EW Letter of the Week

This letter relates to an ongoing discussion of the "Ask a Mexican" column the Weekly now runs. It is hilarious. It is racist against Mexicans. It is racist against everyone but Mexicans. It is not funny. It's funny, if you "get it," but Eugeneans are too white to "get it." It's not funny because stereotypes are not funny. Satire is humor. Satire is not effective humor.

You get the gist. This letter in particular gets at the heart of the around-the-bend nature of the discussion, where letters published months ago are referred to with no context and the "liberals," who have universally been panned as being tight-ass whities who can't handle a little barrio humor, are now accused of being racists for defending the column.

Plus, the letter is a delightful blend of Randian and Marxist thought. Not to say "only in Eugene," but God-bless it, it's what makes us Eugene!

GABACHO RACISM

Dear Ms Yamada and Mr. Sprague: I have some comments regarding your letters to the editor printed on Dec. 20. Gabacho racism is still racism, as is Latino racism is still racism. If either of you read last week's (12/20) "ÁAsk a Mexican!" with an open and not a "liberal," bleeding heart-filled mind, you would understand that Arellano is a Mexican nationalist and not the humanitarian, compassionate human rights advocate he so slyly portrays himself to be.

I feel the complaints that I expressed in my Nov. 22 letter are justified with Arellano's latest tantrum, and therefore, Mr. Sprague, how can you claim "ÁAsk a Mexican!" is "not mean-spirited"? The "liberal" rich fog that your mind is blanketed with is contrary to your asking of readers "be careful not to close your minds too quickly!" You go on to say "mainstream media is a very significant reason why there is not outright revolution in this country."

I ask you: What is the very significant reason why there is not outright revolution in Mexico? I'll answer: The flight of tens of millions of poor, uneducated, superstitious people from their homes in Mexico to go to the U.S. Whether entering with our OK or without is not relevant, it's the fleeing that matters, and also sending billions of dollars back to prop up the illegitimate Mexican government.

That old cliché, "You can't solve your problems by running away from them" definitely applies here. Though Mexican immigrants' rights advocates don't think it applies to them. The greater threat to immigrants from Mexico is NOT the white dominated government of the U.S., it's the Catholic church. Those with true open minds have already figured it out.

What about personal responsibility? The immigrant advocates also seem to think that it does not apply to the poor immigrants. Everyone needs to take responsibility for themselves; responsibility to improve one's life, to lift oneself out of poverty, to become educated and use common sense and not live life superstitiously, and not expect others to throw you a lifeline! As for the subdued masses in the U.S., we have subdued ourselves by allowing this shit to continue. We are too easily pleased, lazy and enjoy the good life.

Blame not the media, for the media are a creation by people and run by people. We allowed these people to get the best of us and they are only a few and we are too lazy to stop them.

I haven't forgotten about you, Ms. Yamada. The appropriate title of your letter should have been, "Don't Mexicans Get It"? I, as a human being of Dominican parents, know many Mexicans don't like other Latinos who aren't Mexican and want a "Mexicans only" access to the U.S., yet you and others want to bury that negative side regardless how true it is. Forty percent of Mexicans are in poverty, 45 percent of Dominicans, and 70 percent of Haitians. Are you a Mexican nationalist advocate? Are you a human rights advocate? You can't be both. Take another read of Arellano and drop your Mexican Catholic mentality, then you'll see your eyes were closed all along.

Juana Garcia, Eugene