CAPS #3- Sarah Nelson

The origin of “wetback,” a derogatory term for Mexican-American individuals, came from “Operation Wetback,” the name of a massive deportation effort by the United States government in 1954.  It was also used earlier by appearing in print within The New York Times in 1920, (U.S. Rep. Don Young in Hot Water for 'Wetback' Comment). The term negatively identifies Latino or Latina people by referring to illegal Mexican immigrants who entered the United States by swimming across the Rio Grande.  In an interview in Match of 2013, Republican Representative Don Young used the term “wetback” in a radio interview to refer to Latino workers on his father’s ranch, (Blake, 2013). The offensive comment spread like wildfire, and caught the attention of other Republican leaders and the Latino community. This slur came at a time when the Republican Party was attempting to advertise a younger generation of Republican leaders with a rebrand and rebuild of the party itself, (Parkinson, 2013).

Republican Representative Don Young
 from alaskadispatch.com

            As law of physics and life, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This example not only brings up the harm of offensive labels for a minority racial group, but also labels for a political group.  The most reprimanding remarks came from fellow Republican leaders. Speaker John Boehner called the slur “…beneath the dignity of the office he holds, (Wagstaff, 2013).  As a leader of a major political party, he is labeled with the responsibility of being racially considerate.  The Latino advocacy group, Presente, called for Don Young’s resignation, saying his apology was far from what needed to be done when bringing up the wounding history of the term, (Wagstaff, 2013).  It is clear that when leaders use this word, or any other racial slur, they appear insensitive and racist. From a political standpoint, they separate themselves and their party from being supported by the minority groups they may have offended. They must now navigate through the ramifications of the racial slur. “ On the other hand, when political leaders make slurs, minority groups must navigate through supporting and voting for political candidates. The idea of Latino workers on a ranch may very well be different from their actual perceptions of themselves and their racial group. As part of his apology Don Young stated, “I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect,” (Blake, 2013). Labels often work both ways; in this case, it is the racial slur of “wetback” and the label of the racist and ignorant political leader.

            The relationship between the actions and reactions of racist language is pivotal to understanding social positions. Because Don Young is a political leader, his words have even more influence. Further, from his apology, it is inferred that he spoke without knowledge or understanding of the meaning of the slur and the offensive nature of it. It also separates the speaker from the listener, (Martin and Nakayama, 2013).  His language, although seeming harmless to himself at first, caused vast implications for the validity of himself as a political leader as well as the cogency of the Republican Party itself.

      

References

Blake, Aaron. (28 March 2013).  Republican Rep. Don Young refers to Latinos using racial slur.  The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/03/28/republican-rep-don-young-refers-to-latinos-using-racial-slur/.

Congressman Don Young’s ‘Wetbacks’ Slur. [Video]. (30 Match 2013).  ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FzTnfd3CpM.

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Parkinson, John. (29 Match 2013).  Rep. Don Young Apologizes for ‘Wetbacks’ Comment.  ABC News.  Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/rep-don-young-apologizes-for-wetbacks-comment/.

U.S. Rep. Don Young in Hot Water for 'Wetback' Comment. (29 March 2013).  Fox News Latino.  Retrieved from  http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/03/29/rep-don-young-in-hot-water-for-wetback-comment/.

Wagstaff, Keith.  (2 April 2013).  8 responses to Rep. Don Young's racial slur. The Week. Retrieved from

http://theweek.com/article/index/242174/8-responses-to-rep-don-youngs-racial-slur.