Physique model/maths teacher Pietro Boselli has responded to negative comments on Facebook accusing him of racism.
As we reported yesterday, Boselli posted a video on Sunday in which he lifts a Filipino man as part of an impromptu workout routine. As of this post, the vid has garnered 30k reactions and over 4.2K comments.
Related: Pietro Boselli plays strip Rock, Paper, Scissors — and loses.
“So the faq he think about Filipinos,” one commenter writes. “Fucking savages and animals? Approach him really slowly because he is going to start running?”
How about we take this to the next level?
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“This is outrageous,” writes another. “The Filipino man… doesn’t have a name, neither do we see his face clearly, nor do we hear him speak. He is purely an object to be used by the white man, and must be approached ‘slowly because he can get scared and start running,’ just like a wild animal?”
Related: Did Pietro Boselli accidentally show his wares during this photoshoot?
A third commenter writes: “I’m sure you mean well but IMHO this video is in poor taste. Reinforces racial stereotypes by using the Filipino island guy as a prop. Sadly good looking people who try to be funny usually fall short. Agree to disagree.”
On and on. Others told everybody to calm down: “So funny reading comments like he really chased down some filipino stranger and used him to workout,” one commenter states. “It’s obviously his friend.”
“I’m a Filipino and found this funny,” writes another. “Stop being sour grapes! OBVIOUSLY this was meant to be a comedic video! You and your ‘oh, no other race should make fun of us but us’ mentality. You guys definitely need to get your senses checked.”
“Too many people taking this funny video way too seriously,” writes a third.
Boselli has responded to these accusations in a written statement to The Telegraph:
“I am so far removed from racism that I cannot possibly see anything racist about a funny video I have made with my friend Danel (the Filipino man in the video).
“We all have differences but we are all the same as human beings. I have and always will respect everyone.
“If anyone sees any racism in this video, they probably have racism in their head. I and Daniel alike, still think this is a light hearted and funny video.”
What do you think? Is the video problematic, or are people reading far too much into it? Sound off in the comments below.
KaiserVonScheiss
SJWs offended over nothing. Shocker. Social justice is cancer. Pietro did nothing wrong.
ppp111
It’s crap like this that annoys me. It’s obvious both were in on the joke. Seriously, there are more important issues to get upset about like the new Supreme Court judge. Why not show more outrage over Gorsuch? BTW, I’m Filipino and it doesn’t offend me in the least.
Juanjo
While I agree that this was a comedy video that some people are making too big a deal out of and frankly projecting their own views on regardless of where the charecterization is fair. Of Kaiser von trumptroll is doing the same thing by a silly comment about SJWs.
Kangol
Jesus Christ was a social justice warrior, deal with it!
Alan down in Florida
What exactly is a SJW? When I was growing up in my closet it stood for Single Jewish Woman – you know the kind every woman over 40 wants to introduce you to Saturday morning in temple. I finally just quit going.
KaiserVonScheiss
@Juanjo
No, only an SJW twat would get their panties in a bunch over such nonsense. That’s all they do, and all they are good for.
People seeing “racism” in everything is why Trump won? It’s why the right-wing is doing so well. Democrats stopped being the party of the working class and became the party of identity politics.
The left can either grow up or continue to lose elections.
natekerchel
Just because you don’t ‘intend’ racism does not mean it is not there. Also, just because some Filipinos might not be offended also does not mean it is not racist. I can see why people think there is a racist undertone, unintentional though it might be. I also accept that this man did not intend to be racist. Perhaps the answer is that we all need to be more aware of what might be seen as racist, and that comes from educating ourselves. I also agree with the person who said that we should be devoting much more attention to the latest addition to the Supreme Court – this man is much more likely to do harm to all minorities. Why else would trump ram him through?
Kangol
Thank. You.
dporteraustin
perhaps we need not be a snowflake.
ChrisK
Maybe instead of looking for racism where none exists we should save it for the real racism so we don’t look like little boy cry wolves and wear everyone out so everything gets through.
Mandrake
Hello natekerchel! If racism is not intended, and both Pietro and his friend planned this video, how can it possibly be racist?? Given that fact, people who think there are racist undertones in it are either stupid or snowflakes looking for political incorrectness, and they need to get a life.
natekerchel
Mandrake – the point i was making is that racism does not have to be intended for something to be racist or have racial implications. Because you don’t think it is racist does not mean that it isn’t. It is a question of how people understand and interpret. I accept and understand that many people will not see anything racist here. I also accept and understand that others will disagree to varying degrees. That is the nature of a forum like this. It should not be a place where we call people childish names because we disagree with them.
Roan
It’s not racism. It’s just his preference.
/eyeroll
tham
It seems more homoerotic that racist
dporteraustin
Grow up (emotionally). This isn’t racist.
MacAdvisor
I think the two make a cute couple and I am glad Pietro has found someone. Watching them pal around and have fun with each other was very romantic. I look forward to the wedding photos.
Xzamilloh
THIS was viewed as racist?? It was a cute video. Wow, we really have gone too far down the rabbit hole, haven’t we? Congrats, fellow lefties… this is the monster on our hands. The fact that he had to address just shows how sad it is that words like “racist” and “bullying” and “nazi” have been diluted and diminished to being code words for “you hurt my feelings” or “This triggered me”
I contend that if you think that video is “racist”, you don’t know what the hell racism is… pathetic little wimps.
Berkleyguy
There’s nothing racist with what Pietro did. It’s just a silly, sort of inane video.
Jacques
People are reading way too much into this. I thought it was funny as hell.
kurt_t
I’m baffled as to how anyone can read racism into this.
He BGB
I’m wondering where that hand is? Not the one on the man’s back
Greeva
So not racist yet completely hilarious. If anything, Pietro is making fun of any stereotypes. I read most of the racist thinking comments before I watched the video. I purposely watched Danel’s face throughout the entire video, and it was clearly a well planned out partnership and fun video.
Stilinski26
And as always I am assuming those who are offended and calling him racist are white sjws snowflakes not Filipinos or Asians. As an Asian myself I didn’t find this racist at all. We Asians have really thick skin and we don’t get offended on petty things like this.
tomk1of1
Who is going to run away from Peter B. WHO??? Lol
Jack Meoff
I applaud Boselli’s response to this. He has addressed the issue and his detractors with facts and without being defensive or reactionary. Well done. Political correctness has gone to far and people are basically sucking the fun out of life with it.
tomk1of1
You can be like a right wing wacko with ultra PC liberalism. EXTREMES VOID OF RATIONAL THOUGHT.
If you can not see how this had nothing to do with harm in any way,…well I think some look for problems everywhere.
This was beautiful,silly fun and harmless. If anything it is a celebration,nothing wrong here.NOTHING…
highestbidder
Waaaaaahhh
LARRY
RACIST?? F***TARDS!!! Thought the damn thing was cute as heck!
avesraggiana
I’m Filipino and I’m not offended in the least. I am however, EXTREMELY jealous that Danel was chosen over me. Fabulous, wonderful, gorgeous ME! Grrrr……..
Herman75
One could almost taste the offensive rice queen undertones. So offensive to our gay Pinoy brothers.
😉
Enjoy contemplating all that as we’re marched back into out lane by the alt-right.
JaredMacBride
If you are offended by this you are just looking for something to be offended about. Instead try getting a job, or a pet. Then learn to relax and enjoy life a little.
assiandude
The cute and sexy vid is funny but does paint Boselli as a superior white male who treats his Filipino friend as an object or “less than” himself. In that viewpoint this can be interpreted as, but this video just makes fun of Boselli’s public persona of being an “alpha male”. It may perpetuate some stereotype, but it was was basically gay humor. The definition of racism, however has a hurtful side in it. I don’t think that anyone seeing this, felt it was designed or intended to be hurtful. I think the other issue is akin to sexual harassment. I don’t think there are many gay men of any race who would think there is a negative side of Boselli wanting to hunt them out to play with them and the vid has an undercurrent of sexual attraction towards an asian guy. I imagine if someone much less attractive were to make a similar video, it would be viewed as racist/offensive.
BriBri
#TriggerMeTimbers
Chris
Everything offends someone.
jud
Geez, what’s the big deal? It could have been in Hawaii with a Hawaiian? or New York with a New Yorker? or Brazil with a Brazilian?
It was cute and clever–and I don’t get anything racial or anything else from this!
Hey man, you and your friend had fun–go for it!
sfhairy
oh dear god, millennials in an uproar over nothing. unfortunately, not surprising.
CanadianGuy62
Had he used a white guy, people would have been complaining about the lack of diversity in the video.
SpireaX
I get it. To the white males whose comments basically boils down to, “This video doesn’t offend me so it can’t possibly by racist,” or “It’s meant/supposed to be funny it’s not racist” or “It’s not racist ‘cuz they’re friends/know each other!”
Jesus Christ – stop! Just stop seeing images through the lens of your eyes, stop processing thoughts in your insulated minds, and stop hearing every sound through inexperienced ears. What you experience may not be what I see, think or hear.
Unless you’ve experienced discrimination through racism, don’t. Don’t touch the subject with a 10-ft pole. And no, participatng in social justice protests, having minority friends or being a member of a civil rights org doesn’t entitle you ignorant buffoons to spew out opinions that minimize how we feel. Sure, you’re entitled to your opinion. But don’t ever downplay what we non-whites see.
I started watching Pietro’s video expecting a lot of brouhaha over nothing. I don’t think he is a racist. I actually think he’s a nice guy; I’m a fan.
But watching the first 2 minutes of the clip made me uncomfortable for the same reasons as those whose sentiments were cited by Queerty. It was not amusing to watch a minority stalked like some game that needed to be bagged.
Just stop, please. This isn’t about politics, humor or misguided outrage but everything to do with a social phenomenon that entitles, allows and fosters the lines of thinking something can’t be real because one can’t/won’t/feel the same things another person can.
And finally, just because other Filipinos offered up their opinions they didn’t find the vid racist STILL doesn’t make the video not racist.