Swine Flu Commentary Turns Xenophobic
Friday May 22, 2009
Will the swine flu outbreak result in a wave of xenophobia towards Mexican immigrants? Recent remarks from political commentators suggest it might. Although President Obama said that it is unnecessary for the U.S. to seal the Mexican border because of the flu, conservative pundits Michelle Malkin and Michael Savage have argued for such a move. Unfortunately, they have cast Mexican immigrants as disease-carrying menaces in the process.
“I’ve blogged for years about the spread of contagious diseases from around the world into the U.S. as a result of uncontrolled immigration,” wrote Fox News commentator Malkin in a blog post. “We’ve heard for years from reckless open-borders ideologues who continue to insist there’s nothing to worry about.”
Syndicated radio host Savage beat Malkin to the punch, announcing on the April 24 edition of his show, “I’m going to talk about the horrible, horrible story of illegal aliens bringing a deadly new flu strain into the United States of America. Make no mistake; illegal aliens are the carriers of the new strain of human-swine avian flu from Mexico."
The only mistake I see is the decision of Malkin and Savage to turn the swine flu crisis into a platform for xenophobia. Yes, the federal government has asked Americans to halt travel to Mexico, but not one public health official has linked the swine flu to immigration, legal or otherwise. On the contrary, U.S. meat company Smithfield has been implicated in the outbreak, which has infected 91 in the States and killed a toddler here. That’s because Smithfield operates a hog farm in Veracruz, Mexico, near the pandemic’s epicenter. Thus far, Smithfield has denied any involvement in spreading the virus.
Blaming undocumented immigrants for the pandemic smacks not only of xenophobia but of triteness as well. In the 14th century, Europeans blamed Jews—the newcomers among them—for the spread of the plague. Jews were again blamed for spreading disease in 1930s France. Much more recently, political conservatives drew links between undocumented immigrants and illnesses such as tuberculosis and leprosy in 2007, an unfounded claim.
Because immigrants have historically served as scapegoats for disease outbreaks, the swine flu shouldn’t be used as a vehicle to attack them now. Small pox, however, is one disease we know for sure that immigrants spread. Untold numbers of Native Americans perished after encountering settlers from Europe who gave them the disease, sometimes intentionally. Isn’t it convenient that Malkin and Savage neglect to reflect on this piece of history when discussing the perils of immigration to the U.S.?
“I’ve blogged for years about the spread of contagious diseases from around the world into the U.S. as a result of uncontrolled immigration,” wrote Fox News commentator Malkin in a blog post. “We’ve heard for years from reckless open-borders ideologues who continue to insist there’s nothing to worry about.”
Syndicated radio host Savage beat Malkin to the punch, announcing on the April 24 edition of his show, “I’m going to talk about the horrible, horrible story of illegal aliens bringing a deadly new flu strain into the United States of America. Make no mistake; illegal aliens are the carriers of the new strain of human-swine avian flu from Mexico."
The only mistake I see is the decision of Malkin and Savage to turn the swine flu crisis into a platform for xenophobia. Yes, the federal government has asked Americans to halt travel to Mexico, but not one public health official has linked the swine flu to immigration, legal or otherwise. On the contrary, U.S. meat company Smithfield has been implicated in the outbreak, which has infected 91 in the States and killed a toddler here. That’s because Smithfield operates a hog farm in Veracruz, Mexico, near the pandemic’s epicenter. Thus far, Smithfield has denied any involvement in spreading the virus.
Blaming undocumented immigrants for the pandemic smacks not only of xenophobia but of triteness as well. In the 14th century, Europeans blamed Jews—the newcomers among them—for the spread of the plague. Jews were again blamed for spreading disease in 1930s France. Much more recently, political conservatives drew links between undocumented immigrants and illnesses such as tuberculosis and leprosy in 2007, an unfounded claim.
Because immigrants have historically served as scapegoats for disease outbreaks, the swine flu shouldn’t be used as a vehicle to attack them now. Small pox, however, is one disease we know for sure that immigrants spread. Untold numbers of Native Americans perished after encountering settlers from Europe who gave them the disease, sometimes intentionally. Isn’t it convenient that Malkin and Savage neglect to reflect on this piece of history when discussing the perils of immigration to the U.S.?
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