July 19, 2019
Question: Is it possible to be from somewhere other than where you were raised?
Suggested Answer: Nope.
The nonsense recently tweeted by the Remander in Chief regarding four members of Congress, three born in the USA and the fourth raised here from an early age, may represent a new low even for him but raises an important issue. Where is a person from? You know, so that they can be sent back.
It’s not the place of our birth. To paraphrase an old joke, we chose that location because we wanted to be near our mother. But we wouldn’t remember the place of our birth unless reminded of the fact. Interestingly, the one known in acronymity as AOC chose a hospital to be born in which was only about twelve miles from the hospital chosen by the president. And for the same reason – to be near their mother. Perhaps their mothers knew each other. Perhaps not.
A better definition might be that we are from the place where we spent our formative years. If that was more than one place, then maybe we get to choose the one we liked best. But it is never some spot on the globe inhabited by our ancestors rather than us.
There was a comment in an alumni magazine, which bears repeating, if badly. It was posted by a woman from San Diego whose appearance, we gather, suggested ancestry in East Asia. As she told it, to our recollection, a boor kept asking where she was “from.” To which she kept answering San Diego, because that was where she was born and raised. To which the boor kept responding, “No, I mean where are you from…” all the while gesticulating and drawing out the last word. San Diego, as it turns out.
The point being that, while we might like to track our cultural heritage, there is no obligation to do so, and the sense of our origins is not somehow built in. We are an adaptable, and adoptable, species. If we are raised from infancy by seagulls on an island, we will not have a sense of whether we are from Ireland or Japan. If the island has cliffs, our bones will be found at the bottom, where we tried to follow our siblings into flight. Because we are a seagull, from the island.
“Time for you to go back to the places you will be from” (Closing Time, band: Semisonic; writer: Dan Wilson)
To suggest that four members of Congress go back to the crime infested place they came from is not much of a stretch if, by that, you mean the House of Representatives, and would be an exact match for the Senate under Mitch’s leadership. However, it is ludicrous when suggesting that these women are from somewhere other than the United States. This is particularly dangerous turf for a white male – especially one who chooses European imports over American-made two times out of three. If the Trumps got here voluntarily circa 1880, we are reminded that the importation of those who got here involuntarily and against their will was banned starting in 1808. So, if your game show host offers you a small fortune to run out to the street and grab a fifth generation American without asking any questions, and assuming you do not immediately spot someone in full feathered head dress, your chances of winning would be best if you chose someone of color.
MOE
M.I.C.H. Modernity, Intelligence, Complexity, Humanity