Hubris isn’t anything that is singular to
Americans demand the right to be free from persecution, yet many feel justified in persecuting others. They put forth many arguments put forward in an attempt to justify this persecution. They are the same arguments that have been put forward since this great country began over 200 years ago to villify certain groups of people. These arguments have been used to oppress and repress peoples and relegate them to a position in our society where we can maintain our superiority. We need the labor these groups bring to fuel our economic growth, yet we hate them because we need them, and because they seem, in our categorical way of seeing foreigners, “so different.”
The current issue of “illegal” immigration is a perfect example of this. In our hubris, Americans have decided some transgressions are more egregious than others. Speeding through a residential neighborhood to get to the grocery store is OK. Leaving ones car in the fire lane while one runs in to grab a few groceries is OK. Crossing an arbitrary border in search of work is a vile transgression worthy of being hunted down, humiliated and deported. Never mind that the transgression is a violation of administrative law and not a felony nor a misdemeanor.
What is the fear of others that drives us to such passionate persecution? Were the Mormons or the Cherokee so evil it was necessary to run them from their homes and force them to march across the country so they could continue to live? Were the Irish all that bad, in the end? What about the Polish or any other eastern European nationality? In retrospect all these groups have brought good to our nation, despite coming in larger numbers than we wanted and none ever really threatened our national well being.
The truth be told, our segregation of peoples during times of immigration leads to more problems than if we just welcomed and accepted them. Gangs and organized crime often grow out of such segregation. Poverty and drug dependence among these groups are, in part, an outgrowth of this segregation. And yet we continue to segregate and discriminate in the name of national security and national “unity.”
In the end, we eventually come to accept these “strangers,” integrate their customs and culture into our own, and claim superiority over the rest of the world for our “melting pot” culture. We took pizza and made it an American staple. Sausages and sauerkraut are common at football game tailgate parties. Tacos and fajitas are now almost more commonly sought than hamburgers.
Many “solutions” have been proposed to rid ourselves of these new “strangers.” The most ridiculous and indicative of American hubris is a wall along our southern border. But those who call for this wall only want it on our souther border because illegal immigration surely has no provenance from a country whose citizens are mostly white and speak English.
A second solution isn’t really a solution at all, but maintenance of the status quo. This means we keep our ridiculous quotas on immigration in place and refuse to recognize the need for labor our economy has. A third solution has been proposed, one that radically changes the way of thinking – open the borders and allow a “free flow” of immigrants on a temporary basis and more orderly basis.
It is this last proposal that has the most chance of effecting any real change on “national security.” An open border policy shouldn’t be interpreted as allowing everyone to cross wherever they want. Instead checkpoints are established where a person can be checked. With computer databases and agreements with friendly countries we can verify a person isn’t a criminal before letting them in to contribute to our growing economy. Criminals and agents from unfriendly countries would be turned away. The only way for them to gain entry for whatever nefarious purpose would be through other, monitorable channels, such as are now used by all. By opening the borders through checkpoints, only criminals would try to cross anywhere other than the checkpoints.
The positive to this plan, other than the obvious benefit to our economy, is that it would reduce human trafficking. Though it would be an exaggeration to label all this trafficking as slave running, that does occur. Illegal human trafficking presents the lecherous with opportunities to abuse and mistreat those whom they are trafficking.
It is time to overcome our hubris and embrace our brothers to the south. We should accept their contributions to our economy, accept their taxes, and accept their food. We should reject the notion they present a danger to our security or our way of life.
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