I just read that the actor Topol just died. Remebered HERE.
So I dug out this film to watch (the family watches film or TV together every evening).
this film is a classic, and covers the story of both the importance of traditions that stablize families in times of poverty, but also confronts how people adjust in the face of change: not just the marriage of the daughters but when political oppression causes people to leave their homes.
but somehow didn't win a lot of awards: it lost best picture at the Oscars to the French connection, a good film but not a classic.
yet in these days where everything is about America's sin and racism, one forgets that the reason many came to America was that they were fleeing oppression, ethnic cleansing (Russian Jews and from VietNam), famine (like the Irish) or extreme poverty (like Italians and eastern Europeans) or maybe just lower class people who came for jobs (yes, Trumpieboy I'm talking about your mom) because they had no way to improve their lot in their homelands
Which is why the Jewish community and others fled to America, and sympathize with others who similarly want to come to the USA.
and it is the reason that, with the borders essentially being open, that there are a lot of people to help them in their trip (yes, this includes NGO's helping the drug gangs who know how to get people across the border.)
Myself, I think a bit of regulation is in order but that might mean compromise, not bluster (trumpieboy) or pretending the problem doesn't exist (Biden)
On top of this is the well funded manipulation of history about Americas racism, which is causing resentment and hatred to flare up, including crime and destruction of small businesses that often are run by recent immigrants.
I am old enough to remember racism in the 1950s, but things have changed, and teaching history to inflame emotions and point guilt to "white people" (A term I first heard on NPR and wondered if this meant my Filipino/ethnic American/ Hispanic family or other hard working ethnics not considered oppressed by the elites who run this scam)
This is different than teaching it in context of how things have changed, and how we can make things better (teach math and English skills).
Fine, teach black history. But don't forget the coffin ships, the pogroms, the ethnic cleansings, or those who fled the famines of Europe or the dire poverty where the peasants and workers had no opportunity to improve their lot so came to America.
A bit if history might put things in perspective.
Kuya asked where did they go, and how did they pay for it? Good question. Some did sell their homes etc. and had money, some were helped by their relatives who had moved to other countries and sent money and would welcome them when they arrived, but others just went the best they could and relied on the kindness of strangers.
By remembering the extreme poverty of one's ancestors that brought them to America, one can sympathize with those trying to cross the border. And remembering their ancestors who fled oppression would cause them to sympahize with others who face the same thing today, both immigrants fleeing oppression or those facing racism in the USA.
But where are the stories of what happens when poor immigrants get to the USA? A lot of the annoyance is because the idea that they get welfare. Money is tight right now, and saying tax money has to go to support immigrants who don't want to work causes resentmen (as does competing with immigrants who do want to work for blue collar jobs).
the Catholic church has outreaches to help these immigrants, but even the Catholic papers tend to talk about the help given, not about how the immigrants find jobs and raise families.
But there is a film abou that:
No comments:
Post a Comment