They're at it again.
Fox News broadcast a story on immigration with on-screen text that read "Illegal Dumping," evoking a connection between immigrants and garbage.
On the June 4 edition of Fox & Friends, host Steve Doocy teased an upcoming segment about undocumented immigrants, apprehended in Texas and awaiting deportation proceedings, being dropped off at a Phoenix bus station by the Department of Homeland Security. Images of children disembarking from buses were displayed on screen with text that read "Illegal Dumping," a phrase commonly used to describe the unlawful disposal of garbage or other unwanted items.
Actually, [MENTION=39768]hazlnut[/MENTION] has a good point, here.
At issue is the deliberate use of an under-headline to go with a specific graphic:
Information here:
Did Fox Just Compare Immigrants To Garbage? | Blog | Media Matters for America
Fox News broadcast a story on immigration with on-screen text that read "Illegal Dumping," evoking a connection between immigrants and garbage.
On the June 4 edition of Fox & Friends, host Steve Doocy teased an upcoming segment about undocumented immigrants, apprehended in Texas and awaiting deportation proceedings, being dropped off at a Phoenix bus station by the Department of Homeland Security. Images of children disembarking from buses were displayed on screen with text that read "Illegal Dumping," a phrase commonly used to describe the unlawful disposal of garbage or other unwanted items.
Now, those on the right can put their hands over their eyes and say "na-na-na-na-na-na", as if this stuff doesn't happen or is unimportant, but I bring forth some arguments that are pretty hard to tear down:
1.) The GOP is getting hammered in the Latino vote. In the last Prez election, it went Obama 71 / Romney 27, margin: Obama +44%
Exit polls 2012: How the vote has shifted - The Washington Post
(2008 exit poll figures are also at the same link, using mouseover)
In 2008, in the Latino vote, it was Obama 67 / McCain 31, margin: Obama +36%.
In 2004, in the Latino vote, it was Kerry 53 / Bush (43) 44, margin: Kerry +9%
So, in 8 years, the DEM advantage in the Latino vote jumped from D+9% to D+44%. That is an absolute catastrophe for the GOP, one that will have far-reaching implications for the next many presidential cycles, possibly a generation or two!
(BTW, there is a similar jump in the Asian vote)
2.) The vast displeasure among the Latino community (and I am speaking of Latinos who ARE US CITIZENS) with the GOP is with it's extremist stance on immigration and the constant use of bigoted slurs and bigoted imagery/sound to demean the Latino community. Don't even get me started on bringing up examples, there are way too many for just one thread.
3.) FOX news, for good or for bad, is considered the propaganda wing for the Right (aka, the GOP), much as MSNBC is considered it's counterpart for the Left.
4.) So, using the old and very true axiom that it is often "more about perception than intent", FOX, in a teaser, which is used to catch peoples' attentions before the cutaway to a commercial break, uses the image of a small Latino boy getting a bottle of water from a DHS agent, and the underheadline says: "illegal dumping". Now, since the phrase "illegal dumping" is used all over the waste management world, it is most commonly associated with trash. Therefore, whether or not FOX "intended" that Latinos might think that FOX is equating a small Latino boy (who would stand for the Latino community, and by extension, for the part of the community that is innocent and vulnerable - namely, kids) with TRASH, it is likely going to be perceived by the Latino community as such. Go google "illegal dumping" and google for images. You will see what I mean:
-or-
Notice that the second image is a screenshot from a FOX news report about Illegal Dumping that obviously has to do with TRASH.
-or, this image-:
That image is also from a FOX news report:
FOX 40 WICZ TV - Two Pennsylvania Men Arrested Charged with Illegal Dumping [2/26/2014] - News, Sports, Weather, Contests and More - Binghamton, NY
Two Pennsylvania men and their business are charged with illegal dumping of and storage of sewage sludge containing human waste.
In other words, what FOX did was stupid at best and maybe criminal at worst. Either way, it is a perfide form of yellow journalism. I suspect that FOX does this stuff to keep it's white, aging, hard-core, bigoted, racist, homophobic, xenophobic audience tuned in - so, FOX is doing this to make money. But it sure as fuck is not doing the Right any favors in any kind of effort to actually reach out to the Latino community.
Now, Righties can go ahead and laugh at this stuff as if it means nothing, but they do it at their own political peril, because if they think that Latinos don't notice these slams against them, then they are kidding themselves.
[MENTION=42916]Derideo_Te[/MENTION]
[MENTION=20412]JakeStarkey[/MENTION]
Maybe you two would like to pipe in as well.
Sorry Stat but the term "illegal dumping", in this context, refers to the practice of INS "dumping" illegals in some states such as Arizona, New York and Maryland that have been caught in other states as opposed to transporting them across the border. The reason is the ones "dumped" by INS are not Mexicans so cannot legally be dropped across the border into Mexico.
The allusion that it has anything to do with trash is chimerical and nothing more than a pathetic attempt by some FOXaphobes to vent their spleen.