The right wing paradox

[JoeWeber 2,721]

I posit that it is long past time to not use the word alien as accepted in the current usage. Anyone from Central America, or anywhere else,  is no more an alien to Americans than life from any other place on or off our insignificant planet. For too many it is the most awful starting point for the "otherisms" that plague us and hold us back. 

[billvon 2,995]

1 hour ago, JoeWeber said:

I posit that it is long past time to not use the word alien as accepted in the current usage.

"Alien" is the easiest way to demarcate "us" vs "them" for the people who need to keep and maintain such divisions in our society.
 

[olofscience 480]

4 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

I posit that it is long past time to not use the word alien as accepted in the current usage.

At least in the UK and Europe, that word is not used. The word immigrant (or migrant, refugee, or asylum seeker) is used instead.

It's actually jarring to hear Americans use that word and have to mentally process that "oh, they meant migrant" instead.

Edited August 20, 2023 by olofscience

[jakee 1,497]

1 hour ago, olofscience said:

At least in the UK and Europe, that word is not used. The word immigrant (or migrant, refugee, or asylum seeker) is used instead.

It's actually jarring to hear Americans use that word and have to mentally process that "oh, they meant migrant" instead.

Although the Tories are going all in on trying to import the "illegal" part into our national psyche.

Back to alien, interesting that the original English word meant 'foreign, strange'.

[JoeWeber 2,721]

8 hours ago, Slim King said:

They are ILLEGAL ALIENS despite your attempt to sway the terms real meaning....rotflmao

Thanks for reminding me that the word can be an accurate descriptor.

[wmw999 2,452]

40 years ago they were illegal immigrants. I believe it was the Fox spin machine that jammed it over to aliens.

Wendy P. 

[headoverheels 333]

53 minutes ago, wmw999 said:

40 years ago they were illegal immigrants. I believe it was the Fox spin machine that jammed it over to aliens.

Wendy P. 

55 years ago they were called aliens.  There would be PSA's broadcast on TV that all aliens were required to register (annually IIRC).  As an avid Sci-fi reader, I was confused the first time I saw that.

 

[JoeWeber 2,721]

30 minutes ago, headoverheels said:

55 years ago they were called aliens.  There would be PSA's broadcast on TV that all aliens were required to register (annually IIRC).  As an avid Sci-fi reader, I was confused the first time I saw that.

 

Poor bastard. I'm glad you're still with us but it must cause real pain to start off a recollection with 55 years ago......

[Phil1111 1,149]

I thought they were called "your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me"

At least until republicans turned their attentions to renaming them. This is what the hatred is directed to:

Yes they should be hated because they are Brown skinned. Because they are poor, homeless, oppressed, seeking freedom and a better life. Judged to be illegals because they are gang members. Look at the one in the yellow outfit. Clearly a MS-13 member. The guy hiding behind the sign, probably a rapist.

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

1 hour ago, Phil1111 said:

I thought they were called "your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me"

At least until republicans turned their attentions to renaming them. This is what the hatred is directed to...

Not really.

Hatred towards immigrants is a loooooong tradition in the US. 

The Irish & Italians in the mid-1800s, Eastern Europeans in the later 1800s, Chinese & Japanese in the later 1800s,  the list is pretty long.

Central & South Americans are just the current 'boogeymen' (and women).

[billvon 2,995]

2 minutes ago, wolfriverjoe said:

The Irish & Italians in the mid-1800s, Eastern Europeans in the later 1800s, Chinese & Japanese in the later 1800s,  the list is pretty long.

Even the Germans and Poles in the 1600's.  None other than Ben Franklin condemned them as "too foreign" and "not melting."

[gowlerk 2,198]

Does anyone remember the Woody Guthrie song “deportees”?

[Phil1111 1,149]

2 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

Not really.

Hatred towards immigrants is a loooooong tradition in the US. 

The Irish & Italians in the mid-1800s, Eastern Europeans in the later 1800s, Chinese & Japanese in the later 1800s,  the list is pretty long.

Central & South Americans are just the current 'boogeymen' (and women).

So you're saying that democrats in America have learned from the history of prejudice in America. But republicans haven't learnt from hundreds of years blaming every nationality and race?

[jakee 1,497]

2 hours ago, Slim King said:

Democrats in the US were owners of SLAVES. Republicans set them free. Rewriting history isn't working on me.

I don’t know about you, but I’m never going to vote for someone who was alive 160 years ago. 

[SkyDekker 1,465]

17 hours ago, Phil1111 said:

"your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me"

Those are the white ones.

[billvon 2,995]

17 hours ago, Slim King said:

Democrats in the US were owners of SLAVES.

Yep.  And back then, democrats were the rural plantation owners who wanted to preserve the status quo, keep society from changing and inject God into everything; republicans were the city progressives from business and academia who wanted to change to a more egalitarian society.

In other words, back then, the democrats were the conservatives.   They switched sides between 1920 and 1960.

[jakee 1,497]

Just now, Slim King said:

Is this your way of hiding from the enslaving of millions of blacks by the Democrats? Are you saying the pulled a 180 and are now the good guys?

They’re completely different guys. Again - not voting for anyone who was alive 160 years ago.

[billvon 2,995]

8 minutes ago, Slim King said:

Is this your way of hiding from the enslaving of millions of blacks by the Democrats? Are you saying the pulled a 180 and are now the good guys?

?? No.  Democrats, the conservatives of the 1800's, enslaved millions.  Republicans, the liberal progressives of the 1800's, put an end to it.  And then, yes, the parties pulled a 180 in attempts to get more votes over the course of 40 years or so.

And I am proud to be a progressive liberal, fighting for equality today.

[ryoder 1,590]

6 minutes ago, jakee said:

They’re completely different guys. Again - not voting for anyone who was alive 160 years ago.

You are being ageist!!!

[jakee 1,497]

24 minutes ago, ryoder said:

You are being ageist!!!

I suppose it is around how old Biden will be at the end of his second term.

[JerryBaumchen 1,364]

1 hour ago, billvon said:

Yep.  And back then, democrats were the rural plantation owners who wanted to preserve the status quo, keep society from changing and inject God into everything; republicans were the city progressives from business and academia who wanted to change to a more egalitarian society.

In other words, back then, the democrats were the conservatives.   They switched sides between 1920 and 1960.

Hi Bill,

No need to go back to the 1850's.  The GOP that I joined in the late 60's is nowhere near the GOP of today.

Things change - some people cannot seem to understand that.

Jerry Baumchen