An Odd Source of Pride
I mentioned at the end of my introductory post that I'm a liberal, politically speaking. (That might be the actual wording I used). So, if you were to assume one thing about me, you may assume the following because it's true.
I don't like Donald Trump.
Trumpy (just one of the many nicknames I have for him) was on my "Fuck Him and Everyone Who Looks Like Him," list even before his election. He came across to me as the epitome of Aristocratic Arrogance. I know this is America, and we like to think we don't have "class distinctions," but that's bullshit. We have classes in this country; we just don't like talking about it. It's one of those untouchable subjects we're all aware of but don't discuss. (It's not as bad as race issues or the gender/sexual-identity debate, but it's up there. Don't believe me? Watch this.)
Aristocratic Arrogance, by the way, is what happens when someone, or a group of someones, have so much money, which most of them inherited (not earned themselves but received upon the death of a "beloved" family member), that they seriously begin to believe that their ideas are better than everyone else's. Therefore, they should be the ones in charge. If you just watch the man, you'll see he's a classic case of this.
The bile he spewed during his campaign only intensified my dislike of him (I won't say hate because he's not worth that much attention). Everything he said about women, about global relations, and his economic proposals was like a steroid shot to my contempt; every time he opened his mouth, I felt like Bruce Banner.
But, what affected me the most was his comments regarding immigration and immigrants. Why? Because, on my father's side of the family, I'm a recent import myself.
Now, before I go further, let me explain.
My siblings and I were all born in Honduras, but we were all also born with American Citizenship (thanks Mom). Since we were raised here in the US, we all learned how to speak English, without an accent. My mother, by the way, happens to be a white lady (blonde hair, blue eyes--Hilter would've loved her), and she was the more present of my parents growing up. She was the one who picked us up from school, the one who attended all the PTO meetings, and the one who really did a lot of the raising when we were younger. It wasn't that my father wasn't present. He was. My folks have been married now for 28 years, and as far as I can tell, they still love each other (even though they're both pieces of work). My father simply played the classic father role: he made the money, while mom took care of the kids.
Because of this, I (I can't speak for my siblings. I'm not omniscient), never had to endure the racial hostility some Americans feel towards Latin-Americans. I have no memories of some angry dude, coming up to me and shamelessly calling me a Beaner. It never happened.
But I'm one of the lucky ones. I didn't have to put up with that crap. I'm sure if I had, I would've grown up to be a much angrier person than I am now. I had the benefit of having a white parent, of being able to speak English without an accent, and of even having a white-European name (because let's face it, the name Ian just sounds pasty).
I'm aware of all of this, and I'm also aware that there are many people, who look like me who've had to endure this kind of abuse (because that's what it is). I deeply empathize with them.
I also empathize with the people who've been coming here (and it's not just Latinx/Hispanic people) looking for a new life, new prospects. They come here looking for their "American Dream," but when they get here, their treated frequently as less than human.
America, like humanity itself, is a nest of contradictions; in its current form, it was built by immigrants and the descendants of immigrants, and yet it suffers from a recurring case of xenophobia.
It was that xenophobia that The Great Orange Face tapped into when he promised the devils of America's nature to build a wall across the US-Mexico border and tighten the reigns on immigration policy. It was those devils of America's nature that got him elected.
Shortly after he was, however, TIME magazine began doing cover articles about Trumps' propositions, including one about the wall and immigration through Mexico. Several of them broke down the fiscal side of his proposed wall, shooting holes through it like it was a down-range target in the process. At least as of right now, it doesn't seem likely to become a reality, much to the chagrin of the Mandarin-in-Chief and his voters.
In one of those articles, however, the good folks at TIME also took the liberty of breaking down the percentage make-up of all the illegal immigrants coming through Mexico. The largest percentage, obviously, were actual Mexicans. (Go figure. They're the closet). Smaller percentages came from the countries further south in Central America, including Guatemala and El Salvador. A few even managed to come from as far as Costa Rica.
However, my favorite percentage came directly from the country of my birth, Honduras. According to this article, a full 10% of all illegal immigrants came from Honduras. That's a full 1/10 of all the illegal immigrants. That means a full 1/10 of the Illegal Immigration pain in Mister Cheeto-Head's ass is because of my people.
I know that's a twisted thing to take pride in, but like I said, I don't like Trump. The fact that people originally from my home country are causing him problems just warms my heart.
God bless them, and God bless America.
*No copyright infringment intended. All images are the property of their creators and owners.*
I don't like Donald Trump.
Trumpy (just one of the many nicknames I have for him) was on my "Fuck Him and Everyone Who Looks Like Him," list even before his election. He came across to me as the epitome of Aristocratic Arrogance. I know this is America, and we like to think we don't have "class distinctions," but that's bullshit. We have classes in this country; we just don't like talking about it. It's one of those untouchable subjects we're all aware of but don't discuss. (It's not as bad as race issues or the gender/sexual-identity debate, but it's up there. Don't believe me? Watch this.)
Aristocratic Arrogance, by the way, is what happens when someone, or a group of someones, have so much money, which most of them inherited (not earned themselves but received upon the death of a "beloved" family member), that they seriously begin to believe that their ideas are better than everyone else's. Therefore, they should be the ones in charge. If you just watch the man, you'll see he's a classic case of this.
The bile he spewed during his campaign only intensified my dislike of him (I won't say hate because he's not worth that much attention). Everything he said about women, about global relations, and his economic proposals was like a steroid shot to my contempt; every time he opened his mouth, I felt like Bruce Banner.
But, what affected me the most was his comments regarding immigration and immigrants. Why? Because, on my father's side of the family, I'm a recent import myself.
Now, before I go further, let me explain.
My siblings and I were all born in Honduras, but we were all also born with American Citizenship (thanks Mom). Since we were raised here in the US, we all learned how to speak English, without an accent. My mother, by the way, happens to be a white lady (blonde hair, blue eyes--Hilter would've loved her), and she was the more present of my parents growing up. She was the one who picked us up from school, the one who attended all the PTO meetings, and the one who really did a lot of the raising when we were younger. It wasn't that my father wasn't present. He was. My folks have been married now for 28 years, and as far as I can tell, they still love each other (even though they're both pieces of work). My father simply played the classic father role: he made the money, while mom took care of the kids.
Because of this, I (I can't speak for my siblings. I'm not omniscient), never had to endure the racial hostility some Americans feel towards Latin-Americans. I have no memories of some angry dude, coming up to me and shamelessly calling me a Beaner. It never happened.
But I'm one of the lucky ones. I didn't have to put up with that crap. I'm sure if I had, I would've grown up to be a much angrier person than I am now. I had the benefit of having a white parent, of being able to speak English without an accent, and of even having a white-European name (because let's face it, the name Ian just sounds pasty).
I'm aware of all of this, and I'm also aware that there are many people, who look like me who've had to endure this kind of abuse (because that's what it is). I deeply empathize with them.
I also empathize with the people who've been coming here (and it's not just Latinx/Hispanic people) looking for a new life, new prospects. They come here looking for their "American Dream," but when they get here, their treated frequently as less than human.
America, like humanity itself, is a nest of contradictions; in its current form, it was built by immigrants and the descendants of immigrants, and yet it suffers from a recurring case of xenophobia.
It was that xenophobia that The Great Orange Face tapped into when he promised the devils of America's nature to build a wall across the US-Mexico border and tighten the reigns on immigration policy. It was those devils of America's nature that got him elected.
Shortly after he was, however, TIME magazine began doing cover articles about Trumps' propositions, including one about the wall and immigration through Mexico. Several of them broke down the fiscal side of his proposed wall, shooting holes through it like it was a down-range target in the process. At least as of right now, it doesn't seem likely to become a reality, much to the chagrin of the Mandarin-in-Chief and his voters.
In one of those articles, however, the good folks at TIME also took the liberty of breaking down the percentage make-up of all the illegal immigrants coming through Mexico. The largest percentage, obviously, were actual Mexicans. (Go figure. They're the closet). Smaller percentages came from the countries further south in Central America, including Guatemala and El Salvador. A few even managed to come from as far as Costa Rica.
I know that's a twisted thing to take pride in, but like I said, I don't like Trump. The fact that people originally from my home country are causing him problems just warms my heart.
God bless them, and God bless America.
*No copyright infringment intended. All images are the property of their creators and owners.*
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