The Anti-Immigrant Impulse in U.S. Comedy by Pancho McFarland
Evening comedy in the U.S. uses racist depictions of immigrants to gain laughs and ratings while misleading the public about the importance of immigrants to our economy and culture.
Dennis Miller hosting the Critics Choice Awards joked about the illegal alien problem in California (and presumably throughout the United States). Angry white man comic Miller has earned popularity for his libertarian political rants. As emcee of the awards show on January 9, 2006 Miller abused his post to joke about the heavy traffic in Southern California except, he explains, for the illegal alien lane which was moving rapidly with hordes of alien Mexicans from a foreign land; the new Brown Peril.
Less than two weeks later Jay Leno complains in his amiable good white guy way about efforts that would make it easier for aliens to come to the U.S. He jokes about there being too many already. On this night we get a double dose of angry white man falling, however, as Lenos first guest, Miller, encourages putting young Muslim men under government surveillance and imploring our government to tighten our Borders. He scoffs and demeans those like Howard Dean who have publicly questioned the Bush regimes practice of monitoring our phone calls, emails and other communications. He, like Leno, complains about the high numbers of Mexican aliens entering our country. Tijuana looks like the Boston Marathon only in ponchos, Miller quips. He entertains Lenos studio and television audience by proposing a solution to the debate around guest worker programs and a possible wall spanning the entirety of the 2,000 mile plus Mexico-U.S. border: I say you bring them over to build the wall and at the last minute you throw them back over.
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