# Why the sudden surge in Xenophobia? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 4, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155 "2010-08-04T15:36:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/61 "2010-08-04T21:30:14Z")
You see Bricker? Different words have different meanings. Xenophobia /= Racism. I sometimes wonder if your schtick of “you libs all play the racism card all the time” is not a ploy to try to pro-actively remove any future valid charges against the morally bankrupt section of your party. Thhhhhhat’s all folks! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/62 "2010-08-04T21:42:44Z")
> [@Hyperelastic](#): > > > [@DianaG](#): > > > > Some people suck, and require someone to hate at all times. > > You would know, wouldn’t you? Of course, I’m sure you only hate people who suck, and deserve it. Is your policy on who you hate different? Do you just hate indiscriminately? You must be a load of laughs… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/63 "2010-08-04T22:18:02Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > When I read your posts, I can’t help but imagine tears streaming down your face. I don’t know how you have the time to imagine all sorts of persecutions going on in the world. First its “Women are so oppressed” and now it’s “we only deport the brown people”. Both statements are utterly retarded. The world would be a better place if you just shut the fuck up. You’re mistaken. You should be picturing me laughing my ass off at your pathetic little self being oppressed and persecuted by Metro employees. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/64 "2010-08-04T22:21:19Z")
Anchor babies … Harrumph. Fuckin’ Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/65 "2010-08-04T22:23:11Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > Nasty fucking Republicans. Of course the Democrats have only noble intentions in wanting all of these illegal and coincidentally poor aliens becoming citizens as soon as possible. The difference is that tradition & the constitution are on the side of relatively easy naturalization. The GOP have their own electoral intentions in preventing illegal & poor immigrants from becoming citizens. It’s a way of removing the vote from someone who, according to the constitution, would be a citizen in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/66 "2010-08-04T23:27:15Z")
Anchor babies: replacing welfare queens in the public consciousness. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/67 "2010-08-05T00:41:14Z")
Let me get this straight. Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/68 "2010-08-05T00:48:01Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > Let me get this straight. Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? It’s The Constitution that has said that since 1868. It really transcends party affiliation. But the Amendment, unless I am mistaken, was originally advanced by The Republican Party. ETA: I don’t think immigration reform and the many flavors of sprinkle that go along with it is necessarily a party issue. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/69 "2010-08-05T01:09:16Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > All of these claim estimates. I welcome a counter-number or a different estimate if you have one. 300-400k per year? When the total birth numbers for the US is a bit over 4 million? So, every tenth or twelfth baby born in the US is an “anchor baby”? (Just stunned by the figures. All of the figures actually… coming from a country with about 4 million people). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/70 "2010-08-05T01:19:33Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > It’s The Constitution that has said that since 1868. It really transcends party affiliation. I know that about the Constitution, but my questions were: Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? BTW, I don’t mind your responding to my questions by something other than an answer to my questions. In fact I agree with what you said. I’m just pointing out that the questions haven’t been answered, so perhaps someone else might give it a shot. > [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > But the Amendment, unless I am mistaken, was originally advanced by The Republican Party. I’m not sure what the point in bringing that up is. Are you saying that some of us are bound by the decisions made by some group of people 142 years ago? Are Dems required to defend everything that Woodrow Wilson and Lyndon Johnson did? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/71 "2010-08-05T01:20:12Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > > [@Plan\_B](#): > > > > Let me get this straight. Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? > > It’s The Constitution that has said that since 1868. It really transcends party affiliation. But the Amendment, unless I am mistaken, was originally advanced by The Republican Party. > > ETA: I don’t think immigration reform and the many flavors of sprinkle that go along with it is necessarily a party issue. I love how when it’s immigration, today’s Republican Party equals yesterday’s GOP, but when it’s civil rights we’re talking about, oh all of a sudden it doesn’t count because the GOP was liberal then, right? Pick one. Does the GOP get credit for the Civil Rights Act or is it independent of the GOPs that have gone before, and thus can disagree with the 14th Amendment hypocrisy-free? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/72 "2010-08-05T01:29:07Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > I know that about the Constitution, but my questions were: Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? No, to the best of my knowledge, not every single Dem says it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen. How in fuck should I (or anyone else) know what percentage of Dems feel that way. Why don’t you conduct a poll? > [@Plan B](#): > > I’m not sure what the point in bringing that up is. Are you saying that some of us are bound by the decisions made by some group of people 142 years ago? Are Dems required to defend everything that Woodrow Wilson and Lyndon Johnson did? Actually, we are all bound by the decisions made by some group of people 142 years ago. A couple hundred years ago another group did it, and we’re bound by those decision. Are you _sure_ you know about the Constitution? I mean, do you just know it exists, or have you actually looked at what it says? Further, do you know why it says those things and not other things? I mean, we’ve had the same form of government in the US for like, oh 235 years and most of us are taught in schools how laws are crafted and passed, and why you have to obey them. I would have thought they covered the whole “oh now we’re gonna have to do what some bunch of dead dudes said?” thing in high school, at least. Of course Dems aren’t required to defend everything that Woodrow Wilson and Lyndon Johnson did. Why would they be? So are you saying that the decision made in 1868 was a bad one? Why? Why do you hate babies so much that you won’t give them freedom? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/73 "2010-08-05T01:35:50Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > Let me get this straight. Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? Well, if that’s the price we pay to ensure that no one takes away citizenship from dildos such as yourself, so be it. I’m certain the Republicans have examined this thorny constitutional issue with the same dilligence president Bush focused on rebuilding post-conquest Iraq. What could possibly go wrong with changing the constitution in a paroxysmal panic of xenophobia? Can you imagine? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/74 "2010-08-05T01:42:08Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > Let me get this straight. Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? Well, I’m a Democrat, and I don’t much care whether she was pregnant when she got here, for what that’s worth. The Constitution unambivalently says that anyone born here is a citizen, and who am I to argue? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/75 "2010-08-05T01:47:58Z")
OK, I jumped the gun here. Xenophobia is not racism. I apologize and withdraw that charge, except as to DianaG. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/76 "2010-08-05T01:49:16Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > Let me get this straight. Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? Let me get this straight. Are Cons saying that it’s o.k. to ignore the Constitution of the United States when it is expedient? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/77 "2010-08-05T02:21:40Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Pick one. Does the GOP get credit for the Civil Rights Act or is it independent of the GOPs that have gone before, and thus can disagree with the 14th Amendment hypocrisy-free? Which one? Civil Rights Act of 1964 was introduced by JFK (Democrat) Civil Rights Act of 1874 was championed largely by Charles Sumner (Republican) Of course, back then Republicans were all about equal rights in a more … well, more than they are today. But as for whether one needs to be accountable for what one’s group did over a century ago, I have already noted it can make sense to change your mind over time: [QUOTE=Me] In response to the OP: I’m no racist, but why not review a 145 year-old law? It served a purpose when Tom Sawyer was relevant, our flag only had 37 stars, our map had 50% of its area, and automobiles, machine guns, HP Lovecraft and interstate highways had not yet darkened our landscape. Perhaps our role in international politics and our socioeconomic profile has changed just a bit since the time when this seemed like a good idea. And yes, that means why not review portions of that document that are nearly a century older still? I can’t speak with any degree of certainty, but I have to wonder if The Founding Fathers ever truly believed their work would have endured this long. [/QUOTE] > [@Czarcasm](#): > > > [@Plan\_B](#): > > > > Let me get this straight. Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? > > Let me get this straight. Are Cons saying that it’s o.k. to ignore the Constitution of the United States when it is expedient? It’s happened recently before… ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/78 "2010-08-05T02:28:58Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > Let me get this straight. Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? Most Dems can fairly argue it’s inappropriate and unconstitutional to take the sins of the parents out on infants. Those babies start crawling over of their own free will the argument to deny them citizenship might start to make more sense. The whole anchor baby concept is made up. We don’t grant citizenship to those parents due to the child. The argument to repeal the 14 amendment is an argument to make babies stateless people. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/79 "2010-08-05T02:40:18Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > > [@Plan\_B](#): > > > > Let me get this straight. Are Dems saying that it’s OK for a pregnant woman to come into the US illegally, have the baby, and the baby should be a citizen? And what percentage of Dems feel this way? > > Well, I’m a Democrat, and I don’t much care whether she was pregnant when she got here, for what that’s worth. The Constitution unambivalently says that anyone born here is a citizen, and who am I to argue? That’s a little scary. You are a citizen and you certainly have the right to argue and disagree. The 14th Amendment is…uhm…an amendment. And it can itself be amended. It’s been done before. It seems like one of the themes of this thread is that the Constitution should never be questioned. Or changed. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155/80 "2010-08-05T02:47:09Z")
Do you think it _should_ be changed? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-sudden-surge-in-xenophobia/549155.md?page=5)