Nativism is Old

 

Whenever I hear anyone spout the ridiculous phrase,  “America for Americans”; I am always reminded of the “Know-Nothing” Party of the 1830’s and 1840’s here in the United States. 

A ridiculous movement, alleging they were  Nativists who were attempting to protect the United States from outside foreign influences often through violence and the fear of violet reprisal. 

A party that called itself, The Know-Nothing Party, obviously could not sustain its anti-immigrant, and often anti-Catholic, public opinions because they literally knew nothing. They were stupid people doing stupid things. Yet, they were effective in influencing multiple government policy decisions of the past. 

Their politics were based on old stereotypes, misinformation, racism and fear mongering, which if you think sounds familiar, let me let you in on a little secret:  “It’s never gone away in the United States.”  There are still huge portions  of the population who do not understand the benefits of this melting pot of a country or that their own existence in  this country is likely due to immigration. 

Creating fear and mistrust of immigrants is the cornerstone of any Nativist movement.  Be it here is the United States or Germany, Europe, the Mid-East, it’s always the same. 

The hallmarks of Nativists are always the same, “those people are not us, so we should shun them, beat them, shoot them, or otherwise keep them separated from the rest of us through poverty and inaccessibility to opportunity.” That’s what they do. 

It’s what they did in the 1830’s through the present. They make you think that your way of life is being threatened by some person or belief system that is different than yours. They use that to make you afraid and to keep us divided.  It didn’t even have to be about immigrants either.  It was always about race too. 

The threat of Nativism is usually just seething under some other layer of political double-talk. It’s always sort of there, but the angels of our naivete seem to simply ignore it and pray it stays confined to the small corners and pockets of old-World thinking, hoping it will eventually be naturally snuffed out through generations of progressive idealism and an expansion into the greater global markets. 

Yet, it reared its ugly huge head recently, spewing the vitriolic acids that the worst rhetoric is made of. It is poured into the ears and empty heads to bubble and corrode any moral compunction to do the right thing. And those is the crowd cheered at the belittlement of their fellow man. 

It’s always been snake oil and shenanigans.  Because on this tiny freaking planet. The only one we have. We’re all just human beings trying to live, have a good life for ourselves and our progeny. So for god sakes, stop falling for this Nativist bullshit. It’s old, it’s ridiculous and frankly what’s held back this human society for thousands of years. So get over it. Love thy neighbor and shun the proselytizer who tell you otherwise.   

Vote for the party that wants to bring us all together, not tear us apart.