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Dec. 8th, 2005 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ebonlockNo More Mister Nice Blog tackles the question, why is immigration such a big deal right now?
Why is this such a hot-button issue right now? To some extent, after 9/11, we worry about who's coming across the borders (even though the 9/11 hijackers didn't cross the border on the run in the dead of night). Also, there's a lot of economic anxiety in America, and, obviously, people direct it at "the other" even when "the other" is doing a job the anxious people wouldn't take. (We've been carefully trained not to direct our anxiety and anger toward employers who'd rather hire non-American workers -- overseas or here -- than hire us.)
But I think a big reason for the recent rise in anti-immigrant feeling is conservatives' burning need to be self-righteously, all-consumingly angry at someone -- anyone. Now that overt bigotry is less socially acceptable, conservatives have a harder time blaming everything that's wrong in the country on an entire group of people. Oh, they can bypass bigotry and turn liberals into the new niggers/spics/kikes, but a lot of conservatives know some liberals -- we aren't other enough. But if they blame everything on immigrants, it's almost as satisfying as racism (they're bashing mysterious dark-skinned others who don't really even speak their language), but they get to say they're criticizing behavior, not race. It's as close as they can get to the good old days.
I can't really argue with that, though I suspect part of my cynicism today is a certain melancholy over the fact that this is the twenty fifth anniversary of John Lennon's death.
So to lighten the mood a little, I point you towards Media Matters for the latest on General Falafel's War for Christmas Against Secularist Commie Bastards:
On the December 2 broadcast of Fox News' The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly, host Bill O'Reilly stated that he would "use all the power that I have on radio and television to bring horror into the world of people" who "diminish and denigrate the [Christmas] holiday."
[...]
He later added: "There is no reason on this earth that all of us can not celebrate a public holiday devoted to generosity, peace, and love together," cautioning that "anyone who tries to stop us from doing it is gonna face me."
"Yeah, me and my baseball bat, Ol' Painless." Part of me is kind of looking forward to an O'Reilly unleashing of horror, I mean what exactly would that entail? What's he going to do? Start another boycott? Call for another Inquisition? All I can say is, bring it, loofah boy.
via World o' Crap
Why is this such a hot-button issue right now? To some extent, after 9/11, we worry about who's coming across the borders (even though the 9/11 hijackers didn't cross the border on the run in the dead of night). Also, there's a lot of economic anxiety in America, and, obviously, people direct it at "the other" even when "the other" is doing a job the anxious people wouldn't take. (We've been carefully trained not to direct our anxiety and anger toward employers who'd rather hire non-American workers -- overseas or here -- than hire us.)
But I think a big reason for the recent rise in anti-immigrant feeling is conservatives' burning need to be self-righteously, all-consumingly angry at someone -- anyone. Now that overt bigotry is less socially acceptable, conservatives have a harder time blaming everything that's wrong in the country on an entire group of people. Oh, they can bypass bigotry and turn liberals into the new niggers/spics/kikes, but a lot of conservatives know some liberals -- we aren't other enough. But if they blame everything on immigrants, it's almost as satisfying as racism (they're bashing mysterious dark-skinned others who don't really even speak their language), but they get to say they're criticizing behavior, not race. It's as close as they can get to the good old days.
I can't really argue with that, though I suspect part of my cynicism today is a certain melancholy over the fact that this is the twenty fifth anniversary of John Lennon's death.
So to lighten the mood a little, I point you towards Media Matters for the latest on General Falafel's War for Christmas Against Secularist Commie Bastards:
On the December 2 broadcast of Fox News' The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly, host Bill O'Reilly stated that he would "use all the power that I have on radio and television to bring horror into the world of people" who "diminish and denigrate the [Christmas] holiday."
[...]
He later added: "There is no reason on this earth that all of us can not celebrate a public holiday devoted to generosity, peace, and love together," cautioning that "anyone who tries to stop us from doing it is gonna face me."
"Yeah, me and my baseball bat, Ol' Painless." Part of me is kind of looking forward to an O'Reilly unleashing of horror, I mean what exactly would that entail? What's he going to do? Start another boycott? Call for another Inquisition? All I can say is, bring it, loofah boy.
via World o' Crap
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no subject
Date: 2005-12-08 09:13 pm (UTC)You've gotta love that crazy bastard. Come here, Bill, lemme give you a hug!
no subject
Date: 2005-12-08 09:15 pm (UTC)Or pity him and hope that someday he finally seeks treatment.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-08 10:34 pm (UTC)Come get some, Bill.
-F