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[Tony Spencer <tony AT tonyspencer.com>]

Oh Jesus Christ please lighten up.  Illegal aliens is not an insult  
but rather an accurate description no different than referring to  
someone in jail as a convict.  This is nothing like making a joke  
about gay people or a minority.


On Jan 27, 2007, at 3:41 PM, Cristobal Palmer wrote:

> On 1/27/07, Greg Brown <gwbrown1 AT gmail.com> wrote:
> > We've got tons of aliens in Youngsville.  Illegial aliens but still..
> > perhaps it was a migration bat signal of sorts?
>
> Perhaps you meant "Foreign Nationals" or maybe even "Latinos" since
> I'm sure you haven't asked people casually for their Visa status in an
> informal poll at the grocery store. Or do you? Do you ask people at
> the checkout if they're citizens or have a green card?
>
> Yes, our immigration process is busted in this country. No, it's not
> okay to blame it on the immigrants and lump them into an "other"
> category, especially if it conflates "illegal" immigrants and those
> who are on a standard path to naturalization.
>
> Now, I understand you were trying to make a joke, but stop and realize
> that it's not really any better than making a "gay" joke or any other
> joke that makes a scapegoat of a minority or disempowered group. Would
> you make a joke about the character of black people? Why is one about
> foreigners any more acceptable?
>
> I'm sorry, but it sounds like you're complaining about the foreigners,
> and that's rather off-putting.
>
> Thanks,
> CMP
>
> --
> Cristóbal M. Palmer
> UNC-CH SILS Student -- ils.unc.edu/~cmpalmer
> TriLUG Vice Chair
> "There are many roads to enlightenment, and thus many roads back to
> the One True Debian" --crimsun
> ---
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