Minnie_Beebe
02-06-2004, 05:38 PM
'Illegal immigrant' an offensive slur?
Latinos resent term, compare it to use of N-word for blacks
Though it might be technically accurate, calling someone who entered the U.S. in an unlawful manner "illegal" has become politically incorrect.
"I can't speak for other immigrant groups," activist Jerry Gonzalez told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "but on behalf of the Latino community, many people I speak to on a day-to-day basis think it serves to dehumanize the person, makes them less than human. Similar to the way the n-word was used to dehumanize African-Americans."
Gonzales, who oversees the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, says many Latinos are offended by the labels.
"It's easy to dismiss someone when you use a disparaging term such as 'illegal immigrant' or 'illegal alien,'" said Gonzalez.
The Atlanta daily reports the activist plans to lobby state lawmakers to use the term "undocumented workers" when talking about Mexicans and other foreigners in the U.S. illegally.
"It's a more accurate reflection of people who provide a great deal for the economy," he said.
Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and author of "Mexifornia: A State of Becoming," says the terms are not derogatory.
"[Illegal alien] doesn't describe a person in a negative, pejorative way. It means they don't have U.S. citizenship and that they didn't come to the United States in a lawful manner," he told the paper.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=36847 Okay, what else should we call them?
Latinos resent term, compare it to use of N-word for blacks
Though it might be technically accurate, calling someone who entered the U.S. in an unlawful manner "illegal" has become politically incorrect.
"I can't speak for other immigrant groups," activist Jerry Gonzalez told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "but on behalf of the Latino community, many people I speak to on a day-to-day basis think it serves to dehumanize the person, makes them less than human. Similar to the way the n-word was used to dehumanize African-Americans."
Gonzales, who oversees the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, says many Latinos are offended by the labels.
"It's easy to dismiss someone when you use a disparaging term such as 'illegal immigrant' or 'illegal alien,'" said Gonzalez.
The Atlanta daily reports the activist plans to lobby state lawmakers to use the term "undocumented workers" when talking about Mexicans and other foreigners in the U.S. illegally.
"It's a more accurate reflection of people who provide a great deal for the economy," he said.
Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and author of "Mexifornia: A State of Becoming," says the terms are not derogatory.
"[Illegal alien] doesn't describe a person in a negative, pejorative way. It means they don't have U.S. citizenship and that they didn't come to the United States in a lawful manner," he told the paper.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=36847 Okay, what else should we call them?