As Asian Americans nationwide expressed their outrage, though, it became apparent that there might be negative political consequences from alienating a significant voting bloc in the crucial state of California. Only then did a McCain spokesperson pledge that the candidate would retire the word from his vocabulary. McCain personally expressed his remorse later with a classic example of a non-apology apology. Such language isn't offensive merely because it may hurt feelings. Consequently, when these grunts were out of uniform, they were at risk of being shot by their own side out of mistaken assumptions.
Similar sentiments motivate hate crimes.
When two white brothers killed Jim Loo, a North Carolina resident, they identified him as Vietnamese and blamed him for the consequences of the Vietnam War. After all, he has ample reason to have despised his torturers. But this rationalization would give an excuse to anyone who has had a bad experience with an individual who happens to be a racial minority. The McCain episode demonstrated, however, that Asian Americans will stand up and speak out for themselves and for what is right. In doing so, Asian Americans engaged in a lively debate amongst themselves, especially Asian American media professionals, about whether this was the right fight or just oversensitivity.