On Immigration: us and them or is it just us

The issue of immigration far exceeded its focal point – the immigrants.  It has transformed into our own judgment, predicament, and prejudice.

In the U.S., the issue morphed into civil rights violation in the wake of a new controversial policy in Arizona.  In France, ban on burqa has further accentuated the anti-immigration sentiments.  In the U.K., newly elected Prime Minister David Cameron’s stance on putting a cap on immigration quota set off an economic qualm between India and the U.K.

My argument is here not about any policy per se but our moral indignation.  How do we become so indifferent to “other” people?

We perceive others as “other” because they are different.  This is, perhaps, the inherent nature of human being.  “Other” invokes our curiosity.  “Other” makes us different.  “Other” makes us complacent.  “Other” makes us contrived.  But the “other” also has the power to change us.

The mesmerizing “Gang Leader For a Day” by Mr. Sudhir Venkatesh opens with a chapter on what is it like to be someone we are not. “Someone we are not” is a reference to the blacks and poor.  During his experience with a drug lord in the biggest projects in the U.S., Mr. Vankatesh was reacquainted with the idea of the culture of poverty.  The sociologists constantly grapple with this notion.  When we think about poverty, we paint a certain picture in our mind based on our predispositions.  Walter Lippmann in his famous book “Public Opinion” argues that we all have “pictures in our head” which come from our value systems.
When dealing with “others” in the society, we have many pictures of them.  What do we think when we hear the word “immigrant?”  Does the word itself portray any particular pictures of the immigrants in societies?  I’d argue that people’s perception of immigrants is a social construct.  These perceptions constantly evolve within the context of social, political, and economic conditions.

The 9/11 events helped redefine the word “terrorist.”  It created a new race of “terrorist.”  In order to be a “terrorist” one needs to fulfill certain criteria.  These criteria are autonomous, meaning they are independent of the word “terrorist” itself.  The act of terror no longer applies to define a terrorist.  Other criteria must be met.

Immigrants in our society invoke a sense of “other” almost instantaneously.  They belong to “other” because they are different and someone we are not.  Accepting someone we are not is difficult.  But it is difficult because we think it is difficult.  And it is easy to remain complacent within our own-self.

Mr. Vankatesh reminds us that it is possible to see the “other” through our courage, conviction, and morale.  He reminds us that it is possible to see ourselves through others. He reminds us that we should listen more.  He reminds us that it is possible to trust without expectations.

We just need to do our part.