Apparently it’s a French slur used against North Africans. So if he’s so fluent it’s likely he was aware of the origins of the term. What a twat.
I guess you’re right about that.
But do you really believe that he slipped up three times uttering a slur when he knew that he was being filmed by his opponents camp? He is smooth. He is no idiot. That’s the part that makes no sense to me. He’s not that dumb. I don’t even thiink Cynthia McKinney would do something so dumb. And that’s saying something.
I meant genius in a Bloefeldian sense. And it does appear dumb. So dumb that I’d love to know the real explanation, though I doubt we ever will.
You are ignoring what preceded it. Context matters. Even when you don’t like the guy.
I am not implying this kid did anything wrong. I just watched a little interview with hi mon the web and he seems like a great kid. I must admit that all these “explanations” I’ve been hearing after the fact do strain the brain.
Oh no, no, no you don’t. You made a claim that he was the only minority in the crowd. I simply asked how you could know that from the link yoiu had supplied. The video showed only three or four people in the crowd. The burden falls to you, my friend.
I still think he should have taken more care to avoid the SPECTRE of racism.
How about, a mistake. Did you see it? It is pretty bad.
Nice.
huh? This makes no sense to me. He is speaking to a young man with a video camera–is every young man with a camera now assumed to be one of the Hollywood elite? He knows this guy is from his opponent’s campaign. How would it be less offensive if he said “welcome to the real America”? That would be even more offensive–why is he assuming that the kid-Sidharth-is NOT an American at all?
Have you ever heard anyone say this to another white person during a campaign? It’s weird as hell that he would say that to Sidharth.
RT -sorry, didn’t study up on Allen prior to posting. Either way, it’s obvious that what his mother taught him in manners is sorely lacking, and that’s being nice about it all. This guy sounds like a complete prick. If that book is truly by his sister and is true–he has anger management problems, big time as well. Just what we need in government–another macho fuck with a chip on his shoulder…
I’m not ignoring anything. He directly addressed Mr. “Macaca” not Webb. What preceeding it serves to establish that Allen believed that he was scoring points on Webb by singling out his staffer. It DOESN’T establish that Allen was not directing his comments in an immediate sense, at that staffer. You’re trying to split the hairs of already split hairs on a toupee that is on someone else’s head.
I know because that’s what the kid said: he was the only minority in the crowd. So far, no Allen apologist has argued this point: some have even become defensive about it “well, so what!!!?”
eleanor: Perhaps I overstated the clarity of the context of the statement, as I believe it to be.
To address your question, the phrase “real America” or “real Americans” is a common rhetorical device used by politicians to denote the difference between the values and beliefs held by an opponent or represented in the biased media, and those values and beliefs that are actually held by “real Americans”. It’s sort of the equivalent of “no true Scotsman.” For example, a politician might say that the representations of tolerance for homosexuality that appear in films or television shows do not reflect the values of “real America,” or that the Supreme Court’s decisions regarding a woman’s right to choose are not in keeping with the values of “real Americans.” In fact, the rhetoric of “real American values” is a huge driving force in the Conservative fight against activist judges.
Some real-world examples: In a speech at a Chinese university, President Bush stated that “our movies and television shows often do not portray the values of the real America I know.” Radio talk show host Glenn Beck wrote a book about traveling to “Real America” as contrasted with the America shown in films and on TV. Jimmy Carter wrote an op-ed piece last November for the LA Times about the difference between the current administrations policies and the values of “real America,” fittingly titled “This isn’t the real America.” None of these examples were intended to single out ethnic Americans as being outside of the real America.
In my humble opinion, Allen is merely the latest in a long line of politicians to use this device. It is unfortunate (for him!) that he chose to use it in the same sentence as a racial slur, and that he chose to direct both it and the racial slur towards an ethnic minority. I choose to attribute his statements to the dangers inherent in going off-script – to me, at least, it appears that he intended to show that his opponent (and therefor his opponent’s volunteers) were unfamiliar with the values of real Americans but bungled the delivery quite badly (both at the time and with his subsequent lousy apologies and excuses).
PS While I was googling for examples of politicians using the “real America” rhetorical device, I came across another confluence of Tunisia and Real America that occured exactly a year ago this month.
Are these stories related? Is time, in fact, circular in nature? Pay me five american dollars to find out the horrifying truth!
He was using a totally obscure slur, so I know I can believe it. I’m not saying I do believe it 100%, but it seems most likely.
No offense, but IMO, you are charitable to the point of --well, you’re too charitable.
If I were a minority and were told by a white man, in front of a group of whites, “welcome to America”, I would be on the phone to Jesse Jackson or (insert appropriate lobbyist/spokesperson here). I don’t see how it can be construed as anything but racist–especially given his Macaca remark.
I hope the Dems actually DO something with this–Swift Boat this guy’s ass back under the rock he crawled out from. (how’s that for a tortured sentence?)
Why SwiftBoat him, when you can use true stuff? (am I swimming against the tide for this usage?)
I doubt I could find a cite, but I’m pretty sure that I have heard similar rhetoric used in just that context. “My opponent is a Hollywood leftist/beltway insider/rich plutocrat. He doesn’t know what it’s like out here in the REAL America!” That part, at least, I don’t think is necessarily racist.
It is, I think, however increasingly vile: it’s an extremely unthinking reflexive signal to start hating. It’s also a superiority complex a mile wide born out of pure resentment and a sense of victimhood… from, bizarrely, the priveleged and powerful.
Allen wasn’t speaking to Web, then–he was “greeting” Sidarth. If he had been referring to his opponent, he should have said so, or made it clear that he was. As it stands, he is speaking to the guy holding the video camera–not that guy’s boss/candidate.
I meant Swift Boat in the sense of just putting it everywhere in the media and never letting the story die. I do realize the SBers were making shit up out of whole cloth. And here we have someone who is apparently open about his feelings re minorities.
Sadly, there will be plenty who support him BECAUSE of his sentiments, not despite them.
I don’t think there are many that would support him because of it. Even the white power assholes who use that term aren’t generally Republican voters and partisan Republicans are far more to find reasons to excuse his behavior, explain it away, or focus on the evilness of Democrats. Virtually none of them are going to be happy that this happened.
Yet another amusing wrinkle along that “you’re not from here!” line: