A Republican politician aiming for a seat in the upper chamber of the United States Congress recently used two racially offensive terms pertaining to Native Americans and Asians.
During a campaign speech on Sunday, Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore used the terms “Reds and Yellows” in describing the two racial groups. According to The Hill, the former state Supreme Court chief justice mentioned the controversial words while lamenting on the supposed racial divisions between Americans
“We were torn apart in the Civil War — brother against brother, North against South, party against party. What changed?” Moore was quoted as saying. “Now we have Blacks and Whites fighting, Reds and Yellows fighting, Democrats and Republicans fighting, men and women fighting. What’s going to unite us? What’s going to bring us back together? A president? A congress? No. It’s going to be God.”
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Unlike the racial terms White or Black, calling Asians “Yellow” and Native Americans “Red” is widely considered negative because they have historically been used as ethnic slurs, which may be comparable to how the “n-word” is to the African-American community, but to a lesser degree.
Additionally, Moore’s comment seemed bizarre in the sense that he seemed to claim that Asian Americans and Native Americans are fighting against each other, likening it to the current cultural climate between Blacks and Whites.
In response to the negative feedback, Moore’s representatives claimed that the Senate candidate’s speech was just taken out of context.
Referencing the religious song “Jesus Loves the Little Children”, the campaign reportedly told The Hill, “‘Red, Yellow, Black, and White they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.’ This is the gospel. If we take it seriously, America can once again be united as one nation under God.”
Moore, who is competing against Luther Strange in the Republican primary runoff next week, has so far led in all recent public surveys.
Yikes.
