[Linganth] The Simpsons Revisited, from HRC & CNN

[Maggie Ronkin]

Remarks called stereotypical, racially insensitive
Wednesday, January 7, 2004 Posted: 11:42 AM EST (1642 GMT)

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks Saturday at a fund-raiser for Senate
candidate Nancy Farmer, right.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton apologized for
joking that Mahatma Gandhi used to run a gas station in St. Louis, saying it
was "a lame attempt at humor."

The New York Democrat made the remark at a fund-raiser Saturday. During an
event here for Senate candidate Nancy Farmer, Clinton introduced a quote
from Gandhi by saying, "He ran a gas station down in St. Louis."

After laughter from many in the crowd of at least 200 subsided, the former
first lady continued, "No, Mahatma Gandhi was a great leader of the 20th
century." In a nod to Farmer's underdog status against Republican Sen. Kit
Bond, Clinton quoted the Indian independence leader as saying: "First they
ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

The director of a U.S. center devoted to Gandhi's teachings called the
remarks stereotypical and racially insensitive, while an educator said the
flap underscored the need for politicians to be cautious when trying to get
laughs.

"Political speeches can't be like episodes of The Simpsons," said David
Robertson, a University of Missouri-St. Louis political science professor.

After being approached by The Associated Press to clarify the remarks,
Clinton suggested in a statement sent late Monday that she never meant to
fuel any stereotype -- often used as a comedic punch line -- that certain
ethnic groups were synonymous with operating America's gas stations.

"I have admired the work and life of Mahatma Gandhi and have spoken publicly
about that many times," Clinton said in a two-sentence statement. "I truly
regret if a lame attempt at humor suggested otherwise."

So does Michelle Naef, administrator of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for
Nonviolence, the Memphis, Tennessee-based nonprofit group founded in 1991 by
a Gandhi grandson to promote his grandfather's teachings, including
nonviolent resistance.

While crediting Clinton and her husband, former President Clinton, as long
having "supported the Gandhi message," Naef said Saturday's remarks "could
be incredibly harmful" in perpetuating racial myths.

"I don't think she was, in any way, trying to demean Mahatma Gandhi," Naef
said. "To be generous to her, I would say it was a poor attempt at humor.
Perhaps I'm overly sensitive, but I find it offensive when people use
stereotypes in that way."

To Robertson, the professor, the flap demonstrates the potential peril of
when humor by politicians falls flat.

"The more prominent the politician, the more they've taken positions on
equality in the past as Mrs. Clinton has, the more this is going to be
troubling to some people," he said. "It's understandable that groups want to
make sure they're treated with complete respect."

When it comes to Hillary Clinton, he said, "there's no reason to think she
doesn't admire Gandhi, like so many people do. After all, Gandhi was
influential to Martin Luther King Jr., and I know she respects King."

_________________________________________________________________
Make your home warm and cozy this winter with tips from MSN House & Home.
http://special.msn.com/home/warmhome.armx