Sunday musings - June 30, 2024
The language of oppression.
When reporting news many journalists in newspapers, radio, television, and the internet identify those who commit a crime by their race, immigration status, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or some other limiting term. The reader or listener must then be intentional about noticing and refusing the invitation to make the implied assumption that all those who fall under this label are criminals or otherwise undesirable.
Currently one of the popular identifying terms when there something negative is one’s immigration status. Often, I hear “illegal immigrant” robs, rapes or commits some other act which violates the rights of others. The purpose of identifying the person as an illegal immigrant is clearly to reinforce the lie that illegal immigrants are undesirable addition to one’s community; to suggest that illegal immigrants are more likely than citizens of the United States to violate the rights of citizens. The truth which has often been fact checked is illegal immigrants are less likely than United States Citizens to violate the rights of others by committing a crime. Are there some unhealthy illegal immigrants who are unable to consider the rights of others? Of course there are some, but they are percentage wise few. The average person coming to the United States would like to legally enter the country to work, be with and support one’s family and be free of violence, starvations, or other forms of oppression.
We are a country of immigrants. At one time even the Native Americans who arrived here long before Columbus were immigrants. Whether one was initiating their immigration, recruited because one had a skill the country needed or immigrated for some other reason, the average immigrant was seeking to have a safer, more economically stable life. As we know some were also forced to come to this country because some others thought they deserved the labor of slaves.
My close friend and ex-wife arrived fleeing oppressors from Estonia via a refugee camp following WWII. Estonia was not a safe place to which she and her parents could return. A current presidential candidate and former president has an immigrant wife. Many Afghanistan’s, Iraqis and Vietnamese came to this country because of their support of the United Staes who violently invaded their country making it unsafe for them to stray or return to their home. We have the Dreamers who are individuals who have lived in this country their entire lives, but whose parents were unable to obtain citizenship. The parents came here to earn a living. Often the jobs of immigrants are those that many in the United States do not want to do for the wage offered. Farm workers, food processing workers, roofers, lawn care professionals, childcare providers and a host of others are performing jobs which allow we citizens to do other jobs which often pay more and/or are less labor intensive.
We have and continue to identify individuals we want to oppress by nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender and immigrant status among others. Often this is, I believe, done deliberately. It may also be done without thinking; perhaps by repeating or copying the words and actions of another. Whatever the case it is unacceptable, immoral, unethical and will lead to the destruction of any pretense of a democracy or community which claims to be “of the people, by the people and for people”. Certainly, any pretense that it is behavior condoned or commanded by Jesus, Mohamad, the God of Abraam or any other divine entity is but an attempt to pretend as if the emperor has clothes.
We must, with love and not judgment, help each other notice when we are unconsciously doing this and call out - with love and not judgement - those who have fallen into the trap of reinforcing the lie that some of us are more deserving than others. Sadly, many who identify as deeply religious, including so called Christian Nationalists, seem to think they are without “sin” and worthy of throwing the first stone.
We know that language is very powerful. If we hear a lie frequently enough, we permanently log it into our brain as “normal/ethical/moral” and do not realize or necessarily believe what we are consciously or unconsciously accepting. Journalists or the casual social medial writer/poster need to be lovingly challenged when identifying individuals as representing a group, nationality, gender, country, immigrations status, race, religion or other association. We must all call out politicians who unconsciously or deliberately spread the lie that individuals who cannot, for whatever, reason, consider the needs of others are representative of a group.
I’m not suggestion that the person who commits an illegal or immoral act should be condemned. No one orders up a brain which cannot consider the needs or rights of others. No one asks to have a compulsive NEED to get a certain drug by any means possible; to have a compulsive need to have sexual contact with an infant or small child; to seek power by aligning oneself with lies and other forms of deception. Clearly there are those who are unable to control such compulsions. They may need to be treated or retained. but we should do so with compassion and not subject them to a survival environment which is designed to “brain wash” them so they are even more unable to consider the rights and needs of others.
Written June 30, 2024
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
The language of oppression.
When reporting news many journalists in newspapers, radio, television, and the internet identify those who commit a crime by their race, immigration status, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or some other limiting term. The reader or listener must then be intentional about noticing and refusing the invitation to make the implied assumption that all those who fall under this label are criminals or otherwise undesirable.
Currently one of the popular identifying terms when there something negative is one’s immigration status. Often, I hear “illegal immigrant” robs, rapes or commits some other act which violates the rights of others. The purpose of identifying the person as an illegal immigrant is clearly to reinforce the lie that illegal immigrants are undesirable addition to one’s community; to suggest that illegal immigrants are more likely than citizens of the United States to violate the rights of citizens. The truth which has often been fact checked is illegal immigrants are less likely than United States Citizens to violate the rights of others by committing a crime. Are there some unhealthy illegal immigrants who are unable to consider the rights of others? Of course there are some, but they are percentage wise few. The average person coming to the United States would like to legally enter the country to work, be with and support one’s family and be free of violence, starvations, or other forms of oppression.
We are a country of immigrants. At one time even the Native Americans who arrived here long before Columbus were immigrants. Whether one was initiating their immigration, recruited because one had a skill the country needed or immigrated for some other reason, the average immigrant was seeking to have a safer, more economically stable life. As we know some were also forced to come to this country because some others thought they deserved the labor of slaves.
My close friend and ex-wife arrived fleeing oppressors from Estonia via a refugee camp following WWII. Estonia was not a safe place to which she and her parents could return. A current presidential candidate and former president has an immigrant wife. Many Afghanistan’s, Iraqis and Vietnamese came to this country because of their support of the United Staes who violently invaded their country making it unsafe for them to stray or return to their home. We have the Dreamers who are individuals who have lived in this country their entire lives, but whose parents were unable to obtain citizenship. The parents came here to earn a living. Often the jobs of immigrants are those that many in the United States do not want to do for the wage offered. Farm workers, food processing workers, roofers, lawn care professionals, childcare providers and a host of others are performing jobs which allow we citizens to do other jobs which often pay more and/or are less labor intensive.
We have and continue to identify individuals we want to oppress by nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender and immigrant status among others. Often this is, I believe, done deliberately. It may also be done without thinking; perhaps by repeating or copying the words and actions of another. Whatever the case it is unacceptable, immoral, unethical and will lead to the destruction of any pretense of a democracy or community which claims to be “of the people, by the people and for people”. Certainly, any pretense that it is behavior condoned or commanded by Jesus, Mohamad, the God of Abraam or any other divine entity is but an attempt to pretend as if the emperor has clothes.
We must, with love and not judgment, help each other notice when we are unconsciously doing this and call out - with love and not judgement - those who have fallen into the trap of reinforcing the lie that some of us are more deserving than others. Sadly, many who identify as deeply religious, including so called Christian Nationalists, seem to think they are without “sin” and worthy of throwing the first stone.
We know that language is very powerful. If we hear a lie frequently enough, we permanently log it into our brain as “normal/ethical/moral” and do not realize or necessarily believe what we are consciously or unconsciously accepting. Journalists or the casual social medial writer/poster need to be lovingly challenged when identifying individuals as representing a group, nationality, gender, country, immigrations status, race, religion or other association. We must all call out politicians who unconsciously or deliberately spread the lie that individuals who cannot, for whatever, reason, consider the needs of others are representative of a group.
I’m not suggestion that the person who commits an illegal or immoral act should be condemned. No one orders up a brain which cannot consider the needs or rights of others. No one asks to have a compulsive NEED to get a certain drug by any means possible; to have a compulsive need to have sexual contact with an infant or small child; to seek power by aligning oneself with lies and other forms of deception. Clearly there are those who are unable to control such compulsions. They may need to be treated or retained. but we should do so with compassion and not subject them to a survival environment which is designed to “brain wash” them so they are even more unable to consider the rights and needs of others.
Written June 30, 2024
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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