Tom Hanks is a Bigot

I was watching the David Letterman show on Thursday October 29, 2009, and Tom Hanks was the guest. Hanks was describing a situation where he and his brother were recently driving across the United States and their car ran out of gas in the middle of the vast salt field of Bonneville, Utah. Hanks then mentioned how his brother said he was going to call the Automobile Club for some help. Thinking this was an idea that didn't make sense since they were in the middle of nowhere, Hanks said "My brother turned Pollack on me all of a sudden", insinuating that Polish people are stupid. Can you imagine what kind of reaction and outcry there would have been if he had said the "n" word, or made a derogatory comment towards Hispanics or another minority group? These kind of remarks perpetuate stereotypes, no matter how "minor" they appear to be. I believe that Tom Hanks owes the Polish community a public apology.