The Battle of the English Language continues.
There is an organized movement by the Applied Research Center, of which Rashad Robinson of Color of Change is a Board member, to ban the use of the term “illegal alien” as racist.
What race is an illegal alient? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves with subversive questions.
Mónica Novoa writing for the ARC’s website Colorlines, cries racism:
The i-word in any form (“illegals”, “illegal alien” and “illegal immigrant”) is packed with ideas about who immigrants are and what their role is in society and in this nation. Whether used by a reader in a newspaper’s comment section, or in the Supreme Court as it was this week in Arizona v. the United States, The i-word is the furthest from neutral language and communicates anti-immigrant animus that has over time become deeply embedded and accepted throughout media and government institutions.
Okay, I’m with you so far. Calling someone an illegal alien suggests that they are in the country illegally, and that’s mean. Now get to the racism part:
To our great disappointment this week, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and others used the terms “illegal immigrant,” “illegal alien,” and “criminal alien” during proceedings over SB 1070.
So it’s not racist, is it, because Justice Sotomayor used it, right? (I should have stopped reading here, but alas):
These metaphors mirror and reinforce language accepted in the media by anti-immigrant extremists, so … the immigrant becomes the alien, the alien becomes the illegal, and the illegal becomes the Mexican.
Wait, what?
The term “illegal” conflates criminality with immigration issues and brings the taint of criminality to a non-criminal process. And it promotes bias against Latinos and people with brown skin regardless of migratory status.
Ah, there’s the punchline, but it is a logical jump. The term “illegal alien” does not describe a race or skin color. Someone here illegally from Ireland is just as much an “illegal alien” as someone here illegally from Mexico.
Bill O’Reilly did a great job destroying Ms. Novoa (via DaleyGator h/t Zilla):
This is all a charade. It’s the typical Color of Change race card shakedown.
The advocates of eliminating the term “illegal” want to alter immigration policies. They can’t win on the merits of open borders, so they smear others as racist.
It’s just a dishonest word game using false accusations of racism as a political lever.
Back to the subversive question: What race is an illegal alien?
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Nobody asked the $64,000 question. What does one actually call an illegal alien if not an illegal alien ??
Don’t be silly, Dr. Jim – a Democrat voter, of course.
I’m sure that lawyers love the idea of “undocumented” lawyers .. and …
I’m sure that doctors love the idea of “undocumented” doctors .. and …
I’m sure that the police love the idea of “undocumented” policemen .. and …
I’m sure that teachers love the idea of “undocumented” teachers .. so …
why wouldn’t “legal” immigrants welcome “undocumented” immigrants ?
He should have asked her if she was here legally or is she an illegal alien.
Unable to control what you think they attempt to control what you can say (or boot you from the site).
Typical position of Liberalism.
“Back to the subversive question: What race is an illegal alien?”
Eleven.
What’s that you say, my answer doesn’t make sense?
Neither do the race baiters who inspire the Professor to ask this question.
I saw Novoa on The Factor: the interview shouild have been stopped on the mercy rule. O’Reilly had her for lunch (or was it dinner time?)
I would have gone with 42.
Watch it again-
Bill didn’t destroy her-she destroyed herself…
Bill kept teeing it up, and she kept tripping on her own sword until she finally fell on it-
Which made Bill mad. Bill put in a lot of work, and spent a lot of time to prove to his audience that he is not a racist-
But, she gave him nothing but psycho babble. Undeterred, O’Rielly still finished up with ‘hey, good debate!’
O’Reilly was too easy on her, especially with respect to the language issue. Someone needs to get in these people’s faces over their semantic bullying and refuse to buckle.
You beat me to it. This fool destroyed herself a long time ago I would imagine. O’Reilly just gave her the platform.
But let’s all kiss Bill “Obama’s not a bad guy” O’Reilly’s a$$ for throwing us a little bone.
Actually that was a response to Browndog. My bad.
Human? What other race could it be? And what does that have to do with the fact the human is here illegally?
Pity the poor Central American illegal immigrant caught in Mexico.
In Japan I was known as a “gaijin,” literally, “outside person.” Even when I had married a Japanese, had lived there for years, had opened up a couple of stores, had learned to speak Japanese, I was still a “gaijin.” As long as I live, whenever I’m visiting or living in Japan, I’ll be a “gaijin,” an “outsider.”
Life goes on. I’ll live, and thrive (God willing).
The people I feel sorry for are the ethnic Koreans who have been living in Japan for generations. Their native language is Japanese. All they’ve ever known is Japan. But they must carry alien registration cards.
I remember in the late 1980s or early 1990s, the mayor of Nagasaki resigned under pressure after having committed the faux pas of appointing an ethnic Korean (again, someone born and raised in Japan) to an important municipal position.
So you were surprised by this?
Did you not read some history -Manchuria , SE Asia & the Pacific Okinawa New Guinea ?
A swathe of humanity’s most callous & base crimes .
What did you acually expect from Japan- a rose garden?
It doesn’t matter how good we treat immigrants in the U.S., even if we treat immigrants better than any other society in the world. The left will crap all over this country for not being perfect in their estimation. We could treat immigrants better than we treat native citizens and it still wouldn’t be good enough. It’s another legacy of the Frankfort School.
She was destroyed whether O’Reilly did it or whether she did it. She’s an open borders support that is quite clear.
What race is an illegal alien? = What race is a Muslim?
To ask these question automatically makes you a raaaaacist.
Notice how in the first excerpted passage she substitutes “i-word” for illegal.
Sorry Sister. I’m not playing that game any longer. You guys forced us to substitue “Happy Holidays” for “Merry Christmas” because people like you worried that an omaginary non-Christian might get his feelings hurt if he heard someone say the words Merry Christmas uttered.
If I want to call immigrants who are here illegally illegal immigrants, to differentiate them from immigrants who came here legally, then I’m going to do it. No more self censorship. Life is hard. But I’m sure the illegal immigrants who hear it will somehow manage to cope.
By the way……Merry Christmas, sister.
You’ve hit the truth of her message right there. The left doesn’t want to differentiate between legal and illegal immigrants, just a step on the road to open borders.
I don’t call individuals “illegal alien” … I use “illegal aliens” to discuss the problem of millions that come here illegally, intentionally bypassing the documentation process.
The problem is not that we screwed up and failed to issue them documents. The problem is they broke our laws deliberately, and continue to break them, while demanding we provide for them.
We could give them documents declaring them illegal (if they’d quit hiding from us) … would that help, if they were then DOCUMENTED illegal aliens?
If that individual is an illegal alien, I call them an illegal alien. That person is not a citizen and they are not here legally.
Home invaders are not uninvited house guests so why do we tiptoe around the term illegal aliens?
sure, we don’t have to pussy foot around, but despite my many years in New Orleans, I never had the opportunity to say “hey you, illegal alien”.
My point is “illegal alien” is used in discussing the problem of 20 million that deliberately broke/are breaking our laws, yet are demanding we pay for services for them. Those two words expressly define the problem … “undocumented” evades the problem. If they get “documented” as illegal aliens, how does that help?
Let’s carry that home-invader analogy a little bit further: Open-borders advocates always claim that we shouldn’t “dehumanize” illegal immigrants because they’re poeple too, and hey, even if they suck up our tax dollars in social services and education, they’re just doing the jobs Americans won’t do.
So let’s say your house gets broken into and the thieves steal some of your property – BUT – they also stop and wash up that sink full of dirty dishes you left. Does that act make their breaking in any less illegal? Of course not! But it’s “dehumanizing” to call somebody a thief or burglar, so let’s just call him an “uninvited house guest.”
Riiiiiight…
Bill O’Reilly did a great job destroying Ms. Novoa
And it was no mean feat.
I’m sorry, but the only “i-word” I can think of to describe this is “idiot”.
The truth is they are (i)nvaders bolstering the enemy within.
Let me understand the logic here. So when I say the word strawman…many people think of Ray Bolger…who we also know was in a dance routine called Sanford and Bolger. Then we can make the stretch that Sanford is also known as a black entertainer..therfore strawman is some 3rd generation codeword for blacks and a racist term.
Okey dokey.
“therefore strawman is some 3rd generation codeword for blacks and a racist term.”
And “racist!” is Leftist code for “Shut up”.
^^Obviously Im kidding there. Just attempting to show how corrupt the woman’s reasoning is and how she inserts her own bias into an argument.
Language fascism.
Okay. I’m a racist.
(Ew… I used the “r-word”).
heh-
The word “illegal” should be illegal!
libs..
Evidently this useful idiot thinks people here illegally are men and women who just want to support their families and live the good life. And soley hispanic. Anyone who wants to deny them this is not only racist but has no heart. To her they are not criminals who batten on and take money from the citizens of the US. It’s all touchy feely…all cozy, warm and fuzzy compassion for these needy aliens. To them, we must help everyone in the world who is deprived of that good life. As if we have the money to do tis. Nevermind that a lot of these illegal aliens are our enemies here to attack us from within. Like all liberals, this girl cannot get past that thing called feelings and think about all the ramifications of allowing illegls to thrive in this country.
Come to philly. I’ll show you mile after mile on Bustleton Ave. as it heads out of town of all these shops with signs–and restaurants with menus–written in Cyrillic lettering. The Russians are everywhere, and I’ll bet you $20 that less than half are here legally.
Guess who I think of when I hear “Illegal Alien”.
Have we really been reduced to where a factual, descriptive label is un-PC? Of course, we’ve been here for years. “Undocumented Alien”.
Is there a place where they retire words that have lost all meaning? I nominate “racism” and “racists” as the next candidates for that graveyard.
The worst thing that has ever happened for blacks in America is the election of Obama. Although it proved that white America has largely moved past race, Obama then proved that black America is just not ready for the big time.
It will take at least a generation to undo that damage. It would take less if that “national conversation about race” actually took place and white people were allowed to participate and speak their minds. We need an honest conversation.
Is there a place where they retire words that have lost all meaning?
Welcome to Massachusetts! In May of 2010, AG Martha Coakley, who ran against Scott Brown, said,
“Technically it’s not illegal to be illegal in Massachusetts.”
Highly likely the Russians had visas to start with. There must be a record . If they are overstayers then The Immigration has only to notify Moscow.
For sure they can track down any of their citizens anywhere across the globe.
On another case Russia will not give a Russian passport to manty of the former USSR passport holders who stayed in the west after /around 1991 brekup. Many are still stateless.
They are badass.
Liberal support for “displaced travelers” will change in a heartbeat if a believable study determined that most “guests without documents” voted for Republicans.
“Calling someone an illegal alien suggests that they are in the country illegally, and that’s mean.”
Really? I assume this is sarcasm.
I think “criminal aliens” would be a good term. I consider “illegal alien” to be a good compromise between “undocumented immigrant” and “criminal alien.”
Because “taxpayer-teat-sucking-illegal-aliens” is too many words?
“The term “illegal” conflates criminality with …”
Up until this point I found the logic tortured but otherwise incoherent. This, on the other hand, is just a lie. The term illegal DESCRIBES criminality, it does not conflate it with anything else.
Liberals always think that if they can just make the language say only what they want, everyone will agree with them. But those pesky dictionaries keep tripping them up. It must be some kind of racist plot.
There are few countries that tolerate ‘others’ walking in & sitting right down. There are exceptions for refugees in a neighbouring conflict (Iraquis in Syria ).Afghanis in Pakistan & some ‘looking the other way ‘ if the clandestine labor is cheap enough. (Zimbabweans in SA ). But overwhelmingly ‘others’ are driven out /deep underground
There has got to be a reason in the US that crosses several Presidencies & Congresses.
Cheap farm labor.
Tacos
Pool of domestic labor
Mobile construction labor.
Chimichangas.
There must be a reason it has come to this. Did illegals replace slaves?
Did illegals replace slaves?
Are you sure you want to go there?
Are you sure millions of Mexican and central Americans risk everything they have, including their lives over the allure of slavery?
Or could it be they are trying to escape their own slavery to poverty in their own country for a chance to improve their lot in life in the only country in the world that provides opportunity for the poor–capitalist America?
Yep – go there.
Shine some light on it-what is there to lose?
Criminal aliens, better?
There’s always “crimmigant”.
Undocumented means lacking proper immigration or working papers. An illegal alien is a person who is in the country without proper documentation and/or crossed the border illegally. If it’s in the dictionary, then it is an appropriate way to describe these people. When rational thinking cannot win, use the race card.
Actually the term “illegal alien” means someone who has been secretly landed by a flying saucer. Clark Kal-El Kent is not an illegal alien because he was legally adopted by the Kents under the laws in place at that time. Vegans (people from the star system Vega) are illegal aliens because they have failed to register as immigrants.
Ms. Novoa?
American Express is on line 3.
They say your Race Card™ is overdrawn
If conservatives hate immigrants, why did I marry one?
It’s your own sense of self-loathing and that underlying feeling of guilt over your conservative beliefs. I’m sure we can find a liberal psychologist to help brainwa– err help you figure it out.
Tokenism in its purest form. Now you can CYA by stating “Some of my best wives are immigrants!”
[…] Saturday Night Card Game (What race is an illegal alien?) (legalinsurrection.com) Share this:ShareDiggTwitterLinkedInRedditStumbleUponFacebookPrintEmailTumblrPinterestLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. Posted in 2012 election, illegal immigration, politics, scams and tagged American citizenship, American Dream, amnesty, Anti-Americanism, being human, definition of human, drop the I word campaign, drop the I-word, Human rights, illegal aliens, illegal border crossings, Illegal immigration, immigrants humane laws, immigrants rights, Mexican American border issues, migrant rights, Obama lies, Politics […]
[…] PROF. JACOBSON: Er, What Race Is An Illegal Alien, Exactly? […]
Come on, it’s clear illegal immigrants should now be identified as ‘illegal humans’.
I used to fall into the trap of ‘illegal alien’ collectivist thinking. It’s not “your house”. An employer decides to employ the illegal alien. It’s his business, not yours. A landlord decides to rent to the illegal alien. It’s his apartment, not yours. Many business allow, invite, and even cater to illegal immigrants. That is their choice, not yours. Why support fascism?
Illegal immigrants use of government programs is on par with citizen use. Incarceration rates (when adjusted for gender, age, poverty level) are also comparable. If you disdain freeloaders I don’t know why the source should matter.
As usual it is a government created problem that serves to divide us into convenient voting blocks.
A criminal is one who hurts or steals from another by force, intimidation, or fraud. Violating arbitrary regulations just make you a scofflaw. Why should bad or stupid laws be venerated? Would I have been immoral for ignoring fugitive slave laws before the Civil war? They also sought to legislate where workers could go and who they could work for.
Why not rather support voluntary interactions, free market and liberty. Why so socialist? (Actually fascist.)
[…] Professor Jacobsen posted an article on Saturday night relating to the term “Illegal Alien” and a current push to associate the term with racism. Mónica Novoa writing for the ARC’s website Colorlines, cries racism: […]
The term “illegal alien” appears in the U.S. Code (i.e., Federal law) numerous times. It is the precise legal term to refer to a non-citizen who is in the United States illegally.
I was once told I was a racist because I used the term. When I countered “What race is an illegal alien?” I was told that I was obviously referring to Mexicans. I said “At work we have stickers that we put on something too big to fit in a wastebasket but that is to be thrown out. It says ‘Please discard this’ in two languages. I then went to a bar frequented by immigrants that had a newspaper in front targeted to those immigrants that had a lengthy article calling for changes in U.S. immigration law. The sticker was in English and Polish. The newspaper’s name is ‘The Irish-American News’. Your presumptions are your own racism, not mine.”
“Illegal immigrant” is not accurate because an immigrant is someone who moves here with the intent to stay. Not every alien in the United States illegally intends to stay – we need a term that refers to them as well. “Undocumented immigrant” is inaccurate because many of them HAVE documentation – but it is of a nature that does not permit them to be here legally. “Immigrant” alone does not suffice because resident aliens and naturalized U.S. citizens are immigrants as well, and no one has a problem with their presence in the United States (presuming they are law-abiding).
The use of the word “immigrant” alone in this debate seeks to conflate illegal aliens with resident aliens and naturalized citizens. It is not meant to make the debate accurate. It is meant to falsely depict opponents as being against the presence of all immigrants – which is a blatant lie, and precisely the kind of tactic to be expected from the left.
Thanks for linking my Tweet, I’m honored!
I am the child of a LEGAL immigrant, my mom waited six years for a visa to come to this country and then once here she had to demonstrate her worth (by working) in order to be able to stay, she followed all the laws and EARNED her citizenship, why should people whose very first act in this country is to break our laws get a coddled? It is an insult to all of the hardworking honest people, like my mom, who came here the RIGHT way. “Illegals” are CRIMINAL INVADERS no matter what color they are or what language they speak; they deserve nothing from us except to be punished for breaking our laws and getting sent the hell back to where they came from at their own personal expense or that of their country of origin.
People should look at how other countries (Mexico for example) handle THEIR illegal aliens before they get all preachy with us. “Criminal Invader” is not a race.
“We’re not as bad as Mexico!” Not the moral ground I want to stand on.