Blushing US diplomat Maureen Chao enrolled in a cultural sensitivity class after she gave a speech in SRM University in Chennai that’s being interpreted by some as deeply racist and by others as an unfortunate gaffe.
US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington on Thursday that Chao, who is Vice-Consul at the US consulate in Chennai, “voluntarily enrolled in a cross-cultural communications and understanding class.”
Nuland was quick to point out that Chao’s comment “did not reflect the best of American values in terms of tolerance for difference and diversity.”
A former Fulbright scholar, Chao came under fire last week when she spoke to a group of Indian students participating in SRM University’s Semester Abroad Programme. During her talk, Chao recalled her own experience as a study-abroad student in India 23 years ago, saying, “I was on a 24-hour train trip from Delhi to Orissa. But, after 72 hours, the train still did not reach the destination… and my skin became dirty and dark like the Tamilians.”
Chao’s attempt at humor fell flat and roused Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha to demand an apology. The US Consulate assuaged the chief minister by issuing a remorseful statement, “Chao made an inappropriate comment. Chao deeply regrets if her unfortunate remarks offended anyone, as that was certainly not her intent.”
A blog in the Los Angeles Times questions whether Chao’s comment was racist or just a poorly worded gaffe. A former diplomat tells Yahoo’s Envoy Blog that people like Chao get into trouble all the time as they may not be accustomed to every word being scrutinized: “I’ve seen this type before — idealistic middle-aged person with an NGO or Peace Corps background who joins the Foreign Service without an awareness that everything she says is subject to be pounced on, scrutinized or twisted.”
Chao certainly fits the profile of idealistic middle-aged do-gooder. Prior to joining the State Department, Chao worked with international education programmes for fifteen years, as well as in the social services field with foster children, refugees and low-income populations.
The US media has been riveted by Chao’s trials and tribulations. As soon as political groups, including the Communist Party of India, called for Chao’s withdrawal from the consulate The New York Daily News asked readers to vote on “Should US diplomat Maureen Chao lose her job after calling members of India’s Tamil ethnic group ‘dark’ and ‘dirty’?
As of Thursday, a high 66 percent of Daily News readers’ responded saying Chao should be sacked as a US diplomat should show better judgment in public statements, while 17 percent felt Chao’s comments were misconstrued by the audience. The rest felt Chao should be reprimanded but not lose her job.
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