Hate is one of those social crimes that every society is guilty of, but few people want to be openly associated with. Sometimes it lives in shadows behind the scene, sometimes it is coded and boasted about like a badge of honor. Each flavor of hate, from which there are many, has it’s own special language. We all need to be aware when someone wears a mask of civility, but in reality they harbor no good will.
I am compiling a list of these terms and phrases along with their meanings and put them together in an ebook. I will also include some suggestions of what to do when you encounter someone using this language in the hopes of guiding our national dialogue into a more constructive direction.
Mexican- This term is used to group all Latino’s into one big group. It’s easier to hate everyone if you just lump them all together. That way it’s not necessary to ask someone if they are from Mexico or any one of the Central or South American countries and then figure out how they feel about each one separately.1 If you Google “immigration” you will find hundreds of articles about there being 11 or 12 million illegal immigrants from Mexico, when really they are only one nation we get immigrants from, and not all of them are undocumented.
This is truly unfortunate for the people who are from Mexico, to have their nationality specifically associated with such anger and contempt. Associating Mexican with illegal alien has become so commonplace that many Mexicans appear surprised and even insulted when the title Mexican is used in their presence. When the nationality of a single race is singled out and associated with condemnation so often that it sounds like the mere mention of the country is an insult, it becomes very difficult to change the dialogue to a more compassionate one, which is what is going to have to happen in order to take the first steps towards any progress in this whole immigration issue. This needs to be stopped now.
How to combat this-
If you are from Mexico, you have every right to be proud of your heritage, just like many Americans who boast of being Italian, or Irish, or Jewish, Polish, Scottish, Welsh, German, French, etc. . . Stand up and take back the name of your country by using it proudly in your speech. Let the world know that being a Mexican is as good as being from any other country.
If you are not from Mexico- Politely stop them and make it clear what country you are from. Your country is just as good as any other too. Every country has something that their citizens can be proud of. Don’t allow people to lump you together with the ones they think they hate, making it easier to disparage your character, customs or heritage along with somebody else’s. Letting them know where you come from will make it much tougher for them to do that.
A word of caution: Some people may not be aware that they are doing this. When even the news media does this it could have innocently been picked up by people who just don’t know better. Try to educate, not humiliate and infuriate. If they purposely continue to use Mexican when they speak of undocumented immigrants, just walk away and let them swim in the cesspool they fill with hate each and every day.
Disagree? Did I forget something? Leave a comment below the post. I will curate the best input from the public and include it in the ebook, as well as give you credit for it.
1 According to DHS Estimated Illegal Immigrant Population for Top Twenty Countries of Origin
and Top Twenty States of Residence in 2009:
2009 %
All countries …….. 10,750,000 100
Mexico ……………. 6,650,000 62
El Salvador ………. 530,000 5
Guatemala ………. 480,000 4
Honduras. . . . . . . 320,000 3
Philippines ……….. 270,000 2
India ………….. .. 200,000 2
Korea …………. .. 200,000 2
Ecuador …………… 170,000 2
Brazil ………….. … 150,000 1
China …………………..120,000 1
Other ………. ….. 1,650,000 15
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