Breeders of Hate
Whoa, I just realized that my last two entry titles sound a little grim... oh, well. There's a season for grimness, I guess, if that's even a word. (maybe ask the Byrds)
This article (Gunfire wounds 2 in Santa Ana) caught my eye for two reasons: 1) I just finished reading an article about a stabbing in the same city; and 2) I live in Santa Ana. I felt a little ill reading it, especially since I work one short mile away from the location of the shooting. But what made me really want to puke was the comments. More so than gang violence, the violence I hear when hateful people speak out shakes me at the very core, because those are the people who can open fire on anyone at any time. Take for instance 24-year-old Thien Minh Ly, a Vietnamese student who was stabbed to death in Tustin (again, right across the street from me) in 1996 by Gunner Lindberg, who later bragged: "I killed a Jap."
Take a look at this article, and then read the comments from the bottom up (i.e. from the oldest to most recent) and see if you don't find yourself a bit shaken up. (Note: in the time it took to write this, 20 more comments appeared on the actual article website. Do check the article itselfas I'm sure more comments are on their way) Besides the BRITTANY SPEARS #1 FAN (who, for some reason, has been commenting on every OC Register article today), these people are expressing much more than anger or fear - this is full-fledged hate directed at a whole community. Forget racism, forget the stats that Mexicans and Blacks commit the most crimes, forget all of the stereotypes that we think are based on fact - the truth of the matter is that whether or not the stats or stereotypes are true, when one group that is already politically dominant promotes and perpetuates hate against another, we start flirting with fascism (not the technical definition ). Do Hitler, KKK, and the Ottomans ring a bell? It's a stretch to compare ordinary OC people to Nazis, but what happens when the majority of Americans jump on this anti-immigrant bandwagon? Oh wait... (read here and here to see the public opposition to Bush's super minor changes in immigration policy in 2004)
Anyway, sorry about the little soap-box performance. It's just that I live in the same vicinity as the people who posted those comments. Oh, btw for those of you who don't know me, I grew up in a White neighborhood, I have a Japanese last name, my wife is Vietnamese and the cashiers speak to me in Spanish in the supermarket. Maybe that's why I'm a little shaken up...
Gunfire wounds 2 in Santa Ana
Men fired on early this morning on South Shelton Street in what police believe is gang-related shooting.
SANTA ANA– Two men – a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old – were wounded by gunfire early this morning in what police believe was a gang-related shooting in a residential neighborhood.
The victims were standing outside their vehicle when they were confronted by a male driving a black late '90s Honda Accord, Santa Ana police Sgt. Ernie Conde said.
It appears there was a verbal exchange between the victims and the attacker before the shooting, Conde said.
Police received several calls about three or four gunshots fired about 1:17 a.m. on the 1100 block of South Shelton Street.
The callers said one victim was lying on the street, but when police arrived they didn't find the victims, Conde said.
It turns out the brother of the 20-year-old victim, who was sitting inside the vehicle at the time of the shooting, transported both men to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, Conde said.
Valentine Velasquez Pascual, 19, suffered a gunshot would to his left shoulder. Osiris Valdez, 20, suffered a gunshot wound to his face near his left eye. Both victims are in stable condition, police said.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3709 or desalazar@ocregister.com
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1616446.php
Readers' comments
| I think its funny that people have the nerve to talk smack about Mexicans here, but when you run into one of us, you guys act all polite. I guess the trash talking on here makes you guys feel good but in reality you are too affraid to walk through are neighborhoods. hahaha | |
| David - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| good love - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| cuz it always is the wetbacks, DUH!!! | |
| wet back h8ter - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| YEEE HAAAA!!!! I LIVE IN A TRAILER MY MOM AND DAD ARE SISTERS AND BROTHERS AND IM PREGNANT BY MY FATHER....I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES....YEEE HAAA!!!!WOOOO HOOOO HOOOO!!!!IM PROUD TO BE AMERICAN....YEEEE HAAAA!!!! | |
| BRITNEY SPEARS#1 - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| come join me in the promised land of ribs and watermelon | |
| MLK - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| for the person who said about wetbacks screw you why does it always have to be mexicans | |
| MYSELF - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| Only thing good in Santa Ana is the rolled tacos from Albertos. | |
| Wacky Paki - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| They should move Santa Ana to the 909. fine place to build a giant park and call it a day. As for these two being shot...you get what ya play with, guess you have more street cred now... and the cycle of stupidity will continue. | |
| Mitch - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| Britney Spears fan - your grammer sounds like your the same persion you have interest in Britney Spears (both ignorant) | |
| stupid one - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| Another bunch of fine contributions to Orange County from our neighbors to the south. If they want to give us gang bangers, why the f dont we just send all our child molesters to them. 13 seems to be the normal age for a first pregnancy anyways. | |
| Great - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| I LOVE BRITNEY SPEARS!!! TO THE MAX DUDE!!! TOTALLY!!! I LOVE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES!!!! YEEE HAAA!!! | |
| BRITNEY SPEARS#1 - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| If they stayed in Mexico it would have happened a long time ago! Mexico is not a nice place. People come here to get away from the violence and corruption. | |
| H - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| Testimony that most mexicans are like coach roaches - send them all back to Mexico and quit filling our schools and hospitals. | |
| go back home - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| If both of those guys would have stayed in Mexico, this never would have happened. The "better life" that so many Mexicans allegedly come here to find is often ruined by their own culture of gangs and violence. | |
| concerned citizen - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| Britney Spears fan....maybe you can't read-get a clue ....or maybe you need to be in Iraq | |
| gang bangers - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| we need to bring Carlos Menica to shut everone up carlos carlos carlos | |
| carlos fan - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| gang export , i agree, they act tough here, but they would get hung and beheaded in iraq they should be shipped there. | |
| t - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| I agree with gang export. Problem is the gang bangers are cowards --- I can just see them hiding in Iraq - they think they're tough - ship to Iraq and see how "brave and tough" they really are. Maybe they would appreciate being "free". | |
| ageee with gang export - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| Gang members are too chicken sh1t to fight in war. They are also way too lazy. They can't run with their pants aroung their thighs (PULL THEM UP) | |
| anti gangs - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| Who wants these goons in our honorable military? I say ship them off to the streets of Iraq so they can prove just how tough they really are. | |
| Gang Export - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| i agree with mar , if your in a gang its mandatory draft, and send them off to war,they have nothing to live for let them get road side bombed. what a waste of humans these losers are. | |
| t - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| I LOVE BRITNEY SPEARS!!! YEEE HAAA!!! TO THE MAX DUDE!!! | |
| BRITNEY SPEARS #1 FAN - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| NO comment!! | |
| WTH - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| sorry sharon, cant agree with you, why would you want to move santa ana closer to the border whats that going to solve?!?!?!? I was born & raised in Santa Ana and im not a gang member. Santa Ana is not bad city and just an FYI theres gangs in every city even the upper class neighborhoods has its gangs...but i do agree with "disgusted with gangs" i say let them shoot each other either that or we have to support them when they hit the system anyway...and its not just mexican gangs its every nationality.... just an FYI..... | |
| Karen* - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| all the wetbag who in the gangster business need to deport them back to MEX. | |
| jonnyhome714 - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| I like the idea of new law like that, if you aare going to be shooting at least hit the friggin target. | |
| ?? - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| New law. If you're in a gang. You can be drafted into the Army. A little discipline for those who like to shoot things | |
| - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| gangs and gang members are pathetic...too bad we can't move santa ana south of the border. | |
| sharon - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| glad to see these shooters have been practicing their shooting skills. | |
| all right - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| another waste of police time ... let them kill each other off - saves us having to support them with food, clothes and living quarters for the rest of their lives. | |
| disgusted w gangs - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| It isn't a very smart idea to hang outside your buddies house anywhere in Santa Ana. All the young bucks think they own the streets. How about you pay rent 1st! | |
| Mr. T - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
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| D@MN, SHOT HIM NEAR THE EYE!! | |
| ME - Mar. 12, 2007 | Report Abuse |
1 comment:
Disclaimer: I didn't open the link and read any new comments, nor have I read the OC Register's article on comments yet.
Comment: I have a sneaking suspicion that commenting on a post-blog or article-selects for two types of people. First, you post because you're genuinely interested in the article and opinionated. Second, you have little else to do with your free time and are opinionated.
In other words, it selects for a small subset of people not indicative of the general population.
I am willing to wager that most comments come from people under 25. This is a sad commentary on the young generation. Most people I know over 45 are not used to interacting on the internet through comments, and as such, may read articles, but rarely comment. Conversely, the young generation of junior-high to college-age kids have grown up chatting, and feel a perverse sense of immunity to anything said on the net.
How many Vietnamese youth do we know personally that spend hours a day chatting??
The large majority of comments are horrible and racist, but they strike to the heart of a problem--how people are influenced by their surroundings. Santa Ana is very hispanic by percentage of population, and someone living around that area might naturally equate gang violence to hispanics because of personal experience. A person living in Oakland, CA, on the other hand, would equate gang violence to African-Americans.
That does not make the comments ok, but it can help us see that the way to truly end gang violence and these comments is to change the circumstances in which people live.
Gangs arise as surrogate families for troubled youth. Many poor people in OC are hispanic. They deal with broken families (some left in the mother country and some in the USA) or parents that must work long hours to provide for their children, thereby not being physically around to teach them right from wrong.
We deal with gang violence not by "shipping them to Iraq" but by streamlining immigration laws so whole families can come to pursue the American dream in an orderly fashion. We deal with gang violence by educating parents so they are better able to work jobs that pay the bills and give time to raise families. We deal with gang violence by prosecuting in fair courts of law those gang members who break our laws--not by letting them kill each other off.
Optimistically, I feel the comments do not represent the population at large, and for that I am glad. The hole of racism is a deep one to climb out of, but it is not as deep as expressed, and it has gotten shallower over the last generation.
I hope we will do our part to continue to educate and enlighten others about the idiocies of racism and perhaps, such comments and the subject of the article that spawned them will one day be a thing of the past.
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