There’s a story in the Washington Post about a school meeting in Saline, Michigan entitled ‘Then why didn’t you stay in Mexico?’: A Latino dad was interrupted by a white man at meeting about racism in schools. The meeting was meant to address racism in schools, but it did not go smoothly:
On Monday, he [Adrian Iraola] was was telling a crowd of parents in Saline, Mich., about the harm these kinds of remarks had inflicted on his son yet again — how classmates’ taunts of “taco,” “enchilada” and “dirty Mexican” had left the high schooler in tears.
“I went to his bedroom to say good night,” Iraola said, turning to an audience that had been discussing diversity and inclusion in schools. “He was crying because of the abuse that he was enduring in this school system.”
Suddenly, the man behind him interjected.
“Then why didn’t you stay in Mexico?” he asked.
The story reports that some in the audience were shocked. They should have been repulsed, but not shocked: the most powerful person in all the world is a vulgar man, an unreconstructed bigot, who carries on as a daily (unworthy) example to hordes of others.
Our ancestors did not speak hesitantly of Know Nothings, Confederates, Copperheads, the Klan, and the Bund; they saw them – and described them – for what they were.
One could take the hands of that ilk and say now, now, it’s all right, but it’s not all right – and never will be.
We haven’t advanced a proper acculturation of those who have been born here. The typical concern about acculturation (of newcomers) is a slight matter as against the obvious failure to set the proper – that is, ethical, moral – expectations for those who are native born.
Those in the Michigan crowd who gave that nativist what-for are admirable for having defended the better norm that he so plainly failed to meet.