First of all, I DO think that Sen Allen knew that he was using a racial slur, but by choosing an obscure one, he could fly his bigotry right under the radar and jump through the loophole if he did get called out.
BUT, even if his use of the racial slur was "unintentional", the fact remains that he purposefully used derisive language in order to single out and make the gentleman feel inferior. This in and of itself is unprofessional, unacceptable, and in the poorest taste imaginable. Any American should be ashamed of an elected official who deliberately chooses to conduct himself in this despicable way.
Good night, and good luck.
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From colorofchange.org, if you'd like to sign the petition to the RNC:
Friends,
No politician should think it's okay to single someone out because of their skin color, to assume they're not "American" based on their ethnicity, or to call them "monkey" or a French equivalent of "nigger." But that's exactly what Senator George Allen did. I wanted to let you know about what happened, and invite you to join me in standing up against this overt display of racism by one of our highest elected officials.
http://www.colorofchange.org/allen/?id=2563-109147
Last Friday at a campaign event, Sen. Allen singled out the only non-white person in the audience, a staffer from his opponent's campaign, and called him "macaque," twice. Macaque means monkey in French and is used as racist slur in Europe and by white supremacists in the US. Allen then said that he wanted to "Welcome [him] to America," as if he were a visitor to this country. The young man, S.R. Sidarth, is as American as any of us--he was born and raised in Virginia. You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G7gq7GQ71c.
Sen. Allen's campaign has claimed that "macaque" was just a variation on "mohawk," which Allen's campaign staffers had taken to calling Sidarth in reference to his haircut. It's hard to see how you get from "mohawk" to "macaque." And it's highly doubtful that Senator Allen was unaware that "macaque" is a deeply offensive racial epithet--Senator Allen speaks French, and his mother is from Tunisia, a country where the term is used as a slur.
Most of us don't know this, but Sen. Allen has a uniquely disturbing history when it comes to race. Although he grew up in California, early on he seemed to adopt the racist ideology that represents the worst of the South's legacy. As a high school student in Southern California, he had an obsession with the confederate flag--applying it on his person, car, and around school. As an adult in Virginia, he hung the confederate flag prominently in his house. As governor of Virginia, he issued a proclamation romanticizing the South's position in the civil war as "a struggle for independence and sovereign rights." He had a noose on display in his law office – hanging from a tree. As a state representative, he opposed the creation of a holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. And he has called the NAACP an extremist organization.
Allen's remarks to Sidarth arise from the same kind of worldview that causes some people to say "go back to Africa" – the idea that this is white people's territory. Had Allen called an African-American "monkey," "darkey," or told the person to "go back to Africa," his political career would be over. It should be no different when the attack is directed at someone of Indian descent. Whether to please a white audience, or as a reflection of Allen's worldview, Allen's behavior has no place American politics. Please join me in calling on the RNC to withdraw its support for Allen, and to find a candidate who actually espouses American values:
http://www.colorofchange.org/allen/?id=2563-109147
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