Don't be ignorant

My dad and I don't see eye to eye on much of anything, politically speaking. I was just sitting here thinking of a blog topic to write about when suddenly it was delivered to my room. My dad came in to read me a text message his friend sent him. It was on the topic of illegal immigration to the US. It was as follows:

"If u cross the north Korean border illegally u get 12 years hard labor...if u cross Iranian border illegally u get detained indefinitely. Cross the Afghan border u get shot. Cross the Saudi border u will be jailed. Cross the Chinese border u will never be heard from again. Cross the Venezuelan border u will b branded a spy and your fate sealed. Cross the Cuban border u will b thrown n prison to rot. However, cross the U.S. border illegally, u get a job, a drivers license, a social security card, welfare benefits, food stamps, credit cards, subsidized rent or a loan to buy a new house, free education, free health care, the right to vote, and all without speaking a word of english. This should piss Americans off. If you agree, forward to everyone you know!"

I asked him if he agreed with the message. He did. I pointed out that China, Venezuela, North Korea, and Cuba are all communist countries where people give up their rights for perceived social equality. As a conservative Republican, shouldn't he take offense to their philosophies? Most of these countries have reputations for being horrible places to live or, at the very least, full of poverty and violent conflict. Why does he want to take their advice?

Secondly, if illegal immigrants got the right to vote, I never heard it and I think it would be a pretty huge issue if they did. Lastly, I recommended he take with a grain of salt any information he receives in a chain letter, a text message, or anything else that addresses him as 'u.'

I don't have a strong stance on immigration, but I can sympathize with people who feel the need to sneak into a more prosperous country. I'm sure my dad would do the same thing if he were in their position. However, I don't feel that I know enough about the issue to take a stance on it, so I don't. It makes me angry when people blindly take a side on something they obviously know nothing about, or when they validate an argument simply because the conclusion is the same as theirs, despite whether any of the points made were valid.

I realize he just thought the text message was funny, but come on. This is a guy who still thinks interracial marriage is a big deal and thinks there is opposition to it in the Bible. What the heck? (<- total contradiction of the topic in my last post. I never said there weren't exceptions to the "Don't be That Guy Rule.")

7/7 - done catching up