There’s a new horrifying sign that America is on the decline.
I’m not talking about the chaotic state of our politics, or the struggling economy, or even the fact that half of us refuse to acknowledge basic scientific facts. I’m referring to the recent implication that white conservative guys can’t casually throw around racial slurs anymore. Truly, it’s a sign of the apocalypse. At least that’s what Jay Nordlinger, senior editor of the National Review, believes.
Recently, he wrote the following sentence about Ronald Reagan:
“He was raising taxes, spending like crazy, welcoming wetbacks, pursuing arms control.”
In that list of otherwise innocuous terms, you probably noticed the word “wetback.” It’s rather hard to miss.
Nordlinger insists he wasn’t slurring Latinos. In a subsequent post, he said that he was simply “reflecting a certain mentality.” In other words, he was being ironic.
Now at the very least, this is yet another case of somebody in a comfortable position of power embracing racist terminology and then saying, “Hey, I wasn’t serious. I’m down with the minorities.”
But that predictable, pathetic excuse wasn’t enough for Nordlinger, who added that his clarification was no apology. Indeed, he wrote that his explanation was “for the benefit of the dim” and that his critics should “Get a frickin’ life.”
Nordlinger summarized his viewpoint by writing, “If people wet their pants on seeing the word ‘wetback,’ this country is as far gone as the most pessimistic and alarmist people say it is.”
Yes, what kind of nation do we live in when upper-class white men can’t pepper their comments with racial insults? It’s pandemonium.
Still, one could argue that Nordlinger was doing his writerly duty by provoking a response. In doing so, however, he obliterated the chief goal of writing, which is effective communication. Who knows what his main point was? Something about Reagan or Roberts, I think.
And if he’s really determined to “reflect certain mentalities,” let’s see his next article use the N-word for blacks and the F-word for gays. If, for some unfathomable reason, he wouldn’t dream of doing so, there’s still good news for all you fans of irony: slamming Hispanics remains a-ok.
Of course, I would ask Nordlinger if he still wonders why the Republican Party has trouble attracting Latinos. It’s hard to deflect the image of your party as a bunch of racists if you’re using any provocation — or in this case, no provocation — to throw in a slur.
After all, he wasn’t writing about Latinos or immigration. He had to go out of his way to drag Hispanics into the conversation, and when he did so, the first and only word he went for was “wetback.” There are no other references to Latinos or Latino issues. Evidently, “wetback” covers it.
In essence, a conservative has slurred Hispanics and then gotten uber-defensive and arrogant when people asked for an explanation, invoking the very fate of the country in his tirade.
Yes, that GOP Latino outreach is going well.
About Daniel Cubias
I find it completely disgusting that anyone thinks it is ever ok, even when joking, to use racial/sexual slurs. If he were a good politician he would realize using these types of attacks on groups of people distracts from his statements and overall career. How stupid!
It really boils my blood. In the same way that blacks have problems with the N word and the issues with their group and others de-sensitizing the N-word, it is the very same way.
What a disgusting person.
You people really need to take a chill pill always taking things out of context or sneakily creating a problem where there is none. I know Nordlinger, he is one of the most educated, honest, and classy people around and his record of writing about those that are under the yoke of tyranny cannot be disputed because it’s everywhere. Nordlinger has especially championed the plight of Cuban dissidents in their struggle against Castro’s Stalinist regime. The angry radicalized Latinos on BL might want to defame him for some insignificant comment, but the Cuban people, on the island, and in exile, and those that have become legal United States citizens know and admire him! He has especially championed Dr. Bisect and other Cuban pro Democracy activists. As always, BL plays the part of the spoiled brat.
You people really need to take a chill pill always taking things out of context or sneakily creating a problem where there is none. I know Nordlinger, he is one of the most educated, honest, and classy people around and his record of writing about those that are under the yoke of tyranny cannot be disputed because it’s everywhere. Nordlinger has especially championed the plight of Cuban dissidents in their struggle against Castro’s Stalinist regime. The angry radicalized Latinos on BL might want to defame him for some insignificant comment, but the Cuban people, on the island, and in exile, and those that have become legal United States citizens know and admire him! He has especially championed Dr. Bisect and other Cuban pro Democracy activists. As always, BL plays the part of the spoiled brat.
I don’t believe Cubans were ever called wetbacks.
We are called worse things and it doesn’t harm us one bit and we don’t wallow in self pity or demand hate crime legislation or think we have to create a “studies” program at a university to vent.
thats because cubans do most of the “racisting” against other hispanics. like they way they shit-talk about mexicans
It’s funny how the “hispanic/latino” (artificial identities created by the Nixon Administration) community want their cake and eat it too. It wasn’t long ago when the word “Chicano” was a pejorative. I was born in 1961 and the word “Chicano” was no different from the words “Wetback”, “Beaner”, etc… These labels were used for no other purpose then to offend. But then a radical political movement decided to embrace the word “Chicano” in the 70′s and now it is a word of choice used within the “hispanic/latino” community. Let me point out that since I was born prior to the creation of artificial identities such as “Hispanic”, “Latino”, and “Chicano”, I reject said labels. It doesn’t matter to me that some people have embraced the word “Chicano”. However, the word “Chicano” was, and will always be a pejorative to me, my family, friends and many people I’ve come across who are of hispanic descent. With regard to Mr. Nordinger’s use of the word “Wetback”… said word was a pejorative prior and during Ronald Reagan’s presidency and continues to be long after Ronald Reagan. There is no good reason to use such a word to describe anyone…especially those who come from south of the border. It’s offensive… plain and simple. For those of you who are outraged at Mr. Nordinger’s use of the word “Wetback”… where is your outrage towards the word “Chicano”? Always keep in mind that it is important to remember that although there are many who choose to embrace these artificial identities, there are many of us of hispanic descent who choose not to. I’d love to see an article in here on how a community of people have been brainwashed to embrace artificial identities (“Hispanic”, “Latino”, “Chicano”) without questioning their origin. Please keep in mind that these labels were created in the 70′s. Unlike the old adage of what came first… the chicken or the egg?… I was born a decade before the creation of these artificial identities. I didn’t have to read about it… I was there.