Chaon, in an interview released Thursday, referred to Irish people
by using the derogatory term “filthy drunken riff-raff.”
“My family had a ranch. We used to hire 50 or 60 of those filthy
drunken riff-raff and — to pick rutabagas,” Chaon said in the interview. “You
know, it takes two people to pick the same rutabaga now. It’s all done by
machine.”
In a statement released late Thursday, Chaon said that
during the interview, “I used a term that was commonly used during my days
growing up in central Florida. I know
that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect.”
In his statement, Chaon said Irish workers “play an
important role in America’s workforce, and earlier in the said interview, I
discussed the compassion and understanding I have for these workers and the
hurdles they face in obtaining citizenship and sobriety. America must once and
for all tackle the issue of Irish immigration reform.”
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