Austin Notes: Students Hunt Immigrants
Austin readers heading toward campus this morning may want to avoid the West Mall—or make a beeline for it, depending on their reaction to displays of barbarism and bigotry. Members of the Young Conservatives of Texas will be staging a simulated “Immigrant Hunt” there between the hours of 11:00 and 1:00. The enterprising students will be wearing color–coded shirts branding them as various kinds of immigrants: brown for Latinos, yellow for Asians, and so forth. Rewards will be offered to those who catch these make–believe specimens of the most dangerous game.
The YCT held a similar hunt recently at North Texas University.
A counter–demonstration will of course be launched, with students from a coalition of organizations “linking hands in silent protest,” holding up signs, and being “vocal,” according to the email I received.
Judging from the photos on the YCT site the valiant young hunters should welcome the protest, since it will give them the illusion of a) a turnout, and b) importance.
If you have ever wondered how people can proudly circulate photos of themselves abusing prisoners or performing other shameful acts, take a look—here they are in training.
UPDATE:
As of 7:15 am the YCT was backing off from the hunt and declaring that they were holding a Texas Independence Day celebration instead. (Oh, so that's why they scheduled the hunt for today. I suppose none of these boys' Texas ancestors ever came from anywhere else.)
I've been told that the link to the YCT photo page doesn't work. Here is the overall link to the YCT site at www.yct.org. You can go from there to the specific page at www.yct.org/illegal.htm. Who knows, maybe they've already scrambled to take that page down. There's a lovely photo of a pudgy, meanly squinty-smiling white college boy wearing an orange tee shirt with the slogan "Illegal Immigrant."
UPDATE:
The Austin branch of the YCT claims they never scheduled an immigrant hunt, and that the shameful event was solely the work of the Denton (i.e. North Texas U.) branch. They are calling the rumor of the Austin immigrant hunt a hoax and assailing their opposition for not checking more thoroughly before writing about it. Whatever the Austin situation, I am currently looking at a YCT page that proudly proclaims "Denton, Texas -- January 26, 2005 -- Capture an Illegal Immigrant Day," with accompanying photos. If the Austin branch is dissociating itself from that disgrace, they're showing good sense.
Here are a couple of interesting links to bloggers who checked on the Austin situation more thoroughly than I did:
infobong
roman candles
UPDATE:
I have now, I hope, repaired problems with the above two links as well as the earlier link to the YCT Immigrant hunt page. Sorry.
The YCT held a similar hunt recently at North Texas University.
A counter–demonstration will of course be launched, with students from a coalition of organizations “linking hands in silent protest,” holding up signs, and being “vocal,” according to the email I received.
Judging from the photos on the YCT site the valiant young hunters should welcome the protest, since it will give them the illusion of a) a turnout, and b) importance.
If you have ever wondered how people can proudly circulate photos of themselves abusing prisoners or performing other shameful acts, take a look—here they are in training.
UPDATE:
As of 7:15 am the YCT was backing off from the hunt and declaring that they were holding a Texas Independence Day celebration instead. (Oh, so that's why they scheduled the hunt for today. I suppose none of these boys' Texas ancestors ever came from anywhere else.)
I've been told that the link to the YCT photo page doesn't work. Here is the overall link to the YCT site at www.yct.org. You can go from there to the specific page at www.yct.org/illegal.htm. Who knows, maybe they've already scrambled to take that page down. There's a lovely photo of a pudgy, meanly squinty-smiling white college boy wearing an orange tee shirt with the slogan "Illegal Immigrant."
UPDATE:
The Austin branch of the YCT claims they never scheduled an immigrant hunt, and that the shameful event was solely the work of the Denton (i.e. North Texas U.) branch. They are calling the rumor of the Austin immigrant hunt a hoax and assailing their opposition for not checking more thoroughly before writing about it. Whatever the Austin situation, I am currently looking at a YCT page that proudly proclaims "Denton, Texas -- January 26, 2005 -- Capture an Illegal Immigrant Day," with accompanying photos. If the Austin branch is dissociating itself from that disgrace, they're showing good sense.
Here are a couple of interesting links to bloggers who checked on the Austin situation more thoroughly than I did:
infobong
roman candles
UPDATE:
I have now, I hope, repaired problems with the above two links as well as the earlier link to the YCT Immigrant hunt page. Sorry.
posted by Richard Lawrence Cohen at 12:22 AM
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