Sunday, August 27th, 2006...7:07 pm
Stepping in the Macaca
I didn’t make any comments on the George Allen “Macaca” stupidity a few weeks back. I only bring it up now because we have a new conservative meme: it’s okay that Allen said it because it means “clown” in whatever Romance language is convienient.
First Rush Limbaugh claimed this on his program, saying that a Spanish speaker on his staff told him that it means “clown.” I was suprised enough that Limbaugh had a Spanish speaker on his staff, but many of you may be suprised to learn that I have a Spanish speaker on my staff as well. This Spanish speaker had never heard of such a thing, at least not in her Español Sonorense. She refered me to a copy of the dictionary published by the Real Academia Español, the scholars that meet and determine what Spanish actually is.
I find out that the word “macaca” is the feminine of the word “macaco.” So, he insulted his manhood. I read on for the definition of “macaco.”
I find two entries, one for an old Honduran monetary term (that Sidarth, he’s just like 19th Century Honduran money!) The second starts by giving a derivation:
Del port. macaco, voz del Congo, que designa una especie de mona.
For the monolingual among you, this translates as “From Portugese macaco, Congolese term meaning monkey.”
The dictionary goes on to detail that a term derived from this meaning is used in Chile and Cuba to mean “ugly and deformed” and another definition meaning, well, a species of monkey. Go figure.
Well, I guess that doesn’t work.
Tory commentator Tony Blankely also now claims that it is a word for clown in Italian. Unfortunately, I had to fire the only Italian speaker on my staff after he said unkind words about Zinedine Zidane’s mother, so I can’t run this one down. But, if either of these are true, why hasn’t George Allen used them as one of the half-dozen or so excuses that he has presented?
Heck, this could have flown a lot better than the silly “it’s because he’s got a Mohawk” excuse. Dude, that ain’t a mohawk. It is more like a fade. But, I can’t blame you for being unhip, you are Republican, after all.
5 Comments
August 27th, 2006 at 8:22 pm
Nah, I am not surprised you have one on staff, I am surprised you have a staff.
As for the soon to be the losing candidate Allen, this is why we have the saying “better to be silent and suspected a fool then to open one’s mouth and be shown a fool.”
August 28th, 2006 at 1:13 am
My Italian dictionary is not unabridged, but it doesn’t list “macaca” at all.
For monkey, it gives “scimmia”, “bertuccia” and for young monkey or a child monkey, “scimmioto” and “birichino”.
For clown, we have “pagliaccio”, “zanni”, “buffone”, “villano”, and “zotico”.
August 28th, 2006 at 10:03 am
You have to see the film footage from this event to appreciate what happened. There was a lot more going on here than just one slip of the tongue, which by itself is bad enough. Amy Goodman interviewed the student, SR Sidarth, a few days ago on Democracy Now and showed the film footage from the event.
I was so angry when I saw this. Truthfully, I haven’t seen this sort of thing so out in the open since I left the South over 20 years ago. George Allen, if not re-elected, probably could become the Imperial Wizard for the Ku Klux Klan.
Oh, another thing. If you get a chance to see the film footage again, listen closely and you will hear the mostly white crowed laughing at the Senator’s racist jokes.
August 28th, 2006 at 11:24 am
OK, I just can’t resist.
Today’s Arizona Republic has a front-page story on Hispanic members of the Legislature, and their lack of clout – mainly because they’re a bunch ‘o stinkin Democrats who don’t deserve no respect.
Here’s the link: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0828latinocaucus0828.html
Of course the Republic rus a series of pictures of Hispanic legislators. Those of us who know and love the Brothers Prezelski know they’re hiding Latino roots behind their Slavic last names – and the Republic makes a reference to a certain House member from District 29.
Guess who’s picture they ran? Hint: the dude has short hair.
I’ve decided it’s a plot by the Prezelski brothers to multiply their name ID by making the mainstream media run corrections any time of them is mentioned.
November 15th, 2007 at 7:24 am
[...] (actually, cracked-out research staff) went through the reams of entries from last year and found a total of one, that’s right one, entry that directly addressed the incident. That entry went after Allen [...]