“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can get me deported…”
That’s how that rhyme goes, right?
Words are playing a major role in America’s immigration debate. The “I” word – I mean the word “illegal” – has framed the conversation on what to do with the thousands of people that come to America every year without appropriate documentation. Their lives hang in the balance as America debates what to do about them. While some states clearly disapprove of the undocumented – such as Arizona with its SB 1070 law allowing local and state police to act as federal agents and question folks about their immigration status – some cities, like Los Angeles, are boycotting Arizona on the grounds that SB 1070 encourages racial profiling.
PHOTO: Jan Brewer is governor of Arizona, the state with the toughest immigration policy in America.Whichever way you lean, one thing is clear: there is an overriding tone to this conversation, and the word “illegal” sums it up. That word labels a myriad of complex situations and puts them into one box, one context, one verdict: Illegal.
How can we have an honest conversation seeking a sensible and just resolution if we’ve so nicknamed our defendants Mr. Guilty and Ms. Wrong right off the bat? If you really want to see immigration reformed, let’s at least frame our discussion without the verbal mousetraps.
So I ask you, consider the “I” word. Consider dropping it.
http://colorlines.com/droptheiword/
1 comment:
I have none many undocumented immigrants, and none of them called themselves "illegal." I have heard the expression "sin papeles", "without papers." Until after 1900 all immigrants were "sin papeles" and not all unauthorized border crossings from Mexico or Canada were considered "illegal", depending on why and whom. Our nation does not come apart at the seams because of an informal flow of immigration or travel. Blogging at http://roominhouseblues.blogspot.com/
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