12.10.08

An Arab Is Not 'A Decent Family Man'

...Responding to one woman who called Obama an Arab: "No, ma'am. No, ma'am. He is a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues." (John McCain)

Nobody noticed that the insult 'Arab' was meant to replace the 'Negro' insult as the woman must have felt that it is no longer publicly accepted in the US. Nobody noticed that the insult was recognised as such but 'refuted' on the side which leads to the following logical conclusion:

An Arab, any Arab, is not a decent family man.

One way to respond honestly to what the woman at the McCain rally was saying is to tell her that Obama is not an Arab but a US citizen born to a Kenyan father. By responding as he did McCain is doing two things: he agrees with the anti-Arab racism of the woman while not answering the specifics of obama's ethnic background.

1 comment:

Anne Rettenberg LCSW said...

Nicholas Kristof of the NYTimes actually wrote a good column about how the whispering campaign about Obama being "Muslim" is really code for him being black.

 
Since March 29th 2006