Race card

Playing the race card is an idiomatic phrase that refers to the act of bringing the issue of race or racism into a debate, perhaps to obfuscate the matter. It is a metaphorical reference to card games in which a trump card may be used to gain an advantage.

In the less critical sense, the phrase is commonly used in two contexts. In the first, and more common context, it alleges that someone has deliberately and falsely accused another person of being a racist in order to gain some sort of advantage. [cite news |title=Playing the race card: Trump or joker? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/1292973.stm |work=BBC News |date=2001-04-24 |accessdate=2008-09-09] An example of this use of the term occurred during the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, when critics accused the defense of "playing the race card" [cite news |first=DeWayne |last=Wickham |title=Spare Cochran legacy of 'race card' label |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/wickham/2005-04-04-cochran-legacy_x.htm |work=USA Today |date=2005-04-04 |accessdate=2008-09-09] in presenting Mark Fuhrman's racist past (e.g. his recorded use of the word "nigger" in addition to his being accused of tampering with murder evidence in prior cases, as well as his use of the Fifth Amendment to avoid potential self-incrimination upon questioning) as a reason to draw his credibility as a witness into question. Another example would be a criticism of Georgia Representative Cynthia McKinney's assertion that she was the victim of "racial profiling" [cite news |first=Earl Ofari |last=Hutchinson |title=Politicians Playing the Race Card |url=http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/36689/ |work=AlterNet |date=2006-05-25 |accessdate=2008-09-09] after she allegedly struck a United States Capitol police officer who had grabbed her at a security checkpoint. A more recent example would be criticism of Yale University student Jian Li's formal complaint against Princeton University, which asserted that Princeton and other elite universities discriminate against Asian Americans while setting the admissions bar lower for other minorities, including African Americans and Hispanic Americans.

In the second context, it refers to someone exploiting prejudice against another race for political or some other advantage. The use of the southern strategy by a political candidate is said by some to be a version of "playing the race card", such as when former Senator Jesse Helms, during his 1990 North Carolina Senate campaign ran an ad showing a black man taking a white man's job, intended as a criticism of the idea of racial quotas. The ad was interpreted by many people as trying to play to racist fears among white voters.

On the other hand, George Dei, Karumanchery, et alia in their book "Playing the Race Card" [cite book |last=Dei |first=George Jerry Sefa |authorlink= |coauthors=Leeno Luke Karumanchery|title=Playing the Race Card: Exposing White Power and Privilege |url= |edition=1st ed. |date= |year=2004 |month=January |publisher=Peter Lang USA |location=New York |isbn=978-0820467528 |oclc=51266234pn] argue that the term itself is a rhetorical device used in an effort to devalue and minimize claims of racism.

Playing the race card in Malaysia

In February 2008, Group Chief Editor Wong Chun Wai of The Star wrote, just before the Malaysia general election came, there is an unusual degree of tolerance and flexibility in matters of race, language and religion as politicians try to woo the people. "Also, there are those who still continue to play the race card, in this age and time. At their party conferences each year, they play to the gallery by projecting themselves as the communal heroes. But during the general election, they shamelessly become the true Malaysian leaders we dream of. They greet their voters in Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil; and if they can speak all these languages fluently, they would do so." [cite news |first=Wong Chun |last=Wai |title=All for the sake of winning votes |url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/10/focus/20287210&sec=focus |work=The Star |date=2008-02-10 |accessdate=2008-09-09]

In August 2006, the Singapore Institute of International Affairs wrote that Malaysia politician Khairy Jamaluddin "played the race card" by stirring up the Malays and the Chinese Malaysian community. Responding to criticisms and demands for an apology, Khairy said his remarks were misunderstood and he "will not apologise" as he was acting only "in defence of the Malays and his party" and that "if we truly fight for our race, one should not apologise". [cite web |title=Use of race card stirs controversy in Malaysia |url=http://www.siiaonline.org/?q=programmes/insights/use-race-card-stirs-controversy-malaysia |publisher=Singapore Institute of International Affairs |date=2006-08-29 |accessdate=2008-09-09]

References

ee also

*Wedge issue

External links

* [http://www.racecardband.com Political Rap Rock Group named Race Card]