If we have ever heard of anti-immigrant climate before, there is no
doubt we are much worst from the last time you heard that. Not only
there is a growing anti-immigrant feeling, but it’s definitely an
anti-Latino sentiment that is taking the nation.
Today, a password-protected sign in Florida was hacked and read “NO LATINOS” and “NO TACOS”. Many people might say, “so what? What’s the big deal?” Well the problem is not that is the most discriminatory thing that has happened to the Latino community lately (Still remember SB1070?), but it shows how blunt and public a public discourse of discrimination is becoming.
“Nobody died because of the sign!” someone told me today. Well, I know that, but I also know that someone did die a couple of weeks ago, someone killed presumably because of an argument that the person had on the new anti-immigrant law in Arizona. Somebody did die last year when a Mexican immigrant father and her daughter were killed by a couple of anti-immigrant minutemen in southern Arizona.
The anti-immigrant climate caused by the Arizona law has elevated the rhetoric against immigrants in the country, tied always to the Latino community. What would happen if a sign like that was directed against the African-American community? Would they effectively come out against it? Would the NAACP organize a press conference by tomorrow? Would they organize better in dire times like the ones the Latino community is currently living? Would they form better coalitions, and make this a human rights issue? Probably nobody can answer those questions, probably nobody will die from the elevated rhetoric, probably we just say SI Se Puede and it seems we believe it less. But one thing is for sure, the debate is heated, and there is a fire vs. fire battle going on from both sides, and strategic thinking is not being part of the debate, only emotions, deep emotions.
(via ILikeBreaks.com)
