What a brilliant idea! No one has EVER thought of THAT before!
March 26th, 2006…wait, yes, they have, and it didn’t work then, either.
Discussions on race with most people tend to really, really disturb me. It’s creepy how little people seem to actually know about history — and if they do know about history, they seem incapable of making the connection to the present day. So that the rest of you thinking people can share in my total bewilderment, I present some brief examples of this thinking in action, courtesy of the scary people I’ve talked to on a perfectly average day at work:
Statement 1: Those damn Mexicans, taking our American jobs BLAH BLAH BLAH
My Reaction: Yeah! And don’t forget those filthy Irish immigrants, taking all the underpaid, unsafe factory jobs that Americans don’t want! This is just like the Industrial Revolution! We should send them all back to Ireland! Or Mexico! Wherever!
…yeah, whatever. Blame everything on the popular scapegoat at the time. Same old. This has only been happening in the US since the country was founded. Immigration happens. Get over it.
Statement 2: We ought to round up all those Muslims and lock them up! Damn terrorists.
My Reaction: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? World War II, anyone? Does ANYONE remember WWII? You know, that little part where Asian-American citizens were rounded up and put into internment camps and they lost their jobs and their rights and they were beaten and killed and malnourished, and it’s only, oh, recognized as one of the most horrible things that’s ever happened in this country, ever? Something that most people now universally recognize was evil and wrong and totally unwarranted?
WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IS THE EXACT SAME THING. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU??
Statement 3: Racism would go away if people stopped making a big deal about it. OR, racism doesn’t exist anymore.
My Reaction: See statements 1 & 2 and then shut the hell up.
Statement 4: Damn Mexicans! We need to build a wall across the border so that they can’t sneak in!
My Reaction: Great idea. That’ll totally work. And we totally have the money to spend on that, too, since our government isn’t, like, bankrupt or anything. Why don’t you go quit your job and do that? And then, why don’t you go toil in a field somewhere for pennies an hour since we won’t have anyone else willing to do it? HAVE FUN. Or, alternately, why don’t you go buy free trade organic whatever and complain about how much stuff costs when people actually get paid for their work. Oh, but you don’t want to spend more? Thought not.
Statement 5: Those people in the Middle East are filthy and uncivilized pigs and BLAH BLAH BLAH
My Reaction: The savages! We’d better invade and civilize them with our Christianity! That’s totally worked throughout history!
Oh, wait, you think we just ought to nuke all them? BRILLIANT IDEA! Nuclear winter ROCKS!
…no, seriously, what the hell is wrong with you that you’d make that kind of statement?
Oh, and one final note: Just because you think I look white doesn’t mean I am, and it doesn’t mean I’m not going to call you on your racist bullshit. Just, yanno, saying.
