"I feel in my heart that it is important to shed some light on this week' earlier events, regarding Tyler Manawaroa's "racist instagram photo."
The picture was brought to my attention, via twitter by a close friend of mine. Upon seeing this picture, which is simply racist and ignorant at best, I was immediately filled with disgust and upset. Clearly, it hit a nerve very close to home and was very upsetting for me to see. Letting my feelings of upset and outrage get the best of me in that particular moment, I immediately took to twitter, calling Tyler out and referring to him as a racist.
For all the Tyler fans that happen to be upset with me for publicly bringing light to this photo, it's important for you all to know, that this is a serious matter to me. Growing up, I was the only "black" kid in an all white and first nations community. And as such, I was constantly picked on, left out and discriminated against, simply, because of the color of my skin. As many of my loyal fans know I am an advocate for anti racism and campaigning for the war on racism against all people, especially first nations people and the injustice that is being served to them; all of which includes the struggles that members of my family must endure on a daily basis. This is something I value and hold dear to my heart. So, as you can imagine, when I saw the post, my immediate and initial reaction was to call him out. However, it wasn't until later, that it was brought to my attention that the post was made well over a year ago, when Tyler still happened to be in high school. Being young isn't an excuse for this type of ignorance, but now that my mind and heart are no longer clouded by the negative emotions this picture evoked in me, I can honestly agree with the fact that, he was only 17. We all have made mistakes and done things that we may or may not have regretted at that age. I understand now, that the post wasn't intended to hurt people. However, unfortunately, remarks such as these can and will hurt people, regardless of the intent. It's important when working in a non-conformist industry, especially a career in the public eye, that we are cautious as to what we share via social media. Negative things, will eventually come to light through one way or another.
It is my hope, that we all can take away a lesson from this unfortunate event and truly think about how these jokes and comments can affect and hurt other people. Posting something on sensitive topics such as this will inevitably, always be controversial and raise eyebrows. There has been way too much suffering amongst many races in this world over the course of time. We are all aware of the fact, that it is a serious matter and it does affect people in a very negative way; to joke about it, regardless of intent, will not sit well with many people.
All in all, I would like to apologize to Tyler for how I handled this particular situation. As upsetting as it was at the time, I realize there are some things I should have done differently. I never anticipated that his contract would be revoked nor was that my wish for him. Through all of this, I have learned that the next time I am upset, I will take the time to clear the ill feelings before acting on them. As I mentioned earlier, any negative, controversial subject we post via social media, whether it is in the past or present, may come with a consequence. I cannot turn back the hands of time, nor can he. But we can all move forward taking away the lessons learned. Tyler is young and has plenty of time to turn things around with his career. A part of living is learning by making mistakes and growing. That is something we all will and have done along our journey in life. I wish Tyler, nothing but the best in his future."
Only thing I car about this dude is that he will be cut in two fights and never have to see or hear about his bitch ass again.
Have you ever seen Kajan fight? He doesn't suck, dude.
I've been watching him fight the past few years and I was wondering when he would get a shot in the UFC. Before the TUF began, I picked him to win the whole thing.
BigWilliam - Classy on Kajan's part but completely not needed. Tyler posted that shit and he is paying the price for it.
Ultimately this. Well worded and nice decent response from Kajan but completely unnecessary. Especially given the fact that as someone else pointed out, it's not Kajan's fault that the UFC (in what seems to be a more and more typical fashion) knee-jerked a reaction seemingly without doing research or conversation and canceled his contract.
To be clear, I don't think Tyler should've posted it to begin with and deserves some shit for it. But Dana's "burn these motherfuckers to the ground" gut-reaction is getting a little crazy, imho.
Karan did nothing wrong, and he's a sick fighter. As for Manawaroa, he's still just a teenager, don't act like he's this super mature adult now and has pulled a 180 and is no racist anymore at all.
"I feel in my heart that it is important to shed some light on this week' earlier events, regarding Tyler Manawaroa's "racist instagram photo."
The picture was brought to my attention, via twitter by a close friend of mine. Upon seeing this picture, which is simply racist and ignorant at best, I was immediately filled with disgust and upset. Clearly, it hit a nerve very close to home and was very upsetting for me to see. Letting my feelings of upset and outrage get the best of me in that particular moment, I immediately took to twitter, calling Tyler out and referring to him as a racist.
For all the Tyler fans that happen to be upset with me for publicly bringing light to this photo, it's important for you all to know, that this is a serious matter to me. Growing up, I was the only "black" kid in an all white and first nations community. And as such, I was constantly picked on, left out and discriminated against, simply, because of the color of my skin. As many of my loyal fans know I am an advocate for anti racism and campaigning for the war on racism against all people, especially first nations people and the injustice that is being served to them; all of which includes the struggles that members of my family must endure on a daily basis. This is something I value and hold dear to my heart. So, as you can imagine, when I saw the post, my immediate and initial reaction was to call him out. However, it wasn't until later, that it was brought to my attention that the post was made well over a year ago, when Tyler still happened to be in high school. Being young isn't an excuse for this type of ignorance, but now that my mind and heart are no longer clouded by the negative emotions this picture evoked in me, I can honestly agree with the fact that, he was only 17. We all have made mistakes and done things that we may or may not have regretted at that age. I understand now, that the post wasn't intended to hurt people. However, unfortunately, remarks such as these can and will hurt people, regardless of the intent. It's important when working in a non-conformist industry, especially a career in the public eye, that we are cautious as to what we share via social media. Negative things, will eventually come to light through one way or another.
It is my hope, that we all can take away a lesson from this unfortunate event and truly think about how these jokes and comments can affect and hurt other people. Posting something on sensitive topics such as this will inevitably, always be controversial and raise eyebrows. There has been way too much suffering amongst many races in this world over the course of time. We are all aware of the fact, that it is a serious matter and it does affect people in a very negative way; to joke about it, regardless of intent, will not sit well with many people.
All in all, I would like to apologize to Tyler for how I handled this particular situation. As upsetting as it was at the time, I realize there are some things I should have done differently. I never anticipated that his contract would be revoked nor was that my wish for him. Through all of this, I have learned that the next time I am upset, I will take the time to clear the ill feelings before acting on them. As I mentioned earlier, any negative, controversial subject we post via social media, whether it is in the past or present, may come with a consequence. I cannot turn back the hands of time, nor can he. But we can all move forward taking away the lessons learned. Tyler is young and has plenty of time to turn things around with his career. A part of living is learning by making mistakes and growing. That is something we all will and have done along our journey in life. I wish Tyler, nothing but the best in his future."
da Vinci 81 - The fact so many people have jumped up to defend Tyler for a clearly racist photo is what's sickening. Kajan did nothing wrong aside from helping to show that being a racist asshole still carries some consequences.
...but it's typical, and they'll use any backwards, biased, bullshit point to make it be anything other than what it is, like don't trust your lying eyes.
People are researching genealogy to prove this dude is black enough to call people the n-word. LOL
Meanwhile, if Rampage calls somebody white they'll lose their gotdamn minds.
Welcome to the Tyler cause, it will be over soon, at least until another person does something racist and gets called out for it. Won't be long either....
And the worst part is Tyler has gained more recognition and support now than he ever would have without being outed as a racist. Nobody watches TUF nations or cared about it but suddenly he's the poster boy for the poor misunderstood bigots of the world.
We don't understand their culture. Oh wait, now EVERYBODY is Australian and Australian stands for chigaboo!
Yeah that's it, blast an entire nation and paint them all with the same brush to prove how much of a fuckin hypocrite you are. I AM Australian, I AM NOT racist, and I Do NOT condone in any of what Tyler posted, but the way some people are slamming my country is pissing me off. If your not from here, you don't know shit about our culture and how it works so stfu.
da Vinci 81 - The fact so many people have jumped up to defend Tyler for a clearly racist photo is what's sickening. Kajan did nothing wrong aside from helping to show that being a racist asshole still carries some consequences.
...but it's typical, and they'll use any backwards, biased, bullshit point to make it be anything other than what it is, like don't trust your lying eyes.
People are researching genealogy to prove this dude is black enough to call people the n-word. LOL
Meanwhile, if Rampage calls somebody white they'll lose their gotdamn minds.
Welcome to the Tyler cause, it will be over soon, at least until another person does something racist and gets called out for it. Won't be long either....
And the worst part is Tyler has gained more recognition and support now than he ever would have without being outed as a racist. Nobody watches TUF nations or cared about it but suddenly he's the poster boy for the poor misunderstood bigots of the world.
We don't understand their culture. Oh wait, now EVERYBODY is Australian and Australian stands for chigaboo!
You are are fuckwit. You know nothing about Australian culture so shut the fuck up.
Herman Munster - ^ buddy assumes Kajan is no good because he has 9 losses. Stupid mistake that future opponents better not make. Kajan entered mma as a pro at 17 years old before mma got big. He learned the sport by taking his early lumps in the cage/ring, but to his credit stuck with it. He's gone 13-2-1 since 2004, and his skill level is absolutely at the UFC level now..
I agree 100%. I saw him fight years ago in TKO when he still had dreadlocks, and i'll be honest, I wasn't a fan. He was loud, and brash, and arrogant - or at least that is how he came across to me then.
I saw him again many years later and he was the complete opposite. He was very skilled and had a great attitude. I believe that was the fight against Claveau, part 2. I was really impressed and have been a fan ever since.
da Vinci 81 - The fact so many people have jumped up to defend Tyler for a clearly racist photo is what's sickening. Kajan did nothing wrong aside from helping to show that being a racist asshole still carries some consequences.
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...but it's typical, and they'll use any backwards, biased, bullshit point to make it be anything other than what it is, like don't trust your lying eyes.</p>
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People are researching genealogy to prove this dude is black enough to call people the n-word. LOL</p>
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Meanwhile, if Rampage calls somebody white they'll lose their gotdamn minds.</p>
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Welcome to the Tyler cause, it will be over soon, at least until another person does something racist and gets called out for it. Won't be long either....</p>
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</p>
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And the worst part is Tyler has gained more recognition and support now than he ever would have without being outed as a racist. Nobody watches TUF nations or cared about it but suddenly he's the poster boy for the poor misunderstood bigots of the world. <img alt="Phone Post 3.0" border="0" src="/images/phone/apple.png" style="vertical-align:middle;" /></blockquote>
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We don't understand their culture. Oh wait, now EVERYBODY is Australian and Australian stands for chigaboo!</p>
</blockquote>
You are are fuckwit. You know nothing about Australian culture so shut the fuck up. <img alt="Phone Post 3.0" border="0" src="/images/phone/apple.png" style="vertical-align:middle;" /></blockquote>
I know that the residents we have on this board defending this idiot as black are braindead fuckfaces.
Get your own culture and stop claiming you're somebody else so you can insult people.
PS: Fuck you and your 'cultural misunderstanding'. The only misunderstanding here is that you don't understand American racism which is why you have an onslaught of support from people who won't give one shit anymore when that fool loses.
Kazp306 - Its really too bad people cant wrap their heads around the fact that people have been called n***er in other countries longer than black people have been in america just for being darker coloured.
Kazp306 - Its really too bad people cant wrap their heads around the fact that people have been called n***er in other countries longer than black people have been in america just for being darker coloured.
Prove this statement.
What a mistake your mother made by sitting on that wet patch on the end of your fathers bed.
As I thought, a red herring. Guys like you do this often to co-op the meaning of the word instead of providing proper context. You didn't even read the link you provided. In Latin niger meant 'black', and in several other languages it simply meant 'black'. That is NOT what it means now, because it was redifined by slave traders. Even your link says the meaning changed over time. If nigger just meant 'black' in it's current incarnation nobody would give one shit. Also, black people were discribed as black, THIS would not be black back then in any form or fashion:
America is what brought the word nigger to it's current derogatory form. Period. There is no debate about that.
Kazp306 - Its really too bad people cant wrap their heads around the fact that people have been called n***er in other countries longer than black people have been in america just for being darker coloured.
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Prove this statement.</p>
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</p>
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What a mistake your mother made by sitting on that wet patch on the end of your fathers bed. <img alt="Phone Post 3.0" border="0" src="/images/phone/apple.png" style="vertical-align:middle;" /></blockquote>
Not nearly as much as your 2 Dads deciding that they need a test tube baby. I'm not intimidated by you muthafuckas.
I just want to say that Kajan isnt a saint himself. I watched one of his local fights here in Prince George (a couple hours from his home town) where he was going off with his "native pride" and how he got his start fighting rednecks and hicks (apparently the non-native population of Burns Lk). I like Kajan, and he has matured, but his actions at that time were hardly different that Tylers, so why the anti-racism push from him?
CanadianCowboy - I just want to say that Kajan isnt a saint himself. I watched one of his local fights here in Prince George (a couple hours from his home town) where he was going off with his "native pride" and how he got his start fighting rednecks and hicks (apparently the non-native population of Burns Lk). I like Kajan, and he has matured, but his actions at that time were hardly different that Tylers, so why the anti-racism push from him?
We believe you. Let me guess, 'rednecks and hicks' has the same meaning there too?
ABE, for all your judgementalism, let me ask you this. When you were a kid, talking shit with your friends, did you ever - be honest - ever make a derogatory comment about any other race, gender, sexual preference?
Because honestly, I don't know any genuine honest human who never made a derogatory comment as a teenager, whether meant in humour, our made out of ignorance. This is especially true for kids that grew up in less than ideal circumstances and weren't exposed to other cultures, lifestyles or given the education to make proper choices.
You can sit on your seats of moral judgement and cast stones at him, but we all know intent is the biggest part of any slur. If anyone uses that word or any other word with malice and intention then it horrible and shamefully ignorant. If it is not meant with malice or hatred, then it is no more than naive and stupid, perhaps immature.
Before you want you want to sit there judging Tyler, ask yourself honestly if you as a teenager ever called someone a faggot. Or similar. Because seriously, the kid is wrong, very wrong and its been made clear to him, but your judgementalism and self righteousness is pretty obnoxious as well.
And as far as Kajan,calling him out like that was a snitch move, he is in the house with him and should have addressed it man to man, before resorting to the internet to bring a kid into disrepute that could haunt him for the rest of his life potentially.
The whole thing has been handled disgustingly right from the initial picture and hashtags, all the way thru to the responses on the net.
