It's "Macaque" Not "Macaca." It's A Slur Allen Likely Knew, Not Gibberish

[JABBS]

Click here to read why Sen. George Allen's slur isn't likely gibberish, as he claims.

Also, check out Allen's non-apology.

[Ioo]

1. ALSO REMEMBER - Allen Speaks French - He knows what he said...

The slur is French, and it is know that he has studied it for some time while in school

He knew what he was saying.

[SteppingRazor]

4. The slur is primarily used in old French colonies...

places like Algeria and Tunisia.

I don't think his knowing this word is a result of studying French, so much as the fact that his mother is French-Tunisian. Given that fact, it's incredibly unlikely that he wouldn't be familiar with the term.

[Ioo]

6. If you were a racist, would you not learn the terms in a new language?

I mean, first thing I did was learn to cuss in spanish

[SteppingRazor]

7. Just pointing out that he didn't even need to study French...

Allen probably knew this term very early on. Probably heard it around the house before he ever took a French class.

[Ioo]

9. True true - I just think many only have half the story....

So I want the facts out there...

[Ioo]

8. George Allen's Mother is from Tunishia

So, more proof he would know it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Felix_Allen

[JABBS]

17. the point is made

in the linked article.

I don't think this is just a coincidence.

[norml]

2. Web Results 1 - 10 of about 6,210,000 for macaca. (0.09 seconds)

Web Results 1 - 10 of about 6,210,000 for macaca. (0.09 seconds)

Tip: Save time by hitting the return key instead of clicking on "search"

News results for macaca - View today's top stories
Senator apologizes for `Macaca' remark - San Jose Mercury News - 8 hours ago



ADW: Macaca fascicularis: InformationLong tailed or crab eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis) are found in southeast Asia ... Macaca fascicularis may be an important predator in its ecosystem, ...
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Macaca_fascicularis.html - 53k - Cached - Similar pages


ADW: Macaca fuscata: InformationMating Season Effect on Mother-infant Conflict in Japanese Macaques, Macaca fuscata. Anim.Behav. 39:1472-1481. Pavelka, M. 1993. Monkeys of the Mesquite. ...
animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Macaca_fuscata.html - 47k - Cached - Similar pages
< More results from animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu >


Genus Macaca (macaques)Genus Macaca macaques. Classification: Order Primates (primates) > Family ... Macaca thibetana. Pere David's (or Tibetan stump-tailed) macaque ...
1kai.dokkyomed.ac.jp/mammal/en/genus/macaca.html - 6k - Cached - Similar pages


Macaque - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaCrab-eating Macaque or Long-tailed Macaque or Kera, Macaca fascicularis; Stump-tailed Macaque or Bear Macaque, Macaca arctoides. M. mulatta group ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaque - 24k - Cached - Similar pages


Macaca - Wikimedia CommonsRhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) Hainan island, China. These macaques are the most ... Retrieved from "http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Macaca" ...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Macaca - 33k - Cached - Similar pages


Primate Factsheets: Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis)Genus: Macaca Species: fascicularis Subspecies: Mf atriceps, Mf aurea, ... Macaca fascicularis. Long-tailed macaques sleep in trees along the river and are ...
pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/long-tailed_macaque - 24k - Aug 14, 2006 - Cached - Similar pages


Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata)Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata). MORPHOLOGY: This species has cheek pouches ...
members.tripod.com/uakari/macaca_fuscata.html - 19k - Cached - Similar pages


White Paper for Complete Sequencing of the Rhesus Macaque ( Macaca ...File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
common laboratory species of rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), baboon (Papio hamadryas),. pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) and African green monkey ...
www.genome.gov/Pages/Research/Sequencing/SeqProposals/RhesusMacaqueSEQ021203.pdf - Similar pages


Crooks and Liars » George Allen’s Macaca"Lets give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of ... If spelled Macaca, the term refers to a species of monkeys in the Eastern ...
www.crooksandliars.com/posts/2006/08/14/george-allens-macaca/ - 54k - Aug 14, 2006 - Cached - Similar pages


www.ensembl.org/Macaca_mulatta/Similar pages


http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=macaca&btnG=Search

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Here's what a Belgian friend says:

No, it's actually a slur for a maroccan the similarity in sound between the
two is probably the origin. Most moroccans are not of arab decent but berber,
actually berber is a arab slur for the original amazigh population with a similar
sound and meaning to the greek barbar.

The prononciation is also different between makaak the monkey and the slur
version ma-kak which sounds like ma=mother kak=shit.

[Virginia Dare]

5. I think my fave excuse is that...

he was trying to say "mullet". :eyes:

[renegade000]

15. yeah, i know the guy he insulted...

just has a pretty regular hairstyle, nothing resembling a mohawk or a mullet or whatever allen was trying to say. the local news here showed pictures of him, so viewers could quickly discern that his excuse was utter bull (even if they didn't explicitly call allen out on it), but i've been annoyed that the MSM hasn't even bothered to address this fact, and just parrots allen's excuse.

[JABBS]

26. he's had four excuses so far

-- It was gibberish
-- He meant to say mullet
-- He meant to say mohawk
-- He was repeating a nickname given to Siddarth by his staff.

Anyway you slice it, it comes out peanuts.

[peacetalksforall]

10. Here's the key paragraph from the blog - Northern Africa

"But it's a little hard to believe that Allen picked the slur out of the air. As The New Republic reported: "Not only is Macaque apparently a French slur used to describe North Africans, Allen would have good reason to know it is. His mother is French Tunisian (yeah, that's in North Africa), and Allen speaks French."

"The story will no doubt quickly die in the press, unless Americans of Macaquen descent hire a good lobbying firm. But it says a lot about Allen."

He speaks French? And he wasn't boycotted? Someone dropped the ball.

Anyway, he speaks French, his mother is from the area where the term is used by the French as a slur against her and her people?

This blogger is right - says plenty about Allen. What a fool. And what a manipulator if he used English phonetics to come up with ma-ca-ca - in reference to an Asian monkey, when the French pronunciation of macaque would be different.

Aren't Repulicans classy people? Bet some people at his country club patted him on the back for that one.

[Ioo]

12. BINGO - He KNEW what he was saying. He is a biggot!

[elehhhhna]

22. What's nect? Call him an Orangutang and say he was really talking about

the spaceaged powdered orange drink?

HOW STOOPID DOES HE THINK WE ARE?

[JABBS]

23. LOL

[AspenRose]

28. Good one

:spray:

[elehhhhna]

30. Call him a chimp & claim it means 'Mr. Prezzydent' !

[Mr_Spock]

11. Allen is a jackass bigot

Not unusual for a Republican mind you...

[jobycom]

13. He's claiming his staff had nicknamed the journalist, and he just

repeated the nickname they had given him. He says he thought it had something to do with "mohawk," because the man's mullet looked like a mohawk.

It's plausible. I don't beleive it, and even if it's true, he should have made a sincere apology, not the little "Oh, sorry he couldn't take a joke" apology.

[Goblinmonger]

14. "Where is Macaca?"

"Right next to Yapeepee."

Anyone else catch Daily Show last night? Hilarious bit on Allen.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=n50UIRItqWY

on edit: Wait for the Virginia slam at the end.

[progressoid]

20. Yep, that was a good one. But what was with Corrdry's remark that

"I've got like a week and a half left here..."

Is he quitting?

[valerief]

21. I was wondering about that, too. n/t

[JABBS]

24. Entertainment Weekly said

... he and Ed Helms are going to be making fewer appearances on Daily Show because they're doing movies and television shows. Nate Corddry is on that NBC show about a fictional SNL show (with Matthew Perry, not the one with Tina Fey).

That's one reason The Daily Show has been introducing new correspondents. They all want to be the next Steve Carell.

[valerief]

25. Thanks. n/t

[KittyWampus]

16. Definite slur. I'll give ANYONE the benefit of a doubt with 'Tar Baby'

especially since the term should be considered a nod to African heritage and folk lore.

This asshole just spewed his hate to a hate-loving crowd.

[valerief]

18. It's the new *tar baby* of the right. Their veiled *racism is alive*

message.

[JABBS]

19. it's a way to play to the base NT

[durrrty libby]

27. From the article linked is a mention of Mitt Romney

using the term Tar Baby. I remember the dust up

with Snow using the term but missed Mitt's non debacle

"it's similar to the non-apology provided last month by the spokesman for another potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

After using the term "tar baby" to describe the troubled Big Dig construction project in Boston, Romney's spokesman said that Romney "was unaware that some people find the term objectionable and he's sorry if anyone's offended."

Again, consider the sentence construction:

"was unaware that some people find the term objectionable ..." equals "I did nothing wrong."

"and he's sorry if anyone's offended" equals "They're the one with a problem."

It's as if prominent Republicans all read the same guidebook on how to look like your apologizing, without actually apologizing.

***

Romney should have known that some people find "tar baby" objectionable, because White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, at his first press conference in May, raised eyebrows for using the same term."

[JABBS]

29. i'd welcome the debate

It's as if prominent Republicans all read the same guidebook on how to look like your apologizing, without actually apologizing.
>>>

Let the Republicans trot out Robert Byrd, Jesse Jackson, etc.

You have two guys who may be running for president who apparently don't have a clue when it comes to race. Somewhere in the news media beyond Olbermann and Air America, this would be worth a discussion.

[JABBS]

31. AP updates the story

Click here to read the whole story.

<snip>

Allen said he apologizes to Sidarth if he took any offense, but said his use of the word "macaca" was an innocent play on "Mohawk," a nickname Allen staffers gave to Sidarth because of his hairstyle. Sidarth said he believes Allen called him the first name that came into his head and that he meant to highlight the fact that Sidarth was the only person of color attending the speech.

Macaca in some contexts is an obscure racial slur, and is also a genus of monkeys including macaques.

Allen was to meet Wednesday with leaders from the US Indian Political Action Committee, which said Allen's comments have generated hundreds of emails.

"Obviously this is something that has us very, very concerned," said Sonjay Puri, a northern Virginia businessman and founder and director of the PAC, which claims 30,000 members. "The remarks are very insensitive."