Washington Post Distorts Alleged Allen Slur

A Washington Post Editorial addressing a recent gaffe by Virginia Senator George Allen, actually mis-characterizes the incident. The line "Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia" had nothing to do with anyone's race, or presumed country of origin. It followed directly on the heels of Allen lambasting opponent Webb for being off with the Hollywood elite. It was that contrast Allen was attempting to draw as you can see here.

The idea that holding up minorities to public scorn in front of an all-white crowd will elicit chortles and guffaws? (It did.) The idea that a candidate for public office can say "Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia!" to an American of Indian descent and really mean nothing offensive by it?

Obviously, Allen meant nothing offensive as regards the man's apparent Indian heritage in the sense the Post implies with his "Welcome to America" comment.

Also, if an individual takes on the task of dogging a political campaign with a video camera for the opposition, being held up to scorn doesn't sound like such a bad thing to me. Perhaps the Webb campaign is taking a page from NBC's Dateline. The show felt the need to send Muslims to NASCAR races in attempts to draw camera worthy responses from the mostly white crowd.

Such programming is as about as worthy as the gotcha politics we're now seeing from the Webb campaign. As Webb likely can't get elected for his experience or positions, perhaps race baiting sensationalist fodder for an all too politically correct America is the only real hope he has.

Comments

[Dan Riehl]

You morons should try reading more than one thread, you'll see that I have called Bush a failed President. And part of that is because of excessive government spending. See? Seriously, you have no idea what you are talking about. But that doesn't stop you from running on at the mouth. You have Allen in your sights, and anyone who gets in the way with reasonableness is automatically that which you hate most - aka Bush. Amazing.

[Rick]

yawn

[Blue Patriot]

Oh, We all stand corrected. You're not so ignorant as to still back the worst President ever, after 6 years of craptastic un-leadership, so we should give you and Allen a pass for your current retarded comments. That sounds logical.
The thing is, what I hate most is a lying racist asshat. Now, I'm not saying you're an asshat, Dan, but you are an apologist. That's pretty far up on the short list, too.
Also, Allen is definitely a racist asshat. Or is the sky yellow in the Riehl world?

[Charles Warren]

I keep forgetting, Dan Riehl.

What exactly is "independent" about defending a racist because he happens to be a Republican ? You have shown yourself to be a right wing authoritarian who cares nothing about the truth or integrity. You will defend and excuse any amount of racism if it comes from your side. You will spin and twist and insult (and your insults would matter if you had any moral or intellectual integrity at all instead of just partisan hate) instead of facing and telling the truth.

[Doug]

The man who says

"It's a pity the American Left is so woefully immature and overly judgmental of everything it opposes."

. . . goes on to write:

"Oh, did I mention you are a bunch of macaca's?

"Geesh! Find something important to obsess about. And I see this Sid-whatever turns out to be just another whinny ass Liberal monkey! (shutter) Did I just say that???? I must be Howard freaking Cosell. blah blah blah

"I hate you chicken shit thought police types more than anything because I appreciate freedom, something you totalitarian nutjobs would give up in a minute for a healthcare program you evidently can't work to afford - and aretirement you probably haven't earned."

and

"Heavens, another spluge dribbling all too French monkey wanders in."

Goodness, I'm so sorry we haven't been meeting your standards of maturity and non-judgmentalism, which are clearly lofty.

[Nac Dasty]

You people better stop. You are goung to make Dan cry. Seriously, he is quite the macaca. By the way, calling Bush a failed president is like getting a tattoo, everybody is doing it, so you get no points for that.

[elemental]

So you prove you're a slimey bigot and then scream hysterically about how anyone who doesn't like slimey bigots must hate freedom?

yeah you're a Republican.

[Nathan]

mssr riehl,

you watched the video, where allen turns and gets the crowd to stare at the kid and then uses a funny soundin' name to refer to the funny lookin' foreign kid and says "welcome to america" and yet you think it was addressed to jim webb?

ha, that's a good one.

tbh, i dont think allen is dumb enough to use a word he knows is a slur in public, but, to any objective observer, he was clearly clowning the ethnic kid for the white audience's amusement. this is not the behavior that is befitting a senator or president, or anyone with a real job for that matter.

[Rob in NoVA]

Allen's younger sister is a known authoress; Allen himself was a practicing thespian and has also been know to to masticate in public and practice celibacy in the streets...

His constituency needs to know these things!

[DrPuma]

If his mother French-Tunisian, does that make her a "Macaca"? And if so, is Mr. Allen then also a "Macaca"?

The answer is no unless Allen's mother is a "native" Tunisisan rather than a French colonialist, as I suspect she is. As with most of these kinds of racist remarks, the operative detail is skin color.

[blog responder]

It seems many are trying to pretend that "macaque" is some kind of non-existant French oddity--but the evidence here (tons of examples from racist websites) shows that the word is alive and well among English-speaking white supremacists...

http://jeffrey-feldman.typepad.com/frameshop/2006/08/frameshop_macac.html#more

[Dan Riehl]

but the evidence here (tons of examples from racist websites) shows that the word is alive and well among English-speaking white supremacists

Which means absolutely nothing. Suddenly people are responsible for every derivation of every word on every internet site in the world? LOL What rubbish.

[Dan Riehl]

Ok,
I admit it. I was wrong. And I also have sex with my mother. Regularly.

[Macaca Allen]

Regardless of your view, as an American you must be willing to concede that it was an action befitting a one-time political hopeful. Which makes this event all the more news-worthy as it comes from a politically savy veteran.

As a republican, I have watched this video several times, and I just can not find a positive way to interpret it. It was an arrogant thing to say. Its almost as if Allen is really saying to all of those people that were gathered before him that "No one is going to hear anything I say way out here in bumfuk Virginia, so check out how clever I am calling this man a monkey using language none of you rednecks can understand".

Bad move.

Our country has an idiot problem running rampant in our government. It is past time someone did something about it. At the least we can keep this one from thinking he is serving by packing his bags and throwing his arse back home to his family to wallow in monkeydom.

Later George.

[Dominion]

I hate you chicken shit thought police types more than anything because I appreciate freedom, something you totalitarian nutjobs would give up in a minute for a healthcare program you evidently can't work to afford - and aretirement you probably haven't earned.

Wait let me get this straight. You support George Allen's right to use a racist slur to refer to someone who's skin color is not the same as his? This is the freedom you so appreciate?

Wow...just wow.

[Jacob]

Yes, Virginia, your senator is an asshole

[blog responder]

Allen is certainly free to use racist slurs--but that this is the use to which he puts his freedom (and from the video, clearly thinks it's very clever, something to be proud of), that's truly low.

[blog responder]

Riehl writes, in response to earlier post, "Suddenly people are responsible for every derivation of every word on every internet site in the world? LOL What rubbish." My claim was not that people are responsible for every derivation of every word on every internet site in the world. My claim was much more specific: you don't have to be French to know the meaning of the word (which seemed to be the presumed "problem" being raised in a number of the posts above). Granted, I myself did not know the meaning of the word until this whole thing happened--but then again, I don't spend my time getting buddy-buddy with self-avowed racists (such as the folk on those websites). Allen clearly knew the meaning of it, however, and was (watch the video) proud to use it. Now he's pretending he didn't know and wasn't proud. In addition, the claim being made here is that "Welcome to America" meant "welcome to the real America," namely the Virginia that Allen is visiting--which would mean that Allen is saying, "Welcome to the real America, where I can can brown-skinned people 'macacas' and it's seen as a 'plus,' something really clever." Let's hope Allen's wrong about that. Maybe he underestimated Virginians? Let's hope.