[Ads-l] newly "offensive" term

Wed Feb 14 21:02:17 UTC 2018

"The term 'chain migration' has itself assumed vague racial undertones that
imply Third World hordes clamoring at the gates."

Lochhead, Carolyn. "Senate Swayed by Analyst's Immigrant Count." San
Francisco Chronicle, 20 June 2006, A1.

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Bill Mullins
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2018 1:53 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] newly "offensive" term

Can anyone provide any citations that antedate Sen Durbin's comments of Jan
12 for someone asserting that "chain migration" is a racist term (or even a
problematic one) because it calls to mind the slaves brought over in chains?
Lots (hundreds and hundreds) of tweets containing "chain migration" +
"racist term" since Jan 12; only a handful before then (and they don't make
the connection between the term and slave chains).

For that matter, can anyone provide any citations for asserting "chain
migration" is a problematic term for any reason at all before the Trump
campaign?

I've looked reasonably hard (in detailed searches in ProQuest and other
databases and archives), and am having trouble finding such.  And this makes
me think that, given its long uncontroversial usage (the term being
uncontroversial, not the actual immigration or the policies about it) when
discussing immigration, that the term itself isn't particularly
"totalitarian" or racist or otherwise bad, but that asserting that it is, is
a way of showing that you don't like Trump's proposed immigration policies.
As Peter has more eloquently suggested.

(and the idea that 10th grade German classes on the rhetoric of
totalitarianism are a proper and appropriate touchstone for consideration of
American usage of American terms being discussed on the listserv of the
American Dialect Society seems a little, well, odd)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On 
> Behalf Of Peter Reitan
> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 6:42 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: [Non-DoD Source] Re: newly "offensive" term
> 
> 
> My point was to express surprise at how obvious you found the sinister 
> connotation and evil rhetorical intent was.  It seemed very non- obvious
to me.
> 
> 
> I am also surprised at your suggestion that it "couldn't possibly" 
> have the literal meaning I generally understand it to have, despite your
apparent openness to the possibility that it might have that meaning "on
some literal level."
> 
> 
> I generally have understood in in the more literal way, chain reaction 
> sense, as it has been used and understood for at least fifty years.  
> But of course the word is relatively new to me, so I just understood 
> it the way it sounded and was described.  I didn't think to consult my 
> 10th grade Nazi propoganda textbook - until, that is, I read other
articles explaining the "real", non-obvious meaning to me.  But before the
new meaning was revealed to me a few weeks ago, I generally understood it in
line with its non-controversial use over the past several decades, to
describe chain reaction in immigration where one migration leads to another
and then another like links in a chain.
> 
> 
> In the 1950s, "chain migration" was used to describe white families 
> moving into the Northern suburbs of Chicago in the face of black families
moving into the southeastern portion of North Chicago:
> 
> 
> Chicago Tribune, April 24, 1955, page E 6. "A chain migration - from 
> the Loop northward - is taking place on the north side and into the 
> north suburbs, accelerating the suburban growth, the survey indicates.  
> As minority groups push northward into the southeastern part of the north
area - . . . the middle income families in this area are moving north and
northwestward, replacing larger income families who resided on the northern
outskirts of the city."
> 
> [END]
> 
> 
> In 1963, Charles Price used the term in a book about the patterns of 
> Southern European immigration into Australia, as described in an article
about the book and its findings in an Australian newspaper:
> 
> 
> Sydney Morning Herald, September 2, 1963, page 2. "Why should almost 
> half the southern European population of Sydney and Melbourne during 
> the 1930s and 1940s have been engaged in small catering businesses - 
> cafes, milk bars, fruit shops and fish shops? . . . National character 
> and tradition may . . . have played a part, but the pheonomenon owed as
much, if not more, to chain migrtion.  'The strong tendency for those coming
out with the aid of friends and relatives to adopt the same occupations as
their sponsors,' writes Dr. Price, 'can mean that a few large migration
chains dominate the settlement pattern of a whole nationality.'"
> 
> [END]
> 
> 
> In 1985, the expression was used to describe Greek immigration to Hawaii:
> 
> 
> Honolulu Star-Bulletin, February 19, 1985, page 12. "The Greeks began 
> migrating to Hawaii through "chain migration."  Chain migration is a
phenomena which occurs when one family member settles in an area and begins
sending for relatives."
> 
> [END]
> 
> 
> Again in 1985, the expression was used during the debate surrounding 
> what would become the Reagan "amnesty".  This one, I guess, most closely
describes how I understand it, and how I understand it when I hear it used
in the Caution-news:
> 
> 
> Camden [NJ] Courier-Post, June 4, 1985, page 10.  "Past amnesty 
> proposals have drawn considerable opposition from a broad spectrum of 
> Americans because they would reward lawbreakers, be unfair to those 
> who wait to come in legally, raise the prospect of future amnesty
programs, and set off a patern of chain migration.  Millions of legalized
aliens, once citizenship is gained, could petition to bring in relatives,
who once they become citizens, could seek admission of their relatives."
> 
> [END]
> 
> 
> During the 1990s, the expression was used in conjunction with 
> recommendations by the U. S. Commission on Immigration Reform, chaired by
former Democratic congresswoman from Texas, Barbara Jordan:
> 
> 
> Anniston [Alabama] Star, June 8, 1995, page 8.  "Jordan said the 
> commission's plan was the only way to reunite the nuclear families of
legal residents, and Smith added that it will end "chain migration" by the
extended families of immigrants."
> 
> [END]
> 
> 
> So, yeah, I was surprised that the new, meaning based on a supposed
connotation with rhetorical value was considered so obvious.
> Ironically, however, those who probably get the most rhetorical value from
the sinister interpretation are those who oppose reform.
> 
> 
> I think the Nazis have a word that describes the intentional twisting 
> of the obvious, well-established, natural, neutral meaning of a term into
something sinister in order to influence their minions into disliking the
object of their derision while avoiding a substantive policy debate.
> Uebermeinungaenderungvergnuegen, perhaps?
> 
> 
> But I could be wrong.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of 
> Chris Waigl <chris at LASCRIBE.NET>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 2:29 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: newly "offensive" term
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
-----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Chris Waigl <chris at LASCRIBE.NET>
> Subject:      Re: newly "offensive" term
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
> 
> Hi Peter,
> 
> On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 1:25 PM, Peter Reitan <pjreitan at hotmail.com>
wrote:
> 
> > "Instantly stood out"?
> >
> 
>  Yes, that's what I wrote. Is it unclear?
> 
> 
> 
> > Because it couldn't possibly mean that one person lets in one close 
> > relative, who then lets in another close relative, who then lets in 
> > an in-law, who then lets in someone three degreesremoved from the 
> > first person - like a series of links in a chain.
> >
> >
> No, it couldn't mean that, for two reasons. The first is that the figure
that accompanied the term was that of a tree structure.
> The Nazi term Überfremdung sprang to mind; second, because that's not how
immigration works.
> 
> And even if it "meant" that on some literal level, there's connotation and
rhetorical value.
> 
> Chris
> unclear what your point is TBH
> 

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