Opinion
Tucker Carlson Called Kamala Harris Samoan As An Insult, And As A Samoan Woman, I'm Yelling, "WTF"
Morgan Sloss
BUZZFEED
Tue, October 29, 2024
By now, you've probably heard all about theracist remarksat Sunday's Madison Square Garden Trump rally. But I want to focus on one statement in particular from Tucker Carlson.
Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images
During his speech, the former Fox News talk show hostsaid, "It’s gonna be pretty hard to look at us and say, 'You know what? Kamala Harris, she got 85 million votes because she’s just so impressive as the first Samoan-Malaysian, low-IQ, former California prosecutor ever to be elected president.' It was just a groundswell of popular support, and anyone who thinks otherwise is just a freak or a criminal."
Drew Hallowell / Getty Images
This perpetuates the harmful stereotype that PIs aren't as intelligent as other races. And to joke about Kamala becoming the first Samoan president is such a slap in the face when we have so little representation — both in the media and at the government level. It's also offensive to Black and Indian folks who are so excited to finally see themselves represented in the highest office in the country.
BTW, calling Kamala "low-IQ" is just nonsense. She is a former San Francisco District Attorney, former Attorney General of California, and current Vice President. Obviously, she's an intelligent woman.
So I'd like to ask Tucker directly: What's so bad about being Samoan? In my experience, we are a family-focused people with great pride in our culture. Passed down for thousands of years, our beautiful traditions are still alive and well, from dance...
TheCoconetTV / Viayoutube.com
...to food...
PolynesianCulturalCenter / Viayoutube.com
...to tattoos...
TheCoconetTV / Viayoutube.com
...and so much more! We respect our elders. We care about the land and ocean. We measure success not by your job title or what kind of car you drive but by how well you serve your family and community. What's so bad about all that?!
Unsurprisingly, I wasn't the only one upset by Tucker's statement. This person called it "the second most racist thing" they'd ever heard on a US political stage:
Tue, October 29, 2024
By now, you've probably heard all about theracist remarksat Sunday's Madison Square Garden Trump rally. But I want to focus on one statement in particular from Tucker Carlson.
Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images
During his speech, the former Fox News talk show hostsaid, "It’s gonna be pretty hard to look at us and say, 'You know what? Kamala Harris, she got 85 million votes because she’s just so impressive as the first Samoan-Malaysian, low-IQ, former California prosecutor ever to be elected president.' It was just a groundswell of popular support, and anyone who thinks otherwise is just a freak or a criminal."
CSPAN /Twitter: @primediscussion
As a Samoan woman, I am absolutely livid that a political commentator would use my race as an insult. And combining it with Malaysian? Was this supposed to be funny?
It's not okay to misidentify Kamala as Malaysian either, but I'm focusing on the Samoan aspect of his comments since I can speak to that experience.
We're all aware of Kamala's background: Her father is from Jamaica, and her mother is from India. Despite Trump questioning her biracial identity and infamouslysayingthat she "happened to turn Black," everyone knows that she's Black and Indian. Tucker intentionally misidentified her as a Pacific Islander with a "low IQ."
As a Samoan woman, I am absolutely livid that a political commentator would use my race as an insult. And combining it with Malaysian? Was this supposed to be funny?
It's not okay to misidentify Kamala as Malaysian either, but I'm focusing on the Samoan aspect of his comments since I can speak to that experience.
We're all aware of Kamala's background: Her father is from Jamaica, and her mother is from India. Despite Trump questioning her biracial identity and infamouslysayingthat she "happened to turn Black," everyone knows that she's Black and Indian. Tucker intentionally misidentified her as a Pacific Islander with a "low IQ."
Drew Hallowell / Getty Images
This perpetuates the harmful stereotype that PIs aren't as intelligent as other races. And to joke about Kamala becoming the first Samoan president is such a slap in the face when we have so little representation — both in the media and at the government level. It's also offensive to Black and Indian folks who are so excited to finally see themselves represented in the highest office in the country.
BTW, calling Kamala "low-IQ" is just nonsense. She is a former San Francisco District Attorney, former Attorney General of California, and current Vice President. Obviously, she's an intelligent woman.
So I'd like to ask Tucker directly: What's so bad about being Samoan? In my experience, we are a family-focused people with great pride in our culture. Passed down for thousands of years, our beautiful traditions are still alive and well, from dance...
TheCoconetTV / Viayoutube.com
...to food...
PolynesianCulturalCenter / Viayoutube.com
...to tattoos...
TheCoconetTV / Viayoutube.com
...and so much more! We respect our elders. We care about the land and ocean. We measure success not by your job title or what kind of car you drive but by how well you serve your family and community. What's so bad about all that?!
Unsurprisingly, I wasn't the only one upset by Tucker's statement. This person called it "the second most racist thing" they'd ever heard on a US political stage:
This person asked why "people like Tucker Carlson always resort to racism":
CSPAN / Twitter: @tweetraychang
Some called Tucker's comments "anti-AAPI and anti-Black and anti-woman"...
...while others called it a "shockingly juvenile insult":
This person said Tucker is trying to pull off "the racist trifecta":
CPSAN / Twitter: @DanteAtkins
And finally, this person said, "If you're a Pacific Islander, know that disdain/disgust for AAPIs is clearly a MAGA position."
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