For One Group, 'Macaca' Recalls Slurs After 9/11

[MountainLaurel]

Word of Sen. George Allen's controversial comments flashed across the country last week, but nowhere more rapidly than in Virginia's Indian American community, where frustration over ethnic stereotypes has intensified since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Dolly Oberoi, chief executive of a Northern Virginia technology company, heard what Allen said to a 20-year-old Indian American from Fairfax County replayed on the radio Monday while driving home from work. "To me it sounded like, 'You dirty kid, get out of my way,' " Oberoi said. "That was very painful to a lot of people."

Allen's comments during a campaign stop in southwest Virginia were directed at S.R. Sidarth, who was videotaping the event for Allen's Democratic opponent, James Webb. Allen repeatedly pointed at Sidarth, dismissively calling him "Macaca, or whatever his name is," and saying "welcome to America and to the real world of Virginia."

Once posted by the Webb campaign on the Internet, the video became a sensation, prompting anger about the use of "macaca," which refers to a genus of monkeys and is a racial slur in some countries.

But it was the scene -- of a senator singling out a member of her community in front of a mostly white crowd -- that affected Oberoi more than any word. It smacked of insults directed at her since terrorists, none of whom were Indian, attacked the Pentagon and World Trade Center nearly five years ago.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/19/AR2006081900626.html

[Eric J in MN]

1. If anyone wants to donate to George Allen's opponent...

...the Democrat in the US Senate race in Virginia is James Webb:

http://www.webbforsenate.com/home.php

[MountainLaurel]

3. Thanks for that.

Even though I no longer live in VA, seeing Allen beat is so very important.

[ninkasi]

2. I thought the remark both demeaning and insulting

and I'm of Scotch, Irish, English decent. It never fails to infuriate me when I see people like the arrogant senator pointing out a person of a different race or ethnic background, and then proceeding to say things like this. Mr Sidarth is an American citizen, just as I'm an American citizen, and we should be completely equal both under the law, and in our fellow citizen's eyes.

There is simply no excuse for this kind of behavior, none. There are so many countries represented in Americans, and it might be helpful for this clown of a man realizes that we are, ourselves, the descendants of immigrants to this country. There were native Americans already here, and we took their land by force.

Amazingly, some people don't take the trouble to find out anything about other cultures, or religions, or beliefs. This kind of attitude used to be the norm, then I thought we got a bit more enlightened as a nation, but under the current administration, apparently prejudice and bigotry is allowed to flourish once more.

Not everybody with dark hair and skin is from the Middle East, or India, for that matter. Two of the biggest mass murderers of all time were Hitler and Stalin, and neither were members of the ethnic groups that are being vilified today. There is no place in this country for the hatred and malice that is going on, and it's even worse when it's a member of Congress.

[Jensen]

4. Well said ninkasi!

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