With the mere mention of one word, "Macaca" Senator George Allen introduced a new and terrible word into American Culture -- and a new personality in S.R Sidarth, the man he insulted (pictured) -- and as much as Mel Gibson will be associated with anti-semitism, Senator Allen will be joined at the hip with this new term. It's a terrible contribution to American Culture by one who should know better. Given the video, and the ease with which Senator Allen made the remark, and the fact that he's a politician, it's fair to ask if Senator Allen had a few cocktails before he got up and ran off at the mouth.
It certainly seems so.
Senator Allen issued this statement to CNN:
"I'm concerned that my comments at Breaks Interstate Park on August 11th have been greatly misunderstood by members of the media.
"In singling out the Webb campaign's cameraman, I was trying to make the point that Jim Webb had never been to that part of Virginia -- and I encouraged him to bring the tape back to Jim and welcome him to the real world of Virginia and America, outside the Beltway, where he has rarely visited. I also made up a nickname for the cameraman, which was in no way intended to be racially derogatory. Any insinuations to the contrary are completely false.
"Yesterday, I apologized to anyone who may have offended by the misinterpretation of my remarks. That was certainly not my intent. On every stop on my Listening Tour -- I have talked about one of my missions for this country -- to make it a land of opportunity for all. I have worked very hard in the Senate to reach out to all Americans -- regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity or gender. And I look forward to continuing to advocate this important mission for America's future. I never want to embarrass or demean anyone and I apologize if my comments offended this young man. Even though he has signed onto my opponent’s campaign, I look forward to seeing him on the trail ahead.
What Senator Allen doens't explain is just how he came to use the term Macaca. I'll bet he got it from someone else at a party, and I will bet that someone was using the term in a racist way. The question of what Senator Allen knew about this term and when he knew it isn't going away anytime soon...
Well, just as I wrote that, I went over to the Daily Kos and learned that George Allen's own Mom may have used the term.
Here's a taste of the over 300 comments on this matter over there:
"There's some good authority around that American good ole' boys of a certain class, such as one indubitably can find in Virginia, have been using the term privately for several centuries. Do not fall for the mush-mouth act (or assume it had to be the exotic mother). Allen took a chance in order to send a signal, thinking the plusses beat the minusses and that crypto-racism is the new order of the day. We shall see."
If Allen was doing it to "shore up his base" then why doens't that work for Mel Gibson?
Just a question.
No comments:
Post a Comment