The Mexican Table

[Genesis]

Middle School in the states was just a learning curve.. because throughout those 3 years I went through 2 school districts. The one school district I started in had an ELL program at the time for foreign students to learn English, and within that ELL program, you've had your wide variety of different nationalities...

You've had your Bosnians, Russians, Polish, Indians, Ukrainians, Pakistani, and even better... The Mexicans.

During the lunch period, there was a whole table that was referred to as the Mexican Table, and a lot of the Mexican Kids sat together in that table. I had a friend who sat at the table... and each time they always made a joke that White kids weren't allowed... so of course, I figured a way to join in with them... after awhile they didn't care that I was white... they knew I was different for a white kid, and I gotten to know a lot of them.

Some of them had their tough-guy attitudes, yet the others were quite insightful...

The politics behind that experience was that these guys were going with what they were familiar with... and adding me into the mix, was just a way of melting down the weird tensions they had with White Kids at the time... I'm sure it's better now, yet back then it wasn't "Trumpy Like Even"... it was better, because you had more open dialogue with different people... no matter if they were Mexican, Bosnian, or any other nationality.

If the Trumpist ideas were like that back then in the school district with the ELL program, it wouldn't be a comfortable environment for them, as well as myself.

[Al Swearegen]

No idea what you are saying.
"I'm sure it's better now, yet back then it wasn't "Trumpy Like Even"" What does this mean?
"f the Trumpist ideas were like that back then in the school district with the ELL program, it wouldn't be a comfortable environment for them, as well as myself." What ideas are they

Completely non-related

[Al Swearegen]

I will be honest with you. If you strip out the weird Trump references it is not a difficult story to follow. But, I do not know whether you realise this, the fact that you were comfortable with kids of different ethnicities and the like is not particularly unusual. Nor is it denigrating or elevating you. Really it ought to be the default.

The guys I hung out with as a teen (early and late) were mainly Southern European and Australian in about equal measure. The reason I think I got on so well with the Greeks and the Macedonians and the Italians is that my cousins were/are Greek and they had a real connection to family I did not really have but I found interesting and also I liked the confident, loud braggadocios and loyalty of them. I liked the girls too. And the food.

But Australia tends to have waves from different parts of the world settling and lending to the community melting pot.

Indians and Africans seem to be much more prevalent now and most of my mates at work are Indian with a few African mates. Different each culture and interesting.

Now you and I know that the Mexicans Trump dislikes has nothing to do with their ethnicity or their race but EVERYTHING to do with if they snuck into his country or are there legally. I am a BIG advocate of strict border control. WE are an island that is relatively uninhabitable and inhabited by about 30 million people and surrounded by countries that are significantly poorer and vastly more populated. We need zero policy for illegal immigrants. My mates came in correctly. Some are now citizens and some are not. All are following the rules and trying to fit in with this country and negotiate their place in it.

I think this is the way it should be. It is about respecting the country.

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

I would have been sitting at the table with the best food.

[Al Swearegen]

Mexican food is pretty good.

[Gopher Gary]

During lunch I hung out at the smoking area, consuming nicotine and diet coke. 

[Genesis]

Damn, I need to think this over again -_- FUCK!!!

I was meaning to say if the Mexican Table incident happened "present-day" it would have been much different...

[Genesis]

Al I know you have your man-crush and all... but honestly please -_-

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

I think most of us got it the first time Gen.

I would have been looking for an ethnic group with spicy food and who don't chew with their mouths open. That shit grosses me out.

[sg1008]

Damn, I need to think this over again -_- FUCK!!!

I was meaning to say if the Mexican Table incident happened "present-day" it would have been much different...

I got it. It would be different today. Kids are more brazen to tell foreign, or foreign looking kids to go home, talking about building a wall, and lots of other BS. It happened a lot more soon after Trump was elected. Its like Trump is another shock and awe event--> in terms of its effect on race/xenophobic relations among the kiddos. I was in middle school when 9/11 happened, and that was hell for the middle eastern and south Asian kids. My bro Neil, of Indian Hindu descent, was often called Osama and teased. We didn't have a huge group of immigrants at that time, so no tables here- less of an opportunity to share.

Nowadays in my city we DO have a larger immigrant community (from around the world) - and with that we have some great restaurants. Unfortunately, among many of our Guatemalan and other Latinx population, many folks are held in fear about ICE, and the kids live in fear of their families splitting apart, not knowing who they can trust. A little while ago some white thugs took to targeting and mugging the Latino looking people in one neighborhood. I do not know if they ever caught them.

So yeah, there is more fear in the air for sure. Even I am more on high anxiety alert because the white supremacist groups are becoming more active in my town...over the 4th of July holiday I spent the whole day praying no one would get lynched...although it seems they are more likely to pick up a gun than a noose nowadays.

[Al Swearegen]

Damn, I need to think this over again -_- FUCK!!!

I was meaning to say if the Mexican Table incident happened "present-day" it would have been much different...

How and why?

[Al Swearegen]

Damn, I need to think this over again -_- FUCK!!!

I was meaning to say if the Mexican Table incident happened "present-day" it would have been much different...

I got it. It would be different today. Kids are more brazen to tell foreign, or foreign looking kids to go home, talking about building a wall, and lots of other BS. It happened a lot more soon after Trump was elected. Its like Trump is another shock and awe event--> in terms of its effect on race/xenophobic relations among the kiddos. I was in middle school when 9/11 happened, and that was hell for the middle eastern and south Asian kids. My bro Neil, of Indian Hindu descent, was often called Osama and teased. We didn't have a huge group of immigrants at that time, so no tables here- less of an opportunity to share.

Nowadays in my city we DO have a larger immigrant community (from around the world) - and with that we have some great restaurants. Unfortunately, among many of our Guatemalan and other Latinx population, many folks are held in fear about ICE, and the kids live in fear of their families splitting apart, not knowing who they can trust. A little while ago some white thugs took to targeting and mugging the Latino looking people in one neighborhood. I do not know if they ever caught them.

So yeah, there is more fear in the air for sure. Even I am more on high anxiety alert because the white supremacist groups are becoming more active in my town...over the 4th of July holiday I spent the whole day praying no one would get lynched...although it seems they are more likely to pick up a gun than a noose nowadays.

Strange. I have heard Trump railed against illegal aliens and say over and over that he want immigrants but he wants them here legally.
If you are Mexican and are here legally will he have an issue with you? No. What if you are from Mexican descent but here legally? Will he have an issue? No.
In fact his support in the Latin community is very high for a Republican.
So not getting what you are saying. I know both sides of the political divide can be racistbut this is hardly a defining feature. Ilhan Omar being anti-Semetic and ant-white men or the Viginia Governor doing blackface is hardly representative of the whole of the Democratic Party (unlike slavery, KKK and Jim crow which were) any more that white supremists are representative of the right.

It seems like you are either saying that these racists did not exist before Trump or that his talks about needing to secure the border and that illegal immigration is a crisis somehow embolden white supremacists though he has denounced them?

Not getting it. Sounds like more abstract dog whistle kind of stuff. Which to me is like seeing shapes in clouds and about as scientific and factual.

[sg1008]

Have you considered moving here? You might even find it all you ever dreamed it could be.

[Al Swearegen]

Have you considered moving here? You might even find it all you ever dreamed it could be.

No. Way too many Americans. Hell, I would not even consider visiting America.

But that ansered, why ask that question in the first place?

[sg1008]

Have you considered moving here? You might even find it all you ever dreamed it could be.

No. Way too many Americans. Hell, I would not even consider visiting America.

But that ansered, why ask that question in the first place?

You seem to have a deep interest in American politicians, it must be hard to be removed from the people they supposedly represent, hard to not have a say in the direction things are going, and hard to be so far away from ground zero. But now it seems you abhor Americans, so I don't know what to make of it. Now that I think about it, generally its the other way around- folks more likely to have compassion for, and interest in the people, and abhor the politicians.