George Allen "Is" a Racist
Ok, I'll try to set this up as a hypothetical and then we'll analyze Virginia Senator George Allen's racist comments. Imagine there is this guy you know who used to obsess over the Confederacy. You remember, the racist government from the southern states of America that fought to keep the institution of slavery. And every now and then, he would use this word "nigger" as another word for African-Americans. This word happened to be the same word Confederates and a Christian group called the KKK used as a derogatory term for African-Americans.
His mother was from Tunisia, a place in North Africa that was colonized by the French. In Tunisia, the French used to call Africans, macacas, a derogatory term meaning monkey. Anyhow, Although he was of jewish descent, she raised this boy to believe he was a good white Protestant, not a Jew, because Jews were not deserving of respect back in those early days. Then one day, he became a Governor and decorated his office in a confederate motif to showcase the pride of the South. Rising through the political ranks, he became a state Senator. However, during one mid-term election an opponent of his sent a young man who looked African American to film one of his speeches. Beginning his speech, he turns to the young camera man and calls him a macaca, the same word used in Tunisia, the place from where his mother was born. Then he says, "Welcome to America!" as if the man wasn't a US-born citizen.
The political fall out for this senator was not good. Many called him a racist, yet in his defense, he said that he didn't know the word was racist and that he just made it up.
Would you believe him?
This brings us to U.S. Senator George Allen (R-VA), for this is his dilemma. I know it's hard to believe, especially in this day and age, but it really happened. Senator Allen publicly castigated his opponent's volunteer, SR Sidarth, calling him a "macaca," coupled with a "Welcome to America."
Born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia, Sidarth is of Indian ancestry, but never the less an American. Surely Allen didn't know this piece of information when he used this racist term, so it bears to ask the question: was Allen looking at skin color when he said this? If so, then can one accurately assume Allen is racist?
Now, I can't help but think that Chris Matthew's renewed interest in this story is because of a strongly worded email I sent to him early August after reading the Hardball transcripts from the first night this news aired. At the end of his show that night, Chris laughed, taking a rather light-hearted approach to Allen's obvious racism. Here is that email in its entirety:
Dear Chris,
I found your light-hearted, jovial approach to Senator Allen's racist comments eggregious and appalling. Had he used the term "nigger," I don't think you would have laughed at the end of our segment. I truly believe you are one of the best political analysts of our time, Chris, but I think you know better than to approach such a delicate issue of racism with such insensitivity.
Sincerely,
Caleab Thomas Losee
Since this email, Chris has taking a very strong and deliberate approach to this topic, and has stated he is beginning to see a pattern with Allen and racism. To help, after this show aired, many from Allen's past have come forward to admit they heard Allen, on numerous occasions, use the term "nigger." I knew it!
Many analysts look at patterns to find parts of truth. Having a Bachelors degree in English Literature, I was trained for years to look at such patterns in speeches, books, articles etc. Knowing what I now know about Allen, the use of "macaca," the "welcome to America phrase," the testamonials of dozens of people who have heard him repeatedly use the word "nigger," are all patterns of a man who is racist.
Allen's campaign can spin this any way they want, saying he just made up the word macaca, or that the term comes from combining two words mohawk and the Spanish word caca (shit). However, our culture is so race sensitive that sometimes it's easy to imagine racism in places where there is none. Therefore, when someone blatantly uses a racial term that just happens to have been commonly used in the place where his mother was born, it's clear that he is a racist or at the least completely ignorant. If he is that ignorant, he is probably not fit to hold office. Thus, it is up to Virginia voters this November to elect the better man. However, the better man most think of in this case is the misogynist, Jim Webb, a man who has repeatedly said that women are not equal to men.
I've got an idealistic notion! Since both Allen and Webb are actually the wost candidates for Virginia, though they share 97% of the polling, Virginians might want to consider Independent Green Party candidate Gail Parker. But, that's only if Virginians were truly progressive and could think beyond the dual party system. Not likely to happen.
His mother was from Tunisia, a place in North Africa that was colonized by the French. In Tunisia, the French used to call Africans, macacas, a derogatory term meaning monkey. Anyhow, Although he was of jewish descent, she raised this boy to believe he was a good white Protestant, not a Jew, because Jews were not deserving of respect back in those early days. Then one day, he became a Governor and decorated his office in a confederate motif to showcase the pride of the South. Rising through the political ranks, he became a state Senator. However, during one mid-term election an opponent of his sent a young man who looked African American to film one of his speeches. Beginning his speech, he turns to the young camera man and calls him a macaca, the same word used in Tunisia, the place from where his mother was born. Then he says, "Welcome to America!" as if the man wasn't a US-born citizen.
The political fall out for this senator was not good. Many called him a racist, yet in his defense, he said that he didn't know the word was racist and that he just made it up.
Would you believe him?
This brings us to U.S. Senator George Allen (R-VA), for this is his dilemma. I know it's hard to believe, especially in this day and age, but it really happened. Senator Allen publicly castigated his opponent's volunteer, SR Sidarth, calling him a "macaca," coupled with a "Welcome to America."
Born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia, Sidarth is of Indian ancestry, but never the less an American. Surely Allen didn't know this piece of information when he used this racist term, so it bears to ask the question: was Allen looking at skin color when he said this? If so, then can one accurately assume Allen is racist?
Now, I can't help but think that Chris Matthew's renewed interest in this story is because of a strongly worded email I sent to him early August after reading the Hardball transcripts from the first night this news aired. At the end of his show that night, Chris laughed, taking a rather light-hearted approach to Allen's obvious racism. Here is that email in its entirety:
Dear Chris,
I found your light-hearted, jovial approach to Senator Allen's racist comments eggregious and appalling. Had he used the term "nigger," I don't think you would have laughed at the end of our segment. I truly believe you are one of the best political analysts of our time, Chris, but I think you know better than to approach such a delicate issue of racism with such insensitivity.
Sincerely,
Caleab Thomas Losee
Since this email, Chris has taking a very strong and deliberate approach to this topic, and has stated he is beginning to see a pattern with Allen and racism. To help, after this show aired, many from Allen's past have come forward to admit they heard Allen, on numerous occasions, use the term "nigger." I knew it!
Many analysts look at patterns to find parts of truth. Having a Bachelors degree in English Literature, I was trained for years to look at such patterns in speeches, books, articles etc. Knowing what I now know about Allen, the use of "macaca," the "welcome to America phrase," the testamonials of dozens of people who have heard him repeatedly use the word "nigger," are all patterns of a man who is racist.
Allen's campaign can spin this any way they want, saying he just made up the word macaca, or that the term comes from combining two words mohawk and the Spanish word caca (shit). However, our culture is so race sensitive that sometimes it's easy to imagine racism in places where there is none. Therefore, when someone blatantly uses a racial term that just happens to have been commonly used in the place where his mother was born, it's clear that he is a racist or at the least completely ignorant. If he is that ignorant, he is probably not fit to hold office. Thus, it is up to Virginia voters this November to elect the better man. However, the better man most think of in this case is the misogynist, Jim Webb, a man who has repeatedly said that women are not equal to men.
I've got an idealistic notion! Since both Allen and Webb are actually the wost candidates for Virginia, though they share 97% of the polling, Virginians might want to consider Independent Green Party candidate Gail Parker. But, that's only if Virginians were truly progressive and could think beyond the dual party system. Not likely to happen.
posted by Caleab at 1:52 PM
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