Hatred Against Latinos is Rising, Even in Schools
Why Do People Hate What is Different?
The rising jobless rate may be partly to blame; many lower-income white Americans who have lost their jobs blame that job loss, rightly or wrongly, on illegal immigrants. They seem to forget that not all immigrants are illegal, and some of the jobs that immigrants take are not jobs they would have wanted. It seems to be easier to hate people who don't look like you do, or speak the same language that you do; and to lump them all into one invalid stereotype. But that stereotype has been promoted by the worst kinds of politicians, though it has been noticeably absent from recent campaign rhetoric in both major political parties.
But to me, it seems that the worst of this hatred is what it is doing to children. On March 6, 2008, UPI released a story about a Camden, NJ, vice principal at an elementary school who punished a group of fifth grade students by making them sit on the gym floor to eat their lunch for two weeks. Their crime? One of them spilled a water jug when trying to move it. These students were all in a special English as a Second Language Class, and they were all from other countries; all of them spoke Spanish as a first language. When the parents of the students organized and brought a grievance to the Camden Education Association, Vice Principal Theresa Brown was placed on leave until the "incident" could be investigated.
We can't know what Ms. Brown was thinking when she ordered the students to sit on the floor. We don't know if she would have given the same punishment to a class of white, English-speaking students if one of them had spilled some water. The punishment seems excessive in any case; it isn't physically painful, but it was clearly meant to be humiliating. And humiliation can leave a greater mark on a child's mind than a physical punishment. Children are sensitive; they know when they are not liked, and they understand humiliation. Let's face it, few adults can be as verbally cruel as a taunting child; but few adults feel the pain that a child being tormented does.
I'm not trying to come up with a solution as to what should be done about the illegal immigrant "problem" in our country. I am suggesting that we all attempt to understand that these immigrants are human beings, and they came here for the same reasons my great-grandparents did: to find a better life for their family. I am suggesting that we treat their children the same way we would treat our own: with love and respect. None of these children is a criminal; they had no say in what their parents did. Whatever laws or regulations are made about immigration in the future, is it asking too much now to treat all people, and especially children, with kindness and respect? The America I grew up in didn't want to be seen as a country filled with hatred. As I watch the news, and look at privately-made signs around the country, I begin to fear that that is what we have become, and it saddens me.
Published by L. Lee Scott
Studied archaeology, linguistics, classical music,psychology, and beauty; worked in environmental monitoring & compliance. Love dogs and always have at least one! I'm a member of the largest national dog bre... View profile
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20 Comments
Post a CommentOK, I just deleted a comment, something I rarely do, because it was filled with swearing and vile hateful language. If you want your comment to stay up, please use civil language, not vulgarity. I'm beyond sorry that children have their desks taken from them and given to someone who is white (or any color different from theirs) and being hated and mistreated because of their ethnicity. Let's remember that all of us, even Native Americans, have ancestors who came from somewhere else, looking for a better life. Hating an entire group because they're different usually means that you fear them, to the commenter whose comment I deleted. If you are so full of hate, maybe you should be examining yourself, and not pointing at others. We CAN all get along. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream is still alive. And I repeat -- hating innocent children is evil.
well, i am very glad that you agree and honestly i admire you for putting up this article. cuz since i was younger ive always been treated bad just because i was hispanic. a teacher toke my desk to give it to another student that was white and that was wheni was in 1st grade. so imagine how kids and adults go through the same stuff
Well, erandygonzalez, that's what I was trying to say with this article. Hatred is wrong, and taking it out on children is worse than wrong, it's evil.
well, im a latina and i love this country but its true there is so much hate towards everyone. not only hispanics like myself but toward everyone. we work hard just like everyone else and we struggle just like everyone else, but to take it out on our children and supporters i think its just wronge.
Hate will kill us all. Thank You fer sharin'. Mizpah. ;-}}>
Well, Marquis, how do you propose that "we" round "them" all up and send them back? Don't you think the government has been trying to do just that for years? And your response doesn't address the problem I was trying to raise: treating innocent children with hatred and scorn because of the color of their skin (which you may know something about) or their first language. That is simply wrong, whether they are here legally or not.
Given the climate in this country, I am not surprised that the hatred has grown. Many of our politicians, citizens, and many from the "news media" have promoted this distrust, anger, and hatred. When we refer to people as illegal 'aliens', it's easier to perceive them as less than human, and even easier to demonize them. Blaming illegal immigrants for our nation's many problems is purely a smoke screen intended to shift the public focus from the failed government and corporate policies of rampant greed. Their rhetoric creates an atomosphere which endangers anyone who looks different, or looks like 'them'. It's a disgrace. Thank you for this article!
Stirred up some controversy, Laurel. Good for you.
That was going to be "little rainbow coalition!"
You are right, Terry; one doesn't have to be white (or black, or brown, or whatever) to be a racist; anyone of any race is capable of "hating the other" -- and no matter who it comes from, hating an entire race because of the actions of a few is wrong, and it seems that in LA, hatred is growing. Taking it out on innocent children is even more wrong. To the nameless one, I've never been to Camden, so didn't know the whole picture there. But that is no excuse for the actions of that vice principal against a class of 10 year old children. If we don't try to understand those who are different from us, and learn to appreciate the differences and accept the individual, our society, and perhaps our race -- the human race -- will self-destruct. MOST immigrants, the ones you don't see, are happy to be here, and love this country. Why else would they have risked death and worse to get here? I've talked to many -- and my BIL is not the only immigrant married into my family. We're our own littl