Dig Deeper Texas

Immigration debate gets down to language

Before anger over proposed U.S. laws to crack down on illegal immigration boiled over into nationwide street demonstrations last spring, Mary González made her point silently, but with words.Offended by what she considered an immigrant-bashing climate at the University of Texas, the 23-year-old UT student leader fashioned a T-shirt that she spray-painted with a stripped-down message — “No Human Being is Illegal.” González prefers the term “undocumented immigrant” when referring to people not authorized to visit, live or work in the United States.

I totally agree with Mary Gonzalez. I am sure if you look back in this blog you can find me using illegal immigrant but most often I use undocumented immigrant or worker because language manipulates emotion and the shorthand illegals or illegal aliens evoke negative imagery and emotion in people before they even stop to think about the meat of the argument. These are human beings and certainly not inherintly evil as the monikers imply. It isn’t about being politically correct, it is about not using manipulative language for me.

Far from being just a bruising skirmish about semantics, the words help determine how politicians and the public view illegal immigration’s complexities. The language fuels controversy in sound bites that rally the like-minded, rile opponents and seek to influence public policy.

The terms have considerable impact, language experts say, because we process their meanings through what scientists call frames or metaphors.

“We understand the world not in terms of logic, but in terms of images” and metaphors, said Otto Santa Ana, a linguistics expert at the University of California, Los Angeles. For that reason, partisans in political debates frequently use terms that fan emotions and evoke images to suit their positions. Experts say the metaphors and images can be truthful or not, or somewhere in between, making finding solutions daunting.

“We always construct politics in terms of language,” Santa Ana said.

If you have been reading this blog for a bit you know that I rail against emotionally manipulative language when I see it. Language matters, it stirs up our most base selves. Don’t fall for it. We as a society need to take the time to be informed about the issues at hand and not fall for being manipulated by our government or a special interest just because they can come up with a good slogan. Yes, it takes time but the moment you realize you are no longer a sheople it will all be worth it.

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Filed under: dishonesty, double-speak, illegals, immigrants, immigration, texas