Not sure if this is a good question or one with an easy answer. But this question dogged me all morning as the replays of Trump's latest antics in the Southwest covered the news like a stinking blanket. Good question or not, I figured I would try to put down in writing what I think.
What a society's leadership does to deflect attention away from them and their exploitation of their citizenry is to create boogeyman issues that play on the fear of the dark most societies harbor just below their public surface. They find a stooge or stooges who are willing to whip this fear of the dark up into a cultural wide feeding frenzy of unrealistic fear based not on facts but emotion.
This overblown concern over Illegal Immigration is the perfect distraction. It does not matter that illegal immigration has actually gone down during Obama's term. It does not matter that most experts agree that the system in place in the Southwest , while not perfect, is working better than anything we have done so far. It does not matter that if we exclude the crime of the illegal immigration, once here, illegal immigrants as a population commit less crime than those from the legal population.
No, none of that matters. What matters is that we should be afraid of the big bad boogeyman illegal immigrant. Take care of that and all our troubles will be over. And those who pull the strings can continue to stay busy taking advantage of our labor, our rights, and our soul.
Later ....................................
8 comments:
It's a tried and true tactic, though, isn't it?
People feel like their lives could be going better, and someone comes along who offers them someone to blame.
I hope that 50.1% of the voting public doesn't fall for it. I have confidence that we're better than this.
it has always worked that way. We should be afraid of blacks, gays, Mexicans, Muslims, drugs, poor people... while congress votes themselves another pay raise and gives tax breaks to the wealthy that fund their reelections.
Let them eat cake
the Ol'Buzzard
I get it now! You think concern for illegals in our country equals a vote for Trump! I never endorsed Trump! I think he is mentally unstable. But a vote for Hillary will not solve anything either. It will be more of the same. Same excuses, shifting the blame to an uncooperative Congress. Hillary is going to win. Rest assured! The real rulers who live in the shadows have already decided that. The big issue I suppose I should concentrate on is the fact that Congress is the bought and paid for whores of big corporate America and represent Corporate interests, not the interests of the people. Income inequality is the biggest issue of our time with our "never ending" war on terror running a close second. Bernie Sanders was shaking when he endorsed Hillary. He was afraid! "They" got to him...I knew then the election was already decided and Hillary was going to win! Did you quit my blog over this issue?
Politicians of all ilks just manipulate by picking and promoting issues that they know will get the unthinking masses riled up so they can get votes. Very few politicians do anything substantive anymore. We need a new Teddy Roosevelt, IMO.
PipeTobacco
If they wanted to really do something about illegal immigration they would punish the ones that are hiring the illegals. About 10 years ago when we lived in Omaha there was a story on the news about how the feds raided some meat packing plants in Nebraska and deported a bunch of illegals. What happened to the companies that hired the illegals, did they get hit with huge fines, threatened with jail time, NO!! They got thanked by the government because "they helped with the investigation". Of course they knew who was working there illegally, THEY FUCKING HIRED THEM!!!!!!!!
While illegal immigration makes a fine talking point for the politicians, THEIR OWNERS DON'T WANT ANYTHING DONE ABOUT IT, THEY WANT THE CHEAP LABOR!!!!! It also holds down the wages for the rest of the workers.
too bad the native americans didn't feel that way..
You ok, Mike?
To all - I am fine. I stepped away from the blog because I found myself beginning to go into uproar mode over the sad excuse for an election unfolding before us. In my effort to turn off the noise, the blog was one of the first casualties.
To Mohaverat - No, I did not quit your blog. I will stop by when I get back into blogging on a regular basis again. And again, no, I did not assume you were voting for Trump. You have stated previously you were not a fan of either candidate. I take you at your word. Don't be so quick to read between the lines I write. My post was not aimed at you.
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