Fairfax Native Says Allen's Words Stung

[MountainLaurel]

The target of the "macaca" comment talks about the incident:

S.R. Sidarth had built an impressive record of achievements for such a young man: straight-A student at one of Fairfax County's finest high schools, a tournament chess player, a quiz team captain, a sportswriter at his college newspaper, a Capitol Hill intern and an active member of the Hindu temple his parents helped establish in Maryland.

But for all his achievements, the moment that thrust him into the national spotlight this month came when Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) called him "macaca."

The remark stung the young man of Indian descent. What hurt more, Sidarth said, was when Allen gave him a sarcastic welcome to his own country, his birthplace even. It was too ironic, he thought. "I was born and raised in Fairfax County, and he's from California," said S.R. Sidarth, wearing khaki shorts, a yellow short-sleeve shirt and flip-flops a week after the incident during an interview at the campaign headquarters of Allen's opponent, Democrat James Webb.

The full name of the suddenly famous 20-year-old is Shekar Ramanuja Sidarth. Following Indian custom, he goes by his surname. To some of his friends, he is simply "Sid."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401639.html

[zbdent]

1. I can see where Allen could get the name mixed up with macaca ...

:sarcasm:

:eyes:

[Cosmocat]

2. You know ...

"What hurt more, Sidarth said, was when Allen gave him a sarcastic welcome to his own country"

From the first time I saw the clip, THIS was what stuck out to me more ...

The BRAINDEAD, TOTALLY BRAINDEAD media hoped on the Macaca part ... Justifiably so to the extent that it was something to note ... But, the media TOTALLY got stuck on this, with the conservatives finding their usual banal shotgun approaches of rationalizing it away ... He didn't know what it meant (AGAIN, the media just nodding instead of pointing out that it would be just as bad that a United States senator use a name without knowing its meaning) or that in a long lost dialect of swahili Macaca means great patriot ...

But, to me ... The "welcome to america" statement was the most indicative of just how big a buckethead Allen is ... Either to be oblious to the real possibility that the person in question was actually born in the US, or the stunning insult to a native american to talk to him that way ...

[MountainLaurel]

5. That was struck me as well

And, as Sidarth mentioned, he was born in Virginia, while Allen is actually from California.

[life_long_dem]

3. Here is the website for Jim Webb:

http://www.webbforsenate.com/home.php

Donate if you can.

Felix must lose. We need to put America back into the hands of adults.

[KKKarl is an idiot]

4. No self respecting

non-caucasian can be a member of the republican party. A few weeks ago we debated on DU the possibility of Obama running for president. In my mind the one thing that stuck out as making him un-electable is the way the republicans would view a non-caucasian running for president. We analyzed the issue based on his qualities as a leader not on the point he is an African American. I love being a member of the democratic party for this attitude. Try debating the same thing at Freepers. It is time all non-caucasians stood up & realized that the republican party is not their home. I do not have anything against all the caucasians who are members of the democratic party.

"Sorry grammatical error that sounded wrong"

[Clark2008]

7. Hell, I can't even see how Caucasians, particularly white women,

can belong to that party.

Maybe a couple of decades ago, but not now.

[MountainLaurel]

8. Some of them are still living "a couple of decades ago"

The Civil Rights Act, women's equality movements, etc., mean nothing to them. Those women still vote what their husbands and churches tell them to, if they vote at all.

[One Sweet World]

6. Allen

Allen is a prick and I sincerely hope the voters in Virginia realize he is no good for the state.

[Igel]

9. Sidarth knew the word 'macaca' and the

ethnic slur it could express?