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  1. #1
    Senior Member Brian503a's Avatar
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    Taking issue with the word 'illegal'

    http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/ne ... 092133.php

    Friday, April 7, 2006

    Taking issue with the word 'illegal'

    By ANH DO
    The Orange County Register

    "Illegal" is popping up on the news, on the streets, here and everywhere, as Congress debates landmark bills while segments of society speak up for and against a massive overhaul of the immigration system.

    I listen to both sides and I'm amazed at how the term is used to make an impression, like SAT vocabulary.

    But at the heart of the national debate are men, women and children. Human beings can't be labeled illegal - only actions.

    "Absolutely, absolutely," says Jean Libby, a retired history teacher and ethnic studies specialist who just e-mailed Newsweek magazine, protesting what she finds "inflammatory" language in its new issue. She wrote: "Illegals and other language of privilege (such as "who deserves to stay?") is not conducive to objective examination of immigration.

    "It is possible to write about people and issues without using offensive language," she noted, as she has proven while researching and writing about African-Americans and Vietnamese-Americans.

    Still, she continues to hear such language, in "conversations at school, conversations at work, conversations out and about," she says. Moreover, she is bothered when many non-Latinos silently wonder about the immigration status of any Latino they meet.

    "And it's more than a question. It's a perception, it's a prejudice" worsened by labels such as "illegal." She cautions that people need to think twice before opening their mouths, before their assumptions get the better of them.

    Just as we avoid the N-word for blacks, Libby says we should avoid the I-word because it is "a means of separating," a means of showing "who is superior."

    It's a "shock technique," she said. Dirty and derogatory.

    She follows an advisory from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, endorsed by the Asian American Journalists Association, asking the press to be careful when describing undocumented individuals.

    "Any reference to illegals or illegal aliens can heighten xenophobia," the statement said, along with putting "the lives and well-being of all non-U.S. citizens (undocumented and documented) in this country at risk by suggesting they are criminals."

    I agree with the AAJA that millions of Asian-Americans - as well as other Americans - are directly or indirectly affected by the proposed federal laws, combining beefed-up protection at the border, a guest-worker program and a plan to allow nearly 12 million immigrants who came to the United States without permission to earn their way to citizenship. And because so many of us are involved, it's critical we avoid casting a wide net with insensitive labels.

    Julian Do, Southern California representative for New America Media, a coalition of ethnic media, has his own worries.

    "There's a strong consciousness of foreigners after Sept. 11," he says, "and so the term 'illegal' becomes associated with security risks. It's unfortunate because if it's someone crossing the border, and they did so illegally, it's a crime but not a serious crime like a felony."

    The underlying cause, he believes, is fear, "a fear that they drain the resources of the country by being in the country."

    If you look at the statistics, it's clear that illegal immigration is out of control, with an estimated 850,000 adults and minors entering the U.S annually - more than double when compared with the 1980s and early '90s. It's also clear that legislators, the target of lobbyists and hundreds of thousands of "vote yes, vote no" voices, have monumental decisions to make.

    Let's hope that when voters are trying to influence their elected representatives, to push their buttons - no matter which side they're on - they push with the right words.
    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at http://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  2. #2
    BldHnd's Avatar
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    Now i read this and then read this again and I just could not find any reason not to use the term Illegal Immigrant when that is what they are. What part of the word Illegal does this person not understand. Security risk hell they are that and much more they are Terrorist because they attempt to hold Our nation hostage to provide them with care and services that Our own Legal Citizens do not get.
    Your Rights END where MY Rights Begin. You have NO Rights if You Are ILLEGAL.

  3. #3
    Senior Member gofer's Avatar
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    Don't you call a person that is not authorized to live in an apartment a "illegal occupant."? A person without a driver's license, a "illegal driver."?
    A person without a hunting license a "illegal hunter?" I've never heard of an "undocumented" driver, hunter, fisherman, occupant, or any such thing.
    Am I confused??

  4. #4
    Senior Member MopheadBlue's Avatar
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    The writer is a puppet for the open borders lobby, it seems.

    Per the article, look who she's taking her "writing directives" from!

    "She follows an advisory from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, endorsed by the Asian American Journalists Association, asking the press to be careful when describing undocumented individuals."

    Maybe someone can drop an e-mail to Ms. Do about her misunderstanding of the word "illegal." :P

    From her bio on Orange County Times:

    This column on Asian communities and cultures appears every other Friday in Local. Please contact Do at nvdailynews@gmail.com.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Mamie's Avatar
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    "It is possible to write about people and issues without using offensive language," she noted, as she has proven while researching and writing about African-Americans and Vietnamese-Americans.
    how can all these people that claim to be so intelligent be so ignorant? Did it ever occur to her during her research about African-Americans and Vietnamese-Americans that these people were actually Americans?
    "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it" George Santayana "Deo Vindice"

  6. #6
    Senior Member MopheadBlue's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mamie
    "It is possible to write about people and issues without using offensive language," she noted, as she has proven while researching and writing about African-Americans and Vietnamese-Americans.
    how can all these people that claim to be so intelligent be so ignorant? Did it ever occur to her during her research about African-Americans and Vietnamese-Americans that these people were actually Americans?
    "stupid is as stupid does"

    ...forrest gump

  7. #7
    Senior Member rebellady1964's Avatar
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    I've not got my sportsman license renewed yet for this year, I wonder if I go trout fishing tomorrow and get checked by the game wardens, if I could use the term "Undocumented Trout Fisher" and get out of huge ticket? Hmmmm......it would be fun to try that but I can guarantee you, I'd get the ticket anyway!
    "My ancestors gave their life for America, the least I can do is fight to preserve the rights they died for"

  8. #8
    Senior Member gofer's Avatar
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    Hey, if you get drugs without a prescription or use street drugs, I guess that makes you an "undocumented drug user".

  9. #9
    Senior Member gofer's Avatar
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    [quote]"Any reference to illegals or illegal aliens can heighten xenophobia,"...by suggesting they are criminals."

    It's not a "suggestion."

  10. #10
    Senior Member rebellady1964's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gofer
    Hey, if you get drugs without a prescription or use street drugs, I guess that makes you an "undocumented drug user".
    I know some people who might actually try to use that one
    "My ancestors gave their life for America, the least I can do is fight to preserve the rights they died for"

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