“Study Shows that Mexicans breed like sewer rats”
This little gem is from the very informative website mexicans-go-home.com, just one of an ever growing group of websites and organizations dedicated to ridding the United States of the greatest threat since the British burned the capital in 1814. The writer doesn't bother to quote the study it refers to in the title although there is a link to an opinion piece in the letters section of the Yuman Sun that reveals the source study of THAT posting to be a controversial book called "The Immigration Solution : A Better Plan Than Today's," by Heather MacDonald, Steven Malanga of the and Victor Hanson.
This book cites statistics of higher crime rates, lower education, lower skill levels, the inability to speak English, high birth rates and the fact that immigrants tend to develop and live in their own communities and are resistant to assimilation. The book leads the reader to the inevitable conclusion that these immigrants have much more to gain from America than America stands to gain from them, they are destroying our country and threatening the white English speaking population. It suggests we should, at best, only allow immigrants who are educated, skilled and willing to assimilate quickly to immigrate and remove and bar all others. It doesn't equate them to sewer rats, that inspired idea was added by our friends at mexicans-go-home.com.
Many of the statistics that are a given in this book and the anti-immigration community at large, are common when it comes to any population that leaves one country to escape poverty to live in another which is more prosperous and promises a better life. Of course they are often desperate, of course they are less educated, certainly they may not be able to speak English. They are often met with distrust and antagonism by many in their new country thus they will tend to gather together for support and have difficulty assimilating. These are people in a foreign land living within a foreign culture trying to get by. It is hard to go from one culture to another, especially cultures that do not share a common language. Because of this, the first generation is always slower and hesitant to 'assimilate'.
While it is certainly true that first generation immigrants often never fully assimilate or identify with their new country, their children and their childrens children often do. While its true they come because they believe they can make a better life, it is arguable whether America does not also gain a real benefit from their presence. They do not come here because there are no jobs waiting for them here. It seems more likely both sides are benefitting in some way.
While it is certainly true that first generation immigrants often never fully assimilate or identify with their new country, their children and their childrens children often do. While its true they come because they believe they can make a better life, it is arguable whether America does not also gain a real benefit from their presence. They do not come here because there are no jobs waiting for them here. It seems more likely both sides are benefitting in some way.
This book has become a favored source to quote by groups who oppose immigration from the overtly bigoted mexicans-go-home.com to those who attempt to put forth anti-immigration sentiment in a more academic tone like the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). CIS, FAIR, NumbersUSA, Pro English, Social Contract Press, U.S. English, and many other related groups were either organized by, founded by, or co-founded by Mr. John Tanton, a retired dentist who is a fervent and active opponent to immigration as well as a proponent of eugenics and selective breeding. He also helps fund many more like minded groups through his organization U.S. Inc. All these groups have roughly the same goal, to illustrate the dangers of immigration, the threat of immigrants to the white, English speaking population of the United States and to safeguard this population through legislation.
These days such sentiments seem to be more and more prevalent. It has become quite common to hear people place all of America’s woes at the feet of the Mexican immigrant often without regard to whether they are here legally or illegally. It has become a very active movement directed against one vilified ethnic group who is seen as a major threat. So many people have come to see Mexicans as a faceless horde that is of one mind and malicious ambition. They have only one goal, to take over America or destroy it trying. Most disturbingly they are often equated by these people with rodents or cockroaches.
Viewing these people as a whole like animals is one of many characteristics of the growing anti-Mexican movement that mirrors earlier malignant racial ethnic movements of the past. Today we are witnessing strong nationalist rhetoric coupled with xenophobia, a minority segment of the population of foreign origin declared to be the root of all a nations woes, and an ever growing number of people calling for laws that would directly affect this population.
When we can equate a group of people with animals such as rodents or insects, they become less than human in our eyes. If they are like rats and roaches, we can treat them as such and what do we do to rats and roaches? We exterminate them.
This sentiment becomes even more alarming when people in government echo it. When Tennessee State Rep. Curry Todd objected to the birthright citizenship clause in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, he suggested that pregnant immigrants will "multiply" like "rats". To the disappointment of the good folks at mexicans-go-home.com, he later apologized saying he should have used, what he must see as the far less objectionable term, "anchor babies" instead. One gets the feeling he does not see equating immigrants with rats as being so wrong, that he was not apologizing for the sentiment but for saying it in mixed company.
When Mr. Curry Todd likened the breading habits of Immigrants to those of the rat, he was far from alone in this opinion. He was probably speaking for many of his constituents and certainly for many across this nation as so many have come out to defend him. Although he apologized, it is certain he thinks in these terms. Many people believe he was simply stating the plain truth and the truth hurts sometimes. Any criticism is seen as people trying to suppress his freedom of speech. In reality he is without doubt entitled to express his opinions and if people hear something that strikes them as disturbing, they also enjoy the freedom to strongly protest. Freedom of speech protects you from those who would rob you of your right to say whatever you wish no matter how objectionable, it does not protect you from the consequences. Those who see such speech as disturbing are equally within their right to strongly object in the strongest terms.
This is not the first time that Americans have vilified an immigrant culture. The Irish, the Italians, the Chinese, they were all cultural groups which were slow to assimilate and were often vilified for many of the same reasons Mexicans are vilified today. The fear of Asians struck a chord and flamed anti-Chinese fervor among white Americans driving many people and their representatives to call for the repeal of birthright citizenship in the mid nineteenth century. The fear of the Chinese and other Asian races were based on the difference of their culture. As Justice John Marshall Harlan stated “there is a race so different than our own that we do not permit those belonging to it to become citizens of the United States . . . I allude to the Chinese race.” A common reason given for this fear of Asians was that the Chinese and other 'Mongoloid' races would over run our nation and pollute our gene pool.
Whatever you think about immigrants, their children, either legal or illegal, remember they are all individual unique living human beings. They are someone's mother, father, son or daughter. They are a population as diverse as any other. Do not lose your own humanity by debasing the humanity of others out of fear, anger or frustration.
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