During a recent Trump rally in in Georgia, Republican Senator David Perdue created a controversy by mockingly mispronouncing Vice Presidential Kamala Harris's name.
My opponent, GOP Sen. David Perdue of anti-Semitic attack ad infamy, just mocked Sen. Harris' name as "Kamala-mala-… https://t.co/v39sXpRCZ1— Jon Ossoff (@Jon Ossoff) 1602887328.0
The incident, which was widely condemned as racist, was quickly pounced upon by Perdue's opponent in the upcoming Senatorial elections, Democrat Jon Ossoff.
We're 18 days out and I'm narrowly leading Sen. Perdue in the polls. Chip in $1 to end his career: https://t.co/EIcdqorNzj— Jon Ossoff (@Jon Ossoff) 1602887644.0
The moment went viral on Twitter, where it sparked the hashtag #MyNameIs.
#MyNameIs Daniel Dae Hyun Kim, or in Korean, 김대현. It means “great and powerful one.” My name is not “Macaca” or “Ku… https://t.co/s8tDiBHMbY— Daniel Dae Kim (@Daniel Dae Kim) 1602983663.0
#MyNameIs Michelle Wing Kwan & in Chinese pinyin it's pronounced Guan Ying Shan. It means beautiful, strong and sma… https://t.co/VSFo0RzzOj— Michelle Kwan (@Michelle Kwan) 1602969206.0
My great grandmother’s name was Kamala. Not “Kamala-mala-mala, I don’t know, whatever.” #MyNameIs Gautam. It means… https://t.co/JWGkRRSpmT— Gautam Raghavan (@Gautam Raghavan) 1602952672.0
Twitter made their feelings about Perdue's comments clear by sharing stories of their own names.
#MyNameIs Meenakshi. I'm named after the Hindu goddess, as well as my great great grandmother. I come from a long l… https://t.co/2wCQmrboKv— Meena Harris (@Meena Harris) 1602957223.0
#MyNameIs Ilham, I prefer Ilhan. I never liked the M sound 😜. It means “Inspiration” in Arabic. My father named me… https://t.co/5rUJoaONP9— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1602975329.0
.#MyNameIs Lea Thompson. It's pronounced LEE Ah. My mom spelled it that way because my dad was stationed in Pearl H… https://t.co/31vEVP09E8— Lea Thompson (@Lea Thompson) 1603000298.0
Meanwhile, Perdue was attacked by almost everyone online.
disgusting racist appeal from David Perdue https://t.co/deYRKoYK6i— John Harwood (@John Harwood) 1602890832.0
David Perdue has served with Kamala Harris in the Senate for four years. He knows how to properly pronounce her nam… https://t.co/kc4Xp6D1BF— Philip Rucker (@Philip Rucker) 1602891090.0
Politicians like David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler seek only to divide us up on racial and political lines. @ossoff… https://t.co/bGIZLLRaVq— Reverend Raphael Warnock (@Reverend Raphael Warnock) 1602894743.0
Perdue, who has served in the Senate for four years with Kamala Harris, almost definitely knows exactly how to say her name.
1. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) attacked Kamala Harris with a racist trope and then refused to apologize. Who is ba… https://t.co/JltwOcS0oE— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1603114532.0
David Perdue mispronounced Kamala Harris' name at a Trump Rally, so we'll be going with one of these until further… https://t.co/aZoQgx3jax— A Late Show (@A Late Show) 1603165563.0
For many online, this incident offered yet another reason to vote for Jon Ossoff.
.@DouglasEmhoff responding to David Perdue’s intentional flubbing of Kamala Harris’s name: “And if he can’t remembe… https://t.co/atCAZjVx2C— Rebecca Galanti (@Rebecca Galanti) 1603042033.0
I'll keep it simple: If you can pronounce “former Senator David Perdue” you can pronounce “future Vice President Ka… https://t.co/neHk24AVdC— Sabrina Singh (@Sabrina Singh) 1602960327.0
America deserves Senators who don't resort to petty racism to egg on crowds during rallies.