There was a time when you could express yourself freely by applying to the realities of life their proper designations. Not today, no. Political correctness, you see...
Today you have to use euphemisms, otherwise you are in very serious trouble. That's how the poor came to be the disadvantaged and the cripple became the disabled. And what a tremendous change it brought to their lives...
When I lived in South Africa, I had a good friend who was a fine piano tuner and an excellent pianist. Yet, he was blind. One day, at a party, left alone for a moment, he decided he would entertain everybody with some music. So, he made his way to the piano, but unfortunately sat down on a cream cake that somebody had inadvertently left on the piano stool. He thought it was hilarious. You see, I'm as blind as a bat, he would add, laughing heartily at the incident, years after it had happened.
No, he did not pass away. He would kick my bottom, if he knew I went around saying that. He died. Full stop.
Which brings me to the touchy subject of immigration. Not much you can say about it without some idiot placing himself on the moral high ground and hitting you on the forehead with the rubber stamp of xenophobia. After that, it's a one way street: first you become disabled, then you end up disadvantaged. In some parts of the world, they might even jail you. Or is it incarcerate you?
It is obvious to me that some countries, at some stage, may not wish receive immigrants, which does not mean that they are moved by xenophobia: they may not need unskilled or semi-skilled labour, they may have an oversupply of certain skills, there may be large-scale unemployment. Then, there may be other reasons: the particular person may have a criminal record, may have a history of mental illness, etc.
Right now the US is struggling with a huge immigration problem from Mexico. My suggestion is that we don't go through a lengthy legislative process, which will take forever and cost millions of precious of dollars.
I have a better idea. Why not just place large billboards along the Mexican boarder asking a very simple question:
Would you like to live in a country which is governed by a fellow whose middle name is Hussein?
That ought to scare them away.
