We didn’t realize 89-year-old Furman Bisher was still penning columns for the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION until today. We read him during our time at the University of Georgia and often saw him puttering around the press box at old Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta.
Bisher was born in 1918, so we’re guessing World War II had quite an impact on his life. Actually, no need to guess, just read his piece in the AJC today about MLB opening its season in Japan. We’re guessing the night desk editors squirmed before hitting “publish” on it.
Bisher:
Well, not any longer. Money can change any habit. Eight springs ago the Mets and Cubs opened the season, not in Cincinnati. Guess where? Tokyo. That Tokyo, the guys who gave us Pearl Harbor. Some people don’t like you to bring that up, trade with Japan is so hot. But I’ve got a long memory. I saw what a few bombs can do to our property.
While we respect Bisher’s perspective on the subject of WWII, he might ask the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki what a few bombs did to their property.
And sadly, Bisher also couldn’t get out of the column without dropping an “Oriental” on us: “Why not? A Japanese newspaper chain, Yomiuri, foots the bill for this Oriental excursion.”
Is it time for someone on Peachtree Street to pull the ripcord on Bisher’s career? Are we overreacting?
1:33 pm on March 26th, 2008
There’s a segment of fans everywhere who still hate Bisher for something over the length of his career. The fact that any editor let this get into print is sad.
I learned a while ago that if you mention Bisher’s name to Alabama fans, you will get a stream of cursing that can’t simply be chalked up to Tourette’s.
1:35 pm on March 26th, 2008
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more you really have to blame the editors. Who lets “Oriental” slip through?
1:53 pm on March 26th, 2008
If it makes Bisher happy, we can rename the event from “Opening Day” to the “Commodore Matthew Perry Invitational”.
3:03 pm on March 26th, 2008
So now ‘Oriental’ is a bad word? When did that happen?
God, will the political correctness ever end?
3:37 pm on March 26th, 2008
okay sum1 needs to shoot the old man or hang him to dry cuz im tired of these old skooz who are out of date and just need to pass on just die old man die
6:00 pm on March 26th, 2008
“Who lets “Oriental” slip through?”
Hear hear. I buy it the minute I land on that space.
7:20 pm on March 26th, 2008
In the context of the piece, I think Oriental would’ve been best left to the delete button.
Maybe the editors deliberately leave his stuff alone, because once you start editing, you probably can’t stop.
Kind of like Lay’s.
7:48 pm on March 26th, 2008
Are you overreacting? Well, yes, but only if you’re not consumed by political correctness. Mr. Bisher was 23 when the Empire of Japan sucker-punched our fleet at Pearl Harbor. I don’t know if he fought in the war but I presume that he did. I’m sure that some of his friends and family members were killed or wounded during that struggle.
So, now he has less than kind words for the the nation that plunged us into WWII, and you’re shocked? Grow up. First off, we nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the war, not to start it, so park your moral equivalence somewhere else. Second, “oriental” is not the a bad word, or so says my oriental wife. Oh, her parents grew up under the Japanese occupation and have nothing good to say about their oppressors, so cut Mr. Bisher a little damn slack.
10:09 pm on March 26th, 2008
I’m surprised Bisher didn’t end his column with “We should Nip it in the bud.”
11:49 am on March 27th, 2008
aldo, we nuked Japan in order to show Russia we had the bomb, and were willing to use it. The war was already ending.
Pick up a book sometime.
I suppose you’re one of those people who thinks Japan didn’t invade because we have the 2nd amendment as well
4:24 pm on March 27th, 2008
“oriental” is not an offensive term when used in connection with a land mass (as Bisher used it). It is only deemed offensive (by some) when used in connection with people (where the term “Asian” is preferred.
7:28 pm on March 27th, 2008
Hey bovandy, I pick up books all the time. Unlike you, though, I actually read them. The Japs (ahhhhh, offensive hate speach!) were going to fight to the bloody end. Nuking them saved more lives (ours and theirs) than you care to know.
As to the Japs invading us, well, they did. Look it up. It happened in the Aleutian Islands. I believe you can find it in a book.