A Day without an Immigrant

my first political post. i'm inspired, sorry. This is something that hits close to home for me. And not because i am hispanic. not because my grandfather came to this country as an illegal immigrant, then later did it the "right way" and brought over my grandmother and her 11 children, one of which who was my Mexico-born mother. not because my grandmother can't speak English. not because my grandfather, grandmother, and aunts and uncles worked in the cotton fields, irrigation fields, and various odd jobs just to put bread on the table.

but because this very family came over here to provide a better life for their family. because all of my aunts and uncles learned a SECOND language. learned english. because in the years that have gone by since, out of 63 of my cousins, this next generation, this "American" family, only a handful of us speak Spanish. because since then, my aunts have all completed their citizenship tests and know more about "america" then your average American Joe Blow walking down the street.

One - you don't have to "take back" anything. this wasn't YOUR country to begin with. just because you came over here with ships and culture and a government doesn't mean that it was YOUR land. there's no "taking back" of that which didn't really belong to "you" in the first place.

Two - this country was founded by people who also brought over Spaniards, Blacks, etc. it was founded by these people. this is what makes America.

Three - two countries surround america. one is canada. the other is mexico. the fact that our children will learn Spanish is not RIDICULOUS. it's logical. i'm sure people in China aren't learning spanish. It just makes sense.

"You're in America, speak English" - ugh. i hate this mentality. hey! go to Italy or France and speak that language. move over there right now. and learn it. yeah. not so easy. especially when English is as fucked up as it is. as a child, i used to go to the church with my grandmother to her English classes. i used to drink coffee out of those little solo cups and stick my fingers in the creamer. and she used to sit there and struggle. struggle to learn all these rules and agreements of the language. but she did it. can she speak conversational english? no. I have sat and learned Italian and Sign Language. can i hold my own in a conversation? not exactly. but since "America" is made up of blacks, spanish, asians, english i find it hard to pick one language and say "this is the exclusive language of the United States."

"they're taking our jobs" - oh, i'm sorry! i didn't realize you wanted to pick up trash for a living. my bad! i didn't know you wanted to be the dishwasher, hotel cleaning lady, sanitation worker. i'm sorry. NEVER EVER EVER has someone lost their job as a medical doctor to an immigrant. bottom line - if you want the job - go out there and get it. don't blame any other person for your lack of employment. these immigrants come over here and WORK HARD to get these shit jobs. and do they complain? hell no. do you hear them saying they should be able to be a nurse? no. they just want to get their foot in the door and provide a better life for their children. and those children turn around (present company included) and strive to become medical doctors. Immigrants are the very BACKBONE of this country. and hey! while we're on the topic of jobs, why don't you get on the Government's case about outsourcing to other countries. how many times have i called sprint and been re-routed to India? fuck you America for having available jobs and sending them elsewhere. Do you understand how very corrupt the nation you defend is, when it comes to JOBS? what's our damn unemployment rate? and instead of saying "hey, let's work on this" we create jobs for other countries?? you know why? IT'S CHEAP!!!! don't point the finger at the worker who gets the job. they're just trying to make a buck. point the finger at the government who wants to pay their workers less and will go to ANY MEANS to have that happen.

Understand that America is, indeed, a great country. understand that it is made up NUMEROUS people - walks of life, color of skin, etc. And along the way, this government has tried to keep so many people down. Including WOMEN. remember that?

Point is - we have to understand that just because we are born here doesn't mean that we are superior. Even those who were, still have had to fight for their rights. So don't slap someone on the hand and tell them to go back to "their country" just because they're trying to do the same. and if they need to go back, they should take what they brought with them as well. so that means YOU should get your shit and go. Understand that this VERY NATION is nothing but a bunch of immigrants. your ancestors are immigrants.

so get off your high horse. the very people who you stepped on to get there, are fighting for their rights today!

"If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded, sire, but that you first make thieves and then punish them?" - drew barrymore, in Ever After

and with that...

Seacrest out