BBC continues the media's white-washing of Allen's racism...

[BlooInBloo]

"On Monday, Mr Allen's spokesman, Dick Wadhams, said the name Macaca was a variation of Mohawk, a nickname Mr Allen's team of advisers had given the student because he had a Mohawk haircut.

But on Tuesday, Mr Allen, who is widely expected to try to run for president in 2008, said the name was "just made up" and that he had no idea the word referred to a monkey. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4798887.stm


White-washing? Just like the WaPo, the BBC chooses to ignore the well-known facts (a) that 'Macaca' is a standard French slur against dark-skinned folks, (b) Allen's mother is a native French speaker, and (c) is from North Africa.

To some degree the WaPo might be excused from criticism on this, since they're American, and Americans are notorious for their absurd levels of ignorance about the world-outside-of-America. The BBC gets no such "free" pass - it can only be construed as deliberate on their part.

How good of the BBC to deliberately ignore the true, present-day, social meaning of 'macaca', and instead throw up a white-washing smokescreen of "it's the latin genus of a certain class of monkeys".

Damn racism-enablers.


*I shamelessly used info from http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/08/more-fall-out-from-gop-senator-george.html

[Virginia Dare]

1. One teeny tiny problem with this story...

the young man in question does not wear a Mohawk. Of course, they fail to mention that as well. Is it so very difficult for the press to come out and admit that a United States Senator is a blatant racist?

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[electricmonk]

2. These are mohawk haircuts

This is not.

[Turbineguy]

3. Why can Allen win the Presidency?

cuz his name is easy to spell. Of course that could be hard to spell for some who will vote for him.

Dick Wadhams. I'd go with "Richard" on that one.

[Laughing Mirror]

4. BBC News has really hit the skids

It started happening a while back. It's no better than CNN anymore.

[truebrit71]

5. Sorry but that assessment is waaaaaaaaaay off base...

..The BBC is NOTHING like your Corporate News Network...

[Laughing Mirror]

6. Been watching BBC World News over the past 15 years?

I have. It's been going steadily downhill, but in the recent past has become really noticeable to the trained eye. It is as biased and as one-sided (our side, the good guys) as "your" dread CNN.

[truebrit71]

7. Yes I have. How about NewsNight...

Corporate News Network so-called "journalists" can't light a candle to the BBC's journo's....

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Well known?

Following Americablog's links back to their source of a list of ethnic slurs, it lists "macaque", not "macaca" (and it semed like he said the final "-a" when I heard it). So I think saying it's the genus of the monkeys is valid. If you can, unlike AmericaBlog, find a source saying the "-a" is in common use, then it will help. The identification with monkeys is the same in both cases anyway. But it doesn't look "well known" to me.