Judge's racial, ethnic slurs set off a tempest

[Scuba]

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (online)

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Dominic Amato is under investigation by a state agency for using a racial and ethnic slur during a court hearing earlier this month.

Sources tell No Quarter that the complaint was filed by Chief Judge Jeffrey Kremers after Amato shocked many in his courtroom June 14 by using the phrase "niggers, wops and Jews" while discussing the neighborhood in Madison where he grew up.


Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/97280534.html

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What could I possibly add?

[Democat]

1. Sarah Palin will Tweet about what a great American this judge is soon!

And the media will love her ever more for it!

[melm00se]

2. ummm

Amato? sounds like an italian name wouldn't that slot him as a "wop" too?

[DFW]

3. All he neglected to add was "oh, my"

Then he could have used it in the next version of the "Wizard of Oz."

[McCamy Taylor]

4. Someone named "Amato" is bitching about "wops"? Too funny.

:rofl:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

19. From what I read that was part of the point

The Judge was saying how unfair it was in the 50's and 60's regarding the way some looked upon other ethnic groups, including his own.

At least that's what the alleged context of the statement is supposed to be. I've not seen it quoted anyplace directly to be sure.

[SunnySong]

21. I agree.. WTF. nt

[Kelvin Mace]

5. Another hard crore Republican

shows his colors...

[Odin2005]

6. I believe the term is "wog", not "wop."

Idiot, whose ancestors were probably called wogs, can't keep his epithets straight.

[proReality]

7. No, it's "wop"

I grew up in NY during that time period and as long as people were living in the same neighborhood no one took offense at those names. If it was said by someone outside of the neighborhood there would have been trouble.

Edited to add that everyone should read entire articles prior to commenting since it's obvious that several here didn't and have no idea what the article is referring to.

[MineralMan]

8. "Wog" is a Britishism that refers to dark-skinned people from

the middle east, primarily. I don't think it has ever been used to belittle those of Italian origins.

[NBachers]

9. Wop comes from With Out Papers

I'm not condoning it, but this is the origin of the term, as I understand it.

[Orrex]

10. That's a commonly held perception, but it's not correct

wop
derogatory for "Italian," 1912, Amer.Eng. slang, apparently from southern It. dialect guappo "dandy, dude, stud," a greeting among male Neapolitans, said to be from Sp. guapo "bold, dandy," which is from L. vappa "sour wine," also "worthless fellow;" related to vapidus (see vapid).

From Dictionary.com

Some may object that Dictionary.com isn't authoritative, but even if that's true, "without" is one word and wouldn't likely be abbreviated with a separate W and O.

[Romulox]

17. "Without" is virtually always abbreviated with two letters.

w/ = with

w/o = without


I think there remains a healthy debate about the origin of the term "wop".

[Orrex]

20. Find me period documentation showing that it's an abbreviation for "with out papers"

Then I'll agree that there's healthy debate. I'm not necessarily talking about documents from Ellis Island, though those would be nice; I'd be happy with a then-current news article or editorial using the term.

However, when a credible etymology exists, and when that etymology predates the more modern love (largely post-WWII) for acronyms, I'd say that the question is pretty clearly resolved.

Show me solid evidence that "without papers" predates the cited etymology, and I'll be happy to review it.

[Romulox]

24. Trying taking up your own challenge, hmmm?

I've rarely seen an over-reaction of this magnitude on these boards, but since you've broached the subject, where is your proof of your assertions, hmmm? :hi:

[Orrex]

25. Well, I *did* give a dictionary citation

And if you follow that link, it gives several derivations of the etymology.

If you find that evidence to be less than authoritative, then what would you accept?


For that matter, it's hardly an over-reaction. It was a reply to a post in which an urban legend was repeated.


Since you're apparently in charge of deciding what is and what is not worthy of discussion, why don't you post your criteria for each? Be specific, please, because from the tone of your post it sounds like this is an urgent issue.

[Romulox]

26. Dictionary.com, you mean?

One thing professionals know is what they don't know.

[Orrex]

30. So, you don't actually have a reply, then?

Here are two more citations:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wop (more or less directly contradicts the "with out papers" assertion)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wop {makes no mention of "with out papers" and gives 1908 as the likely date of origin)



I look forward to the countless citations you no doubt have in support of your own claim, preferably showing that your etymology predates 1908.

[Romulox]

33. I've already responded; your rant is bizarre an disproportional.

Unlike you, I have no emotional investment in this issue. I am sure I am not the source of your anger, one way or the other. I will absent myself from your awareness, and the anger will remain! :hi:

[Orrex]

36. What anger?

I posted to address a commonly-held but poorly substantiated misconception, and I provided several links in support of my claim.


If you perceive this as anger, then it must really be a treat to talk with you in real life. :eyes:

[Odin2005]

11. Oops, my bad!

[Orrex]

12. Yeah--shame on you for not being conversant with ethnic slurs!

[Odin2005]

13. Yup!

:rofl:

[NoGOPZone]

15. 'Wog' is a slur used in England and Australia

In the latter, it is used to refer to Southern Europeans, including Italians.

[Winterblues]

18. WOP..."Without Papers"..

:shrug: term was used a long time ago..

[mbperrin]

14. Might have added this from the end of the article:

Ganzer said he expects his client to be cleared once everyone understands the context for his statement.

Amato, he said, was not intending to offend anyone.

"He was simply making a comment about how unfair it was the way people were treated in the '50s and '60s, including his own ethnic group," Ganzer said. "It was nothing more than that."

Wesley, incidentally, was arrested again on June 16 for resisting an officer and disorderly conduct. Ganzer said he was told that Wesley asked that Amato handle the case because of their previous dealings.

"Mr. Wesley, it seems, understood and appreciated where the judge was coming from," said Ganzer, a former law partner and campaign treasurer for Amato.




Are these words now prohibited in any context whatever? In their complaint, one of the junior lawyers couldn't even spell one of them. The comments came after the judge stepped down from the bench, and the recording device in the room didn't even pick it up. But these kinds of things are great distractions for the press. Now they don't have to write about consumer protection from financial institutions that is really just a giveaway to them, for instance.

[Scuba]

16. Regardless of the judge's intent....

...or the context, it was terribly imprudent of him to use the ethnic slurs. He could have easily made his point without doing so.

[Orrex]

22. Of course *you'd* say that, you cheesehead.

:evilgrin:

[Scuba]

31. Guilty

[anigbrowl]

23. I disagree

We should be able to discuss such things freely, up to the point where it infringes on another's rights. There's a huge difference between using slurs to put down a person or group and talking about the fact of such things.

The context matters hugely because otherwise we're judging the meaning on the most superficial level, like children. Correspondingly, forbidding words from being spoken in any context is to make them taboo in a primitive and superstitious manner, as if the words had some inherent power other than the meaning our culture assigns to them.

[Dappleganger]

27. With that kind of bigotry in the courtroom...

every single one of his cases should be subjected to additional review.

[Orrex]

32. Except the ones involving Micks

Those drunken potato-munchers deserve what they get.

[classysassy]

28. Unfit to serve

Just imagine a black judge,using the words,spic,wop,kike,what would happen to him?

[GlennWRECK]

29. Double-standard

Yeah, a judge of any other ethnicity using derogatory words? Would it be assessed the same?

[classysassy]

34. In America

with our past history of favoring the white race,there has always been a double standard.

[Old Troop]

35. Is he elected? Recall him. Is he appointed? Impeach, convict and

remove him.