Language debate
I want to thank you for your cover story “Drop the I Word” (July 5) this past week. Joining the campaign clearly states that you take your power of words seriously and consciously. As a media outlet, it was great to see you give the two viewpoints on the issue because your readers can then make an informed decision for their personal opinions.
After reading the article, I made a decision to join the campaign and “Drop the I Word.” The main reason I decided to join the campaign was a particular combination of the authors’ articles. Mr. Hager states that “I’ll go as far as saying illegal is completely race-neutral. Germans, Chinese, Kuwaitis, Mexicans and Americans can all become illegals simply by moving from one country to another without navigating the appropriate bureaucratic red tape.” Ms. McKenzie stated, “At one time, ‘colored’ was a respectful way to describe African Americans. Today, it seems antiquated and makes the user sound ignorant.” When you place the two statements next to each other, it critically pushed my personal viewpoints.
Mr. Hager argues that “illegal” is race-neutral, but can anyone truly admit that it is in his/her mind? As a supporter of the campaign, a supporter of immigration reform, a supporter of the Dream Act, a supporter of Deferred Action, I can honestly say that when I hear the word “illegal,” my mind pictures a Latino, older gentleman as a day laborer. How many people can honestly say that “illegal” is truly race-neutral in their minds? How many people, when hearing the word “illegal,” do not conjure up an image of a person that looks a particular way? How many times do you see people of a certain race and think they are probably “illegal?”
Maybe I am just a little ignorant about the immigrant population, but then I realize that is not the reason behind the way my mind configures “illegal.” I come from a family that emigrated from Ireland in the 1980s. I know a great deal of undocumented white, Irish people. So, if I as a person, who personally knows how broad the race spectrum of undocumented people is, have a biased outlook on the word “illegal,” then what does everyone else’s look like? Does the word “illegal” in your mind become tied to border control on the U.S.-Mexico border? Do you look at a group of day laborers working in your neighborhood and think they may be “illegal?”
“Illegal” is an offensive term because to the majority of people, it is not race-neutral. It is a way of labeling specific people, who look a certain way. “Illegal” is an offensive term because it carries the weight of so much more than a way to describe a person who ” violated accepted legal procedures, nothing more.”
After this email, the word is dropped from my diction. Creative Loafing, I applaud your decision to “Drop the I Word” and I thank you for helping push me as a reader to think of my use of all words.
— Angeline Diamond, Charlotte
This article appears in Jul 11-17, 2012.
If “Latino” is who comes to mind when you hear the word “illegal”, maybe that’s because so many illegal aliens ARE Latinos? And THAT says volumes about the disrespect that Latinos have for the laws of this country.
I get all the touchy feely stuff your saying, but you are missing the bigger picture friend. When you look at all the stress on our economy right now and the fact that most of the displayed legal workers got displayed from low skill, blue collar industries, the last thing we need is an entire Country to our south trying to move here and compete for what few jobs are left in the low skill industries left: service, construction, manufacturing etc. This is presciently what is happening. The jobs we have lost are not from high tech industries that require B.A or Masters degrees. We are shedding blue collar manufacturing, and service industry jobs. If we had an entire Country to our South of well educated English speaking people bringing technology, innovation and business acumen to our work places we would welcome it and it would only enhance our economy. But this is not the case. What we have is an illegal population boom of low skill workers that are trying to compete at lower wages to take jobs away from the low skill legal working class that we have here. This is where the problem lies and anyone that doesn’t see this for what it is, is a fucking moron!