It’s no surprise that the alleged rape of an American OSU student by an illegal immigrant has drawn quite a reaction from the Stillwater community.
And it saddens me to say that I’m absolutely not shocked by the severity of a few of the approved and rejected comments on the O’Colly’s Web site.
When I first heard about the incident, I knew there was going to be chaos on the Web site. I welcome it because I want to see just how close-minded, racist and xenophobic our readers can be. I thank some of the readers for not letting me down.
I don’t like to throw around the C-word but I think it’s merited in this case. So here it is: Readers, a lot of you are too conservative. (What? You didn’t think I meant that C-word, did you?)
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard “Illegals just need to go back to where they came from,” or “if you’re going to live in America, speak English!” My all-time favorite has to be “those illegals come over here and take our jobs!”
I can honestly say I don’t understand this mindset — if you can even call it that. First, people must understand that there are more illegal immigrants than those just from Mexico.
According to a study done by the Pew Hispanic Center, the number of illegal immigrants has reached about 12 million, but of the nearly 12 million, only 56 percent were from Mexico. According to their research, illegal immigrants represent only 5 percent of the entire American workforce.
The study also revealed that of the 12 million illegal immigrants, only 7.2 million of those had jobs and fill a quarter of all agricultural jobs, 17 percent of all home and office jobs, 14 percent of all construction jobs and 12 percent of all food-prep jobs.
So let’s recap: Illegal immigrants only take 5 percent of American jobs. That five percent are mostly jobs I don’t see people clamoring to get.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to flip burgers for the rest of my life… or ever, really.
As for sending immigrants back to Mexico, the Pew’s researchers found that because of security issues, the deportation process and actual crossing from the U.S. to Mexico is more complicated and lengthy than crossing from Mexico and coming into the U.S.
I’m at a loss when it comes to understanding xenophobic America’s hatred toward illegal immigrants.
I’m going to be completely cliché when I say that most Americans are immigrants and at one time or another were either victims or catalysts of violence toward another ethnic group.
Why perpetuate the barbaric cycle?
If not for the waves of immigrants that flooded to the U.S. in the early 1900s we’d not have nearly the population or progress we do now.
Why not let what has proven effective in the past continue today?
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Had the apartment complex turned him away because of his status, or had his employer turned him away because of his status, then this young girl might never have been raped by him. Are all illegal immigrants rapists? No, that’s absurd! Are all illegal immigrants criminals? YES, because (and this may blow your mind)… ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS A CRIME. Do I think we should hunt down and deport every illegal alien? No, that’s also absurd. However, I do think that any illegal alien arrested for breaking the law, especially violent crimes and sex crimes, should NOT get the same rights as citizens…because guess what, they’re not citizens. If they get all the same rights as citizens, yet don’t have to pay taxes, then who the heck wants to be a citizen!? Sounds like citizens are getting the raw deal there.
Those immigrants that flooded over in the early 1900s were REGISTERED. Go google “Ellis Island” before you compare apples to oranges.
In closing, what do you think would happen to an American who went to Mexico and committed this same crime against a young Mexican girl?
First, I’d like to address one statement from an otherwise decent column: “Readers, a lot of you are too conservative.” While it may be true that many conservatives are vehemently opposed to illegal immigration, this is not at all a reasonable statement. Our current President is pro-immigration (and certainly this upsets some conservatives). The Wall Street Journal editorial page, the most influential conservative opinion page, is passionately in favor of immigration. So, it truly has nothing to do with your readers being too “conservative”, it’s much more complicated than that. And conservatives disagree on this subject.
And secondly, in reply to anonymous, who points out that immigrants to Ellis Island were “registered”: why not register the immigrants who are flooding into America today, just as we registered them in the days of Ellis Island? Then they would have to pay taxes. Problem solved.
It’s not like everyone who stepped foot on Ellis Island was invited here–they came here because the U.S. had an open-door policy for a time, and when they got here, uninvited I might add, they were quickly registered and made citizens.
Is there something wrong with me because I am a proud CONSERVATIVE and I don’t feel any racism towards illegal immigrants? However, I do realize that illegal immigration and border security are two of the most important issues for the future of the U.S.A. I agree that the idea of sending them back is ridiculous. However, is it racist for me to realize that illegal immigration is a crime? Is it wrong for me to want our borders secured so that drug trafficking and vandalism along the borders would decrease? Eventually, if the United States continues to allow illegal immigration there will be no reason for people to come here legally. The more illegal immigration our country allows the more the government will have to raise taxes on citizens to cover illegal immigrants’ health care, education and other necessities. Should the citizens of the United States be punished when an illegal immigrant overdoses on drugs and spends several weeks in the hospital? I want any immigrant who wants to come to the United States to feel welcome but they should do it LEGALLY. Is that to much to ask?
I could talk about the merits of this column, but you made two glaring and disturbing mistake.
First, you criticized your readers. They are your support, your bread and butter, and the reason you have a paper at all. Why in the world would you criticize them in such a generalized manner?
Second, you made unsupported generalizations about a group of people you have no real information about. Taking a few web comments and classifying it as your readers is ridiculous.
Now the responses you are getting are interestingly justified. “I am a proud CONSERVATIVE” is exactly what you expect to hear when you attack all conservatives. You did nothing but turn the reader off to your argument and completely against you.
This column lacks ethos and logos, and the only bit of pathos you managed is the outright anger of people you senselessly attacked. And the people that would support you if they shared a similar position on immigration are stuck out in the cold because your argument was so poorly layed out.
I know that you think you know exactly what you’re doing. You have said as much. But this column is a perfect example of how to be ineffective and completely unsupportive of the O’Colly. As the editor, you should know better.
If being “too conservative” means that you are opposed to ILLEGAL immigration, then I would think that the majority of your readership is “too conservative.” I guess you would prefer us all be elitist liberals whose only argument for illegal immigration is that they do the nasty jobs that elitist liberals just can’t see themselves doing. I find this point of view much more racist than that of those who support only legal immigration.
We cannot call ourself a sovereign country if we cannot control our own borders.
Most Americans are way too tolerant. Otherwise we would not be supporting 30 Million Illegals.
Personally if the rich Multi Nationals that get rich by hiring cheap labor to make cheap products would pay the social costs, roads, hospitals, schools, jails, prisions, law enforcement, court costs, housing, as a fair cost I would welcome them.
America is too fat go back to mowing your own yard.
You do not want to flip burgers the rest of your life, then find something else to do, because a journalist you are not! You compare Ellis island immigrants they did nothing illegal like this wave, everyone knows Mexicans are not the only illegals, you call hte readers who are against the illegal aliens names gee that’s smart, worst of all you believe illegal activity is all right if you agree the culprits!!!
We are guardians of what our ancestors have forged and that is a sovereign state with rights to say who comes and shares the fruits of their labor. If you want to feel warm and fuzzy join the peace corps oh that might be more difficult than flipping burgers. I believe the constitution is a document spelling out rights and responsibilities of OUR citizens not those who sneak into our country. Sorry to say we have a group liberal judges who think their one opinion trumps the majorities. If you want share,do it with your wealth, but don’t presume to know what I should do with what I have earned. REmember Adam did bite the apple!!
What I find so fascinating about the illegal immigration debate is that, like the abortion debate, it tends to inspire the most passionate, vocal arguments; yet, when it really comes down to it, nothing will change: abortion will always be legal in this country, and immigrants will continue to flood across our borders.
Great, wealthy, powerful civilizations attract immigrants, this has always been the case and it always will be. Human migration is a fundamental historical process. You can argue and argue with opponents of immigration, but what it really boils down to is some kind of emotional, elemental opposition to foreigners crossing our borders. I don’t mean to be disrespectful of opponents of immigration, I’m just suggesting that they are not usually open to real discussion on the subject. And yet, the most ironic thing about all this is that the arguments exist in a kind of vacuum–while out there in the real world the migrations continue, unabated, impervious to any debate, no matter how vocal.
A common strand in these arguments against immigration is something like the following: “I am not against immigration, I am just against illegal immigration.” This
distinction between legal and illegal immigration has become routine, and you will almost always hear an opponent of imigration remind you that they are only opposed to “illegal” immigration. But, what immigration opponents never seem to even consider is the possibility of a wholesale “legalization” of immigration, that is, making them citizens, right away, as soon as they step foot onto our soil. No doubt they will say it would be a nightmare, that we would be overwhelmed with the dregs of humanity, and so on. But, America has plenty of room, more than enough room. Let them in. Better yet, make Mexico the 51st state. It would be a sort of re-unification, since parts of America were once part of Mexico anyway. It would be a beneficial fusion of two civilizations. I think we can absorb Mexico, and I’m all for it, peacefully of course.
1. You’re so “open minded” that your brain has fallen out.
2. I like how the paper has made a non issue about the rape and has turned the rapist into a victim because of his heritage. That’s a good one - maybe I should feel sorry for him despite the fact he pretty much scared this person for life (*but that doesn’t matter - he’s an ILLEGAL and he’s above our racist, Draconian laws!*)
3. To demonstrate how open minded you are, you’ve told everybody that doesn’t agree with you that they’re “close-minded, racist and xenophobic.” I’m glad to see you’re all for tolerating diversity of opinion.
4. How dare we law abiding citizens support upholding our own laws! Illegal = breaking the law = end of story.
5. I love how you say that we should keep illegals because after all, you “don’t want to flip burgers for the rest of (your) life… or ever, really.” Seems to me that you think they’re only good for working in the trash jobs you “don’t see people clamoring to get.” Your logic would mean that illegals aren’t really people of the same caliber as yourself and self-righteous peers. That’s nice - keep illegals comin’ so you can exploit them to work in the less desirable jobs that you don’t want. *I wish I could achieve this level of liberal tolerance. If only…*
Watch out Justin. Comments like that might inspire the American Union opponents as well as the immigration opponents. :P
But you are right. So long as there is some chance or opportunity here, people are going to come, their children will be born here, and they will find some way to thrive. That is just human nature. The best thing we can do in the long run is give the new people a chance and a little education so that our nation as a whole improves over time, instead of wasting our money cutting them out like cancer. They aren’t a disease, they are people. And illegal or not, they can make a contribution, but only if we let them.