I think a lot of this is special pleading by Latin Americans who don’t understand that most people don’t see illegal entry followed by a couple of decades of off the books living as a charming origin story. These stories often have the grandma or “abuela” aspect- they seem to think that they’re the only people on earth with grandmothers. Not a huge deal but mildly off putting.
There’s also a certain paternalism towards Latin American immigrants from upper middle class whites, who get the positives of cheap labour without the negative aspects in their schools, neighborhoods, etc. They seem to enjoy exercising lordly benevolence, or maternal instincts in the case of women. Sort of like the new Pope Leo and his beloved Peruvians.
(Incidentally I visited Peru and found people generally likeable and friendly, but also noticed the hotel staff writing down the licence of the taxi that came to take me to the airport and the taxi driver nervously looking around at a red light, ready to gun it at a sign of trouble.)
Ain't that the truth. The problem is, it works. It's why they keep going with it. People in the West are quite sympathetic to the plight of others. At the same time, I think you hit the point of diminishing returns with this sort of appeal rather quickly. People don't have boundless, limitless compassion, if for no other reason than the fact we all have our own lives and problems to worry about.
The "abuela" aspect of it is annoying and manipulative. They'll make all sorts of snide remarks about American culture and families while whining about how evil it is to deport abuela. The notion that this is also some sort of competition, where if you manage to stay in the country illegally for 20 years, you've won the challenge, is childish.
Well-off Whites see themselves sharing kinship with Latin American immigrants, even Third World African and Middle Eastern migrants. Of course, it's entirely performative, but when they're in a performative mode, they really believe it, and that makes it all the more troubling. Otherwise, it's the old, "OMG WHY DO YOU CARE SO MUCH ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE???" As though the entire message of liberals is that we must care about others, even when it doesn't affect us.
"Expecting people to obey the law is the bare minimum for being a member of any society."
As you've often mentioned, broad voluntary compliance with the law is an requirement of our society, as we lack the ability to create compliance by force. Even George Wallace's forced compliance to Brown v Board during the Civil Rights era was mostly performative; Bull Conner told the KKK to stay away or they'd be arrested. They knew they were going to lose but needed to put on a good show to get re-elected. Since voluntary compliance with law is so important in a republic, uniform enforcement of the law is critical.
I suggest that "Is immigration an emergency?" is the wrong question. If you wait until it's an emergency, it's too late; by definition, an emergency is something that strains your resources to the breaking point. As you say, "The whole idea is to avoid getting to where Europe is today." Europe is gone. I hate to say that, but they are. I'm telling my kids to go see Paris while they can. Because I truly believe Notre Dame will be a mosque (like Hagia Sophia) within their lifetime and maybe even mine (I'm 51).
Your metaphor is a correct one: Islamic immigration is a cancer on Western Europe. No one wants to hear that. Our ruling class will stick their fingers in their ears and scream "racist" if you suggest it. But reality doesn't care about their feelings.
When you say that most Americans can't comprehend just how many came across the border during the Biden years, I think you're right, but only because the human mind has trouble visualizing numbers, especially in the millions. If we say it was... 4 million (I believe I read that somewhere, not confident, though), most people can't grasp just how much that really is. Sure, it's a big number, mind boggling, even, but difficult to visualize. I feel like if quantifiers were added it would help really sell it. You'd have to fill AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the largest stadium in the NFL, 40 times to fit them all. It's larger than the population of almost half the states. It'd be tantamount to importing the entire populations of Oregon, Kentucky, or Louisiana. Maybe then people might wake up to what an "emergency" really is, whatever the number may be.
Also, as an aside, I've been in Japan recently and it's shocking to see how a country that actually keeps tabs on not just immigration, but inter-country travel in general. When you show up, you have to tell them where you're going, how long you have to be there, etc. It's not particularly grueling or intensive, but every hotel you check into requires your passport, and you have to have it everywhere you go in case a police officer asks for it. And if you just so happen to have left it in the hotel room? Well, I imagine most of the time they won't boot you out of the country immediately, but they're well within their rights to take you to immigration right then and there and send you out of the country on the next outbound flight. They pretty much keep track of you the entire time you're there and I imagine if your passport isn't registered as leaving the country the day you told them you were leaving (and a solid date of departure is required to even enter the country), their immigration authorities would come looking for you.
Friends I was with thought this was a bit much, but I disagree. Just an interesting disparity between the way the Japanese treat foreigners in their country versus the United States. Kind of makes you realize, as do a lot of things in Japan, that we really don't have to have these issues, and even the barest minimum measures would go a long way to curb these issues.
I think a lot of this is special pleading by Latin Americans who don’t understand that most people don’t see illegal entry followed by a couple of decades of off the books living as a charming origin story. These stories often have the grandma or “abuela” aspect- they seem to think that they’re the only people on earth with grandmothers. Not a huge deal but mildly off putting.
There’s also a certain paternalism towards Latin American immigrants from upper middle class whites, who get the positives of cheap labour without the negative aspects in their schools, neighborhoods, etc. They seem to enjoy exercising lordly benevolence, or maternal instincts in the case of women. Sort of like the new Pope Leo and his beloved Peruvians.
(Incidentally I visited Peru and found people generally likeable and friendly, but also noticed the hotel staff writing down the licence of the taxi that came to take me to the airport and the taxi driver nervously looking around at a red light, ready to gun it at a sign of trouble.)
Ain't that the truth. The problem is, it works. It's why they keep going with it. People in the West are quite sympathetic to the plight of others. At the same time, I think you hit the point of diminishing returns with this sort of appeal rather quickly. People don't have boundless, limitless compassion, if for no other reason than the fact we all have our own lives and problems to worry about.
The "abuela" aspect of it is annoying and manipulative. They'll make all sorts of snide remarks about American culture and families while whining about how evil it is to deport abuela. The notion that this is also some sort of competition, where if you manage to stay in the country illegally for 20 years, you've won the challenge, is childish.
Well-off Whites see themselves sharing kinship with Latin American immigrants, even Third World African and Middle Eastern migrants. Of course, it's entirely performative, but when they're in a performative mode, they really believe it, and that makes it all the more troubling. Otherwise, it's the old, "OMG WHY DO YOU CARE SO MUCH ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE???" As though the entire message of liberals is that we must care about others, even when it doesn't affect us.
"Expecting people to obey the law is the bare minimum for being a member of any society."
As you've often mentioned, broad voluntary compliance with the law is an requirement of our society, as we lack the ability to create compliance by force. Even George Wallace's forced compliance to Brown v Board during the Civil Rights era was mostly performative; Bull Conner told the KKK to stay away or they'd be arrested. They knew they were going to lose but needed to put on a good show to get re-elected. Since voluntary compliance with law is so important in a republic, uniform enforcement of the law is critical.
I suggest that "Is immigration an emergency?" is the wrong question. If you wait until it's an emergency, it's too late; by definition, an emergency is something that strains your resources to the breaking point. As you say, "The whole idea is to avoid getting to where Europe is today." Europe is gone. I hate to say that, but they are. I'm telling my kids to go see Paris while they can. Because I truly believe Notre Dame will be a mosque (like Hagia Sophia) within their lifetime and maybe even mine (I'm 51).
Your metaphor is a correct one: Islamic immigration is a cancer on Western Europe. No one wants to hear that. Our ruling class will stick their fingers in their ears and scream "racist" if you suggest it. But reality doesn't care about their feelings.
When you say that most Americans can't comprehend just how many came across the border during the Biden years, I think you're right, but only because the human mind has trouble visualizing numbers, especially in the millions. If we say it was... 4 million (I believe I read that somewhere, not confident, though), most people can't grasp just how much that really is. Sure, it's a big number, mind boggling, even, but difficult to visualize. I feel like if quantifiers were added it would help really sell it. You'd have to fill AT&T Stadium in Dallas, the largest stadium in the NFL, 40 times to fit them all. It's larger than the population of almost half the states. It'd be tantamount to importing the entire populations of Oregon, Kentucky, or Louisiana. Maybe then people might wake up to what an "emergency" really is, whatever the number may be.
Also, as an aside, I've been in Japan recently and it's shocking to see how a country that actually keeps tabs on not just immigration, but inter-country travel in general. When you show up, you have to tell them where you're going, how long you have to be there, etc. It's not particularly grueling or intensive, but every hotel you check into requires your passport, and you have to have it everywhere you go in case a police officer asks for it. And if you just so happen to have left it in the hotel room? Well, I imagine most of the time they won't boot you out of the country immediately, but they're well within their rights to take you to immigration right then and there and send you out of the country on the next outbound flight. They pretty much keep track of you the entire time you're there and I imagine if your passport isn't registered as leaving the country the day you told them you were leaving (and a solid date of departure is required to even enter the country), their immigration authorities would come looking for you.
Friends I was with thought this was a bit much, but I disagree. Just an interesting disparity between the way the Japanese treat foreigners in their country versus the United States. Kind of makes you realize, as do a lot of things in Japan, that we really don't have to have these issues, and even the barest minimum measures would go a long way to curb these issues.
Great article. Thanks for the examples and insights.
"This stuff is so simple, I feel stupid for having to explain it."-HAHA!!!
This whole article was great!! Thank you for stating the obvious. Emotional blackmail must be resisted.
Propagandistic emotional blackmail is destroying western civilization. So far.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/80-french-women-want-army-deployed-french-cities-protect-them