Letters to the editor

“˜Latino’ doesn’t mean illegal
alien

In response to Ilana Fried’s column “”˜A day
without a Mexican’ rings true” (May 20), I don’t
think anyone is saying Latinos are a drain on resources. I have
never heard that anywhere. What they are saying is that
illegal aliens are a drain on resources. Her article starts out
talking about “undocumented Latinos” and switches to
“Latinos” as if these terms are interchangeable.
They’re not.

Linda Evans

Ilana Fried’s column “”˜A Day Without a
Mexican’ rings true,” (May 20) tried to justify illegal
immigration on the basis that Latinos help the economy. The
argument seemed to be that if 33 percent of the population
disappeared, our state would be in big trouble so we should allow
illegal immigrants to enjoy all the benefits of a citizen without
paying taxes. If 33 percent of any portion of the population were
removed from any state, there would obviously be huge
problems. 

In addition, much of the 33 percent Fried refers to are legal
residents, which bears no relation to undocumented workers.
Fried’s sole representation of the other side consisted of
unquoted, ignorant anti-Latino sentiments ““ she did not
entertain the thought that documenting immigrants is extremely
important.

State and federal services cannot be distributed or organized
correctly if they do not even have an accurate idea of how many
people they need to serve. Additionally, if you receive tax-funded
services without paying taxes, you are basically eating on someone
else’s bill every night ““ that’s not
fair. That is the main issue against illegal immigration,
which Fried completely neglected. 

Anthony Flamer Fourth-year, philosophy

Film prejudiced against whites

Ilana Fried’s column “”˜A day without a
Mexican’ rings true” (May 20) mentioned billboards
advertising the film said, in English, “On May 14, there will
be no Mexicans in California,” while billboards in Spanish
read “On May 14, the Gringos are Going to Cry.”

I wonder what the reaction would be in the Latino community if
another film came out that advertised, in English, “On May
14, the Latinos are Going to Cry.” Wouldn’t it
immediately be condemned as racist? Prejudice, against any race,
shouldn’t be accepted.

The film’s message seems to be that gringos are biased
against Mexicans and want them gone, but if the Mexicans really
were gone, then we’d be sorry. I find that some people
will assume I am prejudiced because of my white skin and blond hair
without ever getting to know me, which is, ironically enough,
prejudice on their part.

European Americans deserve to be judged on their individual
merits as much as any other ethnic group. Films such as this, in my
opinion, only fuel the fire of race divisions in California.

Michael Bennett First-year graduate student