Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Assimilate this

SOURCE:
Latino

Wednesday, February 11th 2009, 10:49 AM

After practically vanishing from the presidential campaign in its waning days, the immigration reform issue is again the topic du jour among anti-immigration fire-breathers.

Trying to regroup after their loss, some Republicans wasted no time and just one week after the inauguration of President Obama met in Washington to argue that pandering to pro-amnesty Latino voters is not the way to go forward.

Driving immigrants out and sealing the border are the best arguments to win future elections among the "more important" white voters, according to a report issued by the group American Cause and authored by Marcus Epstein.

These "more important" voters get, in large numbers, their world view from conservative talk radio and Internet publications, where hate-mongering thrives, unchecked and unchallenged.

To their ears, the words "immigrant" and "Latino" are usually followed or preceded by adjectives such as "criminal," "illegal," "drug smuggler" or even "potential terrorist," as well as accusations of refusing to learn English or assimilate.

Immigration reform advocates, particularly Latino activists, are falsely characterized as advocating "open borders" and "blanket amnesty."

These comments constitute "hate speech," as defined in a preliminary report on a pilot study conducted by UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center.

Hate speech leads to hate crimes. No argument about that. Violence against Latinos has increased by 40% in the past four years — sometimes with deadly results, as evidenced by last year’s murder of Ecuadoran immigrant Marcelo Lucero on Long Island.

Based on this and other reports, the National Hispanic Media Coalition has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission, asking it to examine the extent, nature and effects of hate speech, the role of the media and possible options to counterbalance its negative impact.

The economic hardship the country is experiencing can only lead to more instances of Latino-bashing when fewer and fewer jobs are at stake. Therefore, let’s hope the FCC takes this petition seriously and promptly.

Freedom of expression, protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution, is the main reason many immigrants come to the U.S., and we cherish it as much as anyone.

Certainly, no one wants to inhibit anyone from expressing his opinion, regardless of how vile it may be, but a fair, safe, middle ground must be found.

Hate speech should have no place in a nation of immigrants that pays a lot of lip service to its racial and cultural diversity.

Neither should other kinds of speech that, though perhaps not be categorized as "hate speech," certainly qualify as "ignorant speech."

The aforementioned Mr. Epstein, writing in an anti-immigration blog and quoted in a recent New York Times editorial, said: "Diversity can be good in moderation — if what’s brought in is desirable. Most Americans don’t mind a little ethnic food, some Asian math whizzes or a few mariachi dancers — as long as these trends do not overwhelm the dominant culture."

We’ve heard this before: They love to eat the guacamole, but can’t stomach the people who actually invented it.

Mr. Epstein, assimilate this: There’s no one American "dominant" culture. There never has been. Throughout history, American culture has evolved, and will continue to evolve, with the ebb and flow of immigration from different parts of the world.

It’s all a matter of time. Send in the mariachis.

doloresprida@aol.com



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6 comments:

Elric66 said...

Mexican cartels are assimilated quite nicely


http://hotair.com/archives/2009/02/12/mexican-drug-cartels-make-phoenix-2-in-world-for-kidnappings/

Unknown said...

Interesting choice of words "Mexican cartels 'ARE' assimilated quite nicely"

Hmmm... Very interesting, perhaps in the USA due to having the highest rate of crime IN THE WORLD, the criminal element is more inclusive and accepting?

I can see one headline "Is The Crime Brotherhood in the USA less Racist and more inclusive than Conservatives / Republicans?"

Hey, you may want to alert the Hot Air Blowers to... Well, blowhard some more Hot Air.

Elric66 said...

Ohh I forgot, the USA is the cause of the all the world's problems....my mistake. Is that what they teach you in marxist class?

Unknown said...

Gotcha! You are so predictable, as are the millions of right wing radio listeners, so, two comments not enough to clock you? Great jingoist hyperbole.

Not really, the USA IS NOT THE CAUSE of all of the world's problems, but as it is said, as a Superpower, "when the USA gets a cold, the whole world sneezes"

Let me educate you a little, Immigration and Drug Traffic have only three things in common, route, destination and profits, the only other common factor between the two, are no longer true, DEMAND, where as before, there was a demand for drug and workers in the USA, work is scarce now, but demand for drugs and workers stills continues.
Both Drugs and Immigration are still profitable, and the latter is a good political wedge, a way to deflate wages and weaken unions; great benefits for the people who still count in people like you to keep them in power and be richer at your cost.

Do you want to finish the Drug Cartels? End the demand for drugs in the USA, the biggest consumer of drugs in the World.

FYI and for what is worth, I disagree with communist doctrine.

Elric66 said...

You want to end illegal immigration? How about the countries fix up their own countries so their people dont have to come here illegally? That way the so called fat cats dont have to take advantage of cheap labor. Oh and as I said, dont worry about the unions. Obama will make sure everyone is in a union, whether they like it or not.

Unknown said...

These countries keep trying to fix their problems but the US urged by the corporations that you support, keep preventing them from making the changes that as sovereign nations they want to implement, as a result, the corporatist / neoliberal economic policies keep wrecking their economies and killing the people trying to make these changes or asking for better conditions for the people and the workers.

The result is: Emigration from their countries to the US in order to survive.

For me and many others, we have another more accurate term for immigrants from Latin America, "Economic Refugees"

And this, my friend, it is a fact.

I'd suggest you do some reading on how the US, that people people like you has supported and elected, has intervened in Latin America countries for a long time.

And all this because the corporations wanted it, check out Chiquita Banana and Coca-Cola to start with.