"I hate the gooks" - John McCain

[Ashford Dunwoody]

"I hate the gooks," McCain said yesterday in response to a question from reporters aboard his campaign bus. "I will hate them as long as I live."



Wow.

[babylonsister]

1. Do you have a link to that little gem? nt

[mikelgb]

2. really?

[Lex]

3. Yesterday he said this? Link?

nt

[Earth_First]

4. You really need to link this. n/t

[acmavm]

5. Here

John McCain's racist remark very troubling

Thursday, March 2, 2000

By KATIE HONG
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

On his campaign bus recently, Sen. John McCain told reporters, "I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." Although McCain said he was referring only to his prison guards, there are many reasons why his use of the word "gook" is offensive and alarming.

It is offensive because by using a racial epithet that has historically been used to demean all Asians to describe his captors, McCain failed to make a distinction between his torturers and an entire racial group.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/hongop.shtml

[fascisthunter]

7. jeez... what a great guy to represent us all

:sarcasm:

[ClassWarrior]

Broadcast this far and wide!!

NGU.

[Lex]

9. That's kind of a lenient interpretation of "yesterday"

nt

[acmavm]

18. Does what he said become invalid just because someone got

the date wrong when he said it? Does it go away? Is it all better now?

[Lex]

21. Get it right and it is more powerful.

Screw up the date badly and you appear that you don't know what you are talking about AT ALL.


The rest of what you said is silliness.

[acmavm]

41. PFFFFFT! The truth is the truth. The rest is just weasle words.

Nothing is changed, he said it.

edit: I got carried away.

[Lex]

42. Meh.

Anyone who thinks getting something half right doesn't diminish the whole of what is said has an interesting point of view to say the least.

Try it out sometimes.

[acmavm]

49. Oh phooey. Do you really believe that horrible old fraud thinks

any different today?

[RaleighNCDUer]

56. If he didn't change his mind between 1975 and 2000,

its highly unlikely he's become enlightened since then.

Gook is a racist word, and just applying to his prison guards doesn't make it any less racist.

[Mountainman]

28. I said the same thing a long time ago. I don't hate anyone now.

If we expect McCain to play fair with our candidate should we play fair with him?

I think the GD primaries mentality is going to rear it's head here during the general election which will really discount the value of this board during the election.

[Virginia Dare]

58. I don't expect them to play fair and I don't know why anyone would..

no, we're not playing fair this time, not this time.

By the way, would you have said that as recently as 2000?

[Bumblebee]

36. No, but politically it would have been a much more potent story if he

indeed said it yesterday. This one will be written off as old news.

[Virginia Dare]

59. Like John Kerry's record in Viet Nam?...n/t

[babylonsister]

27. Snort! Thanks for pointing that out. nt

[gateley]

22. That was 8 years ago! (Still reprehensible) The OP makes it sound like it was yesterday.

[Lex]

44. Yes, definitely reprehensible. But pretending he said it yesterday

diminishes the whole of the OP, sadly.

[gateley]

55. Agree. TOTALLY Agree. nt

[nels25]

24. When I was on active duty

I understood the term gook to mean any member of a SE asian nation armed forces that was considered our enemy.

I understood it to refer to North Koreans, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

I also think that the Japanese were refereed to as gooks in WW2, but I may be wrong on that one.

:shrug:

[geardaddy]

45. Nope.

The term g**k comes from the Korean War.

From Wikipedia:

G**k
(U.S. military slang) an Asian person, especially an enemy (e.g. Koreans or Vietnamese during the Korean and Vietnam wars). By extension, any Asian person. Derived from the Korean words “hanguk” and “miguk”. Guk is from the Chinese word guo, which means country. “Hanguk” refers to Korea and “miguk” is the common word for the United States. American troops thought "miguk" sounded like "me g**k" (i.e. "I am a g**k"). The word persisted during the Vietnam War, perhaps also because the Vietnamese people have a similar word “quốc”, meaning "country".

[nels25]

52. Thank you

I was not sure about the use of that term in WW2.

:toast:

[geardaddy]

64. No problemo.

:toast:

[lumpy]

74. It has been around a lot longer than that. Don't know where

it originated. But when I was a ten year old in Alaska, a Eskimo boy who had enrolled in our school was referred to as a "gook", this was 69 years ago.

[leftynyc]

57. That's from 8 years ago

Anything more recent? Although I think he'll get a pass from many people considering the circumstances.

[acmavm]

68. Don't think so. And if you'll read this thread, he is getting a 'pass'

from a lot of people. Here.

[RoadRage]

84. Wow.. so if he's in prison and has black guards.. then it's

OK to say .. "I hate the "nigg*rs".. i hate 'em all, and that's OK?

What the HECK is this guy thinking? How hard is it to say.. "I hate the prision guards who kept me captive for 5 years"...

And this is the guy some people really feel is qualified to lead the free world. Looks like his "experience" is showing.

[leftynyc]

86. First of all

He was not in "prison". He was being tortured every day as a POW. For 5 years. In conditions that would never be allowed in this country's prisons.

Second of all, do you really think this is a winning argument?

[INDIA]

88. uhhh...he wasn't just "held captive" ok?

This wasn't your local county jail. He was tortured. Horribly. Big time. I doubt you (or I for that matter) could make it through more than a couple days of what he went through. I don't care WHAT he calls them. And as far as I'm concerned, "gook" is nowhere near as offensive as the N word. Still offensive, but doesn't rise to that level. GI's have always had nicknames for the enemy in wartime. Remember "huns" and "jerries" for the germans? Or "nips" and "japs" for the japanese? Or even "johnny reb" for the confederates and "yank" for the north. The british still call us "yanks" in a joking manner, just like they did in 1812. Should I take offense? Cause I don't.

And fyi, I think McCains years of torture may have irreperably damaged his personality, to the point that he shouldn't be allowed to become president. His temper was/is notorious on Capitol Hill. Do we really want that guy to have a little red phone on his desk?

[RoadRage]

89. Look, i'm in NO WAY justifying what happend to McCain..

It was horrible. It IS horrible. It's horrible that Bush thinks that it's OK to Waterboard prisioners now in our own custody. I'll be honest, I really do not know the back story on everything that happened to McCain while he was a POW.. and now I really think I don't want to know - it would make me sick.

But, McCain is running for PRESIDENT of the United States. You can't just fly off and say crap like this if you're trying to become leader of the free world- and I think from your post we agree on that.

I DO think that the term "gook" is just as offensive to some Asians as "Nigger" is to Black people. It demeans a person for no other reason then their race. An Asian guy working a 9-5 job at Pepsi Co had nothing to do with McCains torture.. but he's sure going to not like to hear that his possible future president "hates all gooks".

McCain has a very justified reason for disliking the people who tortured him, but he is not justified in taking that out on every other person who happens to share race with them.

[L0oniX]

6. Bombing Vietnam is the future.

[THUNDER HANDS]

8. dude

[Angela Shelley]

10. Don´t worry, the feelings are mutual.

[Bumblebee]

11. That was in 2000 so "yesterday" is rather misleading...

[soulcore]

12. Just more proof....

That war strips us of our humanity, and for the most part, folks never get it back.

[stellanoir]

13. He's been quoted as having said that before.

Warming the cockles of of the hearts of Asians globally.

Bradley Whitfield (I think that's his last name-the guy who used to be on the West Wing) just busted him on the fallacy of his "straight talk" shtick.

He said that he had been at a social function and McCain was thoroughly bashing * and his policies and tax cuts.

War mongers aren't "mavericks" either.

[Virginia Dare]

14. Unresolved anger issues and PTSD...

not fit to be CIC.

[tridim]

15. That's not very "Christian" of him. nt

[bullwinkle428]

16. Well, he's certainly nailed down the Vietnamese-American community vote with that one...

:sarcasm:

[Ino]

17. He said this in 2000.

I can't blame him. I can understand it. Hell, I still hate my ex and he didn't beat me.

But NOT a good attitude for a president to have. If he can't get over it, he shouldn't be considered for that position.

[FredScuttle]

54. So it's OK to call the Somalis who killed U.S. forces in 1993 "niggers"?

really?

[shanti]

72. exactly

SAME THING

[Ino]

92. I didn't say that.

It's not OK. But I understand why he would hate his captors, why he would call them gooks, why he may look upon all of them as gooks. I understand it. I can't blame him for the rage he must feel after being tortured for FIVE YEARS, for not being able to get beyond it. But that doesn't make it OK.

Like I said, if he can't overcome it, he should not be in a position where his attitude could do harm.

[INDIA]

94. no, we called them "skinnies."

It happens in just about every conflict the US has ever had. Jerries, nips, huns, skinnies, gooks, japs...I guess it's easier to have a nickname for the enemy. De-humanizes the person you have to kill I suppose. I wonder what the name for the insurgency is in Iraq and Afghanistan? I thought I remembered "haji" being one of them.

[YOY]

19. If that's on tape/video it's gold

If not it's worthless.

[sepulveda]

23. it's been mentioned here before

nobody denies he said it, including him

it's also from 2000, not yesterday.

he claimed it was in regard to specifically those who were his captors, not to all vietnamese or asians.

take from that what you will.

[leftofcool]

20. Would this be different

if he had been a Halocaust survivor and said I hate the Germans? How about Indians on the Reservations who say they hate Americans and always will? There are many of these. Please remember that in all fairness, "gooks" refer to the people who captured and tortured him, not the Vietnamese people as a whole. I agree that this little gem should have gone unsaid but let us be some fair.

Left of Cool

[LostinVA]

25. Dear God -- I agree with you

[Serial Mom]

32. YES... you said hate the "Germans" not a disparaging euphinism

He COULD have and SHOULD have called them his captor or the enemies or the guerillas, or anything but an slang term that is demeaning! He has been WRONG on so many issues of common decency!


Calling Chelsea names and making a joke about her
Laughing at the comment the supporter made calling Clinton a bitch
Apologizing for cunningham's comments after his rally with reporters instead at the beginning to the crowd!
Talking down to Obama about Al Qaida

[LostinVA]

26. Starting out lying isn't the way to beat McCain

:eyes:

[Buzz Clik]

29. Wow. That's the first time I hear that quote today.

Please post it every day.

[Ashford Dunwoody]

30. link

he actually said it in 2000 but I'm "sure" his feelings have dramatically changed in the last 7.5 years

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/02/18/MN32194.DTL

[datasuspect]

31. it's amazing that there are DUers on this thread somewhat defending McCain

not that it's surprising.

[Serial Mom]

33. yesterday they were giving him "props and kudos"

and I get into with OP - whew!

It is amazing after all, this is called Democratic Underground

[Ashford Dunwoody]

34. agreed

It's absolutely unbelievable.

Clearly McCain does not believe in:

[Buzz Clik]

35. How many fucking times will this "quote" be posted on DU?

Every day until Novemeber?

[datasuspect]

38. that would be great

i hope some of us can be that diligent.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

39. And beyond November

if he wins.

[Ashford Dunwoody]

40. Let's hope so.....

It shouldn't be forgotten...

Lots of things shouldn't be forgotten.

[Zywiec]

48. Why should it be different from any other other thread

thats posted here ad nauseum?

People always want to think they're the first and best. Unfortunately they just need a little lesson with the SEARCH feature.



:shrug:

[fascisthunter]

79. why not

does it bother you?

[geardaddy]

46. Yeah WTF?

:wtf:

[Virginia Dare]

60. No, unfortunately it's not..

I've been seeing a lot of that lately. Very sad.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2936485

[leftynyc]

61. I guess I just think

you need to walk in someone's shoes before hammering him. If there is someone on this board who spent 5 years being tortured in a prison camp that let bygones be bygones, let him/her speak up.

[Virginia Dare]

62. Right. I'm still pissed at the niggers who jumped me...

:sarcasm:

[leftynyc]

70. By all means

If you think the way to go is to point to his years as a POW and try to use it to hurt him because he still carries a grudge, knock your naive ass out.

[Virginia Dare]

77. No, people are pointing to the fact that he used a racist SMEAR..

30 years later. The man has issues, if it's because of his POW years, that's a shame, but perhaps we need to rethink this type of person as a CIC. He's psychologically damaged.

[leftynyc]

85. Then fine, use that as an argument

I think it's legitimate. But it would take a much bigger person than I am to not hold a grudge and I think it's a losing argument for the dems.

[Virginia Dare]

91. I think he also loses his "POW" pedastal..

when you consider the fact that he is basically advocating the torture of prisoners held by this country.

[leftynyc]

95. I wouldn't count on that

And until very recently, he was one of the most outspoken critics of waterboarding. Running for president (winning actually) has apparently changed his views - it makes me sick that in order to pick up his base support, he has to run to the right and even sicker that running to the right means condoning torture.

As far as his status as a POW - I think a large majority will always consider that with a dose of sympathy. I wont vote for him but will never go after him on that point.

[fascisthunter]

80. whatever

[ecstatic]

83. It's disgusting. Toughen up or get out the way! nt

[Angry Mollusk]

37. Then he's a typical Republican- he hates an entire group of people

Hatred of others defines the midsets of most Republicans-so if mcCain hates all Asians, he fits right in with their ilk.

[piobair]

47. yesterday there was a thread wishing a speedy recovery

for Sen. Byrd, self avowed clan member and segregationist. He used the "N" word several times in the last 10 years. Why isn't he reviled for his comments and attitudes? I'm not defending Mcain, I just don't understand the double standard.

[geardaddy]

50. Byrd should be called to task for that, too. n/t

[piobair]

51. I agree but he seems to be held in high esteem around here. n/t

[Virginia Dare]

63. He's been trashed here for it as well..

do a search and you will see that.

[texasleo]

43. Member since Feb 25th 2008

ban

[Dr. Strange]

90. From your mouth...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=215691

[theboss]

53. He's been saying that for years

He has this weird line where "gooks" are his former captors but nobody else. In the words of Paulie Walnuts, "He has the right to be a little fucked up."

On the other hand, do we want a guy whose a little fucked up as President?

[Virginia Dare]

65. The one we've got now is VERY fucked up..

so no, I don't think we want to go off into crazyville again.

[Zookeeper]

75. Exactly. I suppose he has the right to be "a little f**ked up,"

but I have the right to demand sanity from my president. I've always thought McCain was nuts! Maybe he has a reason, but maybe he should be dealing with it instead of running for president.

[Generic Other]

66. Gook Jap Nip Chink Yellow Peril

what's new?

been there...been called that...wish I had a dollar for every time...I could make a huge contribution to the Democrats.

The hard thing is to imagine this man caring for me and mine when he so clearly hates us all.

[The Straight Story]

67. Next we will hear people say they hate republicans and christians

Oh wait...

[fascisthunter]

81. yeah... that's the same

:eyes:

[TexasObserver]

69. Not half as bad as they should despise him. We were wrong to be there.

I swear, Vietnamese, Kampucheans, Laotians and Thais are generally more understanding, more accepting, and less bitter than many Americans about OUR invasion of their country. I was gung ho in 1968, too, but I learned the error of my ways and changed my ways and beliefs about what we did there.

[trof]

71. Well, to be fair, they didn't like him either.

:hide:

[Stinky The Clown]

73. Don't say anything bad about John McCain ...... he's a war hero.

:sarcasm:

[Zookeeper]

76. Yep. That appears to give him a pass on everything. n/t

[Virginia Dare]

78. That's what I'm hearing too..

and I'm being called naive. After all, the repukes have NEVER gone after war heroes, that Max Cleland stuff? Oh, pish posh. We definitely shouldn't go there. We need to be scared little bunnies and go back in our holes...:puke:

[sampsonblk]

82. I support McCain on this one.

Some folks need to give this one a rest. He has every right to feel the way he does.

[goforit]

87. Nothing worse than another prez with psych issues!

[NC_Nurse]

93. Hi Ashford Dunwoody!

Are you talking about the road in NE Atlanta? I know it well. :-)

Welcome to DU!