hmmm. yet another race problem for george allen? the guy's racking up quite a record....

Frist!

Maybe Allen didn't know the best derogatory comment to make; or rather thought that something nonsense sounding wasn't derogatory. Stupid on his part.

I like the 'welcome to america' part. Maybe he thought he was Latino not South Asian. Doubt this is going to be picked as much as the Biden story was.

I just had another thought. What if Allen was really trying to say, "My Kaka?" Maybe he knew the guju term for one's paternal uncle and he was simply showing respect to Sidarth by giving him a shout out.

Someone found out and eschaton posted that it's probably a legit ethnic slur from other countries. see here

macaca- is the mother of chewbaca,named after the fertility goddess of the wookies. maybe sidarth's hair problems dont stop with his mohawk?

allen looks like alec baldwin's stunt man.

Well, I think it's only fair that everyone turn around and start addressing Sen. Allen as Sahab Safed Bandar. I had thought to be more vulgar, and reference a certain part of the monkey's anatomy, but there are probably sensitive ears about.

I'm pretty sure he was making a reference to the outstanding Brazilian midfielder Kaka, probably in homage to how much ground S. R. has been covering lately. As in, wassup "my Kaka."

By the way, I'd like to welcome all the Sepia Mutineers to America. Abu, Anna (but what's your real name?), Sridaughter and all the rest of y'uns. Work hard, stay out of trouble, make sure your ID is visible at all times, and we'll let you stay.

Allen, Biden, Clinton - all seem to be putting their foot in their mouths when it comes to IAs. What is going on back East?

Makak (Belgium & the Netherlands) a Moroccan; derived from macaque

Whoopsie.

I guarantee that the quote above, taken from a list of ethnic slurs, will start showing up in the mainstream media and torpedo Allen's run.

Ah. I've always wanted to change the course of history...

torpedo Allen's run

he already has a redneck problem.

(but what's your real name?)

Hilarious.

i see someone has already beaten me to the punch on the macaque link from Eschaton.

that post, in turn, interrupted my defense of Allen. he is in fact a scholar of Sanskrit, and he had americanized "mlechha." in polite company it means "foreigner," but before then it was "barbarian." the point is the same, because it really means "damn dirty ape." we all know how edumacated our republican brethern are, after all, the republic gave us anakin.

Also, I'm confused. Allen keeps saying "his opponent" to Macaca... doesn't he mean "my opponent?"

I think this is despicable. Worse than Biden or Hillary's gaffes. Whether it was a real ethnic slur or something he made up, it was meant to show Mr. Sidarth's "foreigness." I'm sure it was scary given the fact that it was an all-white audience and Allen's interest in the confederate flag. The fact that this guy's one of the frontrunners for the GOP presidential nomination makes it all the more disconcerting.

He doesn't have anything close to a mohawk:
http://www.wonkette.com/politics/george-allen/a-big-pile-of-macaca-194151.php

What's up....Macacas?

Oh how silly.

I finally figured it out. But jeez, that took way too long, and we've probably destroyed an innocent man's career in the process.

It was a mere slip of the tongue. Allen meant to call Sidharth "Rwandan community justice system," you know, based on Democrats' well-known advocacy of perps. He was, basically, giving him a friendly new name and welcoming him to America.

Oh come on. Don't act like you've never meant to say gacaca and accidentally said something else.

George Allen on a good day never struck me as either charismatic or a good speaker. Mark Warner is probably going to be the best hope for the White House.

he wanted to say "my chacha" but instead said "macaca". I'll forgive him for that :)

Perhaps we should print "United Association of Macacas against Allen" T shirts and show up at his rallies... ;)

Nice. That is the worst mohawk ever. Have to say that Allen's staffers are pretty bold to claim something that far-fetched as their rationale. Although maybe they are so punk rock that they think regular haircuts are mohawks now.

Hmm. A name mix up by itself---nicknames don't make any sense---not a big deal. Welcome to America by itself---well, people are always talking about "welcome to the real America" and it drives me insane, but it's par for the course. Not a big deal. Transitioning to War on Terror by itself--not a big deal. But all three? Not impressive.

I like the Gujarati uncle theory. I also like the Wonkette picture of Sidarth in a Mariachi band. Mariachi is cool.

Actually one moron called me chief after I told him I was an Indian..i am not kidding.

I think Abhi is really on to something by proposing that we reclaim macaca and start addressing each other with it. I mean, macacas pleaze, we might be on to something. We might even form a ghazal supergroup that addresses the ills that plague our community with a hyper-anti-authority slant, and call ourselves, MWA. And I'll be Eazy Ishwaranathan.

Actually one moron called me chief after I told him I was an Indian..i am not kidding.

People call me Pocahontas all the time.
I never know whether they're actually dumb or think they're being clever.

I think the 'Welcome to America' bit is far more offensive to an Indian-American.

did someone change his wiki profile or was this always there? (in case the website changes it back):

George Felix Allen or macaca (born March 8, 1952 in Whittier, California) is a white Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia. He is running for re-election in 2006 and has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Felix_Allen

At least he didn't call Mr.Macaca up on stage to "say something in Indian." Geez, had it been me, I would've slapped the macaca out of the good senator.

I say that South Asian Americans should begin calling each other “Macaca.” Like, “What up Macaca?” Let’s take this word and make it our own, thereby taking power away from the current establishment. Then we can beat the crap of any non-South Asians that use it, especially if they look like they either work for the MAN or might actually be the MAN.

Yeti approves.

eg,

"I looove desi people... but I hate macacas."

Wow, Webb looks like one interesting guy actually. A Naval hero, a Military Secretary and a novelist! But what I am amused is what is to me the most interesting part of his biography examined in the context of this post. I looked him up on Wikipedia, and what caught my eye--and may get me going to the bookstore---is his book "Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America." I've always been fascinated with the various ethnicities that combine to form White, in some intractable Voltronic way, and the weird, hard to discern relationships between class and ethnicity and religion. So just on the face of it the book looks really interesting. But it looks particularly interesting, b/c you'd think it would be the ScotsIrish champion who'd make the hard-to-parse-possibly-xenophobic remarks. You might also think it odd that it's the expert on Appalachian culture who gets accused of not hanging out in places like Breaks, VA by a career politician who's a graduate of Palos Verdes High and UVA--unless you realize that this line of attack is essentially automatically deployed by all Republicans against all Democrats these days.

He knew EXACTLY what he was saying:

His father George Herbert Allen was a legendary NFL coach who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. His mother, Henrietta Lumbroso, was a Jewish immigrant of Tunisian/Italian/French background.

Apparently, it's French/Belgian slang...

That was a SLUR, pure and simple! It was some Jungle-book-Mowgli-parrot-brazilan-amazon mash-up that he thought up on the spur, because he is shallow and all those things look , sound the same to Allen.

"you'd think it would be the ScotsIrish champion who'd make the hard-to-parse-possibly-xenophobic remarks."

i'm curious as to why you say that? how would that make him more likely to utter a possibly xenophobic remark than allen (don't know what his ethnic origins are)?

Poor Allen was probably just a little constipated and had thoughts of poo on his brain, you know a brown man with a camera taking pictures and following you everywhere can do weird thing for your plumbing, so my vote is for “my kaka.”

how would that make him more likely to utter a possibly xenophobic remark than allen (don't know what his ethnic origins are)?

I just told you. :)

Wikipedia screen shot of the "macaca" edit here.

...and this Allen guy grew up in Whittier................and learned nada about being nice to people who do not dig meat and potatoes.

...or all that pent up rage at the food smells that emanated from neighboring Artesia finally got to bechara Allen

i'm curious as to why you say that

Well, that came out slightly wrong, but what I really meant is that it if you were going to be a White Supremacist Nativist, you would be more effective coming from a Scots-Irish vantage than from pretty much any other. From what I've read about White Supremacist subcultures, they tend to really focus on ScotsIrish heritage b/c it makes for the most coherent (if not ACTUALLY coherent) "This land belongs to the White People" narrative, especially b/c the ScotsIrish mixed with the Native Americans a lot. I'm not saying it would be a truly good vantage point, or that vantage point require you be a White Supremacist, but it does seem to be the most optimum starting point for that kind of vision of America.

Don't get me wrong, I love much of ScotsIrish culture, and I'm dead serious about wanting to read this book, it sounds awesome.

Neither here nor there--I think one small but non-insignificant reason I like ScotsIrish culture is b/c it's really fun to say Scots-Irish over and over again. It's just got a wonderful mouthfeel. Try it. Scots-Irish! Scots-Irish! You can even try saying it with a little bit of brogue or a Scottish accent. It makes me crave something buttery and warm.

Macaca, on the other hand, has no such mouthfeel.

I'm not sure I buy the Tunisian slang thing. Why would you break out your mother's Tunisian slang in Apppalachian country?

Why would you break out your mother's Tunisian slang in Apppalachian country?

Why not? Especially if you grew up hearing such an epithet...it seems like it would flow rather naturally.

Too bad Sidharth isn't Jewish and Allen isn't Mel Gibson otherwise instead of making insulting justifications for his racist comments (e.g., macaca really means mohawk and not a person of African decent), he would be issuing apologies.

From the Wiki bio: "His mother, Henrietta Lumbroso, was a Jewish immigrant of Tunisian/Italian/French background."

Macaca sylvanus (Barbary Macaque)- "The barbary macaque is found in the countries of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, and in Gibraltar. This species is found in montane oak and cedar forests in Northern Africa."

http://members.tripod.com/uakari/macaca_sylvanus.html

So it's not hard to put two and two together. His mom is an immigrant from Tunisia, although of mixed background including French and Italian. So perhaps "macaca" is what some French call North Africans. (Aren't one of you Mutineers from France?) Maybe he heard the term from his mom as a slur against Muslim or less mixed Tunisians- she was Jewish.

Dang..I don't think we can take 'macaca'...check it out

Allen's wikipedia page has had the macaca reference removed from his name.

I know I "should" be more offended, but the Gujurati explanation has me laughing so hard, I just can't focus..... anyway, Senator Allen is such an idiot he can't even insult the South Asian community effectively for maximum political advantage. How the hell is he going to survive the South Carolina Primary? (See #4) If he calls Senator McCain's daughter his "illegitimate macaca child" no one will know what the hell he is talking about.

UPS (comment #43) -- you're brilliant. That's such an unusual slur, it's likely that he's heard it before in the context you describe from his mother. Imagine the firestorm if another ethnic group was so labeled.

"You can't even go into a 7-11 these days without running into a macaca. Am I right?" The two presidential contenders nodded in agreement.

So perhaps "macaca" is what some French call North Africans. (Aren't one of you Mutineers from France?)

Je suis là!

And, uh, yes, it is very much a slur. He called the brother a monkey, straight up.

Amazing what comes out of people's mouths sometimes when they don't have a script to read from.

so macacas, sounds like you guys are a tad upset over the remarks of some would-be president. hear, hear. be not afraid for the gods of macacas shall vanquish those that titter at the great race. he who walks with a camera and a yellow shirt shall inherit the earth (and meet virginia in heaven!). so mr allen may have smirked but the macacas shall have the last laugh.

The guy has a history of making questionable choices when it comes to racial subject matter. His High school picture features him proudly wearing a conferdate pin and he is known to fly one off his car in the past.

So apparently its used by white supremacists pretty often:

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

In addition to the Washington Post, let's see if more of the mainstream media picks this story up. I hope the bloggers run with this aggressively. A video is already on YouTube with Allen clearly saying "macaca" twice. Allen's camp is awkwardly defending his statement with some lame excuse which should be discarded just like George Allen should be discarded as a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate. A potential presidential candidate called an Indian American a fricken "monkey". That's just not right.

You should check this out

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

As siddhartha (#48) states, this is a racial slur. Checking around the internet a little more about this, apparently many African-Americans and people somehow linked to France know that this is a common derogatory term for North Africans by the French and Belgians. Morover, the fact that Allen's campaign actually tried to switch it around and bring light on the fact that Webb had used a questionably anti-Semitic ad (which he later pulled) in the primaries and Allen's record on race, makes it all the more obvious that he was taking a swipe at Sidarth's brown-ness (he has confirmed he was the only non-white in the crowd of ~100). The Daily Kos is going crazy over this, one guy dared Allen to come to Detroit and use the term. I think the South Asian community needs to stand up to this crap too. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't there a lot of South Asians in the IT sector in Northern Virginia who have started becoming big political contributors?

May be he meant to say "macha" as some Tams do, or "achacha" as the Mallus do... put together machacha?!!

I'm a Canuck - can't find this on CNN or MSNBC - does this sort of thing make national news in the US?? Why isn't this guy being lynched on front page news? Because if some big Liberal in Canada called anyone dark-skinned 'Macaca' the shit would hit the fan.

Je suis là!

LOL! Siddhartha, that was so awesome! I just head a beautiful vision of Siddhartha sweeping in, mustachioed with cape sweeping in after him, declaring that in the most outrageous French accent. Okay, I'm sold!

Je suis là!

Yeah, bout time. Where yacaca been all day?

Yeah, bout time. Where yacaca been all day?

macaca, please! i actually have to work for money from time to time, unlike certain cosseted academics i know...

From The Washington Post 8/15: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081400589.html
Interesting that Allen apologizes for a statement that he had earlier in the day said he had no reason to apologize for.

saheli and anna, thanks for the explanation. i assumed it had something to do with the history of race/ethnicity in this country but am not as well informed on that subject.

Macaca definitely means monkey in Brazil. During a visit to the amazon rainforest couple of years ago, i remember my dear guide introducing me to many diff. species of macacas. Portuguese word for monkey is macaco.

Sen. Allen is doing couple of speeches in next couple of weeks in NOVA technology corridor (on net neutrality etc.). I am sure he is going to see lot of "macacas" in the crowd.

Mon frère,

On dit premier gaou n’est pas macaque,
c’est deuxième macaque qui est gnata...

On dit premier macaque n’est pas macaque,
c’est deuxième macaque qui est gnata...

(it's not as funny with the typo...)

Qu'est-ce que c'est "gnata"?

Qu'est-ce que c'est "gnata"?

Lord Siddhartha, master of International Francophonetics, can best explain that...

but, roughly speaking, "the first macaca ain't the real macaca, it's the second macaca that's in trouble..."

(In this example, S. R. Sidarth is the first macaca, no harm done. Allen is the second...)

"Lets give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia,"

I watched the UTube video of this from Turbunhead's blog. And it really seemed like the senator was not talking about the desi guy. He was saying how his opponent is hanging out w/ "Hollywood moguls" and not with the "real world of Virginians". Then he introduced "macaca". He was going back and forth between dissing on his opponent and introducing Siddarth. And it got mushed together somehow.

Qu'est-ce que c'est "gnata"?

the answer is here.

Well, I certainly think it would have made the Wash Post article stronger, in terms of showing that Allen probably knew what he was talking about, if the whole angle of his mother being from Tunisia, etc., was brought up along with the fact that it is a North African slur as has been shown in several of the links above.

If he calls Senator McCain's daughter his "illegitimate macaca child" no one will know what the hell he is talking about.

Mini, you underestimate the man. All he has to do is bust out a Confederate flag on the sly at a convenient moment and all will be purrrrr-fectly clear.

You say "Macaca" and I think of "Macca" -- as in the UK tabloids' nickname for Paul McCartney.

See here
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Macaca

since the fall of carthage, and especially since the captivity of african people under european rule, there has been an attempt to liken people of african descent to monkeys. this has manifested itself in the ugliest of ways, and has justified centuries of cruelty, torture, murder, rape, and practically every horror imaginable. there have even been examples, such as Sarah Baartman, where europeans actually tried to use her "orangutan-like" features to prove the connection between africans and monkeys by displaying and exploiting her all over europe and keeping her vagina in a jar for nearly a century. there was also Ota Benga, an african who committed suicide after being put on display in the monkey house in the bronx zoo. the macaca is indigenous to south east asia, which makes it seem like he was referring to all south east asians, and was letting the rest of the (all white) crowd know that he felt that way. people seem to very easily forget that we are all animals that achieve godliness through acts of creativity. if we don't become better aquainted with love, joy, truth, respect and compassion, then we shall be consumed by our own hatred, prejudice, and lack of understanding. thank you guys very much for setting up this website and offering alternative perspectives. have a beautiful day! namaste

To my 'average white guy' impression, I thought Allen was calling the guy a monkey. What a clown. He won't survive the primaries.

Duhh! Dohh! No one gets it. Allen's Tamizh speech writer spelt it wrong. It shd'a been Macchan used as dude in Tamizh although it actually means brother-in-law. Instead the transcriber spelt it Macachan.

From yesterday's WaPo article:

Asked what macaca means, Allen said: "I don't know what it means." He said the word sounds similar to "mohawk," a term that his campaign staff had nicknamed Sidarth because of his haircut. Sidarth said his hairstyle is a mullet -- tight on top, long in the back.

One gangsta-ass macaca...

Interesting that Allen apologizes for a statement that he had earlier in the day said he had no reason to apologize for.

Allen's actual "apology":

"I would never want to demean him as an individual. I do apologize if he's offended by that. That was no way the point." * * * Asked what macaca means, Allen said: "I don't know what it means." He said the word sounds similar to "mohawk," a term that his campaign staff had nicknamed Sidarth because of his haircut.

Um, right.

***

Time for a Sepia snap poll! Biden v. Allen in 2008 -- on this issue alone, leaving ideology and all other issues to one side, who would people vote for? which mysterious statement loses the insensitivity derby? (Vote here for the candidate whose statement you find LESS objectionable.) Results decidedly unscientific.

(Speaking of which, has anyone heard from Dr. Vijay on the Allen gaffe?)

Eric,
It is doubtful he would survive the presidential primaries, but it's possible since he appeals to the Republican base, unlike McCain and Guilianai. However, as a resident of Virginia, even six more years in the Senate would be too much. I don't make much money, but this is probably going to motivate me to donate to the Webb campaign. The Northern Virginia (DC metropolitan) area is one of the most multicultural in the country, and we deserve better representation.

What the f****g F? That is so disappointing. Da*n it.. makes me remember one of the main reasons I used to be a liberal. What an e**ing moron. It's not only the macaca.. it's the "welcome to the real america". What a mofo. What is wrong with these re**rds? So far, we have Hillary, Joe Biden, and now George Allen (his remark being the worst)...vomit. What in the h*ll is wrong with these people?

The story ran on page one of the WaPost and there was an editorial. Good for them giving it the coverage it deserves. Here's the editorial.

George Allen's America
Whom it includes, and whom it doesn't

Tuesday, August 15, 2006; A12

"MY FRIENDS, we're going to run this campaign on positive, constructive ideas," Sen. George F. Allen told a rally of Republican supporters in Southwest Virginia last week. "And it's important that we motivate and inspire people for something." Whereupon Mr. Allen turned his attention to a young campaign aide working for his Democratic opponent -- a University of Virginia student from Fairfax County who was apparently the only person of color present -- and proceeded to ridicule him.

Let's consider which positive, constructive or inspirational ideas Mr. Allen had in mind when he chose to mock S.R. Sidarth of Dunn Loring, who was recording the event with a video camera on behalf of James Webb, the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat Mr. Allen holds. 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? (So insisted Mr. Allen's aides.) Or perhaps the idea that bullying your opponents and calling them strange names -- Mr. Allen twice referred to Mr. Sidarth as "Macaca" -- is within the bounds of decency on the campaign trail?

We have no inkling as to what Mr. Allen meant by "Macaca," though we rather doubt his campaign's imaginative explanation that it was somehow an allusion to Mr. Sidarth's hairstyle, a mullet. Mr. Allen said last night that no slur was intended, though he failed to explain what, exactly, he did have in mind. Macaca is the genus for macaques, a type of monkey found mainly in Asia. Mr. Allen, who as a young man had a fondness for Confederate flags and later staunchly opposed a state holiday in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has surely learned too much about racial sensitivities in public life to misspeak so offensively.

Mr. Sidarth, who is 20, is a senior at U-Va.; he graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax after compiling an excellent academic record. He is thinking of applying to law school. He may be forgiven if his week-long foray on the campaign trail with Mr. Allen has left him with a bitter taste. "I think he was doing it because he could, and I was the person of color there and it was useful for him in inciting his audience," Mr. Sidarth told us. "I'm disgusted he would use my race in a political context."

We don't blame him for feeling that way. But really, by mocking Mr. Sidarth, Sen. George F. Allen demeaned only himself.

I would never want to demean him as an individual. I do apologize if he's offended by that. That was no way the point.

That's not an apology. That's a "sorry that you're so hypersensitive at me calling you a monkey and welcoming you to America when you're just as much an American as I am and insinuating something nefarious when you're following me around the campaign trail even though I know you work for my opponent."

Awwww, yeah:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=macaca

;)

Makak (Belgium & the Netherlands) a Moroccan; derived from macaque

Whoopsie.

I guarantee that the quote above, taken from a list of ethnic slurs, will start showing up in the mainstream media and torpedo Allen's run.

Ah. I've always wanted to change the course of history...

Listen, I don't know what site you got THAT from, but I've never in my life even heard of that term as an 'ethnic slur', and I've lived here for 14 years and naturalised and all that jazz. Makak in Dutch means 'macaque', a kind of monkey; I have never heard it used against certain ethnic groups.

Just to add, I agree with the comments above it's probably French and/or Belgian. Dutch and Belgian are two very different things. :)

Uh and yeah, the guy is a douchebag, goes without saying.

the guy is a douchebag, goes without saying

Meena, you mean you're not looking forward to a confederate flag on the top of Air Force One? A flying "General Lee"?

Sidarth said his hairstyle is a mullet -- tight on top, long in the back.

Poor kid goes above and beyond the call of duty to fit in among the rednecks, and he still gets picked on.

'welcome to Amerikkka' part is what gets me!

Mr. Sidarth's hairstyle, a mullet

peace out, macmocs.

Makak in Dutch means 'macaque', a kind of monkey; I have never heard it used against certain ethnic groups.

Meena, a spook is a ghostly apparition. But just because I'd never heard it used as a slur (until I read "The Human Stain":
what are they, spooks?) doesn't mean it's not a slur. Perhaps makak has been supplanted by newer, hipper ways of saying that non-whites are non-human.

As for this notion of the Belgians not being Dutch, I personally don't recognize any post-1558 borders. :)

The nail in the coffin for me that got me pissed is the way he said "Welcome to America". Not only does that imply that Siddarth was somehow not an authentic American because of his brown skin, but also Allen's opponent who was in Hollywood, California is somehow not in touch with "real Americans". As a Californian, I get pissed when somke redneck says that California isn't really part of "the real America" because of things like a large non-white or gay population and out tendancy to not lynch them. Or stricter air quality standards.
I keep asking myself if it would have been worse if Allen refered to Siddarth as "Apu", "Hadji", or "Kumar"; names dragged out from pop culture and most likley the only Indian male names a Johnny Six-Pack would know.
Shoot, why pick on the cameraman in the first place? Isn't that just tacky for a politician who is being followed by cameras anyway? I'm told that it's common for cameras to follow politicans whether it's from their opponents, allies, the media, or freelancers.

You know, Jumper, people who wear their hair in mohawks tend not to be originally from America -- mohawks tend to be more common among those immigrants. In fact, I don't think the term "Mohawk" is native to North America at all.

Clearly, you haven't been watching enough Lou Dobbs.

in south india they say Maccha a lot. Not sure of the word's genesis .. but its used like "whats up machcha?"
"everything OK machcha?"

so maybe this dude's just south-india aware?!

In fact, I don't think the term "Mohawk" is native to North America at all.

Dictionary.com defines mohawk as "a Native American people formerly inhabiting northeast New York along the Mohawk and upper Hudson valleys north to the St. Lawrence River; a member of this people; the Iroquoian language of the Mohawk." So isn't the term "Mohawk" as native to North America as you can get?

Wonkette is still trying to figure this out in a new post.

Allen might want to take a few pointers from this on how to deliver a non-slanderous political smear speech:

My fellow citizens, it is an honor and a pleasure to be here today. My opponent has openly admitted he feels an affinity toward your city, but I happen to like this area. It might be a salubrious place to him, but to me it is one of the nation's most delightful garden spots. .... His wife was a thespian before their marriage and even performed the act in front of paying customers. Link

Since when did I mention anything about Mohawks or anything about hair AK? I concur with Sanpa that Mohawk did indded as a hairstyle and term originate with the North American tribe.

PS: I don't watch Lou Dobbs because I don't have cable. I think St. Patrick's Day is cool and he should leave it alone. I agree with him about outsourcing American jobs and there are more important things than "protecting" marriage from gays. I do not see eye to eye with him on other issues.

George Allen is still probably gonna win in Virginia because all his constituents are his cousins ;-)

Anna,

His mother, Henrietta Lumbroso, was a Jewish immigrant of Tunisian/Italian/French background.

Apparently, it's French/Belgian slang...

Not slang sister, definitely a slur. I first heard the word 'macaca' during the recent world cup. It's what racist french called Zizou! I will never buy that a guy with HIS HISTORY, and who was raised by a French Tunisian mother, really didn't know what a 'makaka' was. I am particularly fond of macaques and young Indian boys volunteering for the Democratic Party. To insult them both in one speech...! George Allen, You are going down you Bastard!

Sorry, subscription problem while viewing 'his history'.

Here's the relevant part of the New Republic Article, George Allen's race problem:

But, while Allen may have genuflected in the direction of Gingrich, he also showed a touch of Strom Thurmond. Campaigning for governor in 1993, he admitted to prominently displaying a Confederate flag in his living room. He said it was part of a flag collection--and had been removed at the start of his gubernatorial bid. When it was learned that he kept a noose hanging on a ficus tree in his law office, he said it was part of a Western memorabilia collection. These explanations may be sincere. But, as a chief executive, he also compiled a controversial record on race. In 1994, he said he would accept an honorary membership at a Richmond social club with a well-known history of discrimination--an invitation that the three previous governors had refused. After an outcry, Allen rejected the offer. He replaced the only black member of the University of Virginia (UVA) Board of Visitors with a white one. He issued a proclamation drafted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans declaring April Confederate History and Heritage Month. The text celebrated Dixie's "four-year struggle for independence and sovereign rights." There was no mention of slavery. After some of the early flaps, a headline in The Washington Post read, "governor seen leading va. back in time."

Allen has described those early years as a learning experience. Indeed, he sanded off the rough edges and began molding himself to the Bush era, when conservatives began abandoning the crudeness of their old Southern strategy. During the second half of his gubernatorial term, Allen began positioning himself as the next cool thing in Republican politics, a governor more interested in results than partisanship. Indeed, at the Stafford Airport stump speech, there are no confederate flags or coded racial appeals. Instead, Allen talks about energy independence and the competitive challenge from rising economies like China's and India's. If it weren't for some of the rhetoric about "tax commissars," one might mistake Allen's stump speech for a Tom Friedman column.

His Wikipedia entry paints him as a strange and scary man. I have a pretty strong feeling that this guy is probably a serial killer or sociopath, after reading what he did to his sister and brother. Chilling!

People like him make all the whiteys look really stupid. Now I won't be able to help but look at someone in the Virginia boondocks and think, Wow, you're just really, really stupid, aren't you? But, unlike Allen, I know that that isn't the right thing to think and I should be a kinder, more understanding person.

wonder what Bobby Jindal would say.

Bobby Jindal is a House Macaca!

Jumper, I'm with you on the California thing. But it's especially rich to deride someone for associating with people in Hollywood when you went to Palos Verdes High.

George Allen is still probably gonna win in Virginia because all his constituents are his cousins ;-)

No need to counter an insult with another insult. The guy's getting rammed by a lot of longtime Virginians ( including Republican ones ) all over the blogosphere. Besides I have lived in both rural and urban VA. Lots and lots of good people!

Meena, a spook is a ghostly apparition. But just because I'd never heard it used as a slur (until I read "The Human Stain": what are they, spooks?) doesn't mean it's not a slur. Perhaps makak has been supplanted by newer, hipper ways of saying that non-whites are non-human.

As for this notion of the Belgians not being Dutch, I personally don't recognize any post-1558 borders. :)

And I can assure you, the Belgians and Dutch are nothing alike :)

Meena, you mean you're not looking forward to a confederate flag on the top of Air Force One? A flying "General Lee"?

What did Hillary and Biden say? (No one ever tells me anything.)

WTF? Oto Benga seems to have never left the American zoo. And now the macaca got a camera too. The worst thing that came out of colonialism is not neo-liberalism, it is this sort of racism. I hope he shits in his pants

Why doesn't somebody just ask the Allen what he meant instead of all this speculation and reference to languages and idioms I am pretty sure he knows nothing about. Maybe he garbled something, or it was nonsense, or mis-heard. God knows, after 6 years of Bush-isms we should be used to absurdities emanating from politicians.

If you think Senator Allen needs to apology sign this petition

Jumper and Sapna,

Sorry, I was actually just being a bit sarcastic -- there's a funny irony when juxtaposing Allen's "mohawk" explanation with his "welcome to America comment." I guess I just ended up being obscure. (And Jumper, I certainly wasn't disagreeing with anything you said, just picking up on your comment.)

Risible,

Allen has tried to explain what he meant. What do you make of that explanation?

Story is now on CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/15/allen.volunteer.ap/index.html

I have grown up in the Netherlands and I still live there, and i can assure as an avid newspaper- and forum-reader I have never come across the usage of the word 'makak' in any other context than in a biological definition of monkeys.

Fact remains that the definition of a slur is not whether or not you've heard it before, and it's not whether or not it's used all the time. A slur is a slur. It's a bit like porn: you know it when you encounter it.

Wait a second, do I detect a note of defensiveness here? Do you object to the actual notion that there might be a vein of xenophobia in that famous Dutch tolerance? Ooh, are you going to send me to...the...comfy chair?

And I can assure you, the Belgians and Dutch are nothing alike

I've atually spent quite a bit of time in both countries and I know the differences well. But I also know the similarities, and they may be a bit more profound than you're willing to admit. It's not like you cross over from Antwerpen to Rotterdam and suddenly no one knows how to say "makak."

(But I'll grant you this: I'd much rather live in Rotterdam than in Antwerpen.)

It's not like you cross over from Antwerpen to Rotterdam and suddenly no one knows how to say "makak."

Although, apparently, once certain people cross over from California to Virginia and decide to play for their base, they suddenly don't know how to say "mohawk". Much less recognize what one looks like.

I have never come across the usage of the word 'makak' in any other context than in a biological

A slur is a slur. It's a bit like porn: you know it when you encounter it

besides the porn argument, it appears in the official list of ethnic slurs.

it appears in the official list of ethnic slurs.

Dude, I know. That's my whole basis for sinking Allen's presidential aspirations. I might not have been the first to say, "Macaca sounds like macaque", but I was surely the first to point out that this is an actual term used to denigrate browns: "Makak (Belgium & the Netherlands) a Moroccan; derived from macaque."

Man, if I don't get credited for this on CNN, I'm going to be pissed. I coulda been Bernstein, I coulda been Woodward...

Dude, I know. That's my whole basis for sinking Allen's presidential aspirations. I might not have been the first to say, "Macaca sounds like macaque", but I was surely the first to point out that this is an actual term used to denigrate browns:

Ah! So u were the 1st, with a time-stamped post to prove it. But does the first person ever get credit in history? It's always the opportunists. Isn't Siddhartha scheduled to be on Anderson Cooper tonight?

You just delivered us Romney vs. Gore.

Manju (whose right-winger comments often bewilder me - homegirl, here's a rupee - or 50 - buy a clue) says: "You just delivered us Romney vs. Gore"

The evangelical posse will never vote for a Mormon like Romney - we'll see how THAT matchup fares.

Regarding Mr. Siddarth - the kid does NOT have a mohawk, a mullet or anything even close. Where's the issue??

This bit of bigoted spewing by old George Felix Allen is so bloody transparent, there's not much to debate. I always crack up when I see the desi doctors, etc. who line up to host GOP events and donate heavily - clearly a wallet driven passion, with a little hindu "no sex and drugs, yaar" thrown in for good measure. Here's what they REALLY think of you when the money stops flowing Uncle-ji.

"Conservative" principles are one thing, and many are very solid - but this current party dudn't represent too many of them as I see it, they spend like drunken sailors and try to impose morality (hands off my wallet, but hands off my bedroom and phone calls too, ai-ight?).

The evangelical posse will never vote for a Mormon like Romney

I not sure. don't really know any evangelicals but I'm always suspect about broad generaliztions--though they usually have some basis in reality. I guess i look at them w/ vague suspicion, the way Allen looks at Macaques. orren hatch is mormon and i didn't see an uproar over him.

anyway, maybe we should gear up for lieberman vs. gore...now that mr k's damage is done.

there's a link on Sen. Allen's website where you can email him. I wonder if he'll (actually, his staff) actually read these if enough people write in tellng him what an ass--- I mean, idiot he is for his choice of words.

You have to include your name and address when you email, though (going to look up a Mickey D's in Va, as I am in California and not one of his unfortunate constituents)

Manju, OrrIn Hatch is a Senator, running for the Senate - in UTAH at that - not for president. And having known plenty of evangelicals, I seriously doubt they would vote for a Mormon.

As for Lieberman vs. Gore - PLEASE (insert your deity here) let that happen!!

I wasn't able to see the video earlier since they blocked YouTube at work. Now that I've seen the video, it seems the "Welcome to Virginia, Welcome to America" was referring to Webb and not the kid (constrasting with Hollywood). Can't say for sure? But still what in the hell? What kind of brain damage do you need to have to do that publicly while the camera is trained on you? The Mohawk excuse is utterly ridiculous. He just seems smarmy kind of like Clinton, like he thought he could just throw out macacaw because nobody in the audience would be familiar with it.

Apu says:

Manju, OrrIn Hatch is a Senator, running for the Senate - in UTAH at that - not for president.

Orrin ran for president in 2000.

Apu_is_innocent

hatch ran for the repub nom for prez in 2000.

yes manju, and Hatch lost big time.

How utterly beyond disappointing. Vile, really. Unscripted moments tell you a thing or two, don't they?
r
I'm with KXB: Unless it's Guiliani or the like, I'll be sitting out 2008. I'm not a McCain fan, nor a Hillary fan. God help us all......

Aup_is_innocent: my take on reading right of center blogs is that evangelicals like Romney better than the other potential candidates.

Saheli: Ye olde Instapundite is a fan of Webb's writing and has got a lot of posts up about the ScotsIrish vibe if you search his site. Which, I assure you, won't give you cooties or anything :)

MD - you mean i have to actually read right-wing blogs?? ;-)) I admit, I read them and generally get nauseous - it's like gawking at the freeway accident.

Though "God" does not enter my equation on who can help us, I certainly hope Gore / Clark / Feingold (or some combo thereof) can get their collective shit together.

Reading SM sometimes (well, some of the commenters that is), I wonder out loud how so many of our brown peeps can be republican or at least wishy-washy moderates in the current climate. Someone please splain this to me...beyond wanting tax cuts, no sex, and/or dissing those "lazy blacks/etc." who supposedly never endured the hardships their immigrant parents did (an iffy argument at best). Sorry, I am ranting, but I feel out of my brown skin sometimes.

Apu_is_innocent: the thing is, both parties are so huge that you can't help having some really dum-dums in either one. So, you have to go with the general principles and the general principles on the right appeal to me more. Of course, it means I have to endure the dumbery of the right. When I was a democrat, I had to endure the dumbery of the left. it's just part of the reality. Also, I encourage you to read both right and left