Banning the Term 'Illegal Immigrant' Won't Change the Stigma John McWhorter - TIME
go to original April 10, 2013

Calling people "illegals" feeds a hate machine, by exploiting racial fears and economic anxiety. The i-word, along with other words tainted by hate, provides an easy scapegoat for complex issues and OKs violence against those labeled with it. Don't feed the hate machine. Drop the i-word. Sign the pledge. (racialjustice)

Last week the Associated Press announced that it would ban the term illegal immigrant from its stylebook. They are among many organizations and immigration advocates of late who argue that the term is uncivil, or even defamatory.

Whether there is a point in that or not – and quite a few, including immigrants, think there isn’t – the main problem here is a matter of how language works. The idea is that banning “illegal immigrant” will change how people think, that using the term undocumented immigrant will improve the public opinion of the people in question. But it won’t.

Read the rest at TIME

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