Today is the "Great American Boycott" Day

[Deadfire]

Now I wondered what it was at first too then I read about. the more I knew the funnier it got.

The Great American Boycott, known in Spanish as El Gran Paro Americano, is a nationwide boycott and strike of United States schools and businesses planned for May 1, 2006. The date was chosen to coincide with international May Day observances. The organizers are calling for supporters to abstain from buying, selling, working, and attending school to demonstrate the impact of immigrant labor, especially that of illegal immigrants, on the U.S. economy and to demand general amnesty. For this reason, the day is also referred to as A Day Without an Immigrant.

Events, including protests, demonstrations, and teach-ins, are scheduled in major cities across the U.S. Internationally, a one-day boycott of American products called the "Nothing Gringo Boycott" is scheduled, particularly in Mexico and Central American countries.Likewise, demonstrations are planned in cities on the Mexican side of the United States–Mexico border and in major cities across Canada

More information (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Boycott)

I'm wondering if anyone here is doing this

[RyougaZell]

I wasn't really planning on leave home today on this free day (May 1st is known as Work Day (or Dia del Trabajo) here in Mexico, and its a holiday). So I guess I won't be consuming products from the states.

I have nothing against americans, but I found the movement interesting. This has been tried to be done before, unsuccesfully. But it seems this time it was serious.

I believe the detonant was Hillary Clinton's proposal of a Berlin-like wall between USA and Mexico.

Oh well.

[Kraco]

I had heard about the immigrant strike but not about the boycott. I doubt the boycott is prensent elsewhere than in those places you specifically mentioned.

There are so few immigrants over here that if they decided to have a one day strike like that, I doubt there would be that big an impact at all. Aside from a mass closure of pizzerias, ethnic restaurants, and few other small businesses that have entities run solely by immigrants. Illegal immigrants abstaining from work would probably go totally unnoticed by the larger audience. Well, it's a situation completely different compared to the USA.

[Lefty]

It would be ironic if INS hits every protest.

[RyougaZell]

According to the news, there are over 40million latinamericans living at the States.

But other that data like that, there aren't big news about the supposed boycott.

[darkmetal505]

My state has quite a bit of Latino people residing in it so there might be some trouble. Plenty of my friends are attending the boycott also.

[ChaosK]

Theres supposedly 11million illegal immigrants. Doesn't affect my state much, when illegal immigrants come in, they don't run that far up to NY.

[Honoko]

Theres supposedly 11million illegal immigrants. Doesn't affect my state much, when illegal immigrants come in, they don't run that far up to NY.
Are you kidding? Restaurant busboys, hotel cleaning maids, nannies living in suburbia... they're everywhere in NY too!

[Genma]

I live near the LA area (in O.C., just like that retarded show) and a ton of mexicans didn't show up to school today.

The only significant thing that I noticed was that the guys that mow our lawn didn't show up. Wow... the grass has now grown a few centimeters. This is terrible!

[AlterEgox5]

Um....I care?

(meant sarcastically of course)

Find a way to become legal first. Then I'll care. I guess that sounds ignorant, but there are just some things in life I'm going to be selfish about... Especially after that huge project I just finished about the middle/working class.

I do admit I'll be interested in what comes of all this, the effects and all that, basically out of sheer curiosity.

[Genma]

Find a way to become legal first. Then I'll care. I guess that sounds ignorant, but there are just some things in life I'm going to be selfish about... Especially after that huge project I just finished about the middle/working class.

That isn't ignorant at all. What's ignorant is the fact that these illegals are: a) protesting America, despite living in it free of taxes, and b) wanting rights and to be "equal". It's like... make up your minds. If you want to be equal then come in here legally, like my grandparents and my friend from South Korea. Spend a whole goddam year learning the constitution and force your kids to learn English, so the American kids near the border don't have to feel like a bunch of idiots because the non-english speaking kids don't understand what they're being tested on. (We have some of the lowest test scores in the nation).

I'm not racist by any means, but this whole thing is just plain ridiculous.

[samsonlonghair]

Genma, I agree with you about everything but language. I don't see the English language being that important. Canada has two official languages; I see no reason to keep the U.S. speaking only one. I grew up in Miami and nearly half the population spoke Spanish better than English. There are billboards, radio stations and TV stations in Spanish everywhere in Miami/Dade county. It doesn't hurt anyone in the slightest.

Letting the Spanish language gain some prevelence in the U.S. will not detract from anything important. The worst thing that'll happen is that you'll have to learn a few words of Spanish to do business in Hispanic neighborhoods.

[Yukimura]

The biggest problem I find with bilingualism is when I know two languages becomes I have my primary (non english) and an okay grasp of the other (english). I don't know how the Quebecos handle English, but where I grew up many people that spoke some other language didn't have a conversational grasp of English. And weren't the Quebecos alreay speaking French back when Canada became an independant nation? That's a grandfather clause, nothing you can do about it. In America, English was the status quo f(but not law) or pretty much every state that joined the Union, Hawaii might be an exception but who cares, stuff costs too much there. So why should all the generations of English speaking Americans have to teach their kids another language.

As to the immigrant thing, while I like my lawn mowed as much as the next guy, if the illegals think they haave any rights at all that just shows they don't deserve anything they're asking for. My friends and I were also talking about INS (which I believe is now part of Homeland Security and thus uselss) hitting all these protests. I see it as an insult to the Constitution to just stand by as people who are taking advantage of this country try and throw it in our faces. If you want equal rights, then accept equal responsibilities.

And a lot of people talk about how immigrants come here for a better life and what not, because their own countries suck or whatever, I say fuck you to them. This isn't some utopia where everyone has a right to everything the world can give them, there is no world government and no one has any unaliable rights to take any kind of action to the detriment of another, only the rights not to have certain actions taken against them. America needs only to look out for American's and to hell with anyone else. This is not to say we shouldn't interact with the world at large, in fact I thnk it's good that we still naturalize in thousands of new citizens every year. My point is that all the good and wonderful things about America aren't for anyone but Americans. If someone wants access to them they can try to become an American otherwise they are shit out of luck. If people think they are somehow entitled to something just because they work here for rich housewives and farmers they should look into a little thing called slavery. White people did it before and I think they'll do it again if it means controling the illegal immigrants and making sure the work still gets done.

[RyougaZell]

Since I have legal papers to enter USA, plus I have over 90% level of english... all this actually doesn't bother me.
The only thing I hate is that mexico-americans (you know, those that live in the border and aren't either mexicans or americans) always screw you, just because they want to. Even if you always have your papers at date.
Oh well, while the Mexico-USA "berlin-wall" isn't built, I really could care less about immigrants.

[AlterEgox5]

Ah thank God I'm not stuck out on my own.

And I don't even push the whole "learn English" thing, even though, um, yeah it's gonna help. My problem around where I live is that in high school the only language offered was Spanish. Okay, that's fine, but we get a lot of mirgrant workers through our town, so when a friend of mine was trying to be nice and speak Spanish to a family she was checking out at the grocery store, they just laughed at her and she felt like a total idiot.

Made me extra happy when I was in my Japanese class and our instructor told us that when you try and speak Japanese to someone they get excited and all pleased that you're attempting to learn their language.

I can't respect someone who doesn't respect people who give effort.

Besides, I mow my own damn lawn anyway. =P

In the long run, it's not that I don't think people should come here (even though I think this country is overcrowded anyway and we still have tons of our own problems with homelessness, etc. - did you know more of the middle class is slipping into the working class and lower?), but if they are, then they're just going to have to get in line. The American dream isn't really much of a dream in some respects and even those of us who work our asses off our whole life don't make what we always dreamed we would. I could start citing stuff, but I'm done with that project so I'm not going to. Anyway, if you'd like to live in this country and be equal, well then as Yukimura said, equal rights for equal responsibilities. Hear hear.

[samsonlonghair]

Again, I compleely agree that immigrants should become citizens, learn the constitution, and pay taxes. Having two languages just doesn't bother me.

It's true that you'll always know one language better than another, but you don't need to be completely affluent in a second language. If you want to buy something from a store, but the owners and clerks don't speak english all you need to know is how to count and a few verbs.

It was kind of a lousy thing that that hispanic family laughed at your friend AlterEgo, but some people are just jerks. Assholes come in all colors, languages, etcetera. It has nothing to do with the Spanish language. I'm sure that there are jerks in Japan who would laugh at someone trying to learn their language. For that matter I'm sure there are jerks in the U.S. and other english-speaking countries that laugh at people who try to learn English. We shouldn't make broad decisions based on the actions of a few assholes.

The majority of Hispanics I've known have been relatively courteous. They understand that their language is not prevelant throughout the U.S. Except for the older ones, Hispanics in the U.S. usually try to learn English, but they didn't all benefit from a good education. It helps if they Speak a little English and you speak a little Spanish.

Of course, nothing's more helpful than patience.

[Xollence]

All the busboys and clean up crew showed up for work on Monday and didn't know anything about the strike. Was the strike big?

[Deadfire]

All the busboys and clean up crew showed up for work on Monday and didn't know anything about the strike. Was the strike big?

Well...

Organization of events fell to local groups. In some cases, the split that occurred on the national level was evident on the local level as well in that separate events were planned by the various organizers. Major events were held in:

Los Angeles - Between 500,000 (police estimate) and 2 million (Univision estimate) protesters marched in two separate marches, one beginning at 10:00 AM and primary organized by the Mexican American Political Association, and the second beginning at 3:00 PM and organized by the "We Are America" coalition of religious groups including the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, ethnic interest groups, and labor organizations such as the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. The primary impact of the boycott was on the Latino community itself. Hospitals in the San Fernando Valley reported no impact, freeways were less crowded, and there was no major impact on the Port of Los Angeles.

Orange County, California - Of the 89,000 companies in the county, most remained open on the day of the boycott. Between 8,000 and 10,000 people marched in Santa Ana. Two protesters were arrested after rocks and bottles were thrown at the police. Turnout in other parts of the county were negligible. Some Orange County public schools reported no change in the number of absent students, while others were slightly higher.

Chicago - Authorities estimated that over 400,000 demonstrators marched downtown, while other groups put the figure as high as 800,000. The event was the largest march in Chicago history. Predominantly Latino schools in the city saw a 10 to 33 percent drop in attendance, which was as high as 85% in one school

San Francisco - The Filipino group BAYAN-USA, a branch of Phillippines-based Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, announced an alliance with African American unions in favor of the boycott.

Denver - The Denver Police Department reported 75,000 people attended a march and rally. Catholic groups were among the prime organizers.

Tampa - Police estimates are that at least 7,000 people were gathered at a location near Dale Mabry and Columbus Dr. No arrests were reported, but police did have to separate protesters from anti-immigration protesters at many times of the day. Police reported hearing many racial and ethnic slurs being thrown by both sides. A small group of some people very opposed to immigration accused the Tampa police department of being one-sided because the police force handed out free water bottles to protesters. Businesses did not report a large shortage of employees however; many construction companies felt an impact when some companies reported 80% of employees were not at work.

New York City - A march of over 200,000 people began in Chinatown, rallied in Union Square Park, and continued down Broadway to Federal Plaza was led by a diverse coalition of workers' and immigrants' organizations. Jesse Jackson and Roger Toussaint were among the leaders of the march In a poll, the majority of New Yorkers believed that the protest would result in a backlash. However, very few stores closed for the boycott. Organizers formed a human chain. In all, 12,000 people turned out to form eight chains: five in Manhattan, one in Queens, one in Brooklyn and one in the Bronx.

Tucson/Phoenix - In Tucson, many businesses, particularly on the city's predominantly South Side, closed for the day. In Phoenix, the effects of the boycott were negligible, and was widely seen as a failure.

Santa Fe/Albuquerque - Rallies were organized by Somos un Pueblo Unido, an immigrant-advocacy group. 74 businesses closed in Albuquerque, as did another 50 in Santa Fe.

Washington, D.C. - Business closures and higher-than-normal absentee rates were reported.

Madison, Wisconsin - Between 3,000 (police estimate) and 5,000 (organizer estimate) people rallied at the Wisconsin State Capitol. The turnout was smaller than at a similar rally that brought at least 10,000 to the Capitol on April 10. Organizers believe forecasts of rain, along with false rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement roundups that had caused panic in many Wisconsin communities the week before, may have contributed to the diminished attendance. Hundreds of students did not show up for school and at least twelve businesses remained closed. Some of those at the Capitol rally carried posters bearing a photo of Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner, the author of H.R. 4437 and a Menomonee Falls resident, with red "X"-es drawn across his face.

Las Vegas - On the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown, a procession of approximately 1000 walked Las Vegas Boulevard from the downtown Fremont Experience to Tropicana Avenue, a distance of about 5 miles. Strip resorts claimed no significant impact. Off the Strip, many independent restaurants closed, but chain restaurants remained busy.
Atlanta - An estimated 2,500 protestors turned out for the event, although Atlanta police had been prepared for as many as 100,000.

Olympia, Washington - Over 300 demonstrators marched from Sylvester Park to the steps of the state capitol. A banner that read "Hands off our Immigrants, workers, families" was hung from the capitol building. After leaving the capitol, the group again flooded two major downtown thoroughfares before the event ended in a street party at the downtown artesian well.

Seattle - Around 20,000 to 30,000 demonstrators marched peacefully from the central district to the Federal Building downtown.

Massachusetts - Across Massachusetts, the boycott did not result in the widespread work stoppages that some organizers had hoped for. Its impact was felt most powerfully in Latino neighborhoods and among young people, with an estimated 8,000 students staying away from school and marching in the streets. Thousands of workers and their supporters joined rallies and demonstrations across the state. There was a teach-in at Harvard, a prayer vigil at a Catholic church in Framingham, and rallies in Somerville, Amherst, and Fitchburg.

Around the US Tyson Foods closed meatpacking plants, citing market conditions and a possible shortage of workers. Cargill Meat Solutions, the No. 2 US beef producer and No. 3 pork producer, closed five of its U.S. beef plants and two hog plants due to the immigration rallies. 15,000 workers were given the day off. Many smaller businesses throughout the U.S. were also closed as a result of lack staff or out of support for the movement.

So I'm thinking our members should at least know a little more about this

[RyougaZell]

All the busboys and clean up crew showed up for work on Monday and didn't know anything about the strike. Was the strike big?

Somehow this post made me frown...

Oh well...

About people making fun of you because of the way you speak "their" language... the University where I studied (ITESM) had a lot of foreigners. Chinese, Japanese, American, Italian, French etc... and they made fun of each other.

A friend studied Japanese for almost 6 years, and several japanese made fun of his pronunciation. A french didn't had patience with me, when I was studying frend (and franctly (sp?) neither did I, so I dropped the french).

Another friend (from South America) currently is studying at China, and he said the first months were though, because few people had patience to help him.

My point is... like samsonlonghair said, there are a lot of jerks out there. We can't discriminate a whole society for a few.

[Lefty]

I have a feeling that some of the buisneses will lash back against the employees that protested. I know construction companies will definatly fire a few people. Theres at least one buisness in Seattle thats fired a mangaer for letting workers take the day off to march.

[Kraco]

Aye. That manner of jerks would probably be jerks no matter what language you tried to use to speak to them. They would just need to come up with some other excuse for being impolite.

[AlterEgox5]

Well I wasn't trying to discriminate against the entire Spanish population or anything (even though the incident wasn't isolated, but that's probably just my town...who knows. I don't even like that town - don't claim it, but that's a whole other story) because my Japanese teacher did have stories of when he'd say something wrong/off and would hence amuse his host family or those around him. It's just different when it's "haha, silly American, this is how you say it" compared to "haha, dumbass American."

But I don't even like my town anyway so... Oh fudge and now I have to go to class...*grumbles* 8 more days....8 more days...

[Deadfire]

A discussion I had with a fellow friend I have given me some points to think about. What is the real cause for this other then human nature refering to ego. Is it that the US's immigrantion law is harder then others (Citing say Canada's) or is it something more?

I'm a Canadian so I'm playing with fire if i try to explain anything to do with American laws so I'll leave that up to other person. Although many in Canada have the same outlook on our immigrants then the US has, however we don't do much about it. Our nationalism is a subtle, easily misunderstood but powerfull reality, expressed in a way that is not to state directed - something like a beer commercial or the death of a significant Canadian figure.

However as another famous quote about us has said

"What is a Canadian? A Canadian is a fellow wearing English tweeds, a Hong Kong shirt and Spanish shoes, who sips Brazilian coffee sweetened with Philippine sugar from a Bavarian cup while nibbling Swiss cheese, sitting at a Danish desk over a Persian rug, after coming home in a German car from an Italian movie... and then writes his Member of Parliament with a Japanese ballpoint pen on French paper, demanding that he do something about foreigners taking away our Canadian jobs."

[Assertn]

I'd pay $100 for someone to build my deck.

All I know is that it sucked driving around LA last monday.

[AlterEgox5]

If I knew how to build a deck I'd do it. Haha. And I would hate to imagine the driving situation. Gotta hurry up and get published so I move out to my Colorado cabin in the woods...

Yes, that's right. When all else fails my plan is to leave everything behind as much as possible. I'm out of other ideas/effective options.

[Genma]

I just read a few of the reactions to my earlier post concerning the whole 'immigrants should learn english' thing. To clarify, I don't mean they should be fluent by any means, but it'd be nice if they could speak and understand it to a certain degree.

We have a classroom where non-english speaking students learn at my school. I've had to grade their papers as part of my aiding elective (not for their class, but my teacher said they needed help with stuff) and it's really... bad. These kids have no idea what's going on and they really have no motivation to try. I seriously graded 5 papers where the kids cheated off each other to spell the word chair - and got it wrong. This is no joke.

Anyway, it may be arrogant of me to want them to learn how to speak English beforehand, but... meh. It's just my opinion.

[Lefty]

Well if our president can't even speak english, his native languae, properly. What chance do the immigrants have.

[AlterEgox5]

Yes because that depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is...

Oops, wait wrong president...

Dang, when is the last time we've had a president who actually knows what he's doing?

On second thought, no one answer that, let's just stick to the thread issue.

[RyougaZell]

Presidents always screw things up...
Like our president, Fox. He once said that mexicans did the jobs (in USA) not even black people wanted to do...
Talk about moronic speeches...

[AlterEgox5]

Haha, I happened to catch Carlos Mencia last night and he said the same thing... I don't know if that's ironic or what though... >.<

[Genma]

Well if our president can't even speak english, his native languae, properly. What chance do the immigrants have.

Bush speaks English better than 99.99999% of immigrants, but he's not very articulate or a good public speaker.

You try reading off a paper with cameras rolling and hundreds to thousands of people surrounding you on a daily basis. You're bound to screw up more than once, and he's certainly not the first president to do so.

And the whole 'noo-clear' thing is either a speech impediment or his accent.

If anything, you should be bashing Bush for his moronic presidency and pointless war -- not the flaws he has in his speeches.

Sorry... went off track a bit there.

[Lefty]

Well it does have to deal with part of his accent and all the substance abuse has probably left his brain a little swiss chessed, but some of the shit that has come out of his mouth is just plain idiotic. Even some new english speakers are shaking thier heads.