So Much Hate

 A recent post on the NextDoor community app left me shaking my head in sadness.

A woman posted about the success her organization (the country Democratic party) in collecting diapers, baby wipes, toys and formula for infants and toddlers waiting at the US border with Mexico.

That simple statement about a group of people doing something good to help innocent children really brought out the haters. One woman in particular kept ranting about how 'her' party (apparently she is a Democrat, although what she said certainly is not representative of what that political party stands for) should be doing something for the residents of her state rather than helping 'illegals.' 

I really wanted to ask her to explain how infants can be considered illegals and criminals, another term she and others used in the discussion (that's my polite word). What exactly did these infants do to make them 'criminals'?

I agree that America's immigration policies are in need or urgent and comprehensive reform. We cannot continue to take in millions of people seeking a better way of life. I'm not talking about those with legitimate claims of threats to their lives. I'm talking about the majority of those trying to get into the US for economic reasons, because of poverty in their own countries. There must be a means of allowing legal immigration in a way that is both humane and fair.

But railing against the infants whose parents are waiting at the border and calling them 'criminals' is not the answer. My guess is that those protesting the loudest are really upset that the would-be immigrants aren't white and they don't speak English. And I would also guess that these nasty people consider themselves to be good Christians, perhaps even evangelicals and white nationalists. 

Here's a bit of information these people choose to ignore: Jesus Christ was not an American. He was not white. He likely had black hair, dark skin and brown eyes. His native language was most likely a Galilean dialect of Aramaic, not English. He may have spoken some Hebrew, Latin and Greek, but certainly not English.

I personally experienced backlash against my decision to adopt an 11-year-old girl from Russia (back before adoption of Russian children by Americans was banned by the Russian government). A couple of people wondered (and one actually asked my beautiful daughter) why I hadn't adopted a child from the US. A Facebook post about an American family that adopted a girl from China with Down syndrome also asked why the family hadn't adopted an American (i.e., white) child. Maybe it's because girls in China are considered second-class citizens not worthy of saving, and because a child with a disability are even less worthy of life. Or maybe, just maybe, this little girl's family fell in love with her and wanted to give her a far better life. 

I am appalled by the vitriol and hatred I read this morning in the NextDoor thread. Can we not simply celebrate the help obtained for little children, or if not able to celebrate, at least keep our mouths shut? 

For my part, I'm going to make a donation to World Central Kitchen to help feed the innocent victims of Putin's war on Ukraine. Yes, I know there is significant hunger in my state. And I donate to a couple of organizations that help feed the hungry locally. But right now, the people of Ukraine need help, and lots of it. 

And as my, and many other,  mothers used to say: "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."