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America’s New Scapegoat
I Wonder If They Still Air "Dora" in Arizona...
One of the many ways I celebrated leaving Boston was with a small cookout at the crib. The chicken and shrimp was hooked up by yourself truly and my wingwoman made her signature mac and cheese. Yes, it tasted as good as it sounds. Unfortunately I had to wait about 20 minutes to finally eat it. You see I made my plate, placed it on the table with a full glass of iced tea, picked up my fork and knife to tear it up and right when I was about to put knife to meat, #NoLorena, the doorbell rang. I got up to answer the door in a hurry to get back to my feast. I opened it up and who is it but a census agent standing in front of me. Yeah I know, I should’ve mailed in my census. But if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have this post. Life is funny like that. I knew it was my fault, so I didn’t want to tell him to come back another time. Plus I didn’t want to waste another Saturday for the man.
I sat there and talked to Jose, no I’m not being a douche that is his real name, on my porch. After I sat back down to eat my dinner, my friend laughed at me for various reasons. After the hilarity subsided, we talked about how being a census agent is a horrible job. You have to leave your family on the weekends, walk around questionable neighborhoods (my old one not included) and knock on doors asking people their business. I would imagine that he’s faced a lot of annoyed people. A lot. Not to mention it can be a serious danger if you’re walking through hallways of the projects of an apartment building with nowhere to escape. And my man Jose was all alone. Say I wasn’t the cordial young man you guys know and I got pissed off at his questioning and flipped my proverbial sh*t. All 5’4″ of him would’ve been a wrap. And who has to do all this – a Mexican dude. I felt for dude. I really did. Not a lot of people will admit this, but we Americans treat Mexicans like sh*t like they’re not inhuman.
Seen But Not Heard
You remember after 9/11 when everyone forgot about Black people and for a few months White women didn’t clutch their purses when we Black men passed by? For those not in New York City, it was because they were too busy eyeing the Middle Eastern looking man, who was probably Sikh and not Muslim. Propaganda had folks scared that Arabic men could take anyone’s life in the name of Allah at any moment. It wasn’t just the White folks, there were plenty of Black people who didn’t want to take the plane with Muhammad either. Even if he was in first class and they were in coach. Same thing with our Mexican friends here. In Atlanta they live on a whole separate part of town and are only seen when they’re cleaning or mowing lawns. For Black people. Harsh, but true. And it’s like that in various parts of the East Coast.
They Take All of The Jobs! …That No One Else Wants
When my grandfather was a young man fresh from Jamaica, he was a driver for a florist, worked for the Long Island Railroad and a did couple other things that I can’t remember but kept the lights on. Oh yeah, he did all that at the same time. Mexicans have that same immigrant fervor times ten. And you know that’s how hard for a Jamaican to admit. I’m tired of hearing folks say that Mexicans are taking all of their jobs. Honestly, do you really want to mow your neighbors’ lawn? Would you really want to pick oranges? Would you want to hang out in front of Home Depot for a random, underpaying, backbreaking construction job? Or would you like to roam around seedy neighborhoods with Jose on your Saturday asking people their personal info? I. Think. Not.
Hunted Like Dogs
I’m not saying we should let all the illegals just roam around the United States, but damn, there has to be a better way than asking everyone for their Freedom Papers. Worse than that are the officers that literally hunt these people down like runaway slaves. I was watching “Border Patrol” on Nat Geo, yeah I had a lot of time on my hands last week, and they had Mexican Americans tracking down Mexicans through the desert. Remind you of anything? It was cut and shot to be an intense show, but once you got passed the flair and drama of it all and saw what it was really about – it’s pretty horrifying.
I say all this to say that Mexicans are the new low man on the racial totem pole. I’m not saying to hug the next one you see, but cut them some slack. They’re still human. And I’m sorry to break it to you Black folks, but we can no longer whine about the racist infrastructure and the man getting us down. Until I see Black folks selling Chiclets, chilling with Mexicans in front of Home Depot and being tracked down like it was 1792, you will sit down.
Since we’re talking about it, what’s the worst job you’ve ever had? What job would you never work? And how do you feel about Mexicans and the current illegal immigrant plight? Shoot, how do you feel about the surging legal Mexican immigrant population? Please, let’s be respectful today.
Seattle – Putting Myself In Their Zapatos – Washington
18 Responses to “America’s New Scapegoat”
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Funny how as I read this, I was also watching an episode of The Golden Girls that was about this kid named Mario (played by Mario Lopez) who ended up being deported by INS after appearing in the newspaper with Dorothy because he won a contest.
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I feel the same way you do about the immigration situation. I’m so tired of people saying Mexicans are taking our jobs….WE DON’T WANT THEM…Our cotton picking days(for the most part) are over.
I am upset over how many black people agree with the AZ immigration law…this is clearly legalized racial profiling. They think just because they will be profiling for illegal immigrants, they wont stop black people anymore…PLEASE GET UR HEAD RIGHT PEOPLE. This law now gives them the right to stop anyone they so please just because they wanted to. Another thing…just because something happened to us(black people) doesn’t mean we should turn the other cheek when we see an injustice happening to some other group of people. Just because this is going on in AZ today, doesn’t mean it wont be going on in SC tomorrow. This should be everyone’s concern, because at some point it will effect all of us.
Do I think they should freely roam, about the country legally…NO….do I have an end all solution…NO..but what I do know is racial profiling ain’t the answer.
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I don’t agree with the AZ Immigration law..it really doesn’t sit well with my spirit. I know there has to be a better solution..I just don’t know what it is. I truly feel for the Mexicans right now…they can’t catch a break.
I know Mexicans will work for next to nothing…but, when you consider their plight over in Mexico…coming to the USA is a dream come true. They’re just happy to be over here…. and yes, to Americans what they accept as payment may be considered “peanuts” but to them it’s probably more than what they would make in a week over in Mexico…..so, let these people work. They’re not lazy that’s for sure…
Viva la Mexicans!
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I’m just all O_o about this law, like for real AZ? Y’all think this law won’t be an influence on other states, then think again, this is some shiggity. You think they won’t make up or take advantage of any light excuse for stopping someone to ask them about their status? Tag light out on a traffic stop? Let me see your status. Switching lanes with 119 feet between cars instead of 120? Let me see your status. 49 1/2 feet notice of turning instead of 50? Let me see your status.
There has to be a better way and all this foolishness about them taking jobs away from folk O_o…get sat all the way down (CC: luvvie). What jobs are illegals taking that YOU actually want to do?
I’ll tell you this though when my mama came to this country on a student visa she busted her @ss going to school and taking odd end jobs to make the rent and supplement her stipend, she took jobs nobody wanted or jobs that (some) Black American folk felt they were “over”…chief cook and bottle washer, waitress working midnight shift and going straight to school from there. She made it work with what she had and could get.
(Some)Illegals are here to make a better way for themselves…should they be here on a free ride? Hell no (!!)…but there has to be a better way than this. Are they going to document the citizens that get stopped and have an “They’re ok” list or are some citizens going to get stopped multiple times (read: harassed)? I wonder what would happen if a bunch of illegal Canadians lived in AZ; if there would be such a huge call for immigration reform in such a manner? But, I guess, the southern border is the only one that has issues with illegal immigration though, right?
I don’t even know why I’m so emotionally heated over this but I am!! It’s just not right and (some) Black folk in this country need to realize that it’s not just going to target Brown folk and get off that “send them back where they came from” bandwagon. Civil liberties are slowly eroding and so many of us don’t care or are so unaware and have an “as long as it’s not us attitude,” that we don’t even realize it.
I’ll reiterate what I said over at VSB: We, the people, need to start paying attention to these local elections! So many of us are unaware and don’t care but fail to realize how much we are affected on an individual state level! These are the politicians that are carrying forth these laws NOT the POTUS!
*drops mike*
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Oh, and as far as what job(s) I definitely will not work..that would have to be anything that involves being out in a wide open field with a basket..or a sewer drainage system…off the very top, that is what comes to mind….
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i touched on this last week.. i’m currently out of status, waiting for my papers to come through (year 15).. through something my mother did (or didn’t do) when i was 14 years old.. i can honestly say that you can’t understand how hard it is to eek out a living in this country, til you have a law (post 9/11) enacted and lose your job.. (wait a minute, we’re in a recession, i’m sure plenty of you can understand..) to always be looking over your shoulder as you drive (cuz you have no license)..not want to fill out the census form because you just don’t believe that INS isn’t gonna get a hold of it.. not able to go back to your country to see your family.. and STILL take a whatever job you can (while lookin over your shoulder) usually manual labor, and usually underpaid.. just to be able to eat.. and i don’t have any children to take care of..
i don’t understand why your country of origin is what’s brought up for question as to whether or not you can try to stay.. the United States has no problem claiming itself as a superpower, wants other countries to view them as the model for how to treat people.. yet when someone wants to avail themselves of an opportunity for more than they currently have, then there’s a problem..
given that i’ve been floating around the Immigration website at least once a month for the past 15 years.. i find it so TWISTED that if i was an athlete, or someone with an “extraordinary ability” my paperwork would only take a couple of months.. not years..
https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplay.do
i can’t imagine the horror that’s running through the minds of the Mexicans in Arizona.. it’s like a corset that’s being squeezed tighter when they already couldn’t breathe and the options of other places to go are extremely limited.. to know that you had no voice in a country that you probably have more allegiance to than those born here.. not only that, but to then hear the person that signed the bill make absolutely NO sense as to how she’s going to enact it.. makes me want to vomit in my mouth a tad..
for a while there, every ethnic group was despised.. all of a sudden, Jamaicans were known for working “7 jobs, mon” while Americans (down here anyway) wept and cried about how horrible it was.. my mother STILL works 2 jobs.. i worked 2 jobs while in high school.. if America wants “your weak and your poor”.. then what’s the problem with said poor availing themselves of the opportunities that others let slide by..
case in point: my brother feels entitled.. and sits around all day doing nothing.. “i won’t work for the supermarket” and isn’t even in school to offset his stupidity in not working..
i’m ranting, i know.. but i’m a tad annoyed about this whole thing.. i’m expecting my papers this year.. but still.. i know how hard it’s been for me.. i have no choice but to feel sad for those still out there, stuck in limbo, and not being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.. it’s not a life i think i could deal with indefinitely.. i give it to the Mexicans.. i think i would’ve cracked a long time ago.. (wait, i did)..
it’s sad.. i can’t even get into answering the question that seattle asked…
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To speak specifically about Arizona…are you really serious with this law? It’s not really the objective of the law that upsets me. It’s the means it allows. It’s easy for people who don’t “look like” they should be stopped for “looking like an immigrant” to support the law. But silly ass Black people who support the law as its currently written: this is what racial profilingis made of! Stopping someone because they “look like” something…a drug dealer, a gang member, a danger person, some other criminal. Its the same ish sprayed with lysol so it can smell nice. #gtfoh
I’ve never had a really undesirable job because I was always able to find the kinds of jobs I liked: sitting behind a desk, answering phones, filing papers, teaching kids, organizing stuff, etc.
Last thought…
And I’m sorry to break it to you Black folks, but we can no longer whine about the racist infrastructure and the man getting us down
Gotta say I disagree with this. While its not the only cause of our issues, its definitely one among many. It’s still very real and no, it shouldn’t be whined about, it needs to be addressed.
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Seattle Washington Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 10:55 am
There are a lot of things against us (built in racism, glass ceilings, NYPD, etc.), I’m not disregarding that. However, we need to stop playing the “We’ve Got It The Worst” card. There are still a lot of opportunities we pass up that go immigrants when they get here.
It’s getting kind of old especially when you really hear about what’s happening to other people, including Mexicans.
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Worst job. My grandfather owned a cleaning company and he had contracts w/ the MBTA. I worked for him cleaning up the train platforms. People asked me if I spoke english on the reg.
In terms of the stuff going on AZ, I’m OUTRAGED. As someone who has been stopped for no reason, has had relative stopped for no reason, been mistaken for “the help” I’ve got real issue stopping someone b/c of the way they look. This is racism/profiling no question. These people are scared of brown people. I’m biracial could be mistaken for a latino and if I’m in AZ I could get asked to show my proof of citizenship. that’s some bullsh*t. Wait till the black folks that agree w/ the law get asked for papers they will change their tune real quick. As a people that have experience racism and deal with BS everyday its mind-blowing and hypocritical that black folks aren’t against what’s going on in AZ. I’m in favor of some sort of immigration but have issue with the ways its being done.
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Decent points here but my only disagreement here with this is your section on “Hunted Like Dogs”.
I watched that same show on Nat Geo Border Patrol and the area you mentioned about hunting down Mexicans in the desert. I think your statement is slightly giving the wrong impression about the border patrol officers on the show. Give border patrol officers credit! They are risking their lives and get bucked at sometimes by illegals at night and it’s usually a drug related situation. In addition, the individuals that they do catch are carrying U-Haul boxes worthy of MALTA (weed should be legalized! prohibition creates black markets). Also, most of the officers are actually rescuing illegals because their handlers have abandoned them with no food/water in the desert. The worst thing I saw was border patrol officers rescuing children that were crossing the border that were supposed to be sold into prostitution. So overall, I think you’re giving a slightly wrong impression of Mexican Americans who are working as border patrol agents and are out on the field. I honestly sympathize with both the border patrol officers and the people used as tools to transport drugs who are seen as expendable by druglords.
AZ is something else! Hey, what do you expect from a state that only instituted MLK day because of a threat that the NFL gave to them. Arizona definitely has a problem on their hands around immigration but they need to handle this in a better way. I felt their horrible attempt in banning ethnic studies was a cynical and tasteless maneuver.
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d Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
In Texas textbooks they are now referring to the slave trade as the “Atlantic triangular trade” They are rewriting history. What do you expect from the state that executed the most people (24) in 2009
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Seattle Washington Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
That’s the other side of it and I’m glad you brought it up BBW. They do a lot of good by preventing those young girls from entering the world of prostitution and keeping illegal drugs from crossing the borders. Most of the time it’s just marijuana, but that’s neither here nor there. It’s still a good deed. Kinda.
I still don’t know though, something just doesn’t sit right with me about tracking humans down.
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i really don’t like all the flak that Mexicans are getting now-a-days. ok a lot of Mexicans come to this country illegally but technically every ethnicity is an emigrant to this country (except for Native Americans).
i really can’t say that i’m surprised at the behavior of a lot of caucasians because frankly i expect them to racist. when they do show that they are then i’m not surprised. i know it’s a terrible way to think about people but it’s just how i feel. now when i see black people who hold Mexicans in such low disregard it really hurts my heart. Mexicans are in same positions that we were in not to long ago when compared to the history of this country.
what’s going on now in arizona is just sad. but like i said i’m not really surprised at too much that goes on these days.
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Well said Seattle…
It pains me to say that as a Mexican-American, from Arizona, this law is partially wrong. Now please don’t go and try cut my throat just yet.
I completely agree that this is wrong. This is a legit excuse for racial profiling. But its racial profiling against Hispanics/Latinos only. Yes I understand that “we” are being targeted because Mexico is literally 2.5 hours away, hell, in my home town I used to go walking to Mexico to the clubs and back that’s how close my family lives to the border. I used to be able to see when people were literally jumping the border fence and wait to see how long it would take the Border Patrol to catch them or subject to being asked question of whether or not they could search our property for undocumented individuals.
I would completely agree with this law if it wasn’t just targeting Hispanics/Latinos. I know for a fact that there are many undocumented Asians here in AZ alone, Indians, and even people from Europe. Why aren’t they being profiled? Because they don’t speak Spanish? Because they have blonde hair and blue eyes? Because they’re assuming that they came here legally? NO. We need this law to keep the undocumented individuals who come to this country not to achieve the American Dream but who come to this country to destroy it with drugs and violence and to take advantage of what our tax money can give them. Unlike those undocumented individuals who come here to try and better themselves and their families.
I understand how difficult and hard and arduous the process to become a US Citizen is. I have family members who have waited for over 15 years to get their citizenship and their still waiting to this day! So it’s natural to me that many of my fellow Hispanics/Latinos take the approach of coming here illegally and risk everything.
A lot of people complain about the amount of undocumented Hispanics/Latinos in this state. But they don’t see the great that they do. “We’re” the ones taking care of their kids, cleaning their home, doing their laundry, mowing their lawns, moving their furniture, taking you pets out for a walk, doing back breaking labor, AND do all the farm work. How many of us would do that? *cricket moment* don’t worry, I’ll wait….
I wait patiently for the day that I get pulled over and get asked for my “papers”. I’ll tell them that I don’t have it with me. I’ll most likely get arrested for not being able to show proof of citizenship. My one call will be to my aunt, who’s a very prominent lawyer and sue the state.
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Arizona is competing for the most racist and bass ackwards state with this new law. Although I don’t agree that illegal immigrants should be roaming free in the country, I don’t think the answer is to legalize racial profiling. And Black people should be the LAST ones supporting this.
The reason Mexicans are coming over here in the first place is to work…. and the reason they keep coming is because American companies are hiring them for cheap labor. My solution would be to severely fine all these companies that are hiring illegal immigrants. If they can derail the companies from hiring illegals, then they won’t have a reason to come over here. My two cents…
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As a Green Card carrying (legal immigrant) Resident of the US, that is from the country that neighbors Mexico to the south, I am baffled by the Arizona law and any state that considers adopting it. It’s hypocritical.
I know the types of jobs my parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and their friends took while they were illegal. I remember them well. My father who has a Master’s in Education and Accounting had to earn his GED and work as a mechanic, factory janitor, and driver. Many of he and his friends working 3d shift at docks up and down the east coast. If you think a New England winter is harsh, work on a dock at 5am in Maine, Massachusetts, or RI and see what hard work in bad weather is.
I once asked a class room of students if they would like to pick lettuce or strawberry’s for 10 hours a day earning less than minimum wage for a living, you know how many of them raised their hands? guess? that’s right ZERO, sheet I am an immigrant and I wouldnt work at some of the jobs these people do.
For God’s sake these are the people that went in and cleaned, and cleared up New Orleans and are now helping to rebuild it… Not only to they do jobs that American Citizens do not want to do, they move with their whole family or leave their whole family behind to take a job.
Again, I am baffled.
I dont have an answer to the illegal immigrant question but I can assure you that no one is at the border of Michigan, NY or Oregan asking Canadians, Europeans or other white folk for their papers and some of those folks are here illegally. It’s all just so hypocritical. It is racial
let someone ask me for my papers, they better have a great lawyer, cause that is a lawsuit waiting to happen. I have no identifiers that would lead anyone to believe that I wasn’t born here. I am waiting for that day.
Sorry my post was all over the place… this just infuriates me
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Interesting post, but I think a big part of what is missing is that not all undocumented immigrants are Mexican or Latino. Unfortunately, there are scores of undocumented immigrants from various parts of the world who are severely marginalized and discriminated against. I work with refugees and other undocumented immigrants who are not Latino and it’s not a cake walk for them either.
I also don’t like the idea of pitting one group’s suffering against another. All that does is cause division amongst people who should be working together. The truth is no one has it easy and for any person of color in the US things are tough. It’s more helpful to recognize and highlight the similarities in struggles and to show ways of effectively working together.
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Seattle Washington Reply:
May 25th, 2010 at 8:36 pm
You’re right, there are a lot of illegals roaming throughout America that aren’t just Mexican/Latin American. This post was directly based upon my experience with the Mexican census agent that came to my house and my thought process thereafter. But good point Remi.
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