The Kids Aren’t All Right
Children of Immigrants Take to the Streets for Their Parents’ Sake (NY Times)
Another facet of the immigration debate, and one of the few honorable style articles of the past couple of months.
However, pulled heartstrings aside, there’s a mentality present in these kids - as well as their parents - that they do not deserve to be treated harshly; that they have a right to better social conditions. And this I agree with. Except, of course, when they actually do something wrong, and when there’s specific consequences to their actions.
True, the threat of deportation is nightmarish, and it should not happen to a good citizen. Except if they want to stay here, they should contribute to their cause for citizenship, and not complain about what they’re entitled to. The fact that all of them are willing to stand in a group and say “We belong here” is kinda bad. A few of them, apart from the majority, really don’t belong here. They’re making the problem more difficult for us to solve when they say that they, as a group, deserve something from us. Really, that would be insane on our part. Our society cannot bear to be a refugee camp for the world for all socioeconomic causes. Trust me, we have too many selfish douchebags in America as it is. (I’ve gone over this before: the whole “stay where you are, because it wouldn’t be better here if you all came at once” theory). They have to demonstrate why our existing process is flawed, and how we can intelligently offer citizenship to the vast majority of undocumented residents. This is actually not so hard to demonstrate, even THE PRESIDENT agrees with that thinking. But they’re making a poor argument for themselves if they’re trying to say that anyone on this side of the border should be a citizen. Uh-nuh. Sorry. That’s just fucking dumb. Our immigration laws are NOT senseless; they exist for a reason. You can find a way to get your citizenship in spite of the laws if you can frame the argument around something else other than your own personal needs.
Second, I despise that immigrants - and, simultaneously, Latinos - have this indignation about poor conditions in their own ethnic communities, rather than overall among the collection of races and ethnicities. These are echoes of black indignation against conditions that are not related to racism and segregation, but just have to do with the bad fucking luck of being poor in the rich-getting-richer United States. I’m saying that they’re right, but they’re also wrong. Their conditions are not bad because they’re Latinos. Their conditions are bad because they’re poor, and because we have a class gap in this country that forces the working poor into substandard living conditions. And that’s the problem they should be trying to address, because if they solve it then they’re doing God’s work. Conversely, “us Latinos” is the devil talking and makes me think “dumb selfish prick” everytime I hear it. What, if Russian, Chinese, or African immigrants are poor and mistreated, then it’s none of your concern? Those are people who, if they have papers, we should be taking them away. We have too many ignorant dipshits in America as it is, we don’t need any more.
(By the way, “call it like it is” time: Guess how many Puerto Ricans out there have a thing against Mexicans? Guess how many Mexicans hate Dominicans? Guess how many Latinos give a shifty eye to anyone wearing a turban or headscarf thinking, “fucking suicide bombing Islamic nutjob?” Guess how many Latinos don’t want a black guy dating their daughter? Well, they’re all standing together during these protests as if nothing is wrong. Except nothing’s changed, many Latinos - not all, but many - are racist and ignorant against the rest of us, and even each other. Except when they’re trying to get citizenship! I’m just laughing at the hypocrisy. I’m not judging, myself coming from a Belgian and Italian heritage that is proud of nothing we were part of against the Jews and Africans in the 20th century. I’d leave the race card at home, fellas… because no one’s holding a good hand with that one.)
Of course, I don’t want to be a sourpuss about the whole thing; read the entire article and see that there’s a whole subtheme about Latino teenagers and their increased participation in our civic culture. That’s an enormously beneficial outcome to these current events; less bored ignorance on behalf of our youth, and more hope for the future.