# Colorado Politician Calls Mexican Immigrants "Illiterate Peasants" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 22, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349 "2008-04-22T02:25:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/1 "2008-04-22T02:25:35Z")
Anyone want to guess what political party he belongs to? a) Republican b) Republican c) Republican d) all of the above Click the link and find out! [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080421/ap\_on\_re\_us/lawmaker\_kicks\_photographer](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080421/ap_on_re_us/lawmaker_kicks_photographer) This of course leads to the following question: How badly will this hurt the Democrats chances in the fall election? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/2 "2008-04-22T02:35:19Z")
This is awesome. Barack Obama’s comments about Pennsylvanians “clinging to guns and religion” didn’t ruffle enough feathers, so other politicians (on both sides) are going to think that they can start saying slightly rude but true things about other groups of people, and defend themselves, and the whole political system is going to become an more hostile yet more honest thing. Bravo! ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/3 "2008-04-22T02:37:07Z")
I think they prefer peons. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/4 "2008-04-22T03:11:46Z")
Well here’s his response: > [@](#): > > Bruce later defended his remarks. > > “I looked up ‘illiterate’ in the dictionary and it means somebody who is lacking in formal education or is unable to read and write,” he said. "I don’t think these people who are planning to come over here and pick potatoes or peaches are likely to have much of a formal education. I looked up the word ‘peasant.’ The word ‘peasant’ means a person who works in agricultural fields. > > “These people, most of them, don’t speak English. Most of them haven’t had any formal education, that’s why they’re coming over here. I don’t blame them for trying, but I don’t think we should pave the way for more aliens to come here,” he said. Does he have a point? Discuss… Also, I don’t agree with his attitude, but he does have the right to express his opinion, whether it’s popular or not. The article says that: > [@](#): > > House Minority Leader Mike May, head of the GOP caucus, said legislative leaders were trying to determine what action to take against Bruce. > > Rep. Terrance Carroll, a Democrat, said the remark could result in a formal ethics complaint that would require a hearing and possible suspension, censure or expulsion. The guy is just stating his opinion. Yes, what he said is hurtful, insensitive and tacky, but it’s his opinion and we live in a free society that holds freedom of speech in high regard. I don’t understand why he would be suspended or expelled for this. The voters should decide in the next election whether he should stay or go. I just don’t want to live in a world where we can’t freely speak our minds. I’d rather hear idiots like this say stupid things than live in a censored society. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/5 "2008-04-22T03:12:56Z")
Even the Republicans out here have decided Douglas Bruce is an asshole. He’s been the first person censured by the state house after he kicked a photographer (only 1 rep voted against censure), he got booted from a plum committe assignment by the Republican leadership, and now this. Hopefully this will help us get out from underneath his stupid-ass TABOR amendment. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/6 "2008-04-22T03:13:45Z")
Ummm…a lot of Mexican immigrants ARE illiterate peasants. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/7 "2008-04-22T03:21:11Z")
[QUOTE=Frostillicus] Anyone want to guess what political party he belongs to? [/QUOTE] You know, when a Democrat says something stupid, I generally go to pains to say whether that person is a mainstream Democrat or someone way out on the fringe. Even in the case of elected officials, the fact that we have two broad parties in this country generally means that each has their share of cranks. As has been pointed out to you, Douglas Bruce isn’t much liked by his own party - a fact pretty plain even from your link. Pity you couldn’t have pointed it out in your OP. How much damage this will do is anyone’s guess, but I’m glad some housecleaning is going on. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/8 "2008-04-22T03:36:27Z")
If he is censored for speaking such words then we cannot govern effectively as a nation. What he said was FUCKING TRUE. This is cultural sensitivity going way too far. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/9 "2008-04-22T03:48:32Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] Ummm…a lot of Mexican immigrants ARE illiterate peasants. [/QUOTE] I’ve got to ask for a cite. According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate) the literacy rate in Mexico is 91.6%. I’d guess that a very large percentage of illegal immigrants from Mexico are literate. It takes huge balls to overcome the obstacles sneaking into the USA. Being illiterate would make a difficult task all the more arduous. I suspect that most of the illegal immigrants I’ve encountered are literate. Most of them don’t speak English particularly well, though. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/10 "2008-04-22T03:56:56Z")
[QUOTE=Darryl Lict] I’ve got to ask for a cite. According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate) the literacy rate in Mexico is 91.6%. I’d guess that a very large percentage of illegal immigrants from Mexico are literate. It takes huge balls to overcome the obstacles sneaking into the USA. Being illiterate would make a difficult task all the more arduous. I suspect that most of the illegal immigrants I’ve encountered are literate. Most of them don’t speak English particularly well, though. [/QUOTE] Ok, you’ve convinced me, they’re literate peasants. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/11 "2008-04-22T04:01:31Z")
> [@](#): > > I looked up the word ‘peasant.’ The word ‘peasant’ means a person who works in agricultural fields. > [@](#): > > a lot of Mexican immigrants ARE illiterate peasants. (Since illiterate part was already covered) Peasants are farmers or laborers that work on tenement plots. I would like to see a cite that immigrants are actually pheasants. > **[Peasant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasant)** > > A peasant is a pre-industrial farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord., or a agricultural laborer. In Europe, three classes of peasants existed: non-free slaves, semi-free serfs, and free tenants. Peasants might hold title to land outright (fee simple), or by any of several forms of land tenure, among them socage, quit-rent, leasehold, and copyhold. > In some contexts, "peasant" has a pe... ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/12 "2008-04-22T04:04:21Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] Ummm…a lot of Mexican immigrants ARE illiterate peasants. [/QUOTE] Maybe\*, but it’s still rude to call them that, and that’s what’s being reacted to. It’s not like anyone’s calling for him to be removed from office or anything. Well, I’m sure some are, but it won’t happen. He’ll just fail to be reelected because of it. What could be more Democratic\*\* than that? Also, “censure” refers to a formal reprimand with absolutely no punishment attached. It’s a gesture on the part of the legislature to distance themselves from his remarks. No one’s trying to “censor” him. \*I am not calling, implying that, insinuating that, or otherwise inferring that Mexicans are illiterate peasants. Just pointing out that it’s offensive regardless. \*\*No pun intended. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/13 "2008-04-22T04:07:05Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] I would like to see a cite that immigrants are actually pheasants. [/QUOTE] I think that’s going to be rather hard to come up with. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/14 "2008-04-22T04:09:40Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] I think that’s going to be rather hard to come up with. [/QUOTE] Just a picture with feathers will do. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/15 "2008-04-22T04:10:26Z")
Are you guys seriously going to argue that he wasn’t using the word “peasants” as a pejorative? That he purely meant “peasant” in the “a person who lives in the country and works on the land, esp. as a smallholder or a labourer; (chiefly Sociol.) a member of an agricultural class dependent on subsistence farming” sense and not the “a person of low social status; an ignorant, stupid, unsophisticated, or (formerly esp.) unprincipled person; a boor, a lout; (also more generally) a person who is regarded with scorn or contempt, esp. by members of a particular social group” sense? (Definitions taken from the OED.) ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/16 "2008-04-22T04:11:35Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] I think that’s going to be rather hard to come up with. [/QUOTE] OK, well, let’s be flexible and throw in quail, peacock, and turkey too. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/17 "2008-04-22T04:12:23Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] Ok, you’ve convinced me, they’re literate peasants. [/QUOTE] That would put them one up on my own ancestors. I’m pretty sure both the Welsh and Italian sides of the family were pretty illiterate when they got here. I think immigration policy is fucked up in about a million different ways - but that isn’t the fault of these people, and most of them that I meet are decent folks that don’t need this kind of abuse. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/18 "2008-04-22T04:14:21Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Moto] That would put them one up on my own ancestors. I’m pretty sure both the Welsh and Italian sides of the family were pretty illiterate when they got here. I think immigration policy is fucked up in about a million different ways - but that isn’t the fault of these people, and most of them that I meet are decent folks that don’t need this kind of abuse. [/QUOTE] Nope it’s not their fault at all, but do we swing the doors wide and embrace all comers? ‘This kind of treatment.’ is kind of irrelevant. Being underpaid to pick tomatoes is probably higher on their list of worries than being called an illiterate peasant. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/19 "2008-04-22T04:17:51Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] I think that’s going to be rather hard to come up with. [/QUOTE] Hey, I’ve got a bunch of illegal pheasants removing insect pests in my backyard. I’m the king of malapropism, and actually made this mistake amongst my asshole AP English classmates. The peasants are revolting! ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349/20 "2008-04-22T04:37:19Z")
[QUOTE=St. Urho] Even the Republicans out here have decided Douglas Bruce is an asshole. He’s been the first person censured by the state house after he kicked a photographer (only 1 rep voted against censure), he got booted from a plum committe assignment by the Republican leadership, and now this. Hopefully this will help us get out from underneath his stupid-ass TABOR amendment. [/QUOTE] Of course he resents illiterate peasants. He was booted from a plum committee, and around here, all of the stone fruits are picked by those of which he speaks ill. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorado-politician-calls-mexican-immigrants-illiterate-peasants/446349.md?page=2)