Ryan sent me a very interesting article by a New York Times columnist,
Nicholas D. Kristof . In this piece, Kristof suggests in this article that the fear of Islam Americans seem to have today is nothing new in the history of the United States. He says that in moments of assimilation, well-meaning American "worriers" target new minorities because of what he says is the "menacing" fear they embody. I'm not entirely clear what he means by "menace" and "menacing" and would have liked for him to clarify some of that in the essay, which is well-thought out overall. Ryan and I both think that this article ties in so nicely with the fear of the Other that we've begun discussing in class. Why is it that we fear what or who we don't know? Why do we feel as though our house (the nation) is threatened? The bottom picture declares that Paranoia is Patriotic. What does that mean?
So, in the interest of having some conversation about this, I'm attaching some pictures I found on the internet while searching for "immigrant" "fear" and later, "Irish" "Black". Please respond to one of these images in a few sentences
Fear of immigrants was widespread in the United States. In this cartoon, published five years after the Haymarket Square riot and one year before the Homestead Strike, illustrator Grant Hamilton placed a judge scolding Uncle Sam: "If Immigration was properly Restricted you would no longer be troubled with Anarchy, Socialism, the Mafia and such kindred evils!" From New York Harbor behind them comes a horde of arriving immigrants labeled "German socialist," "Russian anarchist," "Polish vagabond," "Italian brigand," "English convict," and "Irish pauper." (http://explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=3599)
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