marathons. Forget that his family left Eritrea as refugees, and he attended high school here and then became a naturalized US citizen over ten years ago. Yes, that is the clear sign of a ringer. Who out there doesn't flee war just to win a race?
http://www.americablog.com/2009/11/cnbcs-darren-rovell-ny-marathon-winner.html

[RockaFowler]

1. Well then

I guess because my Dad was born in Egypt, he's not an American either. This is such crap. You don't have to be an American at birth to be considered an American.

[flor de jasmim]

2. So he's "like a ringer"?? (see the full article)

He got his citizenship in 1998, which presumably means he has been in the US since at least 1991 (unless they've changed the rules, it takes 7 years). So he's like a ringer who comes in at the end, rather than living his whole life in the U.S.???? This is almost as much a stretch as trying to claim that Obama's parents faked his US birth so he could run for President.

What an incredibly provincial attitude.

[anigbrowl]

17. No, not at all

the point is that the US doesn't train good marathon runners, so if you're born here the chances of your becoming a world class marathon competitor and winning Olympic medals or suchlike is low. It's not that he's not American, but that he's not representative of American athletic efforts.

Congratulations on his win, BTW.

[Cirque du So-What]

3. K & R

CNBC needs to get inundated with calls, letters & e-mails about this writer's utter stupidity. Other than the reporter, who's complaining that the runner wasn't born in the US? I've had a bellyful of xenophobic horseshit.

[tularetom]

4. "Republican candidate not a real American since he's originally from Panama"

Hey, what the fuck.

[LynnTheDem]

5. The US "media" continues its downward slide.

Yet a "not real American" governor should be allowed to become president...coz he's a white republican.

No racism here...move along!

[MineralMan]

6. What the idiot didn't say:

Oh, yeah...he's also black, in case you hadn't noticed. Those blacks are all good runners. It's bred into them from all those escaped slaves. So, he's not really an American, you see.

Barely concealed racism...

[Blue_Tires]

7. what a bunch of bullshit...

"technically American"???? holy damn...either you are a citizen or you're not...Rovell, me and most of the rest of us are "technically" american because fate had us born here, nothing more (and i guess Rovell's first ancestor off the boat wasn't a 'real' american by his definition, either)...


and his other argument is nonsensical...he's making it seem like the organizers dragged this guy at gunpoint from his country the day before the marathon, set him up with some quickie sham marraige and divorce, and slapped the U.S. flag on him...

[surrealAmerican]

8. Do they have editors at CNBC?

I can understand how a poorly researched pile of words like this can be generated by a reporter with an agenda. Some editor should have nixed it though.

[TomClash]

9. If you are a naturalized American citizen you are MORE of an American

You actually had to pass a test Sarah Palin and Joe the Phony Plumber probably couldn't pass!

:patriot:

[madrchsod]

13. i had a hard time answering a lady that was applying for her citizenship

she studied her test when the line was down and she`d ask me if her answers were right.....i got more than a couple wrong. sort of embarrassing for a former political science minor

[Altoid_Cyclist]

10. CNBC however is an American joke.

Maybe they should ask if all of the military members who have been killed or wounded in Iraq & Afghanistan (not to mention previous wars) but weren't born here are real Americans also.

With BS ??reporting?? like this from the corporate media, I think that I would gladly give up my US citizenship in exchange for a Canadian or European citizenship right now just to escape the Orwellian attitude in the US.

[CrispyQ]

11. The reporter should be forced to take the naturalization test

& if he fails, he's no longer an American.

What a fucking asshole.

[Nikki Stone1]

12. WHAT? What happened to "a nation of immigrants" ?

Enrico Fermi is counted as an American scientist even though he was an immigrant. He helped the US get the bomb.

[spanone]

14. so if you become a citizen of the USA you are not an american???? not in my fucking world

[NoodleyAppendage]

15. Headline translation: "He's NOT White" n/t

J

[madrchsod]

16. i bet northwestern university(evanston, illinois) is really proud of him today

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15837978

[fascisthunter]

18. it's like all the spoiled brainwashed frat kids became tv personalities

to shove their weird fascist view on the rest of us.

[HughBeaumont]

19. CNBC: Challenging Faux for America's Crappiest Channel.

Chances are, if you didn't fall out of the right womb, CNBC HATES YOU!

[ej510]

29. LMFAO!

Kudlow is sertainly not going to do the job with his outrageous style, and confusing numbers, and incredibly poor record as a business analyst, and prognosticator of economic trends. Even the Right can see trough his constant mistakes.

If CNBC wants to take away viewers from Fox the are going to have to go to the Right of Fox..... And hope their show hosts are not taken away from the set in a straight jacket . After all, to go to the Right of the likes of Glen Beck, and top his derranged behavior would truly demand some Psychopath on LSD as the show anchor.

I personally would recomend CNBC to replace Kudlow's with Sarah Palin . Just look at the possibilities of having her appear every day wearing a mini-mini skirt, and a short wet T-shirt with the legend " WallStreet is HOT" . All she would have to say every day (while crossing, and un-crossing her legs for the camera) is "Obama sucks" .

That's it. Keep the attacks simple, and repetitive, don't pretend you have a brain (that makes the Right wing angry) , and make her flash her panties now and then...... Ratings will go to the roof !!!!!

http://www.newsweek.com/id/210538/output/comments

[JonQ]

20. One of the great things about this country is

whether you just took your oath of citizenship or your family has been here since the mayflower you are exactly as much an american as anyone else. We don't have degrees of americaness, either you are or you aren't.

This guy is an american and would probably be annoyed to be described as not a real american.

Shame on the author of that article for introducing distrust and segregation needlessly.

[tyedyeto]

21. On the cnbc page you linked:

Questions? Comments? [e-mail]

Email his ass and tell him what you think.

I did.

[la_chupa]

22. would he be more "American" if he were oh say WHITE

It's a fair question.

[la_chupa]

23. I'm kinda nervous to try this.

http://www.immigrationquiz.com/?gclid=CJ6T0uKn750CFYZM5QodFTv7Lw

[dana_b]

24. "by virtue of him becoming a citizen in 1998"

what part of that is so difficult for people to comprehend? Does that mean that anyone who wasn't born here but becomes a citizen is somehow a "lesser" American or realy NOT an American?

"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS"

[tyedyeto]

25. He printed a retraction of sorts today:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/33603449

[PVnRT]

26. Hey CNBC - we're all from fucking Africa

[unblock]

27. "technically" american -- BECAUSE HE'S A CITIZEN

he's as american as natural-born unblock, with only one exception:
he can never be president.

well, strike that. on the off chance he's a republican, i'm sure they'd amend the constitution to permit it.

[central scrutinizer]

28. Melting pot, schmelting pot

Orly Taitz - white courtesy phone please

[ej510]

30. He's a brotha so he only counts as 3/5's of a man.