Dec 16 2006
“I Am Macaca”
Salon.com has named S.R. Sidarth its person of the year. As Michael Scherer put it, “the Virginia native and son of Indian immigrants changed history with a camcorder and introduced Senator George Allen — and the rest of us — to the real America.”
He also notes: “Weeks after Allen’s blunder, Sidarth finds himself writing an entrance essay for a class at the University of Virginia, where he is a senior. The class is called Campaigns and Elections, and it has about four applicants for every spot. ‘I get all these large, elaborate essays about the meaning of politics and why they are going to be president,’ says Larry Sabato, the professor. Sidarth writes only three words. ‘I am macaca.’ Sabato lets him in. ‘When you have the right stuff, you don’t need to brag,’ the teacher explains. ‘A simple declarative sentence will do.’
