Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Bill would mandate nicer term for illegals
This article discusses one Florida State legislator who is trying to get a bill passed that would ban the term "illegal alien" in any state documents. "I personally find the word 'alien' offensive when applied to individuals, especially to children," said Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami. "An alien to me is someone from out of space." She believes it is both offensive and degrading to use refer to a person as an "alien". She preferms the term "undocumented" "They are immigrants, through no fault of their own, not aliens." What are your thoughts on this?
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5 comments:
Well, having been labeled a "resident alien" for many years before I became a "Permanent resident" then a U. S. citizen -- it was sometimes a big joke to refer to myself as a legal alien. But it was also a bit alienating. Non-resident or legal resident would probably be better, undocumented would refer only to the "illegal aliens". Tricky topic, but surely we can come up with a better label for people who are non-USC.
In our politically correct obsessed world of today it's surprising that a term like alien would be universally accepted. An alien conjures an image of little green men in UFOs. It just seems like there has got to be a more appropriate term. Although the bill wouldn't resolve all the problems with the term, it's refreshing that it bothers people outside of our class.
Well, right now, I am a 'legal alien' in the United States. I look like a human being, but my U.S. Visa suggests that I belong to Mars! The term 'alien' is pretty outdated, and as Dr. D has suggested it definitely alienates the arriving person from the U.S. society. It would be a welcome change if the term 'alien' is replaced with a more sophisticated term. The article suggests that people have been pestered by the term 'alien' and we might see the term being changed in the near future.
I think the word 'alien' would be a much needed change. The first time I read the blog I thought how ridiculous it is that there is dispute over a word, but then I thought about it and realized that maybe if the word itself was changed, people's opinions of "illegal/undocumented aliens/immigrants" would change as well. It also affects people's lives as Dr. D and Zain stated, so changing the word would help to welcome "illegal/undocumented aliens/immigrants" into American society and help them feel a sense of belonging. The word is harsh and unnecessary, so hopefully the bill will be passed and create greater change other than just the term changing.
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