I Am A Shithole Immigrant, Too.

There is a fear among certain Americans of immigration from the "shithole" countries - you know, the poor ones that produce criminals who want to come to America and practice their criminal-ing. I mean, fair enough. I don't want criminals coming to my country either.

I am a Canadian white male, moved to the US about 10 years ago (-ish).  That makes me an immigrant in America.  I have to ask myself the question: why don't those Americans fear me, too?

One may argue it is because Canada has a reputation for being polite folk who don't cause much trouble. I like to believe that is true generally, however I know it is not for some of us.  There are white male Canadian drug dealers. White male Canadian poor and uneducated slumming off the welfare system. White male Canadian rapists and murders. White make Canadian sex traders and sex offenders. White male Canadians who went off to fight with (not against, with) ISIS. So on spec Canada is really no better than any other country that has people with those characteristics (which is, likely, all countries).

So, why does no one question whether I, an immigrant white Canadian male most Americans don't know well, or at all, am the same danger to American values and safety as the Trump narrative would indicate comes from the "shithole" countries?

I happen to be none of those questionable things, and tend to be a law abiding trustworthy person all around, but most of America doesn't know that. Clearly people in my country that fit my profile can be those things... so why not me?

So, if you are a "fearful of immigrants" American, I have a thought for you. If you are going to fear them on spec, then you should also fear me on spec, because we both have the potential to be assholes. If you don't fear me on spec, you have no business fearing them on spec either.

Is it cause I am Canadian? Well, if you read this far clearly you're argument has holes.

Is it cause I am white and they are not? Then you're a racist. Racists are bad. Why you gotta be bad?

This is why I posted #IAmAShitholeImmigrant on my Facebook profile this morning. Cause if you are going to fear them, you should fear me. At least until you get to know me.

After you get to know me, and I give you reasons as an individual to dislike me, then that's fair. There is nothing wrong with judging an individual based on their own character, and I never promised I was universally like-able.  Until then tho, you're just letting ignorance and prejudice affect you, and that has never worked out for anyone. Makes you weak and cowardly, and the rest of us sad for you.

I am not saying American shouldn't screen the people who want to immigrate to this fine nation.  America has the absolute right, authority, and duty to its existing citizens to do all the screening it wants, and to turn away undesirable folks. America even has the authority to not allow any immigration at all, and that is perfectly fine with me (pass the law, and I'll quietly go back to my home country)  But, if you do allow immigration, and if the criteria for denial is the nation, ethnicity, or religion a person comes from, and not the character of the individual, then that policy is not going to do what you think its going to do and not prevent stop the wrong people from coming in.   It just makes you paranoid and weak of character, and that is no way to make America great again.