Diaspora

Decency to 'Those People'
By Eugene Robinson

I had hoped that the response to hurricane Katrina would lead to a broad protest movement by black people. No such luck -- yet. But the draconian anti-immigrant bill passed by the House has led to massive protests by Latinos. I talk to lots of black folks who have major problems with illegal immigration and, for that matter, with Latinos in general. It's understandable because poor and working class blacks often find themselves in direct competition with Latino immigrants for scarce jobs, housing and other quality of life issues.

What those black folks need to understand is this is exactly the same kind of thinking that led poor and working class white folks to vote against their own interests when they felt threatened by blacks. Poor and working class folks of all ethnicities need to realize that we are threatened by a common enemy. NAFTA, against all mainstream ideological predictions, has led to greater poverty in Mexico. Latin American poverty is driving illegal immigration and helping to lower the standard of living for the lower classes in the USA, though it's far from being the sole cause.

The corporate oligarchy that not only runs this country but much of the world, would like to crush the living standards of everyone but themselves, because they are, at root, cheap labor conservatives. Our only hope of avoiding that fate is for all of us left out or being squeezed out of the American Dream, black, brown, Asian, white, Native American or whatever, to make common cause with each other to fight corporate power.

Fighting among ourselves is now, and always has been, exactly what the powerful want us to do. Latinos have shown us the way to at least start fighting that power. All of us need to get, not behind them, but beside them. Together, we'll have a fighting chance.

this was in response to that post but really in response to many posts I've seen and decided to just make my reply the post...enjoy

"What those black folks need to understand"..wowww lets step aside and note the demeaning attitude and bill cosby flashback...

first off you generalize too much...there are large groups of BLack immigrants rallying..not just latinos..latinos are just the majority of all immigrants so you blindly make immigrants synonymous with being latino..not cool

back to the generalization..suddenly when a large group of people native to the new orleans area gets shafted it becomes a BLack the issue..why not an AMerican issue where everyone joins the movement instead of asking BLacks..'what are YOUR people going to do about it?'..how about what are
WE going to do about it as a nation...truthfully no one is going to rally about something that doenbs't directly affect them..i.e. if you weren't one of the lost black souls of new orleans..but still happen to be Black..odds are you will care but not feel affected enough to skip work and picket the statehouse...

..the only reason you feel Latinos are the only ones standing up for their people is because the majority of Latinos are or are of close relation to immigrants so consequently they are directly affected and will take direct action...nobody cares to rally on gun control until it's their sister who gets shot or until its their community thats riddled with bullet holes..this is just one of the negative side affects of human nature and americanism..not just a 'Black people don't know when to act' issue..


..oh and if you really want to rant...make sure you include everyone and not just the 'ouu look at me words' like BLack and Latino because there are substantial amounts of immigrants within European and Asian countries in america who should and do care about their own wellbeing..are you gonna look for yellow and white faces during the next rally too?