The hesitations in speech reveal the layered registers of racism

Evidence

Note that in McCain’s response being an Arab disqualifies one from being “a decent family man”, and that his anti-immigration anxieties surface in his identifying Obama as a “citizen” and thus categorizing Arabs as “alien”—even if they were born and raised in America. But far more significant are the staccato pauses in between Gayle Quinnell’s phrases, as she tries to conceal her racism and joggles and shifts in her hesitant diction: “He’s not,” she first says, but does not complete her sentence. Then she continues, “He’s a … ” and again hesitates. Then she spurts it out: “He is an Arab.” The pause after the first “He’s not” might have meant (for example) “He’s not an American.” The one after “He’s a … ” could have been for what Obama is—an African-American. The history of American racism and its shifting registers pulsates in those hesitant, stuttering moments before she finally says, “He is an Arab.” — Hamid Dabashi, Brown Skin, White Masks, 575

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Racist discourse varies by context of production, not only by underlying beliefs — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 1071; Racist alienation operates physically, not only through language — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 1343