August 24, 2006
"Macaca" Not Going Away [Updated: Now With Three Cute Lil' Macacas]Politics
It looked like it was dying down but it turns out the “Macaca” story lives on, thanks to the two-faced message coming out of Senator George Allen’s camp. Apparently the incident has severely harmed him in the polls, so he’s finally apologized to S.R. Sidarth, the Webb campaign worker whom he twice called “macaca” and asked an all-white audience to “welcome to America.” Allen actually got on the phone:
He apologized for his comments, said Mr. Sidarth, who is an American of Indian descent, in a telephone interview from the University of Virginia, where he has resumed his classes. He took the blame for saying them, and he said he didnt realize how offended I was until he heard my comments from the media.
End of story, right? Politician says something stupid, pays price in the polls, apologizes, hopefully learns lesson. Except for one thing. At the same time that Allen is apologizing, his staff is telling Republicans worried that he’s going soft on them that the whole incident was what the papers call “a barnyard epithet” (that’s newscode for “bullshit”) and that it’s Allen who is actually the aggrieved party. [Update: Here’s the campaign manager’s memo.] Here’s today’s editorial in the Washington Post:
[Allen campaign manager] Mr. Wadhams, an itinerant political hit man known for his nasty attacks on opponents, told Republican leaders in a memo sent over the weekend that the Webb campaign and the media had ganged up “to create national news over something that did not warrant coverage in the first place.”
He continued: “Never in modern times has a statewide office holder and candidate been so vilified.” In other words, Mr. Allen is the victim — not the 20-year-old student whom he mocked with an insulting, possibly racist slur in front of scores of chortling supporters and demeaned by saying, “Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia!”
Unlike Mr. Allen, whose contrition has become increasingly abject over time, Mr. Wadhams has been consistent. His first pronouncement to journalists, a week and a half ago, was to refer to the “macaca” story with a barnyard epithet and insist that the senator had nothing to apologize for. He has stuck with that assessment.
With Mr. Allen plummeting in the polls and his reelection prospects now in doubt, he and Mr. Wadhams are in damage-control mode. They have dropped their far-fetched insistence that the word “macaca” referred to Mr. Sidarth’s hairstyle. But they ought to get their stories straight. Is the Allen campaign really sorry? Or are the senator’s adversaries just making a mountain out of “macaca”?
We report, you decide.
siddhartha on August 24, 2006 01:39 PM in Politics · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
¤ Globalclashes said: The photo du Jour
¤ DesiPundit said: Macacas bite, Allen apologizes
After the Macaca incident blew up in his face, Sen. George Allen has apologized, says Manish at Ultrabrown. In politics, think twice and shut up - should be the new axiom. However, Sepia Mutiny tells us that its not over yet. Of course, we haven’...
Is this clown's apparent flip-flop from aggressive, recalcitrant, white supremacist to contrite "wuss" ever going to be picked up by the "liberal media"?
I was listening to Hannity's radio show the other day and he was interviewing Allen. Allen was apologizing for his "mistake", profusely. Sean, on the other hand, introduced the episode as Allen "joking" with "a Webb campaign worker" (no mention of Sidarth's name ever) and then went on attacking the "drive-by media" for vilifying Allen over nothing. Post-interview, he stuck to the talking points of media double standards and kept playing old sound bytes of democratic goof-ups - Dean, Hilary, Byrd. The game plan seemed to be that Allen would be contrite and the others would do the dirty work for him. After years of listening to Rush, Sean and Savage, it was quite predictable.
An LA Times editorial shows off a little homework on Allen. His remark was not an accident or misinterpreted.
"THE BEST POSSIBLE INTERPRETATION of Sen. George Allen's twice pointing at an Indian American videographer at a campaign rally and sneeringly calling him "macaca" is that, in the words of Allen's own spinmeisters, the Virginia Republican and putative 2008 presidential contender was just playfully combining the words "Mohawk" (to mischaracterize the cameraman's haircut) and, well, "caca."...That's the best spin, mind you. The worst and more believable is that "macaca" is an Americanized version of the similarly pronounced French racial slur "macaque," which literally refers to a species of stub-tailed monkey, but is figuratively used to insult North Africans and other people with dark skin. It's the French equivalent of "darkie," making all decent people who hear it shudder. Allen's mother is French, from the North African country of Tunisia. He speaks the language well."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-allen21aug21,0,6781238.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail
Had Webb's staffer been black and Allen called him the n-word, would Hannity have been able to say with a straight face that Allen was "joking" with a Webb staffer?
Here's my op-ed on the Macaca fracas at the American Prospect online. It includes a photo of my two-year-old triplet sons wearing Osman's t-shirts, 30% of the profits of which he says go to Jim Webb's campaign
The op-ed was written before news broke of Allen's supposed "apology" to Sidarth, which sounds like it's a another "I'm sorry if I offended you" rather than the apology it should have been. And it sure sounds like it's part of a "having-it-both-ways" strategy.
Here's my George-Allen-fantasy apology: "I'm sorry that my mother, a French-Tunisian immigrant, taught me slurs about dark-skinned people. I'm sorry that I used one and 'welcomed you to America' and 'the real world of Virginia' when you are as American and more Virginian than I am. I'm sorry I sought in that moment also to humiliate you in front of an all-white audience and rally them to view you as unAmerican. Oh, and I am firing my campaign manager for saying this was no big deal because it is, and for continuing to try to undermine my apology."
Now that would be impressive.
I've said it before and will keep saying it. If you really want to hold Allen accountable, there is only one way. Deny him re-election by investing financially in his opponent, Jim Webb's campaign.
After years of listening to Rush, Sean and Savage, it was quite predictable.
Please do yourself a favor and stop listening to this mainstream conservative tripe. If you really want to find out about what the conservatives are saying, you can do that and also not lose your sanity by going to conservative places like here here here here
his campaign manager's name is Dick Wadhams. how appropriate!
Subodh, you have The Cutest triplets ever, and they have fantastic taste in fashion!
PS: enjoyed the op-ed very much, as well :)
This goes back to how leadership and being responsible for your words and actions, right or wrong, and the appearance of it is as important as the message you're trying to deliver. It hurt Bush, it hurt Kerry, and GA is another person in a long line of spoilt folk who just don't get it. If the guy had any vision or foresight, anted up immediately and apologized, he would atleast look geniune. Waiting after polls are affected and then complaining about bias only makes you look weak, like a child stomping his feet.
The next argument that will come up is "Look, even when he apologized, he is being blamed. Can't win either way!". He could have won over the crowd had he done (an apology) what he needed to when the time was right/ripe.
Timing of statements/propoganda/spin is as important as the message itself.
damn, subodh, those are three seriously adorable-looking little macacas you got there! great photo... oh, and nice article too.
new t-shirt: the Macaca triplets doing hear-see-speak no evil with the caption "Who you callin macaca?!"
macacas have feelings too. macacas are adorable. macacas will cut a biyatch, if you cross them.
Hail Macaca!
Very cute photo subodh. Is the guy with the crew cut the family trouble maker? :-)
yeah, dude in the middle looks like he's up to no good!
Every single Indian needs to contribute to bring this Racist Down: Send Money to Webb campaign
Allen grew up in Southern California (not in Virginia), yet he
1. Had multiple confederate stickers on his car. (Confederate flag is a racist symbol)
2. Wrote anti black graffiti on school walls, made to apologize on school PA.
3.Wore confederate flag pin on his high school year book photo.
4.In college had confederate stickers on his car.
5.Had confederate flag prominently displayed in his living until recently.
6.Had a noose hanging from a tree (symbol of lynching)in his law office
7.Led opposition to Martin Luther King Holiday.
8.Opposed All Voting Rights Bills
9.Replaced the only black trustee of Univ of Virginia
10.Used a term equivalent to "nigger" to refer to an Indian American
George Allen is a racist
He is only sorry that his chances for being president or even VP has blown up; he might even loose his senate seat
Ok, I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time.
Thanks for buying the Macaca shirts Subodh. The hours I toiled in anger, hunched over Photoshop, furiously spinning Macaca designs late into the night have been rewarded by your photograph. Would you mind if I tossed the pic up on my blog too?
Though I absolutely agree with the need to bring down Allen, his opponent is no liberal either. I am having a hard time supporting Jim Webb who was pretty conservative till he decided to run for election.
Please do yourself a favor and stop listening to this mainstream conservative tripe
True, I don't have to do it to know what they are saying, but I have a rather long commute and over the years have found the tripe quite insightful - the callers in particular.
Osman, go for it. Personally, I like my "Macacas with attitude" banded-sleeve t-shirt.
"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" pose: coming up some day. Right now, at two-and-a-half, they're a little uncooperative. Takes 30 photos to get one good one even when you're not telling them to do anything with their hands.
Translated version: I apologize. Except to the extent that I don't.
I had no idea you grew up in Oklahoma, Subodh. I moved to Tulsa during HS. So you can vouch for me and tell people that there are plenty of Indians in the Sooner State.
If I were in Ohio, You'd naturally have my vote. However, I'm near DC, Virginia side, so i'll just vote for Webb instead. Ha!
I'm for one hoping that this macaca stuff blows over (for now). I'm hoping he'll be reelected, and become the Republican pres or VP nominee. That's when this macaca stuff will be really valuable ammunition. At the moment, it doesn't make any difference to voters in backwards Virginia.
Yo, can we have that fantastic photo up on SM? It's genius, and it goes well with this post, I think.
And the macaca in the middle has won my heart. I'm guessing he "accidentally on purpose" set his hair on fire, much to mommy's horror and daddy's amusement.
Good work all around Subodh. M.W.A. indeed.
Thanks Subodh.
I've posted it to my blog HERE.
I also submitted your article to Digg. You might have to sift around for it on the link below, but the more people that Digg it the better. Here's a link.
-Osman
Just tell me how to get the photo to you and I'll send you the .jpg.
Photo: sweeeet.
great PICTURE :)
pied piper:
Translated version: I apologize. Except to the extent that I don't.
i concur ;)
Just tell me how to get the photo to you and I'll send you the .jpg.
Too late! We the monkeys in the basement are some smart macacas. That's why they keep us around! Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for my grooming break. Talk among yourselves!
The macaca in the middle with the buzzcut is definitely looks like he's up to something. But the macaca that has won my heart is the one on the left, with his coy smile.
here is my letter to the senator..:
Oh Senator Allen..
You don't know the power of the brown Macacas...
Your false apology is pretty apparent to us...and the small lead that is getting smaller against your opponent is due to our outrage...
Take a class on sensitivity, racial equality... or better yet, drop out of the race completely...we don't need confederate flag waving, noose carrying, bigots in DC...
I'm so happy we've bonded together over this because it shows that unity is definitely heard....
Mr. Allen, WELCOME TO THE MULTICULTURAL/RACIAL/ETHNIC AMERICA OF 2006.
AND YES I WAS BORN HERE.
Thank You.
Aw, fuck yes, T-shirts! I was going to make one of these myself if no one else did. This will obviously be the trendy thing to wear if Allen ever ends up being a presidential candidate.
I'm quite uncomfortable with the use of kids for political purposes. [Whether the kids wear suicide bombing outfits, t-shirts with political affiliations or crude messages in general.] Just my $0.02 worth. It is your blog.
LOL @ the three cute macacas
I believe the children are the future, as Whitney Houston once said, and what a future America has with macacas like that.
just to be proactive and *trying* to be fair, I went and watched the Sen. Allen video again and I have to say it offends me even more, after this BS backpedalling hollow-apology. He doesn't even flinch, doesn't seem to have a nanosecond where he looks like he considers "hmm, maybe that wasn't the right word... oopsie!" Dude knew what he was up to, and all the backpedalling from blaming it on the mohawk (and it's NOT a proper mohawk, gramps, come on! it's a skater-do) to all his other Urkle-ish "did I do that" bakwaas.
It's like calling somebody gora or kallu when you know you can get away with it. It's still mean and hateful. And he thought he could get away with it, with his "authentic virginian" townie crowd.
Welcome to America yourself, Senator Allen. Racist Asshat.
Exactly. They are the future. Let us not steal the 'present' from them. They have a right to maintain the innocence of childhood until they become exposed to the cynicism, bigotry and other negative aspects of living that adults endure.
..and Siddhartha's headline defeats the purpose of the messages on the t-shirt. He writes: "Now With Three Cute Lil' Macacas". Yes, I *get* tongue-in-cheek humour. But this is not it.
Subodh:
What are the children's names?
Quizman, take two of these and call me in the morning.
this BS backpedalling hollow-apology
That would be Allen's *second* BS hollow-apology. Don't everyone forget his first non-apology.
(My translation of that first one: I'm sorry that this guy's so easily offended.)
By the way, why does all of this feel so familiar.... Oh wait! I know why:
On April 4, 1995, New York Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato, on Don Imus' radio talk show, used an exaggeratedly heavy accent associated with Japanese movie stereotypes of the 1940's to mock Japanese-American Judge Lance Ito, who was presiding at the O.J. Simpson trial. Senator D'Amato said, "Judge Ito loves the limelight. He's making a disgrace of the judicial system," and he went on to refer to him as "Little Judge Ito." The following day, after considerable criticism from colleagues, citizens, and the media, the Senator issued a brief statement that created more controversy: "If I offended anyone, I'm sorry. I was making fun of the pomposity of the judge and the manner in which he's dragging the trial out." Journalists and Asian-American groups objected even more vehemently to D'Amato's dismissive and inadequate "apology."Finally, on April 6, in an attempt to quell the rising storm of criticism, Senator D'Amato recovered with a better prepared statement -this time presented in more formal surroundings: "I'm here on the Senate floor to give a statement as it relates to that episode. It was a sorry episode. As an Italian-American, I have a special responsibility to be sensitive to ethnic stereotypes. I fully recognize the insensitivity of my remarks about Judge Ito. My remarks were totally wrong and inappropriate. I know better. What I did was a poor attempt at humor. I am deeply sorry for the pain that I have caused Judge Ito and others. I offer my sincere apologies." (The New York Times, April 7, 1995, p. A1)
Except that unlike Al D'Amato's 180, George Allen's second non-apology sounds a whole lot like his first one. Looks like George Allen is no Al D'Amato....
Subodh- Nice article.
One thing that I didn't like was the use of kids to make political statements.
Dr Kobayashi, always on call. ;)
One thing that I didn't like was the use of kids to make political statements.
Yo, can we stop with that already? Martin Luther King Jr took his kids on civil rights marches, and rightly so. Why? Because it concerned them, too. This isn't just "politics." This is a human rights issue. If Subodh is incensed at Allen's remarks, it is precisely because of that adorable trio up there. It's all so that, in 2025, some idiot won't say to them, "Welcome to America."
Far more disturbing (to Kobayashi the godless) is the forced conversion of billions of babies into their parents' religious beliefs, but I don't see y'all complaining about that.
Dr Kobayashi, always on call. ;)
Hey, that's "Mr" to you. I practice without a license. (Here's a secret: I couldn't get into Evil Medical School).
Far more disturbing (to Kobayashi the godless) is the forced conversion of billions of babies into their parents' religious beliefs, but I don't see y'all complaining about that.
Hey, I thought you belonged to the Church of Macaca (Reformed), or did you say you go to the Maha Macaca Mandir? Y'all macacas all look alike, who knows WHAT you believe :-)
One thing that I didn't like was the use of kids to make political statements.
Agree with Kobayashi on the explanation to the above. May be Mr. Chandra wants to make sure that his kids dont get asked whether "they were born in America", or not ... This is way bigger than any political issues. I am on record on this site claiming that this whole "macaca" thing is much bigger than any regular political issue.
Martin Luther King's inclusion of children was justifiable since their legal rights were affected. Here, it is a battle of propriety in one senator's transaction with an American of Indian origin. It is not a prevailing human rights (i.e. legal/constitutional) issue that affects the entire community of Indian-Americans. His election could implicitly bring such undesirable attitudes to higher offices and one does not want that. So we have every right to protest his election. More pertinent to the , And Martin Luther King did not make children wear t-shirts with racial epithets]
As I have stated, the writer is free to use his children and SM has every right to reproduce that photograph. That does not imply that I nor anyone else loses the right to express our anguish. We're just mature adults exchanging differing opinions & having a healthy conversation.
the right to express our anguish
macaca please.
It is not a prevailing human rights (i.e. legal/constitutional) issue that affects the entire community of Indian-Americans.
quizman, non-rhetorical question: what do you regard this issue to be instead? can you elaborate on what you mean when you frame this in terms of "propriety" rather than something else?
Subodh:What are the children's names?
From left to right, Karthik ("one who bestows courage and happiness"), Chethan ("conscious, sentient, mind, soul"), and Akaash ("one whose thoughts pervade the sky").
I'm quite uncomfortable with the use of kids for political purposes.
One thing that I didn't like was the use of kids to make political statements.
Because my sons were almost born very prematurely around Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, my sons' middle names are Satya, Dharma, and Muktha (Truth, Justice, and Freedom). They are being raised by parents devoted to public service and to believe that they have a special responsibility to serve others. I hope someday to show them those photos and tell them that they were a part of correcting a terrible injustice. As third-generation Americans, they have a right to grow up without the least bit of angst. They can be equally proud of their heritage and the country that their grandparents adopted. And they should stand up for themselves too and never let anyone question their patriotism.
I don't view these things--fighting injustices--as a political purpose. I view that as the purpose of life. I hope they do too.
And I am increasingly tormented by the fact that too few people in this wishy-washy world do.
I don't know whether you have children. But after my wife and I experienced a challenging pregnancy, and brought these three amazing little fellows into the world, it has made me like a lion. Just about everything I do now I view through the prism of what it means for them.
Including showing the world that they are not to be messed with.
pied piper: I have already done so in my prior comment
Subodh (#48)
Amazing. Maximum, maximum respect.
Them boys have a father they can be proud of.
quizman --
I have already done so in my prior comment
well, i obviously was responding to that comment, which seemed to be taking two diametrically opposite positions. if it was self-evidently clear, i wouldn't have posed the question asking you to clarify/elaborate.
go subodh! cleveland rocks!
Because my sons were almost born very prematurely around Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, my sons' middle names are Satya, Dharma, and Muktha (Truth, Justice, and Freedom). They are being raised by parents devoted to public service and to believe that they have a special responsibility to serve others. I hope someday to show them those photos and tell them that they were a part of correcting a terrible injustice.
AWWWWWW..........That's so CUTE! And HOT! Do you have a younger single brother? ;-)
I don't have kids yet, but when I do, I hope to make politics and activism an inclusive part of my life with them, just the way it is today with me. Politics isn't an exclusive it's inclusive. My work would be a lot easier if people were raised to have a poltical consciousness out of the womb.
subodh: I don't view these things--fighting injustices--as a political purpose. I view that as the purpose of life. I hope they do too.
Your attitude towards these issues are admirable. I am a dad of a very young child too. My wife and I had a very difficult pregnancy as well. I have lived in Norman, Oklahoma for fair length of time. So we have many things in common. :-) However, I would allow my son to frame his attitudes by forming his independent opinions when he grows up. Sure, my discussions with him would probably influence some of those attitudes. However, my inclusion in any political movment (and that term includes practically all aspects doesn't it?) would force my attitudes onto them. Additionally, they may not even be aware of the nature of their involvement due to their lack of maturity. Ergo, one is hoisting one's views onto them. Lastly, if this was about fighting injustice & aiming for inclusion, at the very least, one's children would be better off with a T-shirt message that reinforces positive qualities. One that they can relate to.
I'm not as politically active as many of the people who read/write on this blog, but I would say I'm far more active than the average U.S. citizen. I don't know if including activism while raising a kid is good in the same way that I don't know if it's good to force a child to be athletic or religious. I think a belief system is something one should grow into and should develop with increased knowledge and experience. But then again, I'm not a parent so who am I to say?
Subodh:
I was silently uncomfortable about your kids' photo too (wasn't going to comment though), but your answer in post #48 blew me away. Good for you. Keep it up. And make sure your kids learn whatever their heritage Indian language is too (had to throw that in there).
Do you have a younger single brother? ;-)
Yes. Go for it. He's going to kill me. But my mother will be happy.
Do you have a younger single brother? ;-)Yes. Go for it. He's going to kill me. But my mother will be happy.
Swwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeetttttt!!!!!!!!
Yes. Go for it. He's going to kill me. But my mother will be happy.
Ha Ha!!! I've had a very similar thing done to me. I gotta warn you dude, if his reaction is anything like mine you better be prepared for some physical violence. And don't think that years of accrued maturity will stop him.
pied piper: Sorry about that. I see that some of my statements have been inadvertantly deleted. I am struggling with a laptop which has an optical mouse. :-) I hope my subsequent post to subodh has clarified it a bit. To summarize:
1. MLK - rights of children affected- here and now.
2. GFA - no legal rights of children affected. GFA's attitudes could implicitly affect his decision making (like some would accuse GWB in the aftermath of Katrina). Therefore, it is for us (adults) to make certain that he does not get elected.
3. Positive messages are more helpful to children than angry ones.
All of the above are imho, of course. :-)
Ha! Again, Too funny!!!
But judging from the links, he doesn't seem to have much education or academic interests. Maybe he's not a suitable boy afterall. ;)
Taz, just go straight to Subodh's mummy for the brother's biodata and such ;)
thanks for the clarification, quizman -- i didn't want to respond without being more certain i understood where you were coming from.
i'm sensitive to the notion that parents should be careful about forcing their ideas upon one's children -- it is, after all, very often reactionary ideas and values that get foisted upon kids at vulnerable ages. i'm not sure i completely buy the distinction you draw between martin luther king's kids and subodh's kids in this context -- in particular, i'm not sure for myself that it matters that legal equality, rather than social equality, was at stake for king. in fact, in this day and age, it's often the day-to-day reality of social inequality that matters more, here and now, than formal legal inequality, which has largely been eliminated in form.
i also don't know that brown kids need to be taught to be open to accepting and embracing racist slurs -- it's their full inclusion and equality that's at stake, after all.
but all of that said, i certainly have no quarrel with the general caution you raise, and your sensitivity more generally to giving kids the space to make their own choices as they grow into adulthood. of course, how precisely to do that has got to be a lot easier said than done. (and taken to an extreme, parents would be completely hands-off and leave kids to be buffeted by their schools, their peers, and popular culture....)
pied piper: also don't know that brown kids need to be taught to be open to accepting and embracing racist slurs -- it's their full inclusion and equality that's at stake, after all.
Oh, I didn't imply that when I suggested positive statements on T-shirts (for kids). I meant that they could learn about equality, how they should be proud US citizens etc. Anger and knowledge of slurs can come much later. Let kids be kids. :-)
Yes, agreed regarding social equality etc. But I was referring to a poster's justification of the t-shirts on kids vis-a-vis MLK's inclusion of kids in protest marches. I was merely hinting that the latter was on relatively better ground.
i know my parents took me to rallies against the vietnam war when i was a wee tot, and i'm damn glad they did.
siddhartha: Oh, you mean you had such a reputation that they couldn't find an aunty to babysit you? :-)
and my dad taught me slogans in honor of ho chi minh. pictures from the period, my dad looks like... well, a terrorist! but he wasn't into blowing anything up, except subatomic particles.
Interesting. I love how SM posts and resultant discussions migrate from an issue to something totally peripheral. So from discussing the antics of Allen we go to preserving the innocence of children, and whether it's immoral to dress them up to make a statement.
Macacas, take note. Y'all's mummies been dressing you to make a statement since you didn't even know! Or do you not remember Garanimals and Toughskins, or your sibling's plaid shirt and too-short-cords hand-me-downs? Get over it. Banana Republic is a statement, Gap is a statement, bib overalls are a statement, going naked is a statement, and not being able to do anything about how your parents dress you is a fact of life.
At least these cute little macacas look good while being "used" for furthering a message. Subodh, good article. Mad props.
quizman -- i understand where you are coming from, and respect what underlies your concern. certainly for some parents who wish to encourage their children to be active, engaged citizens, though, placing them in these kinds of situations is not using them for political purposes, but rather an important part of their values education and their civic education. something about which they will have conversations that make them think critically when they are older and looking at family pictures. or whatever.
certainly, you don't have to make the same choices -- i'd just urge a bit of caution about judging too definitively or harshly about what's actually going on. (in any event, i myself regard these t-shirts as more playfully assertive than angry -- and on these three, exceptionally cute. :) )
**
dr mr kobayashi, can i gently cry suggest foul on this comment:
Far more disturbing (to Kobayashi the godless) is the forced conversion of billions of babies into their parents' religious beliefs, but I don't see y'all complaining about that.
siddhartha made the following observation the other day, and at the time, in its context, it struck me as right on the money:
blog comment conversations are all about double standards....conversations go as follow:
A: X sucks.
B: oh yeah? well i certainly don't see you complaining about Y!in endless variations of the same. we got some major specialists of this epistemological approach here....
oops. maybe i'm not reading your comment fairly enough, but must you resort to this move as well? especially given your powers of prescription, you don't need it. after all, as you noted yourself, you didn't even get into evil medical school!! ;)
That's four of those chill pills for you. Double dose!
I was joking, yaar. Joking, you know, but kinda serious.
Anyway, the real crime is raising your children as capitalists, and I don't see anyone comp...oh forget it.
yes sir, kobayashi. four pills, right away.
*cue time-lapse clock with minute hand spinning rapidly*
***
wow. loopyland. awesome. loopy note to self -- i've gotta call kobayashi out more often.....
Do you have a younger single brother? ;-)
Yes. Go for it. He's going to kill me. But my mother will be happy.
But judging from the links, he doesn't seem to have much education or academic interests. Maybe he's not a suitable boy afterall. ;)
This suitablegirl can vouch for Sudeep's fabulous education, since she WENT TO COLLEGE WITH HIM. w00t friends of my big sis! :D
Vhat a very cute picture, yaar - i LOWWW it!
I cannot help but notice that your classic resident SM "wingnuts" (manju, md, et al) are notoriously absent on this post.
In light of Subodh's wonderful, optimistic post #48 (brought a little moisture to mine eyes, in fact), i am not surprised. Politics be damned, but humanity does often take sides.
Subodh, you are a parent that I aspire to be. "Teach your children well..."
PS - hakuna macaca george felix, jr.!!
PS - Subodh. Having undergone a difficult pregancy myself, my best wishes to you and your wife - my husband was the basket case, i had to keep it together. ;-)))
Oh My Word
I cannot help but notice that your classic resident SM "wingnuts" (manju, md, et al) are notoriously absent on this post.
We wingnuts chimed in early. and we let our opinion be known.
Subodh
#48 -- powerful answer, my friend. As a mom of two precious little girls. everything I do is framed by protecting them, giving the strength and confidence, and doing what I can to make them active, conscious, thinking citizens. You are a great role model for all of us.
Mallika
As a mom of two precious little girls...
What do you say... The year 2030... Swayamvara at the Chopra compound in California...
Unfortunately, one of my boys will win up short, unless they do the Draupadi/Pandavas thing... :-)
Now, talk about going off topic!
Subodh wrote:
If you really want to hold Allen accountable, there is only one way. Deny him re-election by investing financially in his opponent, Jim Webb's campaign.
Isn't this a "political" statement ?
brown_fob - abso-freakin-lutely, that is a political statement. So, pray tell, what's wrong with that??
abso-freakin-lutely, that is a political statement. So, pray tell, what's wrong with that??
I previosuly wrote:
One thing that I didn't like was the use of kids to make political statements.
to which people replied that it wasn't a political statement by Subodh!
I agree, Allen is a horrib-
Oh look! So sveet sveet!!! Those little macaca munchkins are adorable! Badhai ho, Chandra ji. Your boys are already on the right path :)
our kids will probably suffer the most in the long run from political proclamations that do not work out per plan, on any side, right, left or wrong. By all means, use them, spark some thought!!!
My dear brown_fob,
The anticommunist playwright, dissident, and former Czech president, Vaclav Havel said, "Genuine politics--even politics worthy of the name--the only politics I am willing to devote myself to--is simply a matter of serving those around us: serving the community and serving those who will come after us. Its deepest roots are moral because it is a responsibility expressed through action, to and for the whole."
When Allen attacked my brother, Sidarth, he attacked me. He attacked you. He attacked my sons. He attacked all of us. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Simple questions. Are you troubled by Allen's attack, and his subsequent behavior, including his campaign manager's? Yes or no? If yes, do you want to hold him accountable and be a karmic facilitator? Yes or no? If yes, then please express responsibility through action, to and for the whole, as Havel exhorts. Enough nitpicking and semantics.
Be the change you want to see in the world, as Gandhi said.
If it satisfies you to label a call for accountability "political"--if that helps you feel somehow above it all, that's fine. But don't be surprised when you have lots of more useless, divisive leaders like Allen. Nor when they hit you again, even closer to home.
Let me be as blunt as I can possibly be, at risk of provoking another round. I simply do not understand those who bemoan Allen's actions, those who can talk or blog about it ad nauseum, but won't do anything to try to stop his career. I don't understand it when there is a clear issue of right and wrong, how folks can wring their hands, sit on the sidelines, and suggest that we should not use whatever means (individual and collective action) we have to right the wrong. Howard Dean (someone I am not used to quoting) put it best today when he said of Allen, "I don't think he belongs in public service, to be honest with you. There are Republicans who are capable and smart, thoughtful people, and he's not one of them."
If Allen were my employee, I'd fire him and make sure no friend of mine hired him. If you want to make this a better country, do what you can to deny places in public service for people like Allen. Allen's up for re-election on November 7. He has an opponent. As a practical matter, if you want to make it clear to the world that Allen's attitudes and actions have consequences and no place in public service, then you need to do everything you can to support his opponent.
Maybe I am taking for granted on this blog what I know from first-hand experience as a former statewide candidate. The single most important thing Allen's opponent, James Webb, needs right now is money. Money will help him get the word out through many means--direct mail into homes, television, radio, door-to-door canvassing, providing rides to the elderly and getting them absentee ballots, etc. Sure there are other things you can do--emailing and calling swing-voter friends in Virginia and making sure they turn out to vote, write letters to the editor, protest wearing the t-shirts, etc. But the most important thing is giving Webb the resources he needs to win and really working on your friends until they do so. A lot of people dong a little really adds up fast. Every reader of this blog has the power by working email and the phones to start a chain of fundraising that helps Webb close the three-percentage-point gap that is left after the macaca incident (it was 19 points before).
Action. The rest--it's just talk. And politics, in the worst sense of the word, in the sense you seem to be using it? Here's politics. Raising money for a racist. That's politics. Me? I'm just trying to see some justice in the world. And right now that consists of focusing on getting a guy fired.
I reminded sepiamutiny readers of this quote from Gandhi when macacagate first broke, but here it is again: "The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems."
SC
P.S. Another thing I learned from campaigning--sometimes, you've got to ask busy, tapped-out people to give several times before they finally act. If you haven't yet, please do.
Profile of Sidarth in today's Washington Post.
Great ending.
Dear Mr. Chandra,
I fully appreciate your efforts. Good Luck.
Regards,
brown_fob
The single most important thing Allen's opponent, James Webb, needs right now is money. Money will help him get the word out through many means--direct mail into homes, television, radio, door-to-door canvassing, providing rides to the elderly and getting them absentee ballots, etc. Sure there are other things you can do--emailing and calling swing-voter friends in Virginia and making sure they turn out to vote, write letters to the editor, protest wearing the t-shirts, etc. But the most important thing is giving Webb the resources he needs to win and really working on your friends until they do so. A lot of people dong a little really adds up fast. Every reader of this blog has the power by working email and the phones to start a chain of fundraising that helps Webb close the three-percentage-point gap that is left after the macaca incident (it was 19 points before).
Subodh: Some of us would like to bring down Allen, but are not comfortable supporting Webb who at best is Allen Lite. I would of course love to see Webb defeat Allen but I would rather spend my time and money for someone like him to topple him or spend my time and money on someone like her to save her from being toppled by him.
Both time and money are limited resources and the allocation of them has to take into account the realities such as who is more likely to vote against a Scalito like nominee? Webb or Cantwell? I dont know for sure but lets be real here. Webb had previously endorsed Allen and is very likely to follow the path of a Ben Nelson. Dont get me wrong, I understand Virginia politics and I understand that Ted Kennedy will not win a senate race in Virginia in 2006. I also understand and agree that we would be MUCH better off with Webb than with Allen. But our resources are precious and they would be better served by saving Cantwell or supporting Brown than by supporting Webb. If I was living in Viriginia, I would certainly be campaigning for Webb.
In terms of senators who say vile things, no one can beat this jackass. Even though I am not a fan of Casey, I would first support him than support Webb because Ssntorum is a way bigger nuisance than Allen.
@ #73 OH MY WORD
This Wingnut is absent from the thread until this point because she has a day job.
I've already said this was a disgraceful incident, I've already condemned it and not just on desi or desi lefty blogs (I stray far and wide from the plantation), but on righty blogs as well. Heck, I even e-mailed The Corner, but they didn't, like, post my e-mail or anything. They have posted e-mails of mine in the past. Have I proved myself to you all now?
Continue with the feeding frenzy........
*I'm not sending money to Webb. I don't agree with him on many issues.
What is it with some of you people and wingnut anyway? Is this supposed to make me feel all warm and fuzzy toward your point of view or should I just take it as the insult it's intended to be?
PS: Adorable children.
AWWWWW, i want one of them.
Great picture and great article Subodh
well-crafted "washington sketch" by dana milbank today on the allen campaign post-macaca:
... But Allen, who was cruising to reelection a few weeks ago, has seen his lead plunge in polls and has been exposed to national ridicule. The rattled candidate has lost his bluster; his aides trail him with looks of nausea.
Worse, all of this is happening in what Allen, in another context, caled "America and the real world of Virginia." There's a barbecue buffet at Shoney's, and single rooms are $45.99 at the Motel 6. The vote here in what Allen repeatedly calls the "wholesome" Shenandoah Valley -- distinguishing it from less-wholesome provinces to the east -- is solidly Republican.
Yet Allen tiptoed around the issues of the day as he spoke to the local chamber of commerce. There was no mention of Iraq or the Middle East, not a word about terrorism and national security, and barely a mention of President Bush. And, addressing another all-white crowd, he labored to avoid even the hint of another macaca moment.
"We graduate 70,000 engineers every year; one-third are from another country," Allen said, before adding quickly: "Which is just fine."
"We graduate 70,000 engineers every year; one-third are from another country," Allen said, before adding quickly: "Which is just fine."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! We're teaching George Felix Allen some patriotic values! Love America! (Doing the brown power salute)...
Subodh,
So awed by your op-ed but even more by your parenting philosophy and your children's names.
I quoted from your comments here on SM on my blog--hope that's ok. It'll be such a nice surprise for the four other people who read my blog to encounter something other than my prattle :)
All the very best as your and your family shoulder the hopes of many of us.
The profile of Sidarth in today's post was great.
Subodh, your views on politics and service are inspirational. I wish you were still running for office. I'd volunteer for your campaign.
Mallika Chopra in the house? What a great Friday! Much respect, didi.
Subodh -- 30 years it is. But let me warn you my younger one is a tempest! :)
DesiDancer, thanks for the shout out. Much respect to you, as well.
Mallika
My littlest of three, too. It's a match.
...and this story just keeps getting better and better...
The kid in the middle is a Oompa-Loompa look alike. :-D
Think George Allen's ego and heart have accepted that he was wrong? Think again.
Now, the question is, are we going to let him get away with it?
This is one of the cutest photos I have ever seen.
And I completely agree with Salil (#68). Plus I think one makes the biggest 'statement' of all just by having kids - that one has some sense of faith in the world and in oneself. In this case, Subodh Chandra is taking it further by showing that he's a politically attuned dad with a sense of humor. (*By the way, I think you could do a kickin flip book of them wearing these shirts every few months until they actually fit)
Other kids get Mother Goose, Siddhartha gets Ho Chi Minh. Sounds like some good times in the Mitter household, machang ;) you are going to have to share some of those slogans some time!
(As per usual, domo arigato, Mr. Kobayashi - damn, does the wit and erudition ever stop ?!)
Yet another piece in the media (this time the Washington Post) that fails to report a crucial fact before drawing its conclusion:
Similar insincerity is evident in the reaction to Allen and the macaca episode, in which the Virginia Republican used the word in reference to a U.S.-born Democratic campaign worker of Indian descent. Imagine for a moment that Allen actually knew that a "macaque" is a kind of monkey, or that in French the term is sometimes used as an insult for North Africans (Allen denied having known about either). Who, then, believes that Allen would use the slur against an opposition campaigner aiming a camera straight at him?The facts of the case would suggest that Allen just made up something silly on the spot -- something especially clear from the video of the incident, in which Allen, as usual, speaks in his jocular backyard-barbecue tone. His erstwhile attitudes toward Confederate memorabilia and Martin Luther King Jr. Day notwithstanding, was calling young S.R. Sidarth "macaca" graceful? Hardly. But racist? Nonsense.
Allen's faux pas is but the latest case of people being damned for uttering racial epithets that few people even regard as such...
Here's what you can do:
Email the Washington Post at letters@washpost.com, reference the piece, "In Defense of Andrew Young" by John H. McWhorter (8/27/2006) and ask them to stop running any articles and op-eds on the Allen matter without mentioning his "French connection," namely, that Allen's mother is a French-Tunisian colonial who immigrated to the U.S., that Allen himself is fluent in French, and that French colonials would be quite familiar with the term, thank you very much.
Those facts make drawing the conclusion McWhorter did above seem rather silly--and indeed all the more absurd since McWhorter, who is with the right-wing Manhattan Institute, professes to be an expert on language.
While you are at it, please email the New York Times at nytnews@nytimes.com AND public@nytimes.com for this piece, "Senator Apologizes to Student for Remark" by Carl Hulse (8/24/2006) as another example of incomplete reporting.
The French-Tunisian connection is key to understanding the whole story. It's the smoking gun. People have been convicted over less.
Please engage in this exercise repeatedly with media in Virginia if you are trolling around the net for Virginia newspaper stories. We have got to get the media to start reporting this story correctly and being able to think critically everytime people in Allen's camp (including, presumably, himself), protest Allen's innocence and ignorance of what he was saying.
It's truly amazing that I have yet to find a single instance of a single member of the media asking George Allen directly about the "French connection."
You can change that.
Fewer and fewer of these stories, by the way, as time goes on, mention the "Welcome to America" comment, which was even less excusable. Reference that as well as you wish in your letters to the editor.
Other kids get Mother Goose, Siddhartha gets Ho Chi Minh. Sounds like some good times in the Mitter household, machang ;) you are going to have to share some of those slogans some time!
Word. I heart Siddhartha's personal tidbits scattered all over the SM archives :)
Think George Allen's ego and heart have accepted that he was wrong? Think again.
Sheesh, this guy's explanations and clarifications alone could fill an entire Allen-to-English dictionary. Re-re-translated apology: I'm sorry that people aren't able to appreciate how funny my jokes are.
In many parts of North India white people are referred to as "lal bandaron".
Lal = Red
Bandar = Monkey
If you notice the pink face tones of the monkeys common in Uttar Pradesh, yeah, alot of us white folks have similar tones, so that's where U.P.ites came up with the term.
Maybe you can make T-shirts saying "LAL BANDAR" with a pic of Senator George Allen's face underneath. That would be hilarious!
I think I'm gonna have a "Who You Callin Lal Bandar?" t-shirt made before my next trip to Bharat.
Pardesi,
LOL. My great granny used to use this term a lot, apparently. That T-shirt would be hilarious.
Where to begin with this pseudo-analysis? Have at them, guys, with your comments. Leaving out the "French connection," again, for starters. Neglecting to tell the whole story about Allen's past too.
Allen's finally down in Virginia. New Wall Street Journal/Zogby poll. He was ahead by eleven points two months ago. Still, it's close and action by you makes the difference.
Keep it going. Here's how. S.R. Sidarth's father and others are putting together a September 10 multiethnic fundraiser for Webb in Vienna, VA. If you are in the D.C./Virginia/Maryland area--please go. If you can't afford full freight, get in touch with the campaign's contact through the last link; they'll see what they can do. If you are not in the area, please contribute toward the event.
First post-Macaca presidential straw poll reported at right-wing blog.
Macaca's vindicated (well almost) ... Webb is leading Allen in a recent poll. Wow, if Webb wins it will be a HUGE upset, because so far punditocracy is saying that the , macaca-gate has only hurt Allen's 2008 chances but he is preety much thru in Senate race.
The Confederate flag is not a racist symbol, and it means just as much to a Southerner as the swastika does to an Indian. Obviously, no Indian will accept an American saying the swastika is a "racist hate symbol" because of Hitler. Please do not accept haters of the South teaching you incorrectly about the meaning of the Confederate flag.
The Confederate flag is not a racist symbol, and it means just as much to a Southerner as the swastika does to an Indian.
This is an outrageous comparison. The Svastika symbol has existed for 1000s of years, was co-opted 60 years ago by one of the most brutal dictators of all time. The Confederate flag represents the confederacy's motives for its existence, and a significant component of said motivation is lucidly explained by, for example, the Texas secessionists:
"We hold as undeniable truths that the government of the various states and of the (federal) confederacy itself, were established exclusively by the white race, for themselves and their posterity; that the African race had no agency in their establishment; that they were rightfully held and regarded as an inferior and dependent race, and in that condition only could their existence in this country be rendered beneficial or tolerable."
It couldn't be any clearer, any attempt to say otherwise is an white-washing of history.
A symbol of racial self-preservation and self-defense is not "racist" in a negative sense. All people have a right to exist, even white Americans. Indians seem to be very interested in the color line to this day, as skin lightening cream ads on the Indian TV channels have shown me.....so don't lecture to Americans on the meaning of "racism". It is very hypocritical coming from a culture still revolving around caste.
self preservation and self defense? are you #)($(@$)(#)'ng kidding me?
So lets see, group A brings a another group of people from another continent, against their will, deems them inferior and dependent, subjects them to all kind of atrocities and when they object to being objectified, action against them is self preservation and defense?? WTF?
And the desire to subjugate human beings (or at least get behind a symbol that clearly, without a DOUBT represents that) somehow is equivalent to skin lightening cream?
And your very very Christian understanding of caste is readily apparent, and needn't be debated here.
Please don't feed the trolls...
Sorry for the confusion, but am I the feeder or the feedee?