"This racism is killing me inside!"
Today is apparently "blog against racism" day. So, what the hell, let's do that.
A lot of white folks have been getting angry lately, especially in Northern Virginia (not to mention the Southwest, but those motherfuckers are crazy anyway), about all the Latin American immigrants running around the place. I live in a section of Alexandria that is damn near ground zero for immigrant congregation. The nearest main drag, Mount Vernon road, might as well be in Juarez: day laborers stand around, waiting for work, cars drive by blaring mariachi music, Spanish is the language of choice for passersby. This situation is driving white homeowners into a lather of outrage, and, as a result, there is a predicition that immigration policy is going to be a big issue in the elections from now on. There are votes to be had, both among the growing Hispanic community, and among pissed-off white reactionaries who want to close the border.
I understand where a lot of this anger comes from. I'll admit it: when I walk down Mt. Vernon, I'm not exactly comfortable. I'm not afraid for my life or anything, not even a bit, but it does feel somewhat alienating and strange to walk around surrounded by people speaking a foreign language, whose complexions are unfamiliar. Like the pissed-off legions of whities, I feel that way. It's not optimal, but I don't feel that bad about it. Part of the reason I don't feel bad about it is that, unlike the anti-immigrant suburbanites currently up-in-arms, I don't expect the government to crack down on a bunch of poor people's ability to support themselves and their families in order to make me feel more comfortable. Right-wing, racist belief systems are largely supported by the resolute belief among white males that they are entitled to be utterly at ease, at all times. That means keeping their women comfortably subservient, their minorities comfortably distant, and their immigrants comfortably diluted to prevent the creation of scary, unfamiliar ethnic enclaves. I tend to believe that the rights of all people to basic equality and opportunity trump the rights of a powerful minority to unfettered feelings of domination.
A lot of white folks have been getting angry lately, especially in Northern Virginia (not to mention the Southwest, but those motherfuckers are crazy anyway), about all the Latin American immigrants running around the place. I live in a section of Alexandria that is damn near ground zero for immigrant congregation. The nearest main drag, Mount Vernon road, might as well be in Juarez: day laborers stand around, waiting for work, cars drive by blaring mariachi music, Spanish is the language of choice for passersby. This situation is driving white homeowners into a lather of outrage, and, as a result, there is a predicition that immigration policy is going to be a big issue in the elections from now on. There are votes to be had, both among the growing Hispanic community, and among pissed-off white reactionaries who want to close the border.
I understand where a lot of this anger comes from. I'll admit it: when I walk down Mt. Vernon, I'm not exactly comfortable. I'm not afraid for my life or anything, not even a bit, but it does feel somewhat alienating and strange to walk around surrounded by people speaking a foreign language, whose complexions are unfamiliar. Like the pissed-off legions of whities, I feel that way. It's not optimal, but I don't feel that bad about it. Part of the reason I don't feel bad about it is that, unlike the anti-immigrant suburbanites currently up-in-arms, I don't expect the government to crack down on a bunch of poor people's ability to support themselves and their families in order to make me feel more comfortable. Right-wing, racist belief systems are largely supported by the resolute belief among white males that they are entitled to be utterly at ease, at all times. That means keeping their women comfortably subservient, their minorities comfortably distant, and their immigrants comfortably diluted to prevent the creation of scary, unfamiliar ethnic enclaves. I tend to believe that the rights of all people to basic equality and opportunity trump the rights of a powerful minority to unfettered feelings of domination.
posted by matthew christman at 11:49 AM
1 Comments:
Gimp is not a race, but it is a creed. So I've got a creed going for me, which is nice.
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