Mayday! Mayday!
A post-silliness analysis of the (Not so) Great Illegal Immigrant Protest of 2006:
The answer is: eventually. You can only stomp on the toes of the 800-pound gorilla for so long before it hits back. And it only needs one swing.
The Caucasian middle class family--whether white-collar or blue--is the largest single population component of the United States' population. That component comprises over 90% of the country's earning power, and nearly all of the effective tax base. Put bluntly, one doesn't accomplish anything meaningful without at least their tacit support.
Contrary to what the talking heads are peddling, it doesn't matter whether that little demographic factoid is politically palatable or not. No amount of protesting, whining, pouting, teeth-gnashing or legislating is going to change it. It's not racism, it's simply a fact--and one cannot fight facts, no matter how distasteful or inconvenient one may personally find them. As the author of the article suggests, antagonizing the very group whose support absolutely must be won in order to accomplish a goal is not particularly smart.
But they'll learn. One way or the other.
___
(Hat-tip to Stephen D.)
Virtually every move the crowd and its supporters have made -- the flags, the debased anthem (it was actually made by a Brit) and this Peronist general strike -- seems designed to antagonize this country's middle class, which must be persuaded before anything can be accomplished. Do these people ever learn?
The answer is: eventually. You can only stomp on the toes of the 800-pound gorilla for so long before it hits back. And it only needs one swing.
The Caucasian middle class family--whether white-collar or blue--is the largest single population component of the United States' population. That component comprises over 90% of the country's earning power, and nearly all of the effective tax base. Put bluntly, one doesn't accomplish anything meaningful without at least their tacit support.
Contrary to what the talking heads are peddling, it doesn't matter whether that little demographic factoid is politically palatable or not. No amount of protesting, whining, pouting, teeth-gnashing or legislating is going to change it. It's not racism, it's simply a fact--and one cannot fight facts, no matter how distasteful or inconvenient one may personally find them. As the author of the article suggests, antagonizing the very group whose support absolutely must be won in order to accomplish a goal is not particularly smart.
But they'll learn. One way or the other.
___
(Hat-tip to Stephen D.)
posted by Jar(egg)head at 10:22
2 Comments:
I'm still trying to figure out what they are trying to accomplish with these protests. They want to make the point that our economy relies on immigrants to provide cheap labor. I think we all understand that already, but what does that have to do with being in the country ILLEGALLY?
No one is saying we shouldn't let immigrants into the country, we just want them to sign the guest book on the way in and pay taxes like the rest of us.
If the point of the protestors is that they want to continue taking advantage of our gov't services without paying for them, then they can just pack up the signs now, because those of us who DO pay taxes are not going to stand for it.. and we can VOTE.
May I add something?
A commentator asked the question, "How did the boycott affect the lives of everyday citizens?"
Here is an honest answer...we were going to go out for Mexican food that night. We got to our favorite place and it was closed, of course. I went home and fixed dinner instead! I saved about $35.00! Don't see how that helped anyone but me...and I made one heck of an awesome dinner! :)
It backfired...and it will continue to do so, I agree with you.
Thanks for letting me put in my 2 cents! :)
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