How Being Called An Arab Became A Slur

[seemslikeadream]

http://edition.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/middle.east/blog/2008/10/how-being-arab-became-slur.html

By CNN's Hala Gorani

At a John McCain political rally a few days ago, a lady told the republican presidential hopeful that she didn't trust Obama because she'd read that he was an "Arab."


McCain answered: "No Ma'am, he's a decent family man."


The implication was clear: being Arab - or Muslim as we've seen in recent examples throughout the campaign - is considered so bad that accusing someone of belonging to that ethnic group is tantamount to an insult.


John McCain didn't answer: "Obama is American." McCain insisted that Obama was a "decent family man" and "citizen."


What if the woman had said she didn't trust Obama because he is Black? Would there have been outrage then? Would McCain's answer had been different?


The truth is that, throughout this campaign, the term Muslim or Arab has been routinely used as a slur. And both parties are playing the game.


One, for instance, by insisting on mentioning Obama's ex-middle name "Hussein" to remind voters that he has foreign roots (of the kind not too popular these days;) the other by trying very hard to distance its candidate from any notion that he has Arab or Muslim origins. Remember the story of two veiled women being politely asked by staffers not to sit behind Barack Obama at a primary campaign event?

And who can forget the email campaigns "accusing" Obama of being a Muslim? Even journalists have used that verb. You can accuse someone of being a murderer or a liar, but a Muslim? When, in the mainstream lexicon, did being Arab or Muslim become a felony?

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Another concept we can thank BushCo for. They had to have a scapegoat

to get people enraged enough to blindly follow their lead...

[Karenina]

32. It goes back a bit further

Popeye always beat the shit out of the Brutus/Bluto Ay-rab. Anti-Arabic sentiment has a long history in Amurikkka. ;-)

[Terran]

35. Arabs have been sterotyped in America for a long time

Oddly enough, I think the stereotypes of Arabs and those of blacks run somewhat parallel. Arabs also used to be seen as barbaric and exotic but basically harmless, obsequious, and of low intelligence (but having animal cunning, of course). Somewhere along the way, Arabs turned into stereotypical criminals, and most recently, murderers. Amused tolerance evolved into fear and hate, and now, for people inclined toward racism, the main stereotype is of someone to be feared who will do you harm.

[leftchick]

2. new version of 'commies'

The US government always needs a bogey man to instill fear. This time sadly, it is arabs/muslims/hindus/anything else dumb fuck americans can not understand.

[bdamomma]

3. whose the next ethnic group that is going to be smeared.

Arabs now who's next? This is shameful.

[conscious evolution]

22. Chinese or followers of Hinduism

Chinese because the Peoples Republic is a bunch of godless commies.

Hindus becausae they are polytheistic.

If the theocrats and dominionists gain control it will be the Hindus(Hindis?).If there is one thing that freaks out a fundie it is the idea of someone worshipping more than one god.After all,one of there commandments says something about having no other gods.At least an atheist doesn't have that one to worry about.

If the capitalist have control and China starts playing financial games with us they will get the nod.

A not so distant third would be Hispanic/Native American population south of the border.Hugo Chavez has started a revolution in South America and the powers that be do not like it.

Mind you,these are long term projections.
In the current election cycle my money is on the recent immigrants from Mexico and Central America.With the economy crashing the 'illegals who are stealing our jobs' may come under fire.Especially if the Hispanic community here keeps trending toward the Democratic Party.

[redqueen]

4. Thank goodness there aren't any typos

or poor word choices to throw this one off track.

Good luck.

[seemslikeadream]

5. I know

:hi:


no more

maybe I'll throw a misspelling in if this this thread sinks :rofl:

[sattahipdeep]

13. seemslikeadream

:hi:

[seemslikeadream]

15. Don't tell anyone but I really love badgers and goats!

:rofl:

I feel so bad to use them in that way, associating them with that kind

[sattahipdeep]

17. lol

:rofl:

[napi21]

6. The McNuts caampaign is EXPLOITING IT, but the real cause

for "being an Arab" becomiing a bad and evile thing is directly tied to the goup that flew the planes on 9/11. I was working full time back then, and all the people we had working for us who had Arab ancestory we SCARED TO DEATH that they would be attacked because of those events.

I'm not saying McNuts should be exploiting that fear, but they didn't start it.

[conscious evolution]

26. Yes,but consider this.

The people who are behind Sept.11 are the same people behind Mcsucks.

Even if it wasn't LIHOP or MIHOP Mcsucks use of such tactics is pretty damned reprehensible.
As far as I am concerned,if ethnic violence breaks out as a result of what they are doing both Mccain and palin should be indicted for inciting crimes against humanity.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. Hims ain't one o' them thar A-rabs - hims a decent God-fearin' Murkin

[seemslikeadream]

9. Watch that spelling will you?

;)

I may feel the wrath of the misspelling gods again :scared:

[PassingFair]

8. In their pea-brains, ARAB = TERRORIST

That is their equation.

[bitchkitty]

10. Obviously you hate America.

And freedom. </sarcasm>

Seriously, to the majority of halfwits in the Republican party, and some in the Democratic party, Muslim = 9/11.

That's why they do it, that's why the pander to it, that's why the encourage it.

Their focus groups told them to.

[DrDebug]

11. The Arabs were known for their culture of poetry and hospitality

But we seem to have forgotten about that. We could have learned from Arab culture, if only our minds and hearts were open. Instead we opted for hatred and bitterness resulting in our current woes.

Let's read some Rumi (Sufi poet)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqVBGv2hpQ4

SAY I AM YOU

I am dust particles in sunlight.
I am the round sun.

To the bits of dust I say, Stay.
To the sun, Keep moving.

I am morning mist,
and the breathing of evening.

I am wind in the top of a grove,
and surf on the cliff.

Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,
I am also the coral reef they founder on.

I am a tree with a trained parrot in its branches.
Silence, thought, and voice.

The musical air coming through a flute,
a spark of a stone, a flickering

in metal. Both candle,
and the moth crazy around it.

Rose, and the nightingale
lost in the fragrance.

I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,
the evolutionary intelligence, the lift,

and the falling away. What is,
and what isn’t. You who know

Jelaluddin, You the one
in all, say who

I am. Say I
am You.

[seemslikeadream]

18. Damn I thought you would not be watching

I know I know, you can take the girl out of the celt but you can NEVER take the celt out of the girl.

Love you :hug:

[DrDebug]

20. "I didn't come here out of my own accord"

Love you too :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHSclx-hIRc (Must watch video)

(Rumi. Translated by Coleman Barks)

Who Says Words with my Mouth?
All day I think about it,
then at night I say it.
Where did I come from,
and what am I supposed to be doing?
My soul is from elsewhere,
I'm sure of that,
and I intend to end up there.

This drunkenness began in some other tavern.
When I get back around to that place,
I'll be completely sober. Meanwhile,
I'm like a bird from another continent, sitting in this aviary.
The day is coming when I fly off,
but who is it now in my ear who hears my voice?
Who says words with my mouth?

Who looks out with my eyes?
What is the soul?
If I could taste one sip of an answer,
I didn't come here out of my own accord
Whoever brought me here will have to take me home.

This poetry.
I never know what I'm going to say.
When I'm outside the saying of it,
We have a huge barrel of wine, but no cups.
That's fine with us. Every morning
we glow and in the evening we glow again.

They say there's no future for us. They're right.
Which is fine with us.

http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=1-9780062509598-1

[seemslikeadream]

19. I am. Say I am You.

[conscious evolution]

27. Their drumming rocks too.

Check out this video taken at a Fafla gathering- http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=middle%20eastern%20drumming&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGIK&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#

By the way,a hafla is a celebration of reconciliation practiced by both Arabs and Jews.

[ailsagirl]

12. I heard that the woman who said that still isn't convinced

:crazy:

[Uncle Joe]

14. A little history trivia, during World War 2, being Japanese American or "Jap"

was the slur of the day.

The most decorated unit for bravery during that war, the 442nd I believe, fighting against the Nazis was made up almost entirely of Japanese Americans, fighting and dying while their families were restricted to internment camps.

People should be careful about demonizing entire groups of people.

[MindPilot]

16. Yeah, McSame missed a golden opportunity to take the high road

I'm glad McCain did what he did--took the mic away from that woman and seemed a little disturbed and angered by the comments. But he could have said something more along the lines of "No, Senator Obama is not an Arab, but what if he is? That wouldn't make any difference--he is still an American citizen and as such is no different from you or me."

I didn't like the way McCain let continue the unspoken idea that an Arab could not be a "decent family man" or a "citizen".

Frankly I'm getting the sense that McCain is a bit put off that his supporters are coming across as a little too radically right-wing even for him.

[pettypace]

21. What ethnicity were the 19 gentlemen who flew the 9/11 planes?

There's a reason behind the anti-Arab fervor, such as it is.

The infuriating irony is that Bush and father are BFF's with the House of Saud....someone just needs to tell Joe-sixpack.

[TahitiNut]

25. Fifteen of nineteen were Saudis ... which is why we invaded Saudi Arabia.

:crazy:

[sattahipdeep]

23. Rachel Maddow Show Talk me down

Connie Schultz 3:38

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27170845#27170845

[Fuzz]

24. I told the story to one of my brother in laws who hadn't seen the exchange

and told it verbatim. When I repeated what McCain said, he immediately went Whoah! when I got to 'family man' and he stopped me and said, like Arabs can't be family men?

It's obvious to anyone with a brain.

[seemslikeadream]

28. Apparently not to some folks here

that would rather concentrate on spelling mistakes spending every waking hour looking through my posts for spelling mistakes

[seemslikeadream]

29. I may make a few spelling mistakes but at least I am NOT a bigot

[rcrush]

30. Chris Rock

I remember Chris Rocks standup a few years ago

"Once they started focusing on Muslims I started to pay attention. Cause you know Niggas and Jews is next!"

[noiretextatique]

31. focusing on this racial stuff only hurts the obama campaign

:sarcasm: that's the line a few are pushing around these days at DU.

as for me: i am ecstatic that the racists are outing themselves and i'm also ecstatic that there is a national conversation going on about the bigotry, hatred, and intolerance that is far too often dismissed, excused, minimized and denied.

thanks, seemslikedream :hi:

[seemslikeadream]

33. I find the misspelling bigots to be very frightening

Like all bigots they attempt to smear a person with irrational slurs :hi:

[noiretextatique]

34. spelling is the last refuge for cowards, bigots

and their defenders on the internet.

[Turn CO Blue]

36. Here's a video that gives a very good "why" Arabs are slurred...

This video is really great.

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko_N4BcaIPY>

As I watched through the video and how many, many movies and shows and cartoon -- even very, very famous movies have charactured, maligned and belittled Arabs, it's clear this has been a prevalent issue and slur long, long, long before the current politics and the Wars in Iraq.