Beacon of Hope and Illegal Immigrants

Canada and the United States are ‘neighbors’ with each other and part of the North American Atlantic Treaty Organization aka NATO. Both of these nations share their history of greatness based upon the contributions of millions of immigrants over the years. Should we stop the immigration policy now?

Ethnic relations has a violent face and is familiar to many who watch or listen to the news. Every nation with more than one ethnic group has faced ethnic clashes and some have managed stability, others have been torn apart with violence and hatred while a majority have managed with alternate periods of peace and conflict.

Ethnocentrism becomes racism when practicing the belief that their group is the best and the most enlightened. The belief that ‘ their norms and values are absolute and use them as a standard to judge and measure other cultures’ and is a universal practice among many groups of people. How do the people of Canada, the United States or other democratic nations, maintain their peace?

Various ethnic groups have learned to live and mix together in the same towns and cities on a daily basis. They share the same near values and attitudes, economic, educational and political institutions. Ethnic equality is believed to be achievable with participation through political activism and institutional reforms.

The use of political activism and institutional reforms requires deciding upon what changes they want in the social structure. These changes can be seen with the expansion of bilingual language, image of minorities in mass media, education institutions, human rights and equal employment opportunities. These are actions that helped to offset the practices of prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes of minority peoples.

Unfortunately, inequality ebbs and wanes with the political environment and both the minority and dominant peoples have not completely achieved the goals of ethnic equality. Interest in equality becomes the focus when ethnic relations are deteriorating and conflict arises. As the rights of the minority peoples have been important to them - they are not so with the ‘non-minority’.

Prejudice and discrimination are not the same pea in a pod but are related. Prejudice refers to attitudes towards others whereas discrimination is a action taken such as penalizing some people because of their ethnic status. Prejudice is used to justify acts of discrimination to preserve one’s sense of economic and political dominance.

The negative consequences of prejudice and discrimination leads to exclusion of talented people for important jobs, weakening of social unity, psychological trauma, over all unnecessary pain and suffering for many. Where will our safety go if we fail to continue promoting and practicing social unity for you , me our children?

The issue of illegal immigrants showing up at North American shores and crossing our borders has created conflict and upset with the people. There may be many reasons for showing up at our doorsteps such as ;

– conflict and ethnic cleansing
– poverty
– government corruption
– lack of human rights
– death threat

Opportunity for a better life is available through legal channels in our respective nations but the process may be too long and slow. Local business leaders may benefit from the use of employing below minimum wage earners. Illegal immigrants become scapegoats for the following ;

– blamed as cause of problems
– anger can’t be directed against powerful people
– anger and frustration is directed to weaker individuals who can’t fight back

The current economic troubles may be causing the average citizen to turn their backs on ethnic injustice. It is believed that illegal immigration would be reduced if the richer nations helped create employment but this idea is not a priority.

Non-minority immigrants who faced prejudice and discrimination of their own and worked their way up - usually have little sympathy or respect for the demands of other minorities. It is hard to accept claims of a illegal immigrant that breaks the law to enter our respective nations would value our homeland.

The idea of helping create jobs in another nation could be re-examined. In the movie, ‘The Kingdom’ there is a enclosed compound set aside in the United Arab Emirate (separate from their own society) specifically for Americans and guests and allowed to carry on their own lifestyle unobserved by UAE citizens. Whether such a place is reality may prove a working theory.

A very unique relationship set up between nations and people that allows for one lifestyle within that of another and both respecting the rules. A few First Nation peoples of Canada and US American Indians enter joint ventures with business and improved their lives. Could NATO help set up other compounds in the poorer nations for businesses to operate, improve lives yet remain safe?

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Article(C)2010 Dame Scribe, all rights reserved. Dame Scribe creates articles and posts online. She creates articles on business skills & development, health, science, technology and society and has a strong passion for writing.