[lbo-talk] Re: Dean Baker on immigration

ravi gadfly at exitleft.org
Wed Apr 19 19:02:24 PDT 2006


At around 19/4/06 6:55 pm, John Adams wrote:
>> You will not find coverage of disability rights by leftist
>> publications all
>> through out the times of our struggle, yet you are all willing to jump up
>> and shout for the rights of illegal immigrants.
>
> This is the nub of it, isn't it? It's Marta's belief in the truth of the
> first statement--and she's got a point--that activates the sentiments of
> the second statement.
>
> That doesn't make it right--that second statement, it's wrong, it's
> xenophobic, it's counter-productive--but when the left appears to bypass
> one group which deserves our support in order to support another, it's
> understandable when members of that group see that (possibly correctly,
> too) as discrimination against them.
>

I see your point, but if we are to go down this route: At least 6 billion disabled people (or undocumented workers) aren't being tortured, killed and eaten by humans, including most leftists, every year. Hell, half of them won't even recognize what I am talking about and the rest won't even consider it a legitimate issue.

In case it isn't obvious: not only am I using hyperbole, but also, I do not even think of such description as I use above a valid presentation of the cause I favour.

I think most leftists do support various notions that support disabled people:

1. Universal healthcare 2. Basic welfare 3. Opposition to all forms of vulgar Darwinism 4. Support for state sponsored medical research 5. Accessibility laws, technologies, etc 6. Non-discrimination on the basis of physio/psychological issues

and so on.

The problem is not that we (leftists) favour "illegal immigrants" over disabled people. The problem is that we do not do a lot about it, in either case. After all it was the immigrants themselves who marched in the 100s of thousands a few weeks ago.

--ravi



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