Friday, May 7, 2010

The Line Imagined

You live in a house with your family. The house catches fire, and everyone is trapped inside. You could put the fire out, but that would be 1) difficult and 2) very dangerous. So instead, you leave your wife and kids in the burning house while you sneak into your next door neighbor's yard and set up a tent. Now you can mow his yard, and he'll pay you enough to buy gas masks and maybe some fireproof pajamas for the kids you left in the burning house. Coincidentally, your neighbor owns the world's largest firetruck, but he doesn't want to help you because 1) he'd have to hire someone less desperate, and thus more expensive, to mow his lawn, and 2) the firetruck is very busy in the next town over, hosing down Muslims for being violent, antiquated, mall haters.

This is the story of Mexico/US immigration. It's easy to get angry and confused and think it's about sweeping concepts like racism, or historical injustices, or patriotism, but, in fact, it's just the story of two lazy dicks living next door to each other.