Big Fucking Deal
A friend of Avery's, Alejandro, is visiting for the week, which I suppose via the avenues of association, he's my friend as well. Either way, I don't particularly care for him nor do I particularly enjoy the fact he's going to be on our couch for the next week. I do rather like the fact that he and Avery will be doing "their thing" for the week, leaving me to my own devices. Yes!
If you haven't figured it out by the name, Alejandro is of Latino origin. In fact, he's Colombian. Even more of a fact is the fact that he will not let you go an hour in his presence without mentioning this fact. So, I've taken to constantly bringing up the fact I'm South African every time he brings up the fact he's Colombian.
Anyway, he called in for a job interview the other evening, and rather than go into the office room or the bedroom he opted to stay right in the fucking kitchen so we could hear him. True to form he kept on repeating the fact that was, oh yes, Colombian. He actually uttered the phrase, "Did I mention that I'm Colombian?" to the person interviewing him as if to smack that interviewer over the head with the most likely unfilled quota of Latinos in the mechanical engineering field in which he's a member.
It literally took every ounce of restraint, as well as Avery's hand over my mouth-does that boy know me? or does he know me?-to not snap at him. I'm all for being proud of your origin, hell, I'm very proud of being South African; however, I don't bring it up every time I speak with someone, nor do I make it abundantly clear to people around me that I am South African. If someone assumes I'm from England or Australia, then I am more than okay with being British or an Aussie just so I can get on with my day. Alejandro is more than offended if you call him anything other than Colombian. The first time I met him I asked him if he was Mexican. Big mistake. As if I cared, he launched into this huge diatribe of what the fundamental differences are between Hispanics and Latinos, and how vastly different Colombians are from them all. In one ear, out the other, and I asked him what his favorite Taco stand was.
It's really no wonder he and I aren't buddy-buddy, huh? How do you not fuck with someone who takes himself so seriously though? On top of that, I find it absolutely obnoxious that he constantly is throwing his ethnicity at people as if they are supposed to be completely blown away by the fact they're in the presence of a real, live, Colombian. My father is Colombian, and I've never heard him say anything about that country other than how happy he was to get the fuck out of there. So, why does he make it into such a big deal? I mean what does he want, an award for being one of the few people to make it out of his country without being a drug mule?
I at least admit not everything about South Africa is glorious, and I do feel a bit ashamed of the apartheid issues we have, but if you ask Alejandro about anything negative in Columbia it's all the fault of the United States. I'm sure the booming cocaine industry is somehow correlated to the United States {or at least Lindsey Lohan}, but I'm really not so sure that the lack of any other booming industry within the confines of that nations territory has anything to do with the United States being around. If the United States is so awful, why is he here to begin with? If he's going to wave around his Colombian ethnicity as if it's something that makes him better than anyone else, why did he even apply for US Citizenship? If Columbia is so fucking wonderful, why doesn't he go back to be with his family rather than just sending them monthly checks and not even bothering to phone them?
Point Blank: If your country of ethnicity is so wonderful that you refuse to assimilate into the society and culture of America, why the fuck are you here?
No, that's not a cheap shot to Mexicans who insist on having Spanish be the second language of the country, meanwhile every other ethnic base with a different language that makes up this lovely melting pot of a country is left to learn English with no special accommodations whatsoever. It's just the opinion of an immigrant from another country whom accepted with open arms the prospect of becoming a US citizen and becoming a part of this society. Sure, arguably I already knew English, but I didn't move here with the expectation of all the comforts and things I adored back in South Africa and I certainly didn't expect any form of special treatment and babying in an effort to make me an asset and not a drain to this society, and it boggles my mind that other people come here with exactly those accommodations.
Okay fine. Maybe it is a cheap shot at Hispanics and Latinos, but for the life of me I can't understand how illegal immigrants are even an issue, nor can I understand how people can, with complete seriousness, point to the need for Spanish as a second language of the country so as to accommodate the mass influx of Spanish speaking immigrants. Maybe this stems from the fact I grew up in a different country, and am aware of how frighteningly hard it is to become a citizen of another country. My father is still not a citizen of South Africa, despite his living there for nearly 20 years, and there are some countries in Europe who won't even give an immigrant citizenship unless they can prove a blood lineage, like Germany who has Turkish people who have lived in Germany for generations and they are still not considered citizens because they don't have any German blood in them. Thus, when you get to a country like the United States, which pretty freely gives away the right to citizenship, it's a bit ludicrous that people aren't happy with just that. No, they want special accommodations by way of being able to keep their native language and be afforded all the rights of citizenship by living here illegally. Did anyone accommodate the Asians? The Indians? What about the Europeans who came over here? No, they all had to learn English and make something of themselves alone. Kind of begs the question, why do Latinos and Hispanics warrant any kind of helping hand, while no other immigrant sect does?
If you haven't figured it out by the name, Alejandro is of Latino origin. In fact, he's Colombian. Even more of a fact is the fact that he will not let you go an hour in his presence without mentioning this fact. So, I've taken to constantly bringing up the fact I'm South African every time he brings up the fact he's Colombian.
Anyway, he called in for a job interview the other evening, and rather than go into the office room or the bedroom he opted to stay right in the fucking kitchen so we could hear him. True to form he kept on repeating the fact that was, oh yes, Colombian. He actually uttered the phrase, "Did I mention that I'm Colombian?" to the person interviewing him as if to smack that interviewer over the head with the most likely unfilled quota of Latinos in the mechanical engineering field in which he's a member.
It literally took every ounce of restraint, as well as Avery's hand over my mouth-does that boy know me? or does he know me?-to not snap at him. I'm all for being proud of your origin, hell, I'm very proud of being South African; however, I don't bring it up every time I speak with someone, nor do I make it abundantly clear to people around me that I am South African. If someone assumes I'm from England or Australia, then I am more than okay with being British or an Aussie just so I can get on with my day. Alejandro is more than offended if you call him anything other than Colombian. The first time I met him I asked him if he was Mexican. Big mistake. As if I cared, he launched into this huge diatribe of what the fundamental differences are between Hispanics and Latinos, and how vastly different Colombians are from them all. In one ear, out the other, and I asked him what his favorite Taco stand was.
It's really no wonder he and I aren't buddy-buddy, huh? How do you not fuck with someone who takes himself so seriously though? On top of that, I find it absolutely obnoxious that he constantly is throwing his ethnicity at people as if they are supposed to be completely blown away by the fact they're in the presence of a real, live, Colombian. My father is Colombian, and I've never heard him say anything about that country other than how happy he was to get the fuck out of there. So, why does he make it into such a big deal? I mean what does he want, an award for being one of the few people to make it out of his country without being a drug mule?
I at least admit not everything about South Africa is glorious, and I do feel a bit ashamed of the apartheid issues we have, but if you ask Alejandro about anything negative in Columbia it's all the fault of the United States. I'm sure the booming cocaine industry is somehow correlated to the United States {or at least Lindsey Lohan}, but I'm really not so sure that the lack of any other booming industry within the confines of that nations territory has anything to do with the United States being around. If the United States is so awful, why is he here to begin with? If he's going to wave around his Colombian ethnicity as if it's something that makes him better than anyone else, why did he even apply for US Citizenship? If Columbia is so fucking wonderful, why doesn't he go back to be with his family rather than just sending them monthly checks and not even bothering to phone them?
Point Blank: If your country of ethnicity is so wonderful that you refuse to assimilate into the society and culture of America, why the fuck are you here?
No, that's not a cheap shot to Mexicans who insist on having Spanish be the second language of the country, meanwhile every other ethnic base with a different language that makes up this lovely melting pot of a country is left to learn English with no special accommodations whatsoever. It's just the opinion of an immigrant from another country whom accepted with open arms the prospect of becoming a US citizen and becoming a part of this society. Sure, arguably I already knew English, but I didn't move here with the expectation of all the comforts and things I adored back in South Africa and I certainly didn't expect any form of special treatment and babying in an effort to make me an asset and not a drain to this society, and it boggles my mind that other people come here with exactly those accommodations.
Okay fine. Maybe it is a cheap shot at Hispanics and Latinos, but for the life of me I can't understand how illegal immigrants are even an issue, nor can I understand how people can, with complete seriousness, point to the need for Spanish as a second language of the country so as to accommodate the mass influx of Spanish speaking immigrants. Maybe this stems from the fact I grew up in a different country, and am aware of how frighteningly hard it is to become a citizen of another country. My father is still not a citizen of South Africa, despite his living there for nearly 20 years, and there are some countries in Europe who won't even give an immigrant citizenship unless they can prove a blood lineage, like Germany who has Turkish people who have lived in Germany for generations and they are still not considered citizens because they don't have any German blood in them. Thus, when you get to a country like the United States, which pretty freely gives away the right to citizenship, it's a bit ludicrous that people aren't happy with just that. No, they want special accommodations by way of being able to keep their native language and be afforded all the rights of citizenship by living here illegally. Did anyone accommodate the Asians? The Indians? What about the Europeans who came over here? No, they all had to learn English and make something of themselves alone. Kind of begs the question, why do Latinos and Hispanics warrant any kind of helping hand, while no other immigrant sect does?
Labels: shitballs
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1 People Who Bitched:
You know, my parents are both immigrants and they find it pretty ridiculous too. Hell, I find it ridiculous. Not only is it a drain on our economy to be granting illegal immigrants the same rights as citizens, but it's highly unfair. My cousin couldn't get a visa to simply visit the US from Israel, meanwhile there's over a million illegal immigrants just living it up.
I have no problem with people speaking their native language, I mean I speak Hebrew with my family and friends, but I don't expect to call 411 and have the option to hear the menu in Hebrew, you know?
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