Oh maybe another rant...
I'm not sure how many of you out there read this, and even more so how many of you are in to politics.
But a couple of days ago, George Allen (R) from VA running for the US Senate, was caught on camera making insensitive remarks to an Indian American, referred to as S.R. Sidarth. The Washington Post, as well as The New York Times, CNN, and other media outlets (TNR, NBC4.com, etc) have posted articles on this, and I felt it was my duty as an Indian American to do the same.
First though, let me preface this by saying I have known Sidarth for the majority of my life. We go to the same temple, and when we were younger we used to go to each others birthday parties, houses to play football, he even whipped my ass in every chess match I ever played against him--our mothers are quite close as well. So when I read this story, and heard about it, I was enraged.
Allen refers to Sidarth as a "macaca," a word which no one really seems to know the meaning of. Many people speculate it is a derivation of Macaque, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaque) which is another name for a Monkey, or simply another name for the Mohawk hairstyle, which Sidarth is seeming to style. However, I don't believe the latter argument, which is Allen's argument. It was reported Allen had in fact met Sidarth and was aware that Sidarth was following his campaign around to videotape him for his opponent, James Webb. Sidarth does not even have a mohawk (I thought it was from my Mother's descriptions when she saw him at the temple a few days ago), but it is a mullet, and it is quite clear it is a mullet. Business in the front, party in the back, if you will.
In any case, this is just another case of extreme ignorance. Allen chose to make these remarks in a crowed of a hundred or so all-white faces, with Sidarth being the only non-white. If a remark such as this were made in another setting, where a white person was called a "Cracker" or something along those lines at a political campaign for an African-American, this would be even more so in the headlines.
Certain members of the Indian community are appalled, and some come to Allen's defense. The reason some are coming to his defense are because in short, Republican ideologies are what is best for Indian Businessmen, Doctors, what have you. We get to keep our money, and we get tax breaks! So, clearly, our loyalties lie elsewhere. This, coming to light ON the DAY of the 59th anniversary of Indian Independence, makes it even more so appalling to me.
Has anyone else made the connection that Allen went from speaking of Sidarth as a "Macaca" and went immediately to the War on Terror? Maybe I might be reading into things, but it seems to be a bit more than a slip-up.
Again, the papers are reporting quotes from various individuals which have statements from political pundits that go on to say Allen need not worry about his Senatorial campaign, but were he to in fact run for the Presidential Nomination in 2008, this would reappear to haunt him. Another skeleton in his closet, if you will--along with the picture of him with the Confederate flag I have been reading about.
I really don't know what I'm even trying to say here. Part of me wants to just yell and scream about how the Right Wing is taking over with their racial insensitivity and is playing into rural America's notions that Indians are to be grouped in the same category as monkeys, or because they look similar to terrorists, whatever (a side note, I was stopped and asked questions at Reagan National Airport with my father the other day for looking "Suspicious," when clearly I was taking a piss and buying The New Yorker, but I won't get into that). But a bigger part of me is thinking, Who's going to even care? The majority of the left-wing bloggers (I guess I'm quite left-wing) and people who read such papers AS the Post, the NY Times, and online papers such as the Huffington Post, or TNR, are already knowledegable enough to realize what is going on in this country. The people we are so concerned about don't read such articles, or even care about these things. I mean yes, we should keep trying to achieve our goal and educate people...but it hasn't seemed to work for the past 6 years, and it doesn't seem to make any difference right now (at least outside of the Indian Community).
So let me end this outburst. Sidarth, I doubt you'll ever read this--but we're all behind you. It was an insensitive remark, and Allen's apologies as of 8AM today do not suffice.
I have so much more I want to say...but I'll refrain.
For further information on this story:
YouTube.com has the video up, just search for George Allen, or the user is "WebbCampaign"
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/washington/16allen.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081400589.html
Actually, just google the term "Sidarth Allen," or any variation of. And you will read on.
But a couple of days ago, George Allen (R) from VA running for the US Senate, was caught on camera making insensitive remarks to an Indian American, referred to as S.R. Sidarth. The Washington Post, as well as The New York Times, CNN, and other media outlets (TNR, NBC4.com, etc) have posted articles on this, and I felt it was my duty as an Indian American to do the same.
First though, let me preface this by saying I have known Sidarth for the majority of my life. We go to the same temple, and when we were younger we used to go to each others birthday parties, houses to play football, he even whipped my ass in every chess match I ever played against him--our mothers are quite close as well. So when I read this story, and heard about it, I was enraged.
Allen refers to Sidarth as a "macaca," a word which no one really seems to know the meaning of. Many people speculate it is a derivation of Macaque, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaque) which is another name for a Monkey, or simply another name for the Mohawk hairstyle, which Sidarth is seeming to style. However, I don't believe the latter argument, which is Allen's argument. It was reported Allen had in fact met Sidarth and was aware that Sidarth was following his campaign around to videotape him for his opponent, James Webb. Sidarth does not even have a mohawk (I thought it was from my Mother's descriptions when she saw him at the temple a few days ago), but it is a mullet, and it is quite clear it is a mullet. Business in the front, party in the back, if you will.
In any case, this is just another case of extreme ignorance. Allen chose to make these remarks in a crowed of a hundred or so all-white faces, with Sidarth being the only non-white. If a remark such as this were made in another setting, where a white person was called a "Cracker" or something along those lines at a political campaign for an African-American, this would be even more so in the headlines.
Certain members of the Indian community are appalled, and some come to Allen's defense. The reason some are coming to his defense are because in short, Republican ideologies are what is best for Indian Businessmen, Doctors, what have you. We get to keep our money, and we get tax breaks! So, clearly, our loyalties lie elsewhere. This, coming to light ON the DAY of the 59th anniversary of Indian Independence, makes it even more so appalling to me.
Has anyone else made the connection that Allen went from speaking of Sidarth as a "Macaca" and went immediately to the War on Terror? Maybe I might be reading into things, but it seems to be a bit more than a slip-up.
Again, the papers are reporting quotes from various individuals which have statements from political pundits that go on to say Allen need not worry about his Senatorial campaign, but were he to in fact run for the Presidential Nomination in 2008, this would reappear to haunt him. Another skeleton in his closet, if you will--along with the picture of him with the Confederate flag I have been reading about.
I really don't know what I'm even trying to say here. Part of me wants to just yell and scream about how the Right Wing is taking over with their racial insensitivity and is playing into rural America's notions that Indians are to be grouped in the same category as monkeys, or because they look similar to terrorists, whatever (a side note, I was stopped and asked questions at Reagan National Airport with my father the other day for looking "Suspicious," when clearly I was taking a piss and buying The New Yorker, but I won't get into that). But a bigger part of me is thinking, Who's going to even care? The majority of the left-wing bloggers (I guess I'm quite left-wing) and people who read such papers AS the Post, the NY Times, and online papers such as the Huffington Post, or TNR, are already knowledegable enough to realize what is going on in this country. The people we are so concerned about don't read such articles, or even care about these things. I mean yes, we should keep trying to achieve our goal and educate people...but it hasn't seemed to work for the past 6 years, and it doesn't seem to make any difference right now (at least outside of the Indian Community).
So let me end this outburst. Sidarth, I doubt you'll ever read this--but we're all behind you. It was an insensitive remark, and Allen's apologies as of 8AM today do not suffice.
I have so much more I want to say...but I'll refrain.
For further information on this story:
YouTube.com has the video up, just search for George Allen, or the user is "WebbCampaign"
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/washington/16allen.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081400589.html
Actually, just google the term "Sidarth Allen," or any variation of. And you will read on.