Macaca (slur)Macaca<1> is a pejorative epithet used by francophone colonialists in Central Africa's Belgian Congo for the native population.<2> It may be derived from the name of the genus comprising macaque monkeys. The word macaque has also been used as a racial slur. The macaque's genus name, Macaca, is a latinization of the Bantu (Kongo) ma-kako,<3> meaning "monkey".
In the United States, the term was at the center of a controversy during the 2006 United States Senate election in Virginia when it was used by the Republican incumbent, George Allen. Most Americans were unfamiliar with the term until continual media coverage revealed it to be a racial slur. Allen claims to be unaware of its racial context. Relating to the Allen controversy, "macaca" was named the most politically incorrect word of 2006 by Global Language Monitor, a nonprofit group that studies word usage.<4> The word was also a finalist for the American Dialect Society "Word of the Year" that same year.
2006 Virginia Senate race Former U.S. Senator George Allen points to Webb aide S.R. Sidarth, referring to him as "Macaca."<13>Main article: United States Senate election in Virginia, 2006#Allen's Macaca controversy
The failed re-election campaign of Republican U.S. Senator George Allen of Virginia generated much controversy after he used the word macaca in reference to an Indian American. On August 11, 2006, at a campaign stop in Breaks, Virginia, near the Kentucky border, George Allen twice used the word macaca to refer to S. R. Sidarth, who was filming the event as a "tracker" for the opposing Jim Webb campaign. Prior to this, the term was almost completely unknown in the U.S.
“ This fellow here over here with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent... Let's give a welcome to Macaca, here. Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia. ”
—George Allen
Sidarth is of Indian ancestry, but was born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia, while Allen is originally from Whittier, California. Allen's mother, born Henrietta Lumbroso, is of French Tunisian descent and some commentators have suggested that she may have learned the pejorative during her childhood and introduced it to her son. Even though Allen claimed that he made up the word and said that he did not understand its derogatory meaning, it led to a media outcry. After a two-week outpour of negative publicity, Allen publicly apologized for his statement and asserted that he in no way intended those words to be offensive. The term "Macacawitz," referring to the September 2006 discovery of Allen's Jewish heritage was coined by conservative pundit John Podhoretz and was widely used afterwards. A campaign staffer for Democratic Congressional candidate Al Weed used the phrase and was fired for her comment.
The phrase "Macaca Effect"While the phrase "macaca effect" originally referenced the Virginia Senate race, it has taken on an entirely new meaning in the high-tech industry. Journalist Liz Davidson writes:
What is the "macaca effect"? First of all, what is a macaca? A "macaca" is a racial pejorative to refer to someone either from or with ancestry from India or Pakistan. And the "macaca effect" is pejorative used by people in high tech to refer to East Indians driving down the wages of American and British workers. In many fields (computer programming, engineering, medicine, nursing, accounting, etc.) companies are faking labor shortages to acquire H1B visas and hire East Indians, with the net effect of driving down the wages of American and British employees. Thus, one hears disgruntled employees talking about the "macaca effect."<14>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaca_(slur)
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