And here we are, for me, an immigrant, student first, wife next, citizen after that, arriving on these shores for utilitarian reasons, as did the relatives ahead of me, to find opportunities and education not available to people like me. I'm a war baby, WW II, and saw my relatives leave their homeland for better lives. So, America became a beacon for anyone who had hope, and was willing to risk everything to pursue a dream.
Was that dream shuttered after this election? The political rhetoric surely spoke harshly about immigrants and refugees. A whole party threatened to deport people and shut down borders for any immigrant who wasn't white and rich and really not in need.
The sign on the Statue of Liberty should now read:
Send Us Your Smart and White and Rich and Beautiful. The rest of you, don't bother apply.
I do hope campaign rhetoric was just that.
I do hope that we are all made of better stuff.
17 comments:
This election has left a lot of us feeling that the America we knew has been violently swept aside. I hope we're wrong. Time will tell.
I hope so too.
Interestingly we are learning that our Government has come to some arrangement with your current Government to accept some asylum seekers who I believe we have treated atrociously. I suspect they are almost all moslem...
Sorry, I think "illegal" is the issue. I know quite a few people from Costa Rica and Mexico, who are here LEGALLY living and working and are not rich. . Also, being "white" or "Hispanic" are not mutually exclusive. The census bureau considers the majority of hispanics and Latinos to be white. Millions of people immigrate to our country every year LEGALLY. Why should there be exceptions?
Would you leave your doors unlocked so anyone could come and go from your home at will?
I am of Native American and French descent. My ancestors (the French ones) arrived in this country under the laws in effect at the time. I am assuming you also arrived lawfully.
I fail to understand why anyone would think we should just turn a blind eye. Special consideration should be given only for the innocents who were brought here as minors and had no choice in their relocation.
I hope so too. Watch and wait, I guess.
it is an urgent time for compassion and community. it wouldn't hurt to hear it from the top, but regardless, we must keep at it in our own spheres.
I can only hope that the office will make him rethink what he said during the campaign. God help us all if he follows through on everything he said.
Hi Rosaria - the world has turned upside down ... and I certainly feel for all those threatened in anyway with their existence wherever they might be in the world. I too hope sense will prevail ... but am not sure common sense is around much now ... cheers and let's spread hope and compassion - Hilary
I dunno Rosaria, some things about this election are inevitable while others are an egregious thought patter taken hold in the excitement. Oddly enough Trump will accede to the White House, we'll know trouble, if he signs every bill Ryan and McConnell forward. We have been in regression for a few of decades now but there is still reason to hope. We may never see the changes the Millennials want but *meh* we were never able to truly agree on anything post WWII.
Sincerely hoping it was all bluff and that sanity will prevail.
I come from a very cosmopolitan city and I cannot. for the life of me, understand why people cannot all get on and live and let live.
I am ashamed sometimes to be called a human being.
Maggie x
I hope so too Rosaria but I'm not optimistic.
I hope you are right, that we are made of better stuff. I try to be optimistic but I am feeling disheartened at the moment.
My family...Grandparents...were immigrants who came and made a life here. Not speaking any English, not being able to read even Greek or English, but became citizens and worked hard and sent all the kids to college. I'm proud of that heritage and try to honor them by also being a good citizen. I'm just tired of all the hate and fighting instead of people going to their communities with their sleeves rolled up to work hard to make their corner of this world better. Looking inward and changing our personal attitudes and then doing more service for others. I have hope that we will go forward as a nation and hopefully love and peace can be part of that equation.
Yes Rosaria, it is quite sad. The world has been shocked and the US is falling from its pedestal. As for the Statue of Liberty – I have read in French media that many French people think that it should be returned to France now. It was sent as a gift to the USA as a symbol of freedom to all. But now with all the walls and fences and all the harsh words about foreigners, refugees and immigrants – it is not such a great symbol or a refuge for “the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse … the homeless …” I think that my French great-grand mother who gave her savings when young to help build the statue in Paris would be quite upset. Is it now time to repatriate the statue, send it back home ?
P.S. I was not kidding – on French twitter there are many messages like this “tu peux nous renvoyer la statue de la Liberté par chrono post stp ? Merci.” (Can you return the Statue of Liberty by post, please? Thanks.” And “Excusez-nous, dernier petit truc. On voudrait juste récupérer la Statue de la Liberté » (Excuse us, just a last little detail. We would like to get back the Statue of Liberty) and many more twits like this - I hope D. Trump reads them since he loves to twit …
I believe the majority of us are made of better stuff than the hate mongering trump and his ilk espouse - and that it will serve as a catalyst to mobilize folks to prove that love trumps hate.
So do I. So do I....
What Troutbirder said. You summed it all up so well.
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