twisted logic
So what is it with us Americans and our fervent desire to be safe from everything. Literally. Just the idea that we might be at risk for some unforeseen danger will stop us in our tracks. Surely our ancestors would not have gone very far or lived very long with this obsessive compulsive risk disorder. But yet here we are, rational, thoughtful human beings so intent on being secure that we've created the gated community. As we drove by one such neighborhood this evening, I happened to notice a lovely couple out walking their dog, returning, evidently to their home in the community. I waited, breath held, to see if they were going to punch in a code and open the gate, or use the new scanning devices I've seen. They did neither. They simply walked along the sidewalk to the right of the gate. Sooooo, the gate only keeps cars out. Not your more astute burglar who may simply park in the lot next door and use the sidewalk as well. Reminded me of the private high end country club in an unnamed section of LaLa land with the manned gatehouse. Couldn't drive through without stopping and chatting and identifying yourself. Unless of course you pulled into the parking lot just before the gate, then drove around to the exit which was just PAST the gatehouse. Voilá! We have entered the exclusive property.
It's this crazy false sense of security we give ourselves that makes me wonder what is wrong with us as a society in general. And thus I take the conversation right back to Arizona's wonderfully new thought out piece of legislation, SB1070. Let's get rid of the immigrants. Oops. I mean illegal immigrants. But for many, this isn't about immigrants per se. It's about getting rid of risk. Getting rid of those that are different, because they fear them. Not all supporters of the bill are racist. It seems many are just suffering from this "fear of the unknown" affliction. Seriously. They believe if they can homogenize their community, they will be more secure. Just ask them and they will tell you it isn't being racist, just protecting themselves. Aaah. Why didn't I realize that.
So fine, they're idiots. But for argument's sake, we'll give them their right to be stupidly afraid. Aside from the blatantly obvious, what's wrong with their concept? Well, to begin with, they won't be more secure. They may feel more secure, but they'll be no more secure than those in the gated community. More importantly, putting all that aside, let's look at this realistically. If everyone in my neighborhood decided to rid ourselves of those were were different, we might have a problem. Because we are all different from each other. We are white, beige, tan, brown, and every shade in between. We're northerners, southerners, midwesterners and so on. Probably even have an alien or two on the block. Old, young, runners, walkers, the list goes on. So how do we select those who are different? We can't. It's not possible. Just like throwing up a gate doesn't keep the criminals out, throwing up a wall won't either. We need real military strength at the border and an intelligent immigration plan.
And ridding ourselves of those who we feel threatened by is just a ridiculous concept. The fears are of our own making. We should be afraid of criminals. Afraid of Terrorists. But what are we taught about terrorism? Don't let it change your life, and don't ever give up your freedoms when faced with it. Because then they win. And when we start the process of ethnic cleansing under the guise of clamping down on illegal immigration, we are letting the drug cartels and smugglers win. We are giving up our freedom, and more importantly, we are making a mockery of our nation's founding principles.
There is no such thing as being perfectly safe in this world, and no amount of senseless legislation will make it so. Criminals are criminals. And immigrants are immigrants. Documented or not, don't ever lump the two together. Immigrants weave the fabric of our nation together, and when you stereotype and label, you are doing nothing more than unraveling our country. So cut it out. Grow up and chill out. Come up with a plan to ensure we are as safe as we can be, without ruining our way of life.
It's this crazy false sense of security we give ourselves that makes me wonder what is wrong with us as a society in general. And thus I take the conversation right back to Arizona's wonderfully new thought out piece of legislation, SB1070. Let's get rid of the immigrants. Oops. I mean illegal immigrants. But for many, this isn't about immigrants per se. It's about getting rid of risk. Getting rid of those that are different, because they fear them. Not all supporters of the bill are racist. It seems many are just suffering from this "fear of the unknown" affliction. Seriously. They believe if they can homogenize their community, they will be more secure. Just ask them and they will tell you it isn't being racist, just protecting themselves. Aaah. Why didn't I realize that.
So fine, they're idiots. But for argument's sake, we'll give them their right to be stupidly afraid. Aside from the blatantly obvious, what's wrong with their concept? Well, to begin with, they won't be more secure. They may feel more secure, but they'll be no more secure than those in the gated community. More importantly, putting all that aside, let's look at this realistically. If everyone in my neighborhood decided to rid ourselves of those were were different, we might have a problem. Because we are all different from each other. We are white, beige, tan, brown, and every shade in between. We're northerners, southerners, midwesterners and so on. Probably even have an alien or two on the block. Old, young, runners, walkers, the list goes on. So how do we select those who are different? We can't. It's not possible. Just like throwing up a gate doesn't keep the criminals out, throwing up a wall won't either. We need real military strength at the border and an intelligent immigration plan.
And ridding ourselves of those who we feel threatened by is just a ridiculous concept. The fears are of our own making. We should be afraid of criminals. Afraid of Terrorists. But what are we taught about terrorism? Don't let it change your life, and don't ever give up your freedoms when faced with it. Because then they win. And when we start the process of ethnic cleansing under the guise of clamping down on illegal immigration, we are letting the drug cartels and smugglers win. We are giving up our freedom, and more importantly, we are making a mockery of our nation's founding principles.
There is no such thing as being perfectly safe in this world, and no amount of senseless legislation will make it so. Criminals are criminals. And immigrants are immigrants. Documented or not, don't ever lump the two together. Immigrants weave the fabric of our nation together, and when you stereotype and label, you are doing nothing more than unraveling our country. So cut it out. Grow up and chill out. Come up with a plan to ensure we are as safe as we can be, without ruining our way of life.
Well said Mary! I very much like the implied but not stated comment about the discrimination being a socio-economic phenomenon and not "a race thing". If Carlos Slim wanted to move to Arizona or California they would give him the key to whatever city he chose to reside in. If the mexican cartel senior tranche doesn't already have sprawling residences in the United States then some community north of the Rio Grande would welcome them (and their money). However, if you do not have the money to buy/build a McMansion then you are suspect...
ReplyDelete"Give me your poor, hungry, trampled masses..." got our nation the the cornerstone of economic growth- people who had the nerve "to get up and go" to these United States. Path to citizenship legal immigration ptocess sounds much better to me.