Why So Much Hate?
March 18th, 2009 | Published in Uncategorized | 6 Comments
By Alex Avila, LatinoUSA.org
The 2008 Presidential campaign obviously shattered many racial barriers. But for some people, old habits die hard. For example, there were reports from campaign workers in the South who encountered intense racism as they went door-to-door. This was a problem for the Obama campaign and the many young people who volunteered.
Campaign officials did their best to downplay these reports as isolated incidents. But some of the young campaigners reportedly were traumatized at the level of racism and bigotry they encountered, not having been exposed previously to such hate.
©2007 by capn madd matt
According to FBI statistics, hate crimes against Latinos increased 40 percent from 2003 to 2007. The Southern Poverty Law Center believes that the target of the majority of those incidents were immigrants in general, and undocumented immigrants in particular.
But most disturbing of all is that traditional patterns of ethnic violence don’t seem to be at play. It’s no longer simply a matter of Irish youth beating up Italian kids for wandering into their neighborhood. We’re now seeing teenagers of mixed ethnicity taking part in acts of hate. And economic considerations don’t seem to be at play either. This trend started way before the current economic crisis.
So why all the hate? Is the media to blame?
Tell us what you think.
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March 21st, 2009 at 7:07 am (#)
Maria’s comments about Dobbs, Beck, and O’Reilly:
I am a regular listener to Latino Usa. I live in central florida and have many Mexican and other Latino neighbors, friends, and co-workers. I am very disappointed in Maria’s comments about Dobbs, Beck, and O’Reilly. If she actually researched and truly listened to their positions on the plight of latino’s trying to provide for their families she would know that they do not ’spew hate from their mouths’. They rightfully point out the sad state of the home countries these honorable people are forced to abandon in an effort to make a better life. They bring attention to the horrible catch 22 they find themselves in trying to reach America and find employment. They shine the light on the predators that take advantage of them (i.e coyotes, unscrupulous employers, and drug cartels). Maria is just wrong to call these commentators hateful; actually it is the mainstream media who ignored the plight of these people for years and it has taken a state of war at the border to get the major media to begin to give proper coverage to this gathering storm.
Maria’s diatribe would be better aimed at the corrupt governments that force these people to hand over their life savings to the criminal coyotes who smuggle them into the USA. She should use her considerable journalistic skills to expose the unscrupulous employers who take advantage of these hard working people.
The absence of adherance to the rule of law (gov’t corruption) in the home countries of latinos is largely responsible for their plight. The rule of law must be enforced in ALL countries to make this a better world. Do not demonize people who call for the rule of law to be exercised in America. Conservative commentators are not the enemy - drug cartels, gangs, coyotes, bad employers are the enemy.
Tim Hogan
Average American
March 22nd, 2009 at 10:48 pm (#)
I agree with Mr. Hogan is was not accurate to describe Dobbs, Beck, and O’Reilly as hate mongering.
There is always going to be narrow, ignorant people who are threatened by people of ethnicity.
If Maria is convinced of the hatred of Dobbs, Beck, and O’Reilly why doesn’t she contact them directly and ask them if they are aware of the destruction they are causing?
How many people from Mexico are gunned down in cold blood by drug cartels operating in Mexico?
Has Maria ever mentioned the name of the drug cartels and their leaders?
Its ashame someone of Maria’s intelligence sacrifices her integrity by making rash statements and then hinting that people who are stating the truth are the cause of increased racism without giving them the opportunity to reply.
If you attack the truth will lies and innuendos, what does that make you, a racist !
Bruce From Texas
April 13th, 2009 at 11:21 am (#)
Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. Tim, I guess I just see a completely different side of the Fox Troika. When I hear words like “these people”, and complaints about Mexicans only (not Canadians, for instance–which, BTW is where terrorists have entered the US., not Mexico–or Cubans), that spells bigotry to me. Maybe I’m more closely attuned to this because I lived through the Sixties and the Black civil rights movement and Southern apartheid. Or it could be that I live in such a culturally diverse place (central New Mexico). But I hear Maria loud and clear on this issue.
I hear… not “Oh, these awful conditions–what can we do to alleviate suffering? How can we help Mexico control the drug cartels? What can our government do to help end corruption in their government?”
No, I hear “These people can’t even control their own crime, and now they’re exporting it to the U.S.” I hear “These people deserve to get shot in the back, even if it means chasing them into Mexico and doing it there.” I hear complaints about “whiny liberals” who “feel sorry for these criminals”. I hear “I hope he fails” in reference to a new president; and I know that whatever ideas he or his administration come up with to deal with corruption in Mexico, those ideas will be torn down derisively by any or all of these three. I hear calls to amend the Constitution to prevent people born here on U.S. soil from being considered citizens–and that’s aimed strictly at so-called “border babies”.
If those guys really brought to light the conditions at the Mexican border, as you contend, then where are their stories about the taxes the immigrants–legal or not–pay to local and federal government? “These people” don’t even get to access the emergency room or the school system that their taxes pay for. Where are Fox’s stories about sleazy and unscrupulous employers? Why don’t they look at the conditions in which, say, farm workers live–ten to a room, breathing insecticides as they pick your strawberries for a quarter a bucket. Then of course, when La Migra shows up to truck the workers back to Mexico–where they’ll pay another coyote to bring them back–the government fines the American employer $200 and drives away until next time. (Wanna talk corruption? Look at the relationship between ICE and the big growers in California.)
*Responsible* and *thoughtful* conservative commentators–Buckley (RIP), Kathleen Parker, David Broder, Charles Krauthammer, George Will, even Pat Buchanan (!) (all of whom I disagree with)–are not the problem; they are part of the debate. *Knee-jerk* and *reactionary* conservative commentators–these three, plus Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Rush Limblather, and their ilk–ARE part of the problem; they don’t want to debate, they want to be right. They don’t want solutions to problems; where would that leave them? Without a target. They revel in conflict, not peace, because that lets them point fingers at “the problem”–always a particular group of people, doncha know… and the browner and poorer and more liberal the better.
Maria was dead right on this one.
Ms Chris M
Just an Average White Girl (born in the U.S.A.)
August 7th, 2009 at 4:54 pm (#)
Interesting that Maria Hinojosa does not mention that there is also hate, racism, bullying from Puerto Ricans and Cubans towards us Latin Americans and Americans as here in Miami and many parts of Florida to the point that they will deny us jobs, service, sales and do try to intimidate, scare and threaten us.
They try to force everyone to speak Spanish and will tell you that to speak English is to assimilate, to forget their heritage, their homeland and they refuse to assimilate which ends in numerous fights.
Puerto Ricans and Cubans pretend to be Latin American just to tell us to our faces how much they hate Latin America and I’ve even been told that Latin America should disappear.
Maybe it’s because we Latin Americans categorize them as Caribbean which for some reason they don’t like Caribbean.
I think that one serious problem with Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans is that they want very much to hang on to and practice daily their customs, heritage to the point that they force it down our throats and people begin to resent them, dislike them for trying to convert the US into mini Mexico-mini Puerto Rico-mini Cuba, instead of becoming part of the communities in this country and still honor and remember their heritage in a moderate way.
August 28th, 2009 at 12:02 am (#)
I am new to this site. But, why is there so much tension about race? Why don’t we just put our differences aside and work as a country. Because, we are all Americans.
October 11th, 2009 at 11:11 pm (#)
Ok, I am of mixed nationalities my father is American white of German ancestory and my mother was Puerto Rican born. I look very hispanic(curly hair, tan skin, etc.) I grew up- up north, CT, NYC, and MA; up there Puerto Ricans are so common most people(of all races/nationalities) could care less. However 2 years ago I moved to Virginia to help care for my dying mother. Shortly after starting my job one of the girls at work asked what race I was-I told her. The next day she asked me if I enjoyed being in Mexico or here better-I told her that I wasnt Mexican-she said “oh same thing” To this day(going on 3 yrs later) I am still at the butt of every Hispanic joke ever made. It really hurts- I work in the medical field, have several degrees, married, and two beautiful children. I am a hard working, productive member of society as are most of my family. I dont know if people understand the extent of how much stuff like this hurts us as people. We bleed the same blood, breath the same air.
solis-costa rican says:
“I think that one serious problem with Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans is that they want very much to hang on to and practice daily their customs, heritage to the point that they force it down our throats and people begin to resent them, dislike them for trying to convert the US into mini Mexico-mini Puerto Rico-mini Cuba, instead of becoming part of the communities in this”
Dont most nationalities, and religions do this…this should have nothing to do with racism…
I dont see how practicing your cultures customs is anyone elses business, let alone forcing it down peoples throats. get real!
Like Ms Chris said…if the problem was immigration-WHY DO CANADIANS GET 1000000000x more respect than Hispanics.