DID you know what a Macaca is?

[Duckwater 0]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/16/allen.volunteer/index.html

I still dont know how to pronounce it and I have certainly never heard anyone use it I dont think.

Shouldnt we give people a break? Im sure he had no idea what he was saying and certainly did not mean it as a slur.

There were some people calling each other 'cracker' at work. None of them knew what it meant, it just sounded funny. An african american friend took me aside and told me what the origins of that word was and I was shocked and had no idea...I told everyone that was saying it and they all had no idea.....(and crapped their pants)

We should give someone the doubt of ignorance before we label them a racist.

[Andy9o8 2]

You know, "political correctness" is always a ballbuster. On the one hand, you need to be careful what you say to whom in the workplace. On the other hand, people can cut you a break when your intent is innocuous. But when you're a politician, you make the choice to conduct your career in the spotlight, under constant public scrutiny of your words and deeds – the same words and deeds you (and this goes for all politicians, all parties) almost certainly used as weapons against your opponent in attack ads during your last campaign. So I have less sympathy when a politician gets pilloried for putting his foot in his mouth than I do for people in other walks of life – you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

Is Allen really a racist? Eh, probably not seriously so, but he should have given more thought to what he was saying before shooting his mouth off in public. He may have been raised by a great football coach, but that doesn't give him carte blanche to speak like one.

[idrankwhat 0]

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/16/allen.volunteer/index.html

I still dont know how to pronounce it and I have certainly never heard anyone use it I dont think.

Shouldnt we give people a break? Im sure he had no idea what he was saying and certainly did not mean it as a slur.

Well, considering that it's apparently a racial slur referring to North African blacks and Allen's mother was born and raised in Tunisia.........he used it twice and threw in "welcome to America" to the American campaign worker.....I'm pretty sure he knew what he was saying and was caught up in the moment while posturing for his good old boy network.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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Shouldnt we give people a break? Im sure he had no idea what he was saying and certainly did not mean it as a slur.

That's a little far fetched. I doubt he made the word up on the spot and happened to make up a word that already exhisted. If he knew the word, knew how to pronounce it, I would think and reasonably conclude he knew what it meant too.

[quade 4]

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Im sure he had no idea what he was saying and certainly did not mean it as a slur.

Have you seen the video?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8200549670959213802&q=macaca

George Allen didn't just make up the word. It was, in my opinion, a premeditated and pointed attack.

Not only is it a racial slur, but in this case one that he seems to have researched specifically so that to most western ears would slip under the radar; offending the victim, yet passing over the heads of 99% of Allen's supporters. He was -counting- on the fact that it's obscure.

To me, that's worse.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Skyrad 0]

Question is, does the dude look like a monkey or not?

It seems a little tenuious to think that he was using the latin genus of Macaques to insult someone. Though having said that i thought the more insulting part was 'Welcome to America, welome to the real world' what the frick did he mean by that, ignorant redneck.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[idrankwhat 0]

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Not only is it a racial slur, but in this case one that he seems to have researched specifically so that to most western ears would slip under the radar; offending the victim, yet passing over the heads of 99% of Allen's supporters. He was -counting- on the fact that it's obscure.

To me, that's worse.

He knew what he said. If this doesn't get at least the same attention as "the Dean scream" that permeated the "liberal media" then there's no justice in this world.

[christelsabine 1]

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Question is, does the dude look like a monkey or not?

Jamile - What kind of weird humour is that??

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It seems a little tenuious to think that he was using the latin genus of Macaques to insult someone. Though having said that i thought the more insulting part was 'Welcome to America, welome to the real world' what the frick did he mean by that, ignorant redneck.

What an arrogant bast*rd. He surely exactly knew what he said but, forgot about the consequences to talk like an idiot in public, beeing overwhelmed by his own show - that is what I see in this video. Perhaps he just had one beer too much on this party, who knows? Many politicians suffer that illness.

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[Gravitymaster 0]

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Not only is it a racial slur, but in this case one that he seems to have researched specifically so that to most western ears would slip under the radar; offending the victim, yet passing over the heads of 99% of Allen's supporters. He was -counting- on the fact that it's obscure.

To me, that's worse.

He knew what he said. If this doesn't get at least the same attention as "the Dean scream" that permeated the "liberal media" then there's no justice in this world.

I'm sure it will get about the same attention as the Biden slur.

"In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7/11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.” Sen. Joseph Biden-(D-Delaware)

[idrankwhat 0]

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He knew what he said. If this doesn't get at least the same attention as "the Dean scream" that permeated the "liberal media" then there's no justice in this world.

I'm sure it will get about the same attention as the Biden slur.

"In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7/11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.” Sen. Joseph Biden-(D-Delaware)

[Gravitymaster 0]

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He knew what he said. If this doesn't get at least the same attention as "the Dean scream" that permeated the "liberal media" then there's no justice in this world.

I'm sure it will get about the same attention as the Biden slur.

"In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7/11 or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.” Sen. Joseph Biden-(D-Delaware)

Poor way to illustrate his point, agreed. The same singling the only dark skinned guy out, mocking him in front of his buddies with a racial slur and the "welcome to America"? I'd say "no". I hope this seriously hurts his career. It probably won't though. People seem to have forgotten about the Confederate flag and hangman's noose that he used to have hanging in his office.

[idrankwhat 0]

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I doubt it will hurt his career as a Senator. Allen was Governor of Va. for 6 years (term limit) and did an acceptable job of leaving the state in good financial condition.

It was the 90's. Big surprise. How about his environmental legacy there? His good-old boy network really did a number on that one.

He will undoubtably be re-elected as our Senator. Most understand the Confederate flag isn't a symbol of racism and also support the death penalty.

Had it just been the flag I would have agreed with you. A hangman's noose on the other hand..........

I'm voting for Webb. Allen's been a cancer on this state. Actually, I'll be using a Diebold machine so I have no idea who I'm voting for

[billvon 3,120]

I knew it was a genus of monkey. I suspect most people don't, and I suspect he didn't. I think he meant to call him a silly name (like cacahead or something) and it backfired big time.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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I knew it was a genus of monkey. I suspect most people don't, and I suspect he didn't. I think he meant to call him a silly name (like cacahead or something) and it backfired big time.

I don't by that for a second. He made a mistake during trying to make up a word and happened to come up with a word that is a perfect insult for the gentleman it was aimed at?

[billvon 3,120]

>He made a mistake during trying to make up a word and happened
> to come up with a word that is a perfect insult for the gentleman it
> was aimed at?

I suspect he's called people names like that before. This was the first time he stumbled upon a truly offensive term.

That's not to excuse what he did. If I called african people names during speeches, and it took me two months to stumble on a word that sounded like "nigger" - I would not expect people to give me a pass on it.

[idrankwhat 0]

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I knew it was a genus of monkey. I suspect most people don't, and I suspect he didn't. I think he meant to call him a silly name (like cacahead or something) and it backfired big time.

I don't by that for a second. He made a mistake during trying to make up a word and happened to come up with a word that is a perfect insult for the gentleman it was aimed at?

Did you guys miss the part where I posted that his mother grew up in a North Africa? I don't for a second think that his choice of words was an accident.

Edited to add:
Here's a write up on Bill O'Reilly's favorite website.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200608170001?src=other

[billvon 3,120]

>I don't for a second think that his choice of words was an accident.

When the choice is between incompetence and malice - incompetence wins almost every time.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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Did you guys miss the part where I posted that his mother grew up in a North Africa? I don't for a second think that his choice of words was an accident.

Nope and I agree with you