Moving with the Tide
SO I was thinking about my brother, and how he recently sent me an article that spoke despairingly of the effects of anti-illegal-immigration policies in these Untied States. How businesses in nearby Riverside, NJ, that once did well and some even that thrived, are now struggling for air. Riverside enacted sweeping legislation against illegal immigrants, with the result that many of the Brazilians who had lived in the area, fled. My brother taught me a few lessons about North Koreans and Chinese as well - that their vast populations are overwhelmingly poor people just trying to get by - and are ignorant of the machinations of their governments. Or helpless. Mostly both. My brother also loves Australia.... he's spent more time Down Under these past 12 months pursuing business, than he has at home.
But my brother knows nothing of the Aborigines. He seemed a tad annoyed that I even asked, as if finding out anything about them would entail going out of his way when he had so many other things he wanted to do. I can't think of a single time I've ever seen him hanging out with anyone of a darker hue then us. Never saw him in domestic photos like this, either. And though he also spends a lot of time in China and South Korea pursuing business, he doesn't have even a rudimentary understanding of their languages. He's also one of only two people in my entire life who's called me "racist."
And this makes me think more generally of Americans. Like how everywhere we turn these days, we are overwhelmed with exhortations to "go green." Go-Green Internet span is served southern-fried on the skillet; Go-Green highway billboards tower over us, covering us in shadow, threatening to whack us if we disobey; Go-Green television ads blare the Go-Green exhortations of celebrity and government officials alike. We can almost smell the sweet-n-sour Go-Green taxes just around the corner.
And this, naturally, brings me back 'round again to my brother… What are their motivations? What are our motivations? Don’t get me wrong, this planet is in trouble and lots of poor, scared people all around the world, America included, and lots of scared middle-class people all around the world, America included, are in trouble. But why do we care? Why now?
I mean, God bless Al Gore. God bless my bro for thinking about the poor guy down the stre.... I mean, a few miles away. But American guilt is easy to play upon, isn't it? American speech and thoughts and wallets are easily manipulated. And it's way easy for us to get a little paternalistic in our attitudes toward others.
So I end this essay with a question (or two): How long will our concern for the problem of the moment last? Until the end of the moment?
Comments
Mark,
We are a society that is into immediate gratification and if we do not get that then it doesn't matter to us. Why do you think we have yet to do anything about Darfur, or some of the other major problems in Africa. We don't because there isn't anything in it for us. Look I know that alot of people do not like George Bush but he has done alot for the people of Africa - from fighting AIDS to financial stabilization of some of the countries - does he get any credit for this - no - that has something to do with the fact that the so called mainstream media doesn't like him but it also has to do with the fact that the American people are clueless about what is going on in the world around them. I asked some people who are against the war in Iraq to tell me which countries bordered Iraq - most could only give me one - Iran - and many gave me countries that are not even in the Middle East - from Libya and Eygpt to Afganastan and India.
What you are describing is what I refer to as the sheep effect. Most of the people in this country are sheep and are willing to believe what is fed to them. This is why it has only taken a year since Al "Bore" won the Nobel prize, for a documentary that has more proven lies in it than truth, for people to become concerned about Global Warming. It really has nothing to do with a concern about the planet but more to do with a concern about their own little piece of this world. Remember everyone likes the idea of building new prisons to house criminals - but as many say "not in my back yard." We are a people who have lost our idealism and it has been replaced by partisan hatred that ensures that we accomplish and solve nothing. We only look 5 minutes ahead and plan for nothing and get upset when we find out that our futures were sold out so that elected politicians can line there own pockets with our money.
Let's talk about illegal immigrants for a minute. First of all they broke the law - that's why they are ILLEGAL immigrants. Second, most do not pay taxes on their incomes- how can they - they're ILLEGAL and do not have a SS#, therefore the government actually loses money here. Thrid, we also pay for the services that these ILLEGAL immigrants use, also costing the government more money. Now I am not against immigration but my family came here legally and so did millions of others. My question is why are we allowing these people to break out laws at will? Why isn't our government standing at the border checking on everyone coming into this country? Why can't we build a fence on the border? These questions are good questions and in my mind fair but when I raise them to some of my liberal friends they accuse me of being a racist and insensitive to the plight of poor immigrants who just want to find a job and enjoy the freedom of our society. I hate to say this but this country is going to be in for a big shock in the next couple of years. If we cut and run in the Middle East, if we continue to sell our future away by spending more money than the country brings in in, if we don't solve the energy crisis, yes crisis, that we are in, if we don't come together as a nation on difficult issues such as race, immigration and many others, then we as a nation will fail and the freedoms we enjoy now could be in jeopardy.
Remember Hitler and Mussolini were actually elected in democratic elections before they established their dictatorships. I dread the "man on the white horse" who will come in as a savior but will actually be the undoing of this country as we now know it. I will end with this - Freedom is not free! It takes dedication and hard work for a people to remain free. It takes eternal vigilance to ensure that freedom does not turn toward tyranny. Tyranny in all it's forms is horrid - but tyranny cloaked in democracy is a much more frightening prospect.
Posted by: Ed | May 1, 2008 09:28 AM
there are those who do and those who don't.
Posted by: bzpvgwm ajleto | May 16, 2008 07:57 PM