Rural Populations Are a Bunch of Disrespectful, Hateful Bigots When it Comes to Immigrants

Your tips are greatly appreciated! Upgrade at 30% offI attended the public meeting to discuss the direction of our local school system. During the time allotted for comments, I stood up and looked around at a room filled with white faces.“Do we all agree that one of our core values is that our kids need to feel welcome at school?”There were a few passive nods, so I continued.“We can agree on that right? We're all parents. We all want our children to have access to an equal opportunity. We want everyone to acknowledge that their lives are important, and they should feel accepted at school, and that school should be a safe place for them. That's not too much to ask is it? We should all be able to agree that's a noble ambition for us to aim for, right?”This time there was plenty of agreement.“So,” I added, “let me pose a question to you. I wonder if you believe that immigrants feel welcome in our community? Stop for a moment and ask yourself how you think immigrants must feel. I mean, we like to think of ourselves as good and caring people. We think of ourselves as salt of the Earth. We brag about how we'd take the shirt off our own back to help out somebody in need We look out for our neighbors, we work hard, we think we do the right thing. But do you believe that's true? How do you think that the immigrants living in the United States of America would judge our behavior?”Instantly, the room became decidedly uncomfortable.The people didn't like this question. But I couldn't see any reason why I shouldn't have asked it. I watched them for a while as they tensed up and glanced furtively around.“If you had to give yourself a grade for how welcoming our community has been to immigrants, what would it be?”Now they were muttering and angry.“What do you think? Maybe about average? Maybe a C? Certainly you can't try to suggest that our community deserves an A. You can't seriously believe that our conduct has been exemplary when it comes to our treatment of immigrants.”Lots of hard looks now.“What do you think? Better than average? Below average? Do any of you think that we've completely failed? Is the idea that the United States of America could completely fail even something any of you would consider?”The troubling thing is that I got the sense that many of them clung to the delusional belief that the way our society treated immigrants was better than average. We live in a society where if you slap the “made in America” logo on any product, people will insist it's the best right up to the moment when it actually comes time to buy.When it comes to the choice of how they'll spend their money, they look elsewhere.“Well, let me tell you what I think,” I said. “My background is that I'm the husband of an immigrant. I've observed my wife here for more than a decade. I've observed the way she's been treated by this community, and I'll tell you this.”I paused and looked around and saw a few glances that seemed to suggest a veiled threat. It was as if they were telling me, “Don't you dare. There will be consequences. These are things we don't talk about.”I said, “Yes, for the most part, people are accommodating.”There was sigh of released tension.“However,” I continued, “I want you all to be aware that when we first came here, on average, she endured 5-10 instances of racism per year. But in the last few years, that's grown to 15-20. I'm talking about road rage. I'm talking about hateful comments when she's out grocery shopping. I'm talking about other forms of threatening behavior, discrimination, and hostility. Today it's far more likely that somebody will come up to her and ask her if she's here legally. If she says that she is, do you think the hostility goes away?”The crowd looked at me blankly as I shook my head slowly in the negative.“Do you think being here legally is any protection against racism and hatred and intolerance?”The crowd was uncomfortable. That was good. They deserved to be uncomfortable for the evil they'd enabled. They deserved to be aware of it, because no matter how uncomfortable they felt, it was nothing close to the way immigrants are routinely made to feel in this bigoted, racist society.“I'm here to tell you that there are times when my wife feels her life is threatened. Now, let's set that aside for a second and consider. If you lived in a community what would be an appropriate number of times per year that you'd like to see your children assaulted? What would be an average performance? Would you consider being harassed 10 times a year as pretty acceptable?”Now the faces were decidedly hostile. They didn't answer. They didn't shake their heads in the negative. They just glared at me.“Well, how about five to six times a year? Is that okay?”Still silence.“Of course it's not okay,” I said. “The correct answer, the only appropriate answer is zero, and it's unfortunate that our community is so indoctrinated with racism that I have to frame this argument in the context of white people for you to even understand. So, getting back to my wife's experience, how welcome do you think this community makes immigrants feel?”Nobody answered.“In truth, she probably would say better than average. I'm sure there are other countries in the world that make immigrants feel worse. But before you start patting yourself on the back, let's just acknowledge that there are many people in our community who don't care what an immigrant thinks. They don't care. The media and politicians takes swipes at immigrants every day and few people object. Do you think there might be consequences for our indifference? Do you think that might trickle down and make our community uncomfortable for your children too?”By now we were in confrontation territory. But people are reluctant to engage in confrontation, so they just sat there seething.“The simple fact is that the only perspective the majority of the people in our community are interested in hearing is the perspective of white people. That's why I'm talking right now. I'm invoking my white privilege to give you my assessment of how good this community has done. My grade, based on what I've seen, based on my observations of the people in our community is that we've failed. You don't make immigrants feel welcome. The actions of this community have been deplorable. You get an F.”At this point, probably 90% of the room had checked out, but there were maybe 10% who listened to me with clear emotion on their faces. So, I continued for them.“The actions of our community are not acceptable. You don't do enough. You're not what you think you are. You're not the good, honest, hardworking people who would give the shirt off your back. Instead, you're the type of people who see others struggling and you drive right on by. That's the truth about our country. I'm not going to participate in the lie any longer. Because if any of you had to endure witnessing your child being assaulted five or ten times a year, you would say that was unacceptable. But since it's not happening to you, since it's happening to immigrants and other marginalized groups in our country, you turn a blind eye. You're willing to sit there and contentedly think of yourself as good and decent even though your sense of exceptionalism is a malicious delusion.”It's funny when you live through moments like this. Right when you're on the verge of getting through to people, some malicious force steps in to divert the narrative.There was a cough. There was a, “Thank you for those comments, but moving on...”And the distraction stops the process of reflection, which is as it has always been.But at some point, the American people have to grow up, particularly the rural communities that spitefully elected a completely corrupt human being to the highest office.At some point, our public schools have to find the courage to teach that this nation has never fulfilled its self-imposed mandate for justice, truth, and common decency. Our perception of what we are is so distorted from reality as to be unrecognizable.Injustice happens in plain sight all around us, and we're too willfully ignorant to even pretend we care.Our ability to think of ourselves as good people is derived from our unwillingness to perceive reality.My wife is a better person than I am. She's more gracious. Her criticisms of this country aren't as pointed as mine.But as for me, I'm disgusted. I think this nation has become an embarrassment to humanity. If you don't agree, take a look at the way immigrants are being treated.They're being rounded up and beaten.These are human beings.There are many people in this country who will deny that it's happening.But their denial doesn't make them right.So, if you want to go home tonight and look in the mirror and think of yourself as a good person, you have to recognize that you can't be discriminating about the realities you wish to acknowledge. You either recognize everything, or you take your place alongside the monsters of history.Instead of denying the crimes of our country, we have to correct them. Instead of complaining that you aren't given enough credit, you have to get to work until no human suffering remains. Instead of bemoaning the injustice of it all, you have to demonstrate accountability.Model accountability.Maybe we should further understand that if we aspire to make immigrants feel welcome, that will have the effect that all people from all walks of life, from all religions and all genders, and all sexual orientations will also feel welcome. And maybe we'll begin to understand that should be the objective of a decent society.Maybe, if we found our commitment to that work, we'd create a community that finally upholds the ideals upon which this nation was founded but which it has rarely, if ever, achieved.You all make this newsletter happen! Thanks for your sponsorship! 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