An underreported fact about a macaca
Articles have been written about Sen. George Allen's repeated use of the term "macaca" for a man of Indian descent, and the articles usually say that macaca is a genus of monkeys. Some reports have mentioned the term can be a racial slur.
What has been seldom mentioned, though, is that macaca is a racial slur in Europe, and among Europeans living in North Africa, for example. And where did Allen's mother, who is of European descent, live before emmigrating to the states? French-occupied Tunisia. Look it up.
Perhaps Allen did mean to say "mohawk," as his campaign has suggested, and he reached for the first word that came to mind. Perhaps the first word that came to mind was a term he had heard his mother use as a child.
Interesting Rorschach, Freudian slip, whatever you want to call it.
Watch the incident unfold on Youtube.
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(Side note: Allen's opponent in the race is James Webb, a Vietnam vet Marine who went on to become secretary of the Navy. He also wrote one of my favorite books, a novel based in Vietnam called "Fields of Fire.")
What has been seldom mentioned, though, is that macaca is a racial slur in Europe, and among Europeans living in North Africa, for example. And where did Allen's mother, who is of European descent, live before emmigrating to the states? French-occupied Tunisia. Look it up.
Perhaps Allen did mean to say "mohawk," as his campaign has suggested, and he reached for the first word that came to mind. Perhaps the first word that came to mind was a term he had heard his mother use as a child.
Interesting Rorschach, Freudian slip, whatever you want to call it.
Watch the incident unfold on Youtube.
###
(Side note: Allen's opponent in the race is James Webb, a Vietnam vet Marine who went on to become secretary of the Navy. He also wrote one of my favorite books, a novel based in Vietnam called "Fields of Fire.")
posted by bp at
5:47 AM
2 Comments:
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bp, at 10:42 AM
Yeah, Allen has a great opportunity to play the victim card, and bloggers and other supporters not directly affiliated with his campaign can use the incident as a reason to call Webb and his team "the PC police."
People can get out of hand with PC (Mike would probably say that I'm a good example of that : )) but Allen showed his true colors as a bully/jerk with his comments. Maybe he's not racist, but he appears at least to be a jerk - a powerful senator, calling out and ridiculing a 20-year-old kid.
By
bp, at 10:44 AM
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