Outrage followed in the wake of the blogosphere’s explosion of commentary on Republican Senator Allen repeatedly calling S. R. Sidarth, the only non-white member of a rally, a “macaca” and “welcoming him to America.” Allen issued an apology on Monday night, but the damage was done.
What did Allen mean by “macaca?” The Washington Post speculates:
Depending on how it is spelled, the word macaca could mean either a monkey that inhabits the Eastern Hemisphere or a town in South Africa. In some European cultures, macaca is also considered a racial slur against African immigrants, according to several Web sites that track ethnic slurs.
The fact that Allen’s mother is a Tunisian immigrant makes it highly likely he was aware of the term’s derogatory use as a racial slur.
The slur itself was bad enough, but Allen’s telling the audience to welcome the US-born Sidarth to America and “the real world” was incredibly condescending and makes you wonder what kind of “real world” America George Allen lives in.
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his mother wasnt a tunisian.
his mother was part of the colonial settles in tunisia. She was actually french/italian/jewish
This term was used by the europeans to refer to native afrians during the colonial times.
The Wikipedia entry says his mother immigrated from French Tunisia. Additionally, on Chris Matthew’s “Hardball” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12079685/) the following exchange occurred between Allen and Matthews:
ALLEN: My mother came to this country after World War II, she came in legally.
MATTHEWS: Where did she come from.
ALLEN: Tunisia, North Africa.
Whatever her own ethnic background might be, she indisputably came from Tunisia and was probably aware of that country’s slang and derogatory terms.
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