| | The Tortilla CurtainOkay - I'm back! No, I came nowhere near my NaNoWriMo goal. In fact, I have determined that November is an insane month for such a feat. What was I thinking of? Working? Company? Hosting Thankgiving? They made it sound possible! I might try for February (famous last words!).
Anyway, I did not give up on my about-every-month-and-a-half book club. This month we read The Tortilla Curtain by T C Boyle. Wow. It hit on so many ironic truths that I was squirming in my seat. I thought about paring down my festivities this month, but I have to go discuss this book. I have to say, now, living thousands of miles away from the US-Mexican border, people here truly have no idea of the struggle on the ground along the borders of Mexico. When I recount stories that were fairly common in Cochise and Santa Cruz counties, I can see people squirm or just ignore me because surely this can't be happening in the United States.
This is not an issue of building walls. Walls can't keep people out who are so desperate for a new life that they are willing to die. I'm not sure the government can even solve this problem. It really needs to begin right in our neighborhoods. Sure, we gather at Thanksgiving and other special occasions and take time to reflect on how good we've got it. Some of us even meditate daily. But is it enough to be grateful?
I'm not saying we need to give up all our worldly goods, conquer Mexico, and change to a communist government. I am saying that when faced with extreme inequities, we need to evaluate at what point we are asking others to lower themselves in order to come out materialistically slightly further ahead ourselves. Is it right to pay less for a wall by letting people build it for less the minimum wage? By doing this, are we creating a false hope in others that they, too, can live in big, beautiful homes? This can even go beyond the issues with immigration to the global economy. I frequently buy goods made in China, yet I know they cost less because someone is being paid pennies to make it. Some argue that people in those factories are grateful for the work. I wonder if they would consider that they would be even more grateful for a wage that would be high enough that they could work fewer hours in better conditions. I used to believe in the American Dream, but it feels like something is shifting. It feels subtle. Maybe I'm the one changing. I don't know.
My southeastern AZ friends, please let me know if there is anything you would like to let my northwestern WA friends know - they're a caring, literate crowd. : )
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| | Posted 12/5/2007 7:37 PM - 5 comments
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