Posted on 05/19/2008 5:04:58 AM PDT by radar101
According to Elizabeth Gritzmacher and Emma Howland-Bolton at the Prescott College Aztlan Center in the May 4, "Talk of the Town," the use of the term "illegal" to denote illegal immigrants is hate speech.
Using the writer's impeccable logic, I have a list of words with the appropriate euphemisms that also have negative connotations.
Murderer: an individual with a somewhat low regard for human life.
Mass Murderer: population control activist.
Rapist: socially inept seeker of intimacy with a non-cooperative partner.
Child Molester: socially inept seeker of intimacy with a non-cooperative partner of inappropriate age.
Drug Dealer: Purveyor of alternative, nontraditional medication.
Bank Robber: socio-economic victim of a corrupt capitalist system.
Shoplifter: cash register phobic.
Identity Thief: an individual inflicted with non-specific, multi-personality disorder.
Prostitute: entertainer.
Pimp: entertainment coordinator.
Con Artist: over-exuberant sales person of dubious products.
Perjurer: an individual with a hyperactive imagination.
Human Smuggler: unlicensed interstate shuttle driver.
Bigamist: confused, indecisive romantic.
Home Invader/Burglar: Swiss cheese if he breaks into (sorry, I mean inadvertently enters) the wrong residence.
Illegal Alien/Immigrant: a poor, lost, wandering pilgrim whose dog accidentally ate his birth certificate, driver's license, Social Security card and passport.
While the faculty of Prescott College rush to put these new definitions into the student code of conduct, the rest of us can sit around a campfire, hold hands and contemplate what the meaning of "is" is.
Good letter.
we did not use “hate speech” in the title of our letter to the editor which the author is responding to. The original title was “The Loud and the Silent.” It was changed by the Courier. I appreciate all the responses and discussion that is being generated by that letter. I would invite folks to really delve into the issue at hand and focus on making immigration and undocumented immigration the issues discussed, rather than falling into personal attacks. I would also like to offer that part of the reason I have an issue with the term “illegal” when applied to undocumented people is that they have rights under the Constitution and so it is more accurate to refer to them as undocumented. I also see it being applied to a specific racialized group. This is problematic as it encourages further racist speech, action, and legislation. Ms. Allisone brought up murderers, drug dealers and the like but I would like to point out that none of those crimes are perpetrated by a specific racialized group. (And I think the fact that Ms. Allisone equates undocumented people with criminals of the caliber of murderers and rapists says a lot about her bias against this population.)
I know some folks who would join. :)
The Aztlan Center is student run group that provides free ESL and SSL classes to the community, holds community building events, (potlucks, concerts, etc.) and organizes community discussions on current events.
That's where a bunch of racists go to deny their European (Spanish) heritage.
I'm sure in addition to all that merriment that the Aztlan Center celebrates Christopher Columbus and also extols the virtue of heroes like Davy Crockett and William Travis.
I would also like to offer that part of the reason I have an issue with the term illegal when applied to undocumented people is that they have rights under the Constitution and so it is more accurate to refer to them as undocumented. I also see it being applied to a specific racialized group.
"racialized group"? So we are supposed to ignore the fact that the overwhelming majority of invaders are Hispanic with the majority of them coming from Mexico? We are also supposed to ignore the fact that racial groups like LaRaza, MEChA, LULAC et al support the invasion and they just happen to be Hispanic groups but race is of course just a coincidence? Illegals have NO rights other then to perhaps be treated humanely as we escort them out of the country. That assumes they act civilized.
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