>>From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
>>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>>To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>>Subject: Re: cultural imperialism
>>Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 09:14:15 -0500
>
>>I'm curious, though. You're from someone else, and are here. Other
>>folks on this list who are full of criticism of the U.S. were born
>>elsewhere and are here. Why? Mainly for economic reasons? Family
>>reasons? School reasons? Or is there something else that attracts you
>>(plural) about U.S. society?
>
>Ah, the old "if you don't like the US, why are you here" question.
Which, of course, isn't worthy of an answer once you rephrase it that way. Only a provincial ignoramus would even ask.
>But what's the follow-up? If maquiladoras are so bad, why do
>Mexicans flock to work in them?
Because it beats staying on the farm and getting married at 15? Oh, right, this too is a question too self-evidently stupid and callous to answer.
>But to the extent the question isn't trolling,
Right. I started this list just so I could troll at my own expense. Caught!
> you might read
Nah, I prefer to bloviate in ignorance.
>about why Germany is having a hard time getting Indian software
>professionals. As I recall, they prefer to go to the US bc it's
>less white and the taxes are lower.
Well that's something. Not the taxes part, but the less white. One of the more admirable things about this place is that people from all over the world come here. Yes it's brutally and hypocritically done, yes the INS is piggish, and yes there's a great interest in exploitable cheap labor - but still, people from all over the world come here and make interesting cultures and lives. One of the most repulsive things about the present mobilization is the crackdown on immigration, and the reversal of more tolerant border policies.
Doug