Photo: US Vice President Joe Biden; Wikipedia
Singapore’s first Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, who just turned 91 less than a week ago, was referred to as "the wisest man in the Orient" by US Vice President Joe Biden at the kickoff of the Nuns on the Bus tour last Wednesday (video below).
While the comment was certainly praising the founding father of Singapore, Biden's been condemned for his choice of the word “Orient” – a term that Republican National Committee Asian-American Spokesperson Ninio Fetalvo deems “offensive to both Asian-Americans and our Asian allies abroad” and presents “unacceptable imperialist undertones”, according to a statement.
The 71-year-old vice president has a history of slip-ups – the latest being his referring to bank representatives bargaining with people serving the US overseas as 'Shylocks'. The term is originally from William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice" used to refer to greed.
People have taken to social and news media to criticise the gaffe-prone vice president on his poor choice of words.
Photo: US Vice President Joe Biden; Wikipedia
Singapore’s first Prime Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, who just turned 91 less than a week ago, was referred to as "the wisest man in the Orient" by US Vice President Joe Biden at the kickoff of the Nuns on the Bus tour last Wednesday (video below).
While the comment was certainly praising the founding father of Singapore, Biden's been condemned for his choice of the word “Orient” – a term that Republican National Committee Asian-American Spokesperson Ninio Fetalvo deems “offensive to both Asian-Americans and our Asian allies abroad” and presents “unacceptable imperialist undertones”, according to a statement.
The 71-year-old vice president has a history of slip-ups – the latest being his referring to bank representatives bargaining with people serving the US overseas as 'Shylocks'. The term is originally from William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice" used to refer to greed.
People have taken to social and news media to criticise the gaffe-prone vice president on his poor choice of words.