Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Column: The new manifest destiny
By Corey Martin
Daily Mississippian U. Mississippi
June 02, 2008

Try this: write "ignorance" on the palm of one hand and "arrogance" on the other and have them face each other as closely as possible without touching. There's not a lot of wiggle room in that gap, and that's because in certain situations these two are the same.

Don't believe me?

Manifest destiny is the notion that the United States, a small, newly-formed country bulging at its tiny borders with opportunity, would inevitably spread out and conquer the land between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. More simply put, it's a justification for taking other people's land.

As manifest destiny ... um, manifested itself, the United States: (1) urbanized at an exponential rate; (2) became more economically and politically savvy; and (3) began erecting a pedestal on which it would stand and be recognized abroad and domestically as "the land of opportunity."

In short, the expanding landscape, shrewd politicians, limitless business opportunities and international relevance combined to make the United States what it is today: a place perceived as one where dreams never die and anyone can make it.

That's arrogance. In fact, it's so arrogant that our government has decided to take manifest destiny abroad and impose it on Middle Eastern culture by "exposing" them to democracy. In short: let us bring America to you!

Considering our current campaign in Iraq (and elsewhere) and manifest destiny, I'd prefer for the government to not whine about the legality of immigration.

Given how eager it appears our country is to convert people to our "fabulousness," you'd think they'd be happy that, just south of us, there's a whole country salivating at the opportunity to tread American soil.

The U.S. Census Bureau states that from 1970 to 2006 the Hispanic population grew from 9.6 million to 44.3 million. From 2000 to 2006 the Hispanic influx accounted for nearly 50 percent of the entire nation's population growth. During that period the nation's population expanded by 6.3 percent while the Hispanic population expanded by 24 percent. This is the new manifest destiny.

The original manifest destiny would have you believe that all that territory to aid American expansion was legally attained. I mean, there's no way a bunch of fast-talking, city-slicking 19th century politicians would try to hoodwink some people to whom they already felt superior, right?

So here's my theory: The U.S. government created (or at least ignored) the illegal immigration problem as a means to supply itself with cheap labor. Let's face it: some Americans think they are too good to work some of the jobs illegal immigrants take.

It was fine for the first-generation immigrants in the 1970s to come over and work because they had little or no education and a limited English vocabulary, both of which would force them to take menial jobs, but they'd happy just because they were in America. The problem is that it backfired.

What about their children, the ones who were born on American soil, the ones who adjusted themselves to our values, the ones who grabbed their batons to join the rat race that is the American dream? The government would never say it, but it thinks Hispanic children are the supposed problem.

Why? Because just like many Americans, they think they're too good for these dead-end jobs, and they have justifiably requested social, economic and political relevance.

I may be over-generalizing a bit, but minority populations (and I'm not just talking about race) seemingly become problematic only when they try to assert themselves. Consider the abolitionist movement. Consider the workers' rights movements as a result of the industrial revolution. Read accounts of the Northeast's reaction to the Ellis Island immigrants. Consider the women's rights movement. Recall the civil rights movement. Tune in to the ongoing gay rights movements.

FedEx didn't overnight a shipment of 40 million Hispanics, and for the government to act as though this population boom just "happened" is absurd. If that many people can sneak into the United States in such a short period, then Barney Fife or Mr. Otis (for all the Martin Lawrence fans) must be in charge of Homeland Security.

The anti-immigration angle is a conduit to preventing a manifest destiny from happening to the originator. Just like every other population that has come to America, the Hispanic population has become part of the American system, from bottom to top.

The government has no problem with people joining the melting pot so long as it still has the spoon in its hand.

What's that saying about too many chefs in the kitchen?

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