'Illegal immigrant' an offensive slur?

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Friday, January 30, 2004

[JohnHuang2]

Though it might be technically accurate, calling someone who entered the U.S. in an unlawful manner "illegal" has become politically incorrect.

"I can't speak for other immigrant groups," activist Jerry Gonzalez told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "but on behalf of the Latino community, many people I speak to on a day-to-day basis think it serves to dehumanize the person, makes them less than human. Similar to the way the n-word was used to dehumanize African-Americans."

Gonzales, who oversees the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, says many Latinos are offended by the labels.

"It's easy to dismiss someone when you use a disparaging term such as 'illegal immigrant' or 'illegal alien,'" said Gonzalez.

The Atlanta daily reports the activist plans to lobby state lawmakers to use the term "undocumented workers" when talking about Mexicans and other foreigners in the U.S. illegally.

"It's a more accurate reflection of people who provide a great deal for the economy," he said.

Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and author of "Mexifornia: A State of Becoming," says the terms are not derogatory.

"[Illegal alien] doesn't describe a person in a negative, pejorative way. It means they don't have U.S. citizenship and that they didn't come to the United States in a lawful manner," he told the paper.

D.A. King is the founder of the American Resistance Foundation, a group that seeks tougher enforcement of immigration laws. He told the Journal-Constitution the term "undocumented workers" is "a politically correct invention to soften the brutal fact that these people are breaking the law."

"A good comparison would be to say a bank robber simply made an unauthorized withdrawal," he said.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Centers for Immigration Studies, called comparing the term "illegal immigrants" to the N-word "an outrage."

"You are either an unlawful alien, or an illegal alien," the paper quotes him as saying.

The issue of immigration has been highlighted in recent weeks since President Bush proposed his plan to allow the 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens thought to be in the United States to remain in the country if they have a job and apply for a guest-worker card. The immigrants could stay for renewable three-year periods, after which they could apply for permanent legal residence.

A recent ABC News poll finds 52 percent of the nation opposes an amnesty program for illegal immigrants from Mexico, while 57 percent oppose one for illegal immigrants from other countries. Both results are roughly the same as when the administration floated the idea two-and-a-half years ago.

In another poll on the controversy shows at least twice as many Americans "strongly" oppose the proposal as strongly support it.

Meanwhile, U.S. Border Patrol officials report a 15 percent increase in the use of fraudulent documents at the world's busiest land border crossing since Bush announced his proposal.

[JohnHuang2]

Friday, January 30, 2004

Quote of the Day by Dr.Zoidberg

[KangarooJacqui]

What is, then, the definition of an illegal immigrant?

This is all getting really ridiculous. So far I've heard nothing in Australia about the term "boat person" being discriminatory. (For those of you who don't know, it means roughly the same thing - except Australia doesn't have land borders with other countries, hence "boat person."

[capecodderathome]

What crap. If they're illegal, call them what they are. PC is BS.


Richard

[GeronL]

good gawd.. speaking the truth is now BAD???

[My Dog Likes Me]

If Senator Kerry jumps on this issue with both feet, GWB will lose the election.

[clee1]

Sooooo.... calling "illegal immigrants" illegal immigrants is an offensive slur?????

Great!!! I'll just go back to calling them "wetbacks" then.

[.45MAN]

OK! they are "Unlicensed Long Term Visitor's" NOT!

[Chani]

Agreed!

As well as take our country back, we need to take our language back!

[Centurion2000]

"I can't speak for other immigrant groups," activist Jerry Gonzalez told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "but on behalf of the Latino community, many people I speak to on a day-to-day basis think it serves to dehumanize the person, makes them less than human.

Someone tell the illegal ALIEN that they are not citizens so shut the hell up.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

An "offensive slur?" No. An "offensive slur" is breaking into our country and then expecting the American taxpayer to subsidize your sorry butts.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

I agree. He's got a winner with this issue. Jobs for Americans and our foreign worker policies will cost Bush this election.

[Roscoe]

"undocumented workers"

Who frequently have fraudulent documents and who don't work.

[My Dog Likes Me]

I know. And I don't think the White House knows how this issue resonates with Americans.

I mean, when your telemarketer speaks with an Indian accent, our economy (and your job) is in deep trouble.

[lentulusgracchus]

Liberals pull this semantic garbage when they want to control the conversation in order to control outcomes. It's right out of Orwell, who put in his books the observed behavior of Russian Bolsheviks. For example, on the night before the Reds stormed the Winter Palace, the Central Committee stayed up all night arguing over what to call the ministries after they took them over, in order to minimize the damage inflicted on those same ministries by their own propaganda in the previous years of agitation.

The Bolsheviks' and other totalitarians' utterly black attempts to control thought by controlling language was one of Orwell's prime interests, and one of the things that eventually drove him to madness and an early death.

[lentulusgracchus]

You're being optimistic. Actually, if the White House cares at all, they care about helping employers reduce costs "by any means necessary", and by helping employers draw as many illegals into the country as possible.

The Bush Administration is following the economic policy of the McKinley Administration: break wages at home, wage war abroad. The only significant difference is that the Bush Administration hasn't come out for the gold standard yet.

[lentulusgracchus]

Gonzales, who oversees the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, says many Latinos are offended by the labels.

Actually, if you want to get rid of a label, start with "Latino", which is not a word in English for starters, and which is less descriptive even than the hapless "Hispanic", in the second place.

These cretins have been playing the "you have to use our terminology" (so we can control the discussion/outcome) garbage game for so long -- I really want to see conservatives confront them and their media shower-buddies on this business of torquing the language for Left political purposes. Get after them, and stay after them. No quarter for liars!

[My Dog Likes Me]

I agree with your first paragraph.

Ain't smart enough to decode your second.

[lonewacko_dot_com]

"Illegal aliens" is the term used in the U.S. Code. See, just for one example, "Authorizing State and local law enforcement officials to arrest and detain certain illegal aliens": http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/8/1252c.html

It's interesting to analyze news reports' use of these terms. A San Jose Mercury News story got almost everything wrong: http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/000927.html

And, here's a correction of an Arizona Republic story: http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/000897.html

I think if you keep hammering this point about language home, and keep showing the statements of the "leaders" quoted above for what they are, eventually it will sink in.

[KangarooJacqui]

I agree with your first paragraph. Ain't smart enough to decode your second.

Awww c'mon, MDLM. I'm the retard here (I reckon grief and depression combined has lowered my IQ at least 40 points)...

Re the early suicide, I think Orwell took politics too seriously. I prefer to think of it all as material for satire, without looking too closely... for to look closely, as our friend noted, is to despair... and I have enough to despair about thanks very much :-)

[Drango]

I say we call 'em what they really are...illegal Democrat voters.