The Daily Campus

Issue date: 9/3/08 Section: Commentary

McCain's use of the term and his refusal to stop is a reflection of his willingness to categorize people as "us" and "them." Eight years later, these comments still matter because they show him as a person who is willing to hate and stereotype an entire group of people. As the potential next president of the United States, McCain has a great deal of responsibility toward his fellow American citizens, residents and of course, the international community. With an estimated 14.9 million Asian American residents, McCain's comment could be interpreted as a racial attack to a large number of people within the United States' boundaries.

Furthermore, regardless of the context in which it was said, and whether or not it was justified, his words are offensive to 4 billion people, about 60 percent of the world's population. With the rise of Asia on the political scene, especially China's establishment as a world power, it is important to form and maintain good relationships. Our foreign policy for the past eight years has created widespread animosity toward America, and electing a person with a history of racist remarks will not help the world's perspective.

Because of his apparent intolerance for Asians, McCain cannot be seen as a healing force in foreign relations. As a world power, it is our responsibility to promote cultural literacy. Making racist remarks and allowing derogatory slurs to enter mainstream media and politics is a step against the basic principles of America as a place of open-mindedness.

As a country with ever increasing diversity, can we afford to have a leader who is willing to categorize people of color? We need a leader who can put aside his personal agendas of hatred. When McCain made his comments about "hating the gooks," he let his anger define a group of people based upon race and ethnicity. This is absolutely unacceptable, and McCain should be held responsible for these comments.

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