www.afsc.org via Facebook |
What do you do when an American state passes a bill that in effect declares war on illegal immigrants and strikes fear in the hearts of anyone with roots darker than Gwyneth Paltrow's?
Write your senator? Protest at the courthouse?
Nope. This is 2010 folks, and we're fighting the war against SB 1070 with social media. Facebook, Twitter and yes, even MySpace, have been flooded with posts for and against Arizona's latest legislation. Anecdotally, we've noticed that the most derision comes when you find out how your old high school friends (the ones you abandoned after graduation, who managed to find you on Facebook) feel about the law. Ouch.
Here are a few of the gems we've found:
10. PETA wins, PEOPLE lose. Phoenix-based poet Aaron Johnson Facebooked this disturbing quote from his latest piece last week:
Under new AZ legislation, Mexican wolves will be allowed to cross border to find more water, opportunities, and chances of survival with more ease than Mexican people.
Read the entire poem here.
9. "fuck tha government and fuck tha laws... we have rights" writes Hector #17 on MySpace. Not the most eloquent comment ever, but kudos to the Stop SB 1070 MySpace page for getting Hector and others out for a protest rally in late April.
8. Among the Facebook groups created specifically to discuss and/or protest SB 1070, 1,000,000 Against the Racist Anti-Immigrant Law SB 1070 in Arizona! has a fairly good balance of both sides.Sandi Balboa writes, "I did a poll on facebook asking if people immediately thought of Mexican when they heard the words "Illegal Immigrant." I received a 97% YES answer to my poll."
One of our favorite quotes on this page so far (grammar issues aside) has to be from Matthew Toledo, a Hispanic American who is against illegal immigration, though he doesn't think SB 1070 is the answer.
The police are not going to raid a Starbucks for Norwegian students who's visas have expired.
7. Tweeted from an observer on Phoenix's light rail today:
Such judgements being verbally expressed on light rail. SB 1070 is creating a sense that hate is acceptable.
6. Social media users like malanai are calling for a boycott of Arizona and Arizona-based chains like P.F. Chang's and Cold Stone.
Boycott Arizona-based businesses Cold Stone Creamery, U-Haul and P.F. Chang's until Arizona repeals SB 1070!!
Yes, because clearly ice cream stores and Asian restaurants are to blame for this mess.
5. Join a group, become a fan. How about, "I live in Arizona but I'm not insane," or "Jan Brewer needs a good tit-punching?" Classy. Thanks, FB.
4. Not everyone Facebooking the illegal immigration debate is against 1070. Brandon Godsey (one wonders if that's a pseudonym or life's irony at work), a conservative Republican Christian who loves Sarah Palin and the American flag, says:
ALL states need to follow Arizona since the "president" won't follow the FEDERAL LAW on imigration!!!
Note the quotes around the word "president." Uh-huh. Mr. Godsey will no doubt join the Obama Birth Certificate Lawsuit group next. While even some of the most die-hard 1070 protesters might listen to an intelligent pro-1070 quip, I doubt they'll be taking advice from a guy in a ridiculous strap-on clock hat.
3. Richwoman1967 *cough, cough* points to perhaps the worst of the many YouTube videos about 1070 protests on her Twitter feed. Let us pray that killing whitey with landscaping tools is not high on anyone's list of ways to fight the illegal immigration bill.
Check this video out -- Illegals Threaten To Murder Americans With Axes and Shovels SB 1070.
2. Twitter hashtag #NaziZona. 'Nuff said.
1. 1,000,000 strong and not one person has a better idea than 1070? Sad.
Writes Facebook user Matt Clarke, "We're a nation of armchair quarterbacks and cliff note know-it-alls. Most people I've talked to, haven't even read what the law entails. I want to know who is doing something better about the problems Arizona is facing? If not, then why worry about it? It's like the people who complain about Obama or Bush or whomever, but don't vote."