Rep. Young (r): Hey, no disrespect intended by that ethnic slur I used
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) issued an apology Thursday after using the term “wetbacks” to describe Latino workers on his family farm.
“During a sit down interview with Ketchikan Public Radio this week, I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in Central California. I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect,” Young said in a statement to the Alaska Dispatch.
Young made the comment during an interview with KRDB-FM radio in Alaska about the current immigration reform legislation being debated in Congress. Young said he feared that the country had exported too many vital industry jobs, while agreeing that automation and technological advances had reduced the number of labor positions available.
“My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes,” he told the station. “It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine.”
WHAT!!! "I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect"
Well... what is NOT the "same way" as it was used in the past? Seems to me it had the SAME MEANING then as it has now. Talk about digging your own grave. Apology... meh.
I know what he's talking about. Where I grew up, the illegal aliens from south of the border called themselves wetbacks. It was common to hear at the hardware store where they were gathered to wait for work for the day. They'd go up to the window of a truck and ask "Need wetbacks today?" It became derogatory later on when the country caught a really bad case of the 'PCs', and I quit using it when it did. I still know older people back home that use it to describe themselves. The Representative screwed up by using a term that's fallen into the forbidden category, there's no doubt of that. His apology also stinks, and should have just been a simple "Sorry" with no excuse.
"Whatever you are, be a good one." ~ Abraham Lincoln
IIRC, the US had a Operation:Wetback in the 50's which was a program to ship Mexican nationals back since they were no longer needed for the war effort on farms.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
Nobody that matters wrote: I know what he's talking about. Where I grew up, the illegal aliens from south of the border called themselves wetbacks. It was common to hear at the hardware store where they were gathered to wait for work for the day. They'd go up to the window of a truck and ask "Need wetbacks today?" It became derogatory later on when the country caught a really bad case of the 'PCs', and I quit using it when it did. I still know older people back home that use it to describe themselves. The Representative screwed up by using a term that's fallen into the forbidden category, there's no doubt of that. His apology also stinks, and should have just been a simple "Sorry" with no excuse.
It was ALWAYS a slur...
Wetback is a derogatory term used in the United States, for a non-American foreigner, commonly a Mexican citizen, especially one who is an illegal immigrant in the U.S.[1]
Generally used as an ethnic slur,[2] the term was originally coined and applied only to Mexicans who entered Texas by crossing the Rio Grande river, which is located at the Mexican border,[3] presumably by swimming or wading across and getting wet in the process. The non-offensive Spanish term is "mojado" which means "wet". It is often preferred by Mexican-Americans by blood or pure-blood Mexicans who have become U.S. Citizens, to be referred to as "Los Mojados" which translates to "the wet ones" or "wet people".
It also can be used as an adjective and a verb. As an adjective it pertains to illegal Mexican immigrants. It was first used in this way by John Steinbeck in Sweet Thursday as he wrote, "How did he get in the wet-back business?" Its usage as a verb was originally mentioned in 1978 in T. Sanchez's Hollywoodland, where the term meant, "to gain illegal entry into the United States by swimming the Rio Grande".[4]
The first mention of the term in The New York Times is dated June 20, 1920.[5] It was used officially by the US government in 1954, with Operation Wetback,[6] a project which was a mass deportation of illegal Mexican nationals.
Just because illegal aliens used the term themselves does not diminish it's racially tinged intent. You have black Americans that use the "n" in regards to themselves... it they have used it on many occasions as a slur.
I mean, that "rebranding of the party" thing is going so well... You've really brought the Hispanics over to your side, (and don't remarks about "wetbacks" REALLY make an impression); Every week we hear of more bat-sh*t-crazy abortion laws and "fetal personhood" bills--That's a BIG winner with women; with the entire country getting behind marriage-equality, we can always count on the knuckle-draggers to remind us of the "one-man-and-[how many?]-women" model; Your little sequester game is impacting "hot lunches for seniors" and "Meals-on-wheels" programs; cutting HeadStart programs like crazy; and maybe you can go for a 37th attempt to "repeal ObamaCare"....And with 60+% of Coloradans SUPPORTING gun-control bills, the NRA/RMGO clowns are down on the floor flailing their legs and arms and threatening to hold their breath until they turn blue...
How's that workin' out for ya? We're so glad that you spent $10 million getting a handle on it....
The Liberals GOP Twin wrote: It was ALWAYS a slur...
Wetback is a derogatory term used in the United States, for a non-American foreigner, commonly a Mexican citizen, especially one who is an illegal immigrant in the U.S.[1]
Generally used as an ethnic slur,[2] the term was originally coined and applied only to Mexicans who entered Texas by crossing the Rio Grande river, which is located at the Mexican border,[3] presumably by swimming or wading across and getting wet in the process. The non-offensive Spanish term is "mojado" which means "wet". It is often preferred by Mexican-Americans by blood or pure-blood Mexicans who have become U.S. Citizens, to be referred to as "Los Mojados" which translates to "the wet ones" or "wet people".
It also can be used as an adjective and a verb. As an adjective it pertains to illegal Mexican immigrants. It was first used in this way by John Steinbeck in Sweet Thursday as he wrote, "How did he get in the wet-back business?" Its usage as a verb was originally mentioned in 1978 in T. Sanchez's Hollywoodland, where the term meant, "to gain illegal entry into the United States by swimming the Rio Grande".[4]
The first mention of the term in The New York Times is dated June 20, 1920.[5] It was used officially by the US government in 1954, with Operation Wetback,[6] a project which was a mass deportation of illegal Mexican nationals.
Just because illegal aliens used the term themselves does not diminish it's racially tinged intent. You have black Americans that use the "n" in regards to themselves... it they have used it on many occasions as a slur.
You're point is moot.
Yeah, because the latest version of wikipedia will reflect local word usage from 40 years ago in a small town.
You're over generalizing and applying modern usage and attitudes to history - that's never accurate or acceptable.
Your point is invalid.
"Whatever you are, be a good one." ~ Abraham Lincoln
