Argh, I got another racist remark thrown at me this past week.
Apparently, I look like a blank wall because folks have spouted all sorts of stuff to me. Maybe there’s something in the water. Or in the air. I’m not sure.
I’d like to explore why this might be, but I really don’t have time today to write a long post delving into human motivations. And, you probably don’t want to read it. So I’ll just quote my friends, family, and strangers.
About four months ago, while discussing a local Asian market, a friend says to me:
I can’t stand all the Asians with their slanty eyes. They are so pushy and rude. They just barge right in front of you.
And you go every week to the Asian market exactly because…what? Yes, Asian markets in and of themselves have their own culture and norms. A culture that may be a little shocking to some, but what the hell does their slanty eyes have to do with it? You go to local markets to experience that cultural difference! And for the food! Get over it.
About two months ago, a family member says to me:
It is not right. They come here and refuse to act like us. They are overrunning and changing our country. I hate them.
We were discussing legal immigrants to New Zealand, and I’m like, Okay, and just how do you think the local Moaris (Polynesians that populated New Zealand about 800 years before the Europeans got there) thought when all those ships from the great white north descended upon them? At the time, don’t you think they felt the exact same way? Don’t you think they had hate in their hearts for all the changes your ancestors made to their little part of the world? Might they still feel that way?
This past week, while discussing the illegal immigration problem, a complete stranger says:
I won’t hire ‘em anymore. They stole my equipment. They don’t have the same morals as we do.
I’m all for enforcing the current laws in regards to illegal immigration, and especially for fining employers for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. And this dude and I were talking about just those laws when he made this statement. It wasn’t like, I won’t hire ‘em anymore because it’s illegal and wrong, and that it lowers workers wages. Oh no. It’s like, I won’t hire ‘em anymore because I didn’t benefit from the relationship.
Please. Don’t bitch and moan about the illegals doing illegal activities when you illegally hire them. “They” do have the same morals as you do, buddy. You should have made sure they were legal before hiring them. But then, you’d have to pay them a living wage. Idiot.
tmso
Not cool.
