Racism versus Economics

Immigration. Few words evoke more emotion than that word in our country. Few subjects have so divided our country than what to do about immigration. For all the wonderful things our country has accomplished, it has never done immigration and integration very well; at least not at first. Whether it was the Irish in the mid-1800s or the Italians, Chinese, Pols and Slavs of the late 1800s and early 1900s, the waves of new immigrants to our shores have always created a tsunami of fear.

As we have again been debating immigration, we have heard a great deal about racism and prejudice as one of the leading causes for the contention around immigration. Is racism, the color of ones skin, why this subject has so vexed our country since its beginning? Or, is there something besides race that really drives our prejudice? In my opinion, I think it is because somewhere in the primordial reaches of our conscience we believe we live in a world of finite resources and opportunities. Therefore, we think anyone coming in after we came in some way jeopardizes what we have. I’m sure that racism exists, and that indeed some do not like another simply because of the color of their skin. However, I believe this type of uncivilized individual is now in the minority. I believe that most prejudice is not racial but economic. In other words, we tend to feel uncomfortable with another person not because of the color of their skin but by their economic situation. When I put forth that position to my wife, she asked what I meant. I gave her the following scenario:

You have just left the grocery store with a cart full of groceries. As you approach your car you see that now parked next to your car is a nice shiny Mercedes Benz. Standing outside of the car are three Hispanic men, in their thirties, dressed in nice suits, well-groomed. One is speaking on a cell phone, and the other two are talking. They are obviously well-to-do.

I then asked her, “Do you feel uncomfortable when you see them? Do you feel threatened or intimidated as you approach your car?” She thought a few seconds and then said, “No.” I then gave her the next scenario:

You have just left the grocery store with a cart full of groceries. As you approach your car you see that now parked next to your car is a late model sedan, rusted, dirty, and looking like it is in need of repair. A wave of cigarette smoke greets you as you approach the car. Standing outside of the car are three Caucasian males in their thirties, shabbily dressed and unshaven. They do not look well-off financially.

I then asked her, “Do you feel uncomfortable when you see them? Do you feel threatened or intimidated as you approach your car?” She thought for a few seconds and then said, “Yeah, I guess I do.”

It wasn’t the color of the skin that was the problem; it was their economic state. I wonder if we had Canadian brain surgeons pouring across our northern border bringing with them the promise of contributing riches to our economy if we would have the same feelings we have with our current situation on the southern border. I think it would be different. Probably, instead of working at a fevered pitch to try and stop them from coming in, we would be working hard to make it easier for them to get here legally.

I’m not sure what it is about poverty that makes us so uncomfortable, but it does. For most of us, when we walk down a street and pass someone sitting there with a sign reading “Please help. I’m homeless,” we feel a strange twinge, an uncomfortable feeling. I know I do. For a few of you saints, that uncomfortable feeling may be a sense of pity or even guilt for wanting to help but maybe not being able to. I think that for most of us that uncomfortable feeling comes from a perceived sense of desperation we feel from the one in poverty. This perceived desperation creates a fear in us of the unknown, i.e. “Is this person desperate enough to try to take what is mine?” Because of that uncertainty, fear guides us and we take on a defensive position. Throw in a lack of being able to communicate in the same language and having different cultures, and the fear and mistrust grows and deepens.

I think the great angst in our country over immigration stems from the feeling that those who are coming here, especially the undocumented, are threatening our country economically. There has to be a way of determining how accurate that feeling is. Is there an independent third party out there, one with no agenda (if such an animal exists) that has done a study to look at the economic impact of illegal immigration? Let’s do some research.

We will look at this in future blogs.

Also, at the beginning of this blog I wrote, ‘For all the wonderful things our country has accomplished, it has never done immigration and integration very well; at least not at first.’ There is a reason that I bolded that last part of my sentence. I will explain that in a future blog.

Respectful Immigration Forum

Immigration
Over the next weeks and months the debate will rage in our nation over what to do about immigration. Unfortunately, as happens all too often, the extremes on either side seem to be driving the debate and dividing us into seemingly irreconcilable camps. By doing so, they set up a situation where nothing gets done and the situation worsens and becomes more contentious. History has shown us time and time again that such scenarios only lead toward violence, something none of us wants.

My purpose in creating this blog is to present a forum or venue for sincere, cordial, and honest dialogue about a very complex issue. Anyone, on either side of this debate, who says this is not a complicated issue is naïve at best, or completely disingenuous at worst. Together, let’s see if we can come up with some workable solutions. Surely, the solutions we come up with will not please everyone. Perhaps that is how we will know we have reached the right compromise-when no one has received all they want, but everyone has received some parts they desire. Surely we are a good enough people, smart enough, forgiving enough, and resourceful enough that we can put everything on the table and figure out what is in the best interest of our country and all the parties involved. In doing so, I think it is important to look at our country’s history to ensure we do not make some of the same mistakes we have made in the past.

In an effort to be intellectually honest, I need to let you know a little about me and which way I lean on this issue. I live in Utah, and I am an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I spent the 19th and 20th years of my life as a missionary for the Church in Bolivia. While there I developed a great love for the Hispanic people. Time and time again they shared what little food or other resources they had with me. Though they lived in grass or mud dwellings, I watched them go without to ensure that I, or one of my missionary companions, was well taken care of. Though I had multiple suits to wear and they had one change of clothing, I believe they would have given me the shirt off their backs if I had needed one. While there, I saw desperation and poverty like I had never witnessed in my life before or since. What I witnessed and experienced is typical of many parts of Latin America. I can empathize with their desire to get out. I know I kissed the ground of the Miami airport when I returned.

Now, do I think my experiences in Bolivia may have tainted a little of my objectivity on the immigration issue? I would say most definitely! I would be less than honest to say otherwise. However, while recognizing the impact those experiences have had on me, I am still capable of looking objectively at other points of view. I only hope that all of us will be able to look objectively at our life’s experiences so we can each identify what may be driving the feelings on both sides of the fence and especially our own feelings on this issue. And again, in recognizing the source of our leanings, each is in a better position to listen objectively to someone of a differing perspective.

If you find this forum to be useful and a cordial place for honest dialogue, then please pass it along to others whom you believe can also contribute in a respectful way. To begin the dialogue, what suggestions would you offer to facilitate objective dialogue on the issue of immigration?

NEXT TOPIC:
As the debate has raged, both sides have had a lot to say about racism and prejudice. What exactly is racism or prejudice? Are these topics influenced more by skin color? Economics? Start thinking about it.