The Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's vs. The "Civil Rights Movement" of 2006 - A Fair Comparison
I hear the talking heads in the media talk about the civil rights struggle of illegal immigrants, and it makes me wanna puke knowing what my parents and grandparents have gone through in a true civil rights struggle. But before I puked up my awesome meal of nachos and beer, I sat down and thought about maybe writing about my feelings like a liberal arts major, and maybe I would feel like picking flowers and listening to Dave Matthews or some shit. I've taken a page out of Proto Ogre's playbook and developed a fair, unbiased comparison between the real civil rights movement of the 50's and 60's and the alleged one of today.
For the record, I am German, Jamaican, and Cuban. This does not give me a free pass to bigotry, but it does duct tape your mouth before you can start cracking KKK jokes at ideas that are politically incorrect.
50's/60's: African Americans, who were citizens that suffered under laws aimed at their ethnicity and selectively enforced, staged mostly non-violent protests in order to attain equal treatment to other U.S. citizens.
2006: Non-citizens, including students who don't even fucking work, take to the streets for a day and miss work, showing the not-so-devastating effect that the absence of under-the-table, low-wage labor would have on our economy.
50's/60's: Protests not aimed at shutting down anything, just being a voice and having a presence.
2006: Stated goal was to shut down major cities.
50's/60's: Had great leaders and activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks.
2006: I have yet to see anybody significant be a voice for the illegal immigration group. Those that have spoken out have not presented anything close to a valid argument as to why amnesty and/or citizenship should be granted.
50's/60's: Never much talk about "taking over" cities or states.
2006: Mexicana Airlines in-flight magazine has an article that states: "With all due respect, Los Angeles is ours."
50's/60's: American flags were often waved.
2006: People leave Mexico, talk about how horrible it is, and then wave the Mexican flag.
50's/60's: African Americans, who once again are U.S. citizens, are denied their right to vote through the use of tricks such as poll taxes and literacy tests.
2006: Illegal immigrants don't want the vote, they just want forgiveness for being here illegally, as well as social services without taxation.
50's/60's: Many movies were made about the true Civil Rights Movement and its leaders. Most of these movies are enlightening and inspirational, but not very funny.
2006: "A Day Without a Mexican" probably has the funniest movie scene ever, where some guy is standing in his lawn and is like "Well my grass isn't being cut." Stereotypes like that usually piss me off, but the presentation of it made me laugh, much like how you morons laugh at the racist jokes on Chappelle's Show.
50's/60's: Civil rights movement is recognized as a major part of Black History Month every year in February.
2006: Geniuses decide that May 1 should be A Day Without Immigrants. Mexicans make up a large portion of illegal immigrant population, so having this on May 1 pisses off the citizenry enough to have a backlash effect on Cinco De Mayo.
Final Score:
Classic Civil Rights Movement: 341694262
New-school civil rights bullshit: 5 (for the movie quote)
There you have it. Even after trying to make a fair comparison between the true movement of the 50's and 60's versus the quasi-movement of the present, the media is still full of shit by stating that illegal immigration has anything to do with the civil rights movement. Today's African American leaders will jump all over the Duke Lacrosse rape case and other irrelevant bullshit, yet won't call the media out for using the term "civil rights movement." Chris Rock put it best, they are nothing but a bunch of substitute teachers.
Back to find an article that doesn't piss off any of your employees...