by Nick Baez
I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine on the topic of immigration and anti-Latino sentiment. One of her comments caught me off guard: she suggested that more people would be open to the idea of more Latinos immigrating into the United States “if there were not so many Latinos on welfare and government assistance.” “After all”, she stated, “such programs of entitlement were a major contributing factor to the national debt.”
Puzzled, I simply asked her how many Latinos in this country are benefiting from these so-called programs of entitlement. “Oh, I don’t know,” she responded, “probably at least 45 to 55 percent.” At this point, I simply sighed and attempted to restrain my inner pit bull from rearing its ugly head. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Ronald Reagan’s famous words during the 1976 presidential campaign, in which he spoke of a “welfare queen” from the south side of Chicago:
“She has eighty names, thirty addresses, twelve Social Security cards and is collecting veteran’s benefits on four non-existing deceased husbands. And she is collecting Social Security on her cards. She’s got Medicaid, getting food stamps, and she is collecting welfare under each of her names. Her tax-free cash income is over $150,000.”
Of course, this was a gross distortion of the facts. But he had accomplished precisely what he intended, which was to create a narrative that allowed people to identify a direct, tangible, and schema-consistent cause of their economic hardships.
Reagan had initiated a process that, over the next 35 years, would transform public perception of these so-called “programs of entitlement.” Once seen as a hallmark of American greatness during the 1940’s through the 1960’s, these programs began to draw the wrath of politicians who used economic uncertainty as a rallying cry to gain election into office (it is also not a coincidence that this narrative gained popularity when Blacks and Latinos gained greater access to these programs with the passing of Civil Rights legislation).
Nowadays, it is very common for people, like my good friend, to attribute the current economic situation to these very programs which – we are told – are exploited to a significantly large degree by Latinos and Blacks. But, what if I told you that almost nine out of 10 Latinos in this country receive no food stamps; what if I told you that 93 percent of Latinos in this country receive no form of government cash welfare; what if I told you that nearly 96 percent of Latinos in this country receive no form of housing subsidy?
It is now evident that perception, indeed, does not match reality. The existence of such a misguided narrative easily allows individuals to identify a “smoking gun” cause of economic hardship, but the damage that such a narrative creates is very real and very tragic. We see, for example, this damage manifest itself in the anti-Latino sentiment sweeping across the country. We watch as groups who have a negligible to nonexistent effect on the federal deficit (i.e., immigrants, “welfare recipients,” Muslims, women, Planned Parenthood, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, labor unions, teachers, poor whites, all non-whites, etc.) are nonetheless perceived to be at the root of economic upheaval.
Yet, it is the power of the narrative that drives this perception. And sadly, it is a narrative that many folks who are the targets of such misguided rage also buy into. Hence, as we undergo the process of crafting a 21st century Latino agenda, we must first and foremost assume ownership over the narrative we create for our community, in order that it may be seen as an indispensable part of the American and international experience.
To learn more about Nick, find him on Facebook.
______________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those
of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
About Nick Baez
You speak negatively of the narrative while you yourself promote a narrative. There is no “anti-Latino sentiment sweeping across the country.” There is an “anti-illegal immigrant” sentiment sweeping across the country. These are two very different things.
Very powerful article. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you.
There is definitely an anti-Latinos sentiment sweeping the country. It is naive to label it simply an “anti-illegal immigrant” sentiment.
I think your so called friend is just an ignorant fool who is spewing right wing rhetoric. I wouldn’t consider anyone who said anything like that a friend you have a lot of ppl out there who show fake tolerance or know exactly what not to say to offend someone. Not every minority out there is living off the system but this is the type of bs they want you to believe immigrants work hard and do the jobs no one else will b/c they think they’re too good for it. I never liked Reagan or his stupid policies and he hurt a lot of ppl with those policies even though I was just a kid when he was president. The republicans distort facts with misinformation and fear mongering I don’t believe anything they say. Ask that idiot where she’s getting her percentages from b/c more trailer trash swipe ebt cards than latinos and live off the system but I guess since they’re white its ok
I couldn’t find the stats you mentioned in the census form you linked to. Can you tell me which chart you’re basing your numbers off of?
Francisca: of greatest relevance is Table 531 within the statistical abstract that is cited.
I think the idea of taking control of one’s own narrative is such a powerful one for any marginalized group. Look at the whitewashing of history books. Other people control much of the information that is passed on and the narrative that is presented of our country’s past. We must speak for ourselves. I think one reason so many people connect to Being Latino is because we are writing our own narrative through this site. This site is Latinos speaking for Latinos.
Wonderful article, Nick — you very eloquently captured a sentiment that I’ve been struggling to put into words myself. @ Val — make no mistake: the “anti-illegal-immigrant” narrative you speak of is not nearly as “different” from an anti-Latino sentiment as you might wish to believe. For many, the two go hand-in-hand. Hate, ignorance, fear, bias (the roots of an anti-anything narrative) do not have clean, clearly defined edges. Rather, they easily spill over to envelop other categories in their drive to disposess.
And why shouldn’t speak negative of a narrative that’s based on lies? Always with your hate every time you show up here. Why in the hell do you people join this page if all you do is disparage your own?
Agreed with Cesar. That is EXACTLY what this article is addressing, so thank you for serving as an example. Great article Nick!!
Thank you again for enjoying this one.