Education should be about education, not racial discrimination
Flatt, Lucas
Issue date: 4/3/09 Section: Opinion
Last week, I discussed the sad state of our education system and the conservative opposition to progress. I hoped I would be able to move on to exploring solutions to the problem, but a brief overview of the news revealed further aggravating complications.
I'm becoming convinced that xenophobia is the most fundamental tenet of conservatism. As I've mentioned before, some pessimistic whim has lead me to conducting rather unpleasant research: I listen to the bigoted morons on conservative talk radio on a daily basis. The racism these people spout continues to boggle my mind.
I caught a segment on Phil Valentine's show yesterday detailing the struggle towards barring illegal immigrants from getting financial help for college, or, in some cases, attending collage at all. Wonderful. Barring students from Universities...how low can people get? Have these scumbags ever heard of a guy named George Wallace?
According to a recent article in USA today, South Carolina, that bastion of progressive ideology, does not allow any "undocumented" student to apply to a public university. North Carolina blocks undocumented students from applying to community colleges. Arkansas will enact similar legislation this coming fall.
Apparently, a piece of paper stating the coincidental facts of your birth determines not only your ability to succeed but your ability to learn. Seriously. A piece of paper that says Sally or Juan or whoever was born in Des Moines or Mexico City. Neither Sally nor Juan chose to be born in Des Moines or Mexico City.
Xenophobia, friends. I can't figure it out. Do these conservatives honestly believe ten-year-old Hispanic children are climbing the fences or wading the Rio Grande with back-packs filled with physics texts and ACT practice tests? Were that the case, I imagine a very vocal contingent of the conservative "base" would advocate training an army of border-patrol junior-high kids to take them on with BB guns and sling shots, thus teaching them a little lesson about the ole U.S. and A.
I'm becoming convinced that xenophobia is the most fundamental tenet of conservatism. As I've mentioned before, some pessimistic whim has lead me to conducting rather unpleasant research: I listen to the bigoted morons on conservative talk radio on a daily basis. The racism these people spout continues to boggle my mind.
I caught a segment on Phil Valentine's show yesterday detailing the struggle towards barring illegal immigrants from getting financial help for college, or, in some cases, attending collage at all. Wonderful. Barring students from Universities...how low can people get? Have these scumbags ever heard of a guy named George Wallace?
According to a recent article in USA today, South Carolina, that bastion of progressive ideology, does not allow any "undocumented" student to apply to a public university. North Carolina blocks undocumented students from applying to community colleges. Arkansas will enact similar legislation this coming fall.
Apparently, a piece of paper stating the coincidental facts of your birth determines not only your ability to succeed but your ability to learn. Seriously. A piece of paper that says Sally or Juan or whoever was born in Des Moines or Mexico City. Neither Sally nor Juan chose to be born in Des Moines or Mexico City.
Xenophobia, friends. I can't figure it out. Do these conservatives honestly believe ten-year-old Hispanic children are climbing the fences or wading the Rio Grande with back-packs filled with physics texts and ACT practice tests? Were that the case, I imagine a very vocal contingent of the conservative "base" would advocate training an army of border-patrol junior-high kids to take them on with BB guns and sling shots, thus teaching them a little lesson about the ole U.S. and A.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 12
JH Manning
posted 4/03/09 @ 7:18 PM CST
Mr Flatt, Illegal is not a race, yet "racism" and "xenophobia" are the first words I hear anytime the words illegal alien are spoken. There are American children who are paying out of state tuition, while illegal aliens are being afforded instate tuition. (Continued…)
Phil
posted 4/03/09 @ 7:29 PM CST
tax dollars should not be spent on illegals, if anything illegals should pay twice as much.
Anna
posted 4/04/09 @ 9:20 AM CST
Racist? Xenophobic? Get real! Illegal alien is not a race -- they come in all races, all ethnicities, all religions, etc. And, on top of that, Mexican (you mentioned it!) is not a race and, for the record, even Hispanic is not technically a race, so where is the racism? It is not xenophobic or racist to want our laws enforced -- equally, against all. (Continued…)
American Eagle
posted 4/04/09 @ 1:52 PM CST
Mr. Flatt,
You said "I'm becoming convinced that xenophobia is the most fundamental tenet of conservatism." Well, if that is your starting premise, then no wonder you have the opinions you do. (Continued…)
JS
posted 4/06/09 @ 7:14 AM CST
Why should the illegal aliens get in state tution when the students on an education visa have to pay full price. In state tution is for the citizens of the state, we can't afford to give it to people who aren't even citizens of the country. (Continued…)
Joe
posted 4/06/09 @ 4:10 PM CST
Reading all these replies just brings me back to the conclusion that white power still exists... just wonderful...
Lucas Flatt
posted 4/07/09 @ 6:17 PM CST
Did I use the term "racist" or "racism" in my column? I hope not...if so, that is my bad. Xenophobia and racism are not synonymous. Actually, race is an arbitrary construct and scientifically meaningless. (Continued…)
JH Manning
posted 4/08/09 @ 9:04 AM CST
MR Flatt, Why should out of state American citizen students be penalized and out of country illegal alien students not? What makes them special?
CA Maddox
posted 4/09/09 @ 8:18 PM CST
Please explain how wanting my country to have secure borders is xenophobia. While the majority of people who are illegal in this country are hard working folks, but they are criminals. (Continued…)
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