Yesterday, there was a horrible story of three U.S. college students – all born in Palestine, though two are American citizens, and the third is here on a student visa – being shot while on holiday visiting family in Vermont. Fortunately, two are apparently recovering well, though the third young man is in more critical condition.
But all I could think of was an item that crossed my feed on social media over the weekend. It was about a Breitbart story posted that was so telling in how blisteringly ignorant that extreme-right publication assumes their readers are. The headline was – “SHOCK REPORT: New Analysis Reveals Over 23 Million Naturalized US Citizens, Formerly Immigrants now Eligible to Vote in the Upcoming 2024 Presidential Election..” Yes, really. Most of the Twitter responses were utterly scathing in their ridicule, faux-“outraged” that actual legal citizens were allowed to vote – like (as I pointed out) pretty much every American’s ancestors has done since it was codified as in the U.S. Constitution -- but it was head-shaking and sickening to see some far-right respondents so gallingly upset by the story that they asked – and I swear this is true -- if there was anything that could be done and if this could be appealed to the Supreme Court could do. But that’s what the GOP today has become. So ignorant and so upset at the mere mention of “immigrants,” thinking it must mean they’re illegal. From the Breitbart article: “As more immigrants naturalize and become eligible to vote, they continue to gain political power. The number of immigrant voters is only projected to rise in the next decade, and in some states, foreign-born voters are already capable of deciding elections.” Whenever a Republican official rails about “illegal immigrants,” they always try (well, okay, not every official tries…) to let you know they have nothing against legal immigrants, who came into the country legally and are legally legal, they’re only talking about “illegal immigrants.” And y’know, maybe even some of them really do feel that way. But when you’re an elected representative of what is today a fascist political party – and when one of the main tenets of fascism is xenophobia and hatred of people who are different – there’s a pretty good chance that if your soapbox ranting about “illegal immigrants” bleeds over to be perceived as immigrants, period, that a fascist party whose base has a foundation of racism and white supremacy isn’t going to lose a whole lot of sleep about it, especially since it’s likely their assumption is that those people aren’t going to vote for you anyway. On top of that, the difficulty of looking at a person who isn’t white and trying to determine if they’re an illegal immigrant or just a garden variety legal immigrant is a high bar to get over. And when someone is racist and hates minorities to begin with, there’s a really good chance that they’re not going to take the time and effort to find out. In large part, because they probably don’t care all that much. And so, the immigrant is as good a target for the outlet of releasing your hate. They're just one and the same. Legal, illegal, whatever. They're immigrants. Never mind, of course, that somewhere in your own past, unless you’re an American Indian, you absolutely, 100% had an ancestor who was an immigrant. And for all you know, they may have gotten in illegally. Which brings us back to that Breitbart story. Because they knew the story was ludicrous and meaningless, but they also knew that they could inflame the racist, unthinking base by pointing out a “SHOCKING” news item about “immigrants.” Never mind that it was not only legal, but it was everyday, basic Standard Operating Procedure for how the United Sates actually works. And is supposed to work. Actually. Which brings us back to today’s Republican Party and Trump leading the way with his plans for interment camps, lists of Muslims, and religious travel bans. Because no matter how much he and they insist all they are against are “illegal immigrants,” it’s hugging distance for their hatred of immigrants, which they’re more than happy to inflame if it comes to that. Never mind that they are the heirs of immigrants. Including Trump whose grandfather Friedrich immigrated to the United States from Germany, where the family name was Drumpf.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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