I hate when mosts liberals talk about immigration reform. Why? Because liberalism, or to be more precise Social-democracy, cannot offer any concrete solutions to the immigration problems (or really an political-economic problem arising out of the conditions of global capital) facing America, and other modern western democracies. They can only offer cheap moralization. And thus we arrive at this stupid little gem, published by the Comics Alliance today.
In the article the author points to the symmetry between an alien superhero who does good, and the good an illegal alien does by providing money to a loved one back home. It tugs at the heart strings, no doubt. But what is it really saying if we take into account its ideological bent. Its celebration of the workers who are willing to do these shitty jobs only really serves to legitimatize a deeply unegalitarian society that necessitate these divisions to begin with.
Here I return to my point, liberals cannot provide answers to illegal immigration reform. If we disregardard the facist right, who have a unhealthy spiritual attachment to land, it is the right (capitalist. I don’t mean ideologically capitalist, I am talking about the actual functionaries of capital) that benefit the most from immigration. Capitalism has always needed a steady supply of cheap labour. In late capitalism, otherwise known as transnational global capitalism, this cheap labour must be allowed to shift freely through global points thus making national boundaries an impediment to capital. Think about it, who did the most to try and reform immigration laws. George W. Bush.
What alternatives can liberals provide? Make illegals into citizens or residents? Okay what then? The very reason illegals can sell their labour as a commodity hinges on the fact that their labour isn’t backed with the rights of a citizen. If that is the case you will only be increasing the nunbers of the already growing class of permanently unemployed.
There are only three concrete options. 1) The Arizona route, otherwise known as fascism, where American becomes super-isolationist and cuts themselves off from global capital. 2) The George Bush option, other-wise know as authoritarian capitalism, where there is some sort of compromise that legitimatizes a worker’s presence in a state but doesn’t grant their labour any rights thus legitimizing a permanent underclass. 3) Finally their is communism, which the options that goes beyond the very cordinates of capital a therefore elimating the real problem altogether; the nessecity for a workers to sell their labour.
There we have it: We can be fascist, we can be capitalist or we can be communists. However there is no Social-democratic option. So please, please stop talking about superman as if he was some sort of champion for the politically oppressed. Superman is the champion of the status quo. Any portrayal of alien workers as superheroes is just distasteful and offensive to their plight.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Comments