Copyright 2008, Navigating Diversity
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Seventh most offensive comment of 2008
“I don’t trust Obama. I’ve read about him. He’s not... he’s an Arab.”
– Minnesota resident Gayle Quinnell at a John McCain campaign appearance. link link
Our Suggested Responses
Thought provoking: What is your experience with Arabs? Have you ever known an Arab? What about Arabs causes you to distrust them?
Personal: I feel uncomfortable with your comment because it seems to exclude Arabs from the possibility of being trustworthy people. I know several people of Arab descent and they are just as trustworthy as anyone else.
Light: There are a lot of non-Arabs I don't trust.
Informative: According to the U.S. Census, there are over 1/2 million Arab-American U.S. citizens, the vast majority of whom are honest, hard-working, decent people.
Authoritative: Don't make assumptions about a person's trustworthiness based on ethnicity. Trustworthiness has very little to do with ethnicity.
