Southern California abuts the US/Mexico border. The US's quasi-laissez-faire

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2024-10-02 15:00:04

Southern California abuts the US/Mexico border. The US's quasi-laissez-faire "build-a-wall" tribe believe that (1) cheap labor is good but (2) immigration from Mexico is bad.

Sometimes I try to act like an impartial essayist -- not today. I unabashedly support immigrants and psychonauts. Viva la vie!

Conservatives' cognitive dissonance breeds a "dont-ask-dont-tell" policy for undocumented labor. In Southern California, you can easily employ undocumented landscapers, day-laborers, kitchen workers, housekeepers, farmers, factory workers, nannies, etc.

Meanwhile, conservatives (1) withhold immigrants' health insurance and (2) complain about immigrants not having health insurance.

"The good Mexicans work really hard, but refuse to learn enough skills (e.g. English) to do white-collar jobs. The bad Mexicans bring crime/drugs and their friends who bring more crime/drugs."

This narrative is precisely how conservatives maintain their cognitive dissonance: they say that "good" immigrants work and assimilate, while "bad" immigrants commit crimes and multiply.